3 Pillars of Culture

The last month I've been pushing really hard to get everything on the outside of our sauna complete before the weather changes. This past week I finished the fence and dumped the last wheelbarrow full of dirt! Just in time, too, as the first accumulating snow of the season is right on our doorstep.

Mikkel Aaland, the godfather of the latest sauna renaissance, talks about the three "pillars" of a bathing culture or practice (though I think it could apply beyond just that activity), and why some cultures thrive and flourish over the long term, and some fizzle out. They are the physical, social, and spiritual aspects of that culture.

Sauna, or more broadly speaking, sweat bathing is unique in that it brings all three of those pillars together in one place. There are the physical elements, the building, the heat, what happens to your body, etc. You have the social aspect, in that you're often in the hot room with family, friends, or even complete strangers if you're on the bench at a public sauna. The spiritual side can be a bit more elusive, but it's equally as important. "Spiritual" doesn't necessarily mean "religious," it's just this idea that there's a sacredness, a transformation that happens in the crucible of the hot room. It's "good for the soul."

If that's pinging you at all, I'd highly encourage you to watch Mikkel's presentation from last year's National Sauna Week.

Ink on Paper

My friend Lindsay Naylor (Home Squirrel) came by the studio and used my Vandercook No. 03 to run another edition of her Keep it Secret prints. They turned out really well!

Upcoming Events

Just got confirmation that my fellow bearded wordslinger JJ Brinski and I will be at the helm of booth #231 at the TV6 Christmas Craft Show in the dome! December 5-7, come say hi!

Other Rambles

• “It feels as if the whole world has been transformed into images of the world,” this quote by Ove Knausgaard, in Oliver Burkeman's The Imperfectionist, does a great job of capturing the feeling of "flatness" on the internet.
• I'm still reeling from listening to this episode of The Emerald about outcasts and wanderers. One of the most profound things that came across my path in 2025.

See you out there,

~PB