The Hyggelig Journey

I struggled with the word. It lingered, soft yet insistent, waiting to be understood. Deafening — yet silent. Sharp — yet delicate. Crude in its rawness, yet rich with meaning, as though it had carried the weight of centuries while remaining as fresh as the morning air. Saudade. It is not merely a word but a feeling that breathes within, settling beneath the ribs, winding through the marrow of the bones, pressing gently against the skin from within. A presence intricately woven from absence. A longing that does not mourn but remembers, does not grieve but honours. For saudade is not only about what was, but also about what might have been — the beauty of imagined possibilities, the tenderness of dreams not yet lived. And yet, it is a gift. However much it pulls at the soul, however much it calls us back. I could neither reject it nor escape it, for it had taken root in me, filling empty spaces with warmth rather than ache. The more I welcomed it, the more it flourished — not like ivy c...

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, symbolism is often used to explain certain patterns of illness. For example, it is said that sadness and melancholy harm the lungs, as these emotions consume, dissolve, and disperse qi , leading to a heavy-hearted mood. Melancholy, here defined as pensive sorrow, is a form of sadness that involves deep and serious contemplation, overshadowing worry due to its highly concentrated, ruminative nature. As a result, melancholy affects both the spleen-pancreas and the lungs. The impact of these emotions on the spleen-pancreas can lead to digestive disorders, including loss of appetite, loose stools, weight loss, epigastric pain, abdominal distension, and constipation. In everyday language, melancholy is sometimes described as “feeling down,” characterised by sadness combined with apathy. When excessive, this can contribute to certain forms of depression marked by sorrow. This may occur because deeply melancholic individuals tend to lack an optim...