The Times We Are In (#1) – Newsletter Launch and FAQ
Hello Dear Friends,
First of all, Seasons Greetings to everyone. Secondly, welcome to the first edition of JJM’s newsletter, The Times We Are In! (or Inn, if you prefer, but that’s the name of a pub in Ireland – see cover picture).
In this edition:
1. Newsletter FAQ.
2. Stream of thought: Piecing together past and present lives
3. Essay and picture news
Newsletter FAQ:
What will this newsletter be about?
Expect casual streams of thought sometimes in the way I would write e-mails to friends or acquaintances. I will share my thoughts on things happening in the world or reminisce about past experiences or share bits and pieces about myself, especially about my life journey. In other words expect a little bit of self-indulgence, but as usual it will not be “just about me” … (which is rare anyway). This newsletter will also contain news about my writing and travel projects.
What inspired this newsletter?
The LEAFBOX interview I was invited to (thanks again to the podcast host for reaching out) and the host’s style of questioning and his general approach of interviewing eclectic personalities prompted me to start this newsletter. I directed my answers more to cycle science during the interview, a subject I focused on because I really wanted to get it out there, considering the times we are in (see also my next essay on the subject).
However, this newsletter will be semi autobiographical (in bits and pieces) as it will provide me with the opportunity to piece some of my life journey together and to also elaborate on some of the questions initiated by LEAFBOX.
How regular will the newsletter be?
Undecided, but it will be in-between essays and travel posts, so probably once every 2 to 3 months (the frequency will vary), but there will be no fixed schedule.
Piecing present and past lives together
Life reflections: Over time I’ve had many different positions, roles and identities in life. If you change places and relocate as often as I have (decade after decade), and if the changes or transitions are sometimes extreme or severe in terms of the adaption or re-adaption processes, some parts of your “past lives” (within the same lifetime) become “archived” in memory as they are replaced by more immediate, present life priorities and considerations. If this continuous long enough (because having regular transitions had become addictive at some early stage), some memories are “lost in hibernation” and have to be retrieved with effort.
Once every 5 or 10 years after returning from a major traveling cycle, the return poses a challenge in itself – a more comprehensive recollection of life events is needed to find new balance and have a sense of being grounded once again, which can be difficult if you are almost always (often literally) on the road between places. Deep reflection to retrieve parts of your memory that’s gone in hibernation is then required (while those parts may not be relevant when on the road …) which might take time.
I’ve journeyed through a variety of philosophies, schools of thought and spiritual systems, as well as political views, and all of it had a lot to do with my insatiable desire to learn, to know and to understand how things, people and systems work. However, life events and challenges as well as catalyzing life crises prompted me into deeper quests. Personal growth through experiences became the ultimate indefinite journey.
Going further back: When I was young I was often told I “think too much”, which to me was a strange thing to hear as I could not understand how any person could “think too much” (that made no sense to me). To my mind it was just impossible. I couldn’t stop it anyway, so I decided to just develop my thinking the best I could and put it to good use. Channeling it into journaling was the first and most natural route, which I expanded later into blogging.
All of this, to be concise, has paid off over time, I think, and retrospectively I’m just glad I didn’t actually stop thinking! Thinking is free and can be done anywhere and in any situation (and it has gotten me out of some tight spots too) – it keeps you busy and can provide solutions, options and answers. It is my ultimate hobby. Without “thinking too much” I would not be who I am. I think to live, and I live to think.
Essay and Picture News
I have a (slightly delayed) follow up chapter in the works for Mimetic Rivalry in the Tower of Babel, which should be ready by the end of January, or thereabouts.
There are some unpublished photos of some of my temple tours in S.E.A. last year (Oct 2024). I will at some point add them to some of the posts already written about that region (… so much to publish, so little time …).
The cover photo of this first newsletter features a pub in Dublin which I photographed back in 2012. It is the visual inspiration for the name of this newsletter and I especially like the number 8 (infinity sign) in the photo which compliments the name of the pub and enhances its play on words.
Today is also the day of 8 Offering in the Maya Tzolkin calendar. On this day gratitude is important. Thank you to everyone who have read my essays and/or who have taken the time to comment during 2025.
Well, friends, we certainly live in interesting times. Streams of thought welcome in the comment section 🙂
Hereby I close the first edition of The Times We Are In – thank you for reading and wishing everyone a blessed Christmas and New Year.
Until next year – yours in travel,
Jean-Jacques (J.J. Montagnier)
—
In the next edition:
* My commitment to my readers
* On the subject of A.I.
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8 Comments
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Hello Jean-Jacques,
It’s good to meet you in a pub in Ireland, because love this country! I would also like to thank you for this newsletter and the interesting information about your life! All the best in 2026 and go on learning!
Hello Martina! It’s good to hear from you! Although I’m not in a pub in Ireland, although that would have been good fun in December! I’m still inn Sunny Cape Town but I miss Ireland a lot! It’s one of my favourite countries and so I’m often thinking about it (like now) and I lived important years of my life there. Thank you for receiving my newsletter 🙂 . I’m addicted to learning and intend to present some of what I have recently learned very soon!
I’m wishing you a very good 2026 and I hope it doesn’t go as fast as 2025 (it felt like 6 months to me..). Enjoy the Christmas lights! Here will be many barbecues 😀
Greetings JJ – My best wishes for the Light of the season and dreams for the New Year! The Irish Inn looks like the perfect virtual meeting place. 🙂 10 Monkey/CHUEN is a day to celebrate people who “think to live and live to think.” I “think” that’s the purpose of consciousness and life. We have no shortage of mysteries for contemplation. I will look forward to your offering, as always. love, in lak’ech, MERRY CHRISTMAS, Debra
Greetings Debra! My best wishes for you as well! A virtual meeting place – yes, perfect analogy! Tone 10 CREATIVITY (symbol of the monkey) is indeed a symbol of the MIND (as is Earth/CABAN) – an intellectual sign, which is my past sign (in my Mayan Cross), so of course I would not be able to escape THINKING). I’m happy for CHUEN (also in my cross) which brings creativity to it, otherwise all the thinking would just be boring (to me) and dry …. When I was young I did not know any of this and I underperformed badly at school, had no motivation for it and played truant A LOT to go surfing … destiny caught up later and directed me down all sorts of thinking paths 🙂 (not that I mind – at all). So many mysteries to contemplate, such a short life – thanks for this thought. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you in return for your regular offerings over at JaguarSpirit.com!
in lak’ech
Jean-Jacques
This is gold. I completely, 100% relate. I’m grateful.
Hello Nathan, thank you and I agree we are indeed counterparts, having read your work which is very good. Your output is very prolific (more than mine I think – I see you have been very active on Substack too), so it can only be that you are a very active deep thinker, which is a rare combination!
Thinkers will enjoy Nathan’s excellent writing which can be found at:
https://theunityprocess.com/blog/
https://theunityprocess.substack.com/
A perfect beginning for “The Times We Are In.” The way you describe past lives going into hibernation through constant relocation, and reclaiming “thinking too much” as an ultimate hobby, feels honest (and encouraging). The Irish pub image and 8 Offering timing has a nice symbolic “inn” as a virtual meeting place. I’m looking forward to the next chapter and best to you in 2026, Jean-Jacques.