Welcome to Mystics Reading Society!
We’re currently slow-reading When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön, one chapter a week. There’s so much depth and wisdom in each chapter of this book, and I love exploring it with you. Each Sunday, I share:
A brief overview of the chapter
A letter or video with my personal reflections
An oracle card to help us expand the chapter’s wisdom
Enjoy, and share your reflections in the comments.
—Emma
Chapter Summary
This week, we’re reading Chapter 8 of When Things Fall Apart: Eight Worldly Dharmas.
In the chapter, Chödrön introduces the “eight worldly dharmas.” These are forces that hook us into life’s many dramas:
pleasure and pain
loss and gain
praise and blame
fame and disgrace
Throughout the chapter, she gives us examples of how this work.
“Let’s take praise and blame. Someone walks up to us and say, ‘you are old.’ If it just so happens that we want to be old, we feel really good. We feel as if we’ve just been praised. That gives us enormous pleasure and a sense of gain and fame. But suppose we have been obesessing all year about getting rid of wrinkles and firming up our jaw line. When someone says, ‘you are old,’ we feel insulted. We’ve just been blamed, and we feel a corresponding sense of pain.”
—Pema Chodron
The core message of the chapter is that it’s not our job to “eradicate these feelings of pleasure and pain, loss and gain, praise and blame, fame and disgrace.” Instead, she shows us how these experiences become opportunities to notice how we react.
“A more practical approach would be to get to know them, see how they hook us, see how they color our perception of reality. Then the eight worldly dharmas become the means of growing wiser, kinder, and more content.”
—Pema Chödrön
This chapter is ultimately about curiosity and awareness. By noticing what hooks us—without judgment—we grow in self-understanding, release drama, and live more compassionately.
What the Chapter Evoked for Me
✨ I have a video for you this week, where I share my reflections on Chapter 8.
Highlights:
The eight worldly dharmas are how we get “hooked” into drama.
My first reaction was feeling hooked myself. The chapter activated an old life issue for me around needing to not feel any emotions.
On a second reading, I saw that Chödrön isn’t asking us to erase feelings—she’s guiding us to notice them with curiosity.
I share a passage about non-attachment as intimacy and kindness, which reframed the teaching for me.
The heart of this chapter: seeing our own hooks helps us grow compassion for ourselves and others.
🌿 I also share updates on our new Pathfinding Circle community call (Friday, September 12) and the Soul Nourishment Seasonal Circle beginning (Thursday, September 18).
Oracle Wisdom
This week’s card comes from The Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana Ayales, with artwork by Josephine Klerks.
Question: What more do we need to know about the eight worldly dharmas?
Card: Gotu Kola — Higher Consciousness
“Upright: hermit, solitude, soul searching, realization, greater knowing, enlightenment
Reversed: loneliness, uncertainty, alienation, isolation, confusion, doubt
Guidance: Gotu Kola, like the wise Hermit in the tarot, signals the achievement of great wisdom through solitude and trust. You are entering a period of deep inner contemplation. Looking for answers requires solitude and disconnection from the regular casualties of life. Gotu Kola walks through the undiscovered pathways of the subconscious mind with precision, guided by the light of the Northern Star. You are moving into a new and higher stage of being. If you're experiencing a sense of loneliness or alienation, you are perhaps living a reality where your own deep truths have been denied. This is a time for introspection —a time for rest, meditation, and inner work. Your consciousness is undergoing transmutation. Take the time to study. Invoke your higher consciousness every day through meditation and contemplation.”
—Adriana Ayales
Let’s Connect
Now I’d love to hear from you:
🌀 What stood out to you in this chapter?
📜 What quote(s) landed for you?
🌹 Did the oracle message speak to you?
Come share in the comments. Remember, we are not a dogmatic bunch here. It’s okay to disagree. It’s okay to explore.
—Emma
Ready to Go Deeper?
Paid subscribers of Mystics Reading Society receive:
🌙 Lunar Oracle Cards — a personal card for every New & Full Moon
📖 Tiny Guidebooks for Practical Mystics — monthly PDFs with step-by-step practices
🌿 Pathfinding Circle Calls — monthly gatherings to support intuitive decision-making
💬 Community Chat Space — a private, welcoming space for connection and reflection
Come closer if you feel the pull. 🌙
Hi, I’m Emma! I’m a reader, writer, and mystic living on the beautiful coast of Portugal. I created Mystics Reading Society as a welcoming space for seekers, dreamers, and magic-makers who want to weave spiritual and intuitive wisdom into everyday life. Here, we explore empowering, healing, and mystical books while building a supportive community for those walking their own authentic, unconventional, and wildly fulfilling path.
You might also enjoy my other bookish newsletters:
✨If you love to read cozy books, don’t miss Sleuth, Hero, Alien—for fans of cozy mysteries, charming sci-fi, and cozy fantasy. Read my latest post: August Reading Round-Up
🌊Curious about life abroad? Check out Reading in Portugal to follow my adventures. Read the most recent post: 3 Weeks in Portugal
Disclaimer: This blog is a resource guide for educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring a life coach, a therapist, or of seeking medical attention. No information on this blog creates a coach-client relationship between us. You are fully responsible for the decisions and actions you take in regard to your life and affairs