# J.R. Warden > I'm a digital nomad who publishes thoughtful essays without social media. As a fantasy writer, I'm calling you from labor to refreshment. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About This Site URL: https://jrwarden.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T15:09:29.000Z As a fantasy author of another name, this is my new living grimoire: a public record of the road I walk toward authentic, self-sovereign life. Everything here is open—no paywalls, no hidden posts, no locked content. You can read it all without signing up. Walk with me if it calls to you. ### **Real Magic in the Everyday:** - The slow forging of stories and worlds - The quiet arts of living deliberately - Tools for privacy, wellness, and inner strength - Photographs and writings The moon guides my rhythm, but the calendar is open and organic—posts arrive when inspired, not by phase. No exclusives, just shared thoughts. ### **Free For All:** - All blog posts and essays are publicly readable. - Sign up free as a Traveler to comment. - Receive two free tools on join: - The Warden’s Way ebook: A Minimalist Guide to Living Authentically - Writer’s Logseq Template: My pre-built system for organizing worlds and novels ### **How to reach out:** You can send me an email below if you want to collaborate or just talk. [Contact](https://jrwarden.com/contact) ### **Support** There are no secret posts or gated content here. Everything I write is public. But, if you are so inclined, you can help by tipping. This is simply a way to say thank you—your support helps cover site costs and keeps me writing. [One-Time Cash Tip](#/portal/support) [Monthly Support](#/portal/account/plans) ### Bitcoin (Preferred) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2026/05/bitcoin-blog-tips-bc1qs5zk8lc54h8ez39ja8pky2lzd8r896r2kdsyj8.png) bc1qs5zk8lc54h8ez39ja8pky2lzd8r896r2kdsyj8 Thank you for being here, whether you read quietly or comment loudly. ### Welcome Traveler! URL: https://jrwarden.com/welcome-traveler/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T23:41:06.000Z _This page is for subscribers only._ ### Introducing The Warden's Way: Your Free Minimalist Guide to Living an Authentic Life URL: https://jrwarden.com/the-wardens-way/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T13:12:33.000Z ### Your Journey to an Authentic Life Starts Here Are you tired of feeling like your actions don't align with your dreams or values? Do you crave a life with more intention and less overwhelm, but feel that most systems are too complex to stick with? I created "The Warden's Way" for myself, and I want to share it with you. For years, I felt a disconnect between the life I was living and the one I wanted. I knew I needed a structure that was lightweight enough to be consistent with it, but a strong enough to guide me towards what I value over the long term. This ebook is the result of that quest. "The Warden's Way" is a short, shareable tool that outlines a minimalist process for living true to yourself. It can help you gain clarity, define your sovereign intentions, and build a sustainable reflective practice. The road to the life you want isn't built in a few grand gestures. It's in small, manageable steps—one daily, one weekly—fueled by consistency and self-awareness. ### What You Will Discover Inside: - **The Philosophy: The Three Keys to Self-Sovereignty** This guide is built on three core principles: **Conscious Alignment** (identifying your inner truth), **Radical Ownership** (recognizing the power of your choices), and **Intentional Creation** (mindfully building the life you desire). We'll explore these in detail. - **The Map: A Sovereignty Self-Assessment** Before you can chart a new course, you need to know where you stand. This guide includes a simple 15-question assessment—not a test, but a tool to give you an honest picture of your starting point across the Three Keys. - **The Compass: Defining Your Guiding Intentions** Using your assessment results, you'll be guided through prompts to craft your own "Guiding Intentions." These aren't rigid goals on the horizon; they are the stars in the sky you can use to always know your true north. - **The Path: Two Minimalist Practices for Life** This guide will teach you two simple, powerful practices to create lasting change without adding to your overwhelm: the daily **Morning Pages** for mental clarity and self-awareness, and the weekly **Sovereign Review** for reflection and course correction. ### A Note From Your Guide You might be asking: "Who is this person to be guiding me?" It's a fair question. My qualification is not a degree in psychology or a certificate in life coaching. I am a fantasy author, a storyteller, and a fellow seeker who has wrestled deeply with these ideas in my own life. "The Warden's Way" is not a set of commandments from a guru; it is the map I am drawing for my own journey, shared in the hope that it might help you navigate yours. ### **You have two ways to get The Warden’s Way right now:** 1. Buy it once for $5 on Gumroad → yours forever, no subscription. 2. Get it free (plus new Waymarks every week) when you join as a Traveler. Others have already claimed their free copy and and changed how they start their day. It's your choice – one click either way: [Get it Free](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/signup/free) [Buy it Once on Gumroad ($5)](https://jrwarden.gumroad.com/l/wardensway?ref=jrwarden.com) ### Is This For You? This guide is for adventurers of the spirit, scribes of the unseen, and crafters of their own reality. It's for anyone who feels the pull toward a more intentional, authentic, and sovereign life. It's a journey of small, consistent steps. "The Warden's Way" was created to be your companion for those first steps and all the ones that follow. ### Stop Worldbuilding in Chaos: My Logseq Template for Writers URL: https://jrwarden.com/logseq-template/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T21:24:26.000Z If you're a writer, you know the feeling. Your world bible is scattered across a dozen different documents. Your word processor is always open, your character notes are in one place, your timeline is in another program, and your brilliant idea for a magic system is on a sticky note that's lost its stick. It's chaos. It's the friction that pulls you out of the creative flow and into the frustrating hunt for that one piece of information you *know* you wrote down somewhere. As an author who has had enough struggling with organization for years, I've finally found a program and created a template to solve this problem. The tool is an open source and free program called **Logseq**, and today I'm sharing the template I built with you. It's a method for building a "second brain" for your novel—a single, interconnected space where every piece of your world is just a click away. --- ### ✨ What's Inside the Template? This isn't just a document; it's a pre-built graph for worldbuilding. It's designed to be a flexible foundation that you can build your unique story on top of. It includes: - **A Writing Dashboard:** Your project's mission control. It serves as a main menu to all your most important pages and can be customized with queries to track your tasks and scenes to be written. - **A Full Suite of Templates:** Pre-built templates for **Characters**, **Locations**, **Lore**, **Magic Systems**, **Factions**, and more. Just type "/template" and start building, knowing your notes will be consistent from day one. - **An Automated World Bible:** Hub pages like "\[\[Characters\]\]" and "\[\[Locations\]\]" use simple queries to automatically create master lists of all your entries. No more manual indexing! - **A Complete "How to Use" Guide:** A built-in guide that walks you through the core concepts of the template, from using properties to understanding the outliner, ensuring you can get started right away. --- ### 🕸️ The "Hub and Spoke" Philosophy This template takes advantage of Logseq's flexible organizational system. Instead of rigid, restrictive folders, we use a web of interconnected notes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/Battle_For_Grandma-s_House_Graph_View_1756577378368_0.png) Every piece of your world—a character, a city, a magical artifact—gets its own page (a "spoke"). You then use a simple link to connect it back to a central index page (a "hub"). This means a single character can be linked to their faction, their birthplace, and a key plotline or historic event, creating a rich, contextual web of information that mirrors the complexity of a real world. --- ## What is Logseq? The most important thing to understand about Logseq is that it's an **outliner**, not a word processor. Every paragraph, every note, every idea is a **bullet point** (called a "block"). This is a superpower for writers. There are so many features, but here are a few: **Daily Progress:** Use the journal to track your writing goals. Jot down notes without having to worry about where you file them. Just add a tag! You can create a to-do list for the day, track your word count, or write a brief summary of what you accomplished. **Queries** are automatic, self-updating lists. The "hub" pages in this graph (like \[\[Characters\]\]) use queries to search your entire graph for specific properties or tags. This means... **Logseq creates a Timeline of Your Work:** By using properties to track your word counts on your journal, Logseq automatically creates a habit tracker! You can create a task by simply typing /TODO. This allows you to create a checklist of actionable items for your project. *Example:* `TODO Finalize the map of Marlhold` **Properties** are the metadata for your notes. Think of them as labels on a filing folder. They look like this: 'key:: value'. For example, on a character page, you'll see a property `character:: POV`. This tells Logseq that you have organized this block or page as a Point of View character. - **The Conclusion:** It's a simple, powerful loop. - You use a **character** **template** to create a note on your journal page. - The template automatically adds the property `character:: antagonist`. - The **query** on the \[\[Characters\]\] page sees this property and automatically adds your new character to its master list. - You never have to manually update your index pages. Just use the templates, and the queries will do the organizing for you. --- ### 🚀 How to Get Your Copy I want every writer to have access to this powerful tool. Logseq itself is **free to download** and use. But setting up a template like this can take DAYS or WEEKS to learn how Logseq works and begin crafting pages, queries, and setting up the structure of a world bible from the ground up. However, if you want to skip the setup and dive right into building your world and streamlining your notes, I've made the pre-built graph available in two places. ### **You have two ways to get The Writer’s Logseq template right now:** 1. Buy it once for $19 on Gumroad → yours forever, no subscription. 2. Get it here (plus my support in getting you going) when you join as a Scribe. - **For the Scribe:** As a supporter, you get instant access to the downloadable .zip file. Just open the folder as a new graph in Logseq, and the entire system is ready to go. You'll find the download link on the exclusive [Welcome Scribe](https://jrwarden.com/welcome-scribe/) page. Your support is what makes projects like this possible, and I'm incredibly grateful. - **A Living Project:** This template is a living document. As an Inner Circle member, you will receive **all future updates and improvements** I make, in addition to other bonuses. - **Personal Support:** Your subscription also includes access to me for **questions, troubleshooting, and help** with minor adjustments as you adapt the template to your own world. ## It’s your choice: one click to get the Writer’s Template today: [Buy Once on Gumroad ($19)](https://jrwarden.gumroad.com/l/gdlfbr?ref=jrwarden.com) [Join the Scribe Tier](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/signup/690ba809858a03000137971b/monthly) > **End Your Worldbuilding Chaos** > Become a Scribe member and receive the ultimate tool for organizing your characters, lore, and plot. ### Gallery URL: https://jrwarden.com/gallery/ Last updated: 2025-11-08T12:50:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00787-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00502.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00508-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00798.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00591.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01112.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251102-DSC01398.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00613.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/DSC00699.jpg) All Photos Taken By J.R. Warden ## You've glimpsed the path, but the journey happens daily. To follow the full, unfiltered journey and receive **exclusive photo and journal entries** every day, step into the Companion tier. [Join Now](#/portal/signup) ### Freebies URL: https://jrwarden.com/freebies/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:29:39.000Z ## Welcome, traveler. I've created two tools for my own path—The Warden's Way ebook and The Writer's Logseq Template—now freely yours. No paywalls on my writing, no hidden content. Sign up free if you'd like to comment or grab these downloads. Everything here stays open to the world. --- ## **Introducing The Warden's Way: A Minimalist Guide to Living Authentically** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2026/03/1752861110631-1.jpg) Tired of systems that feel too heavy? I built this short ebook for myself—to bridge the gap between who I am and how I live, with lightweight structure and real consistency. For years, I felt a disconnect between the life I was living and the one I wanted. I knew I needed a structure that was lightweight enough to be consistent with it, but a strong enough to guide me towards what I value over the long term. This ebook is the result of that quest. "The Warden's Way" is a short, shareable tool that outlines a minimalist process for living true to yourself. It's can help you gain clarity, define your sovereign intentions, and build a sustainable reflective practice. Inside you'll find: - **The Three Keys to Self-Sovereignty** — - **Conscious Alignment** (identifying your inner truth) - **Radical Ownership** (recognizing the power of your choices) - **Intentional Creation** (mindfully building the life you desire). - **A simple 15-question Self-Assessment** — - Before you can chart a new course, you need to know where you stand. This guide includes a simple 15-question assessment—not a test, but a tool to give you an honest picture of your starting point across the Three Keys. - **Prompts to craft Guiding Intentions** — - Using your assessment results, you'll be guided through prompts to craft your own "Guiding Intentions." These aren't rigid goals on the horizon; they are the stars in the sky you can use to always know your true north. - **One daily, and one weekly practice** — - This guide will teach you two simple, powerful practices to create lasting change without adding to your overwhelm: the daily **Morning Pages** for mental clarity and self awareness, and the weekly **Sovereign Review** for reflection and course correction. "The Warden's Way" is not a set of commandments from a guru; it is the map I am drawing for my own journey, shared in the hope that it might help you navigate yours. **Sign up free to download instantly**. --- ## **Writer's Logseq Template: End Your Worldbuilding Chaos** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2026/03/battleatgrandmaslogseq.png) If you're a writer, you know the feeling. Your world bible is scattered across a dozen different documents. Your word processor is always open, your character notes are in one place, your timeline is in another program, and your brilliant idea for a magic system is on a sticky note that's lost its stick. It's chaos. It's the friction that pulls you out of the creative flow and into the frustrating hunt for that one piece of information you *know* you wrote down somewhere. As an author who has had enough struggling with organization for years, I've finally found a program and created a template to solve this problem. The tool is an open source and free program called [**Logseq**](https://logseq.com/?ref=jrwarden.com), and today I'm sharing the template I built with you. It's a method for building a "second brain" for your novel—a single, interconnected space where every piece of your world is just a click away. Characters, lore, timelines, magic systems, all linked and auto-updating. What's inside the template: - **Writing Dashboard** — - It serves as a main menu to all your most important pages and can be customized with queries to track your progress, tasks and scenes to be written. - **Ready-to-use templates** — - Pre-built templates for Characters, Locations, Lore, Magic Systems, Factions, and more. Just type "/template" and start building, knowing your notes will be consistent from day one. - **Automated hubs** — - Pages like "\[\[Characters\]\]" and "\[\[Locations\]\]" use simple queries to automatically create master lists of all your entries no matter where they are. See a character's appearances across chapters or eons with no manual indexing! - **Built-in "How to Use" guide** — - A pre-written guide that walks you through the core concepts of Logseq and the template, from using properties to understanding the how Logseq works, ensuring you can get started right away. - **Daily Progress** — - Use the journal to track your writing goals. Jot down notes without having to worry about where you file them. Just add a tag! You can create a to-do list for the day, track your word count, or write a brief summary of what you accomplished. - By using properties to track your word counts on your journal, Logseq automatically creates a habit tracker! - **To-Do Lists** — - You can create a task by simply typing /TODO. This allows you to create a checklist of actionable items for your project, searchable from anywhere. *Example:* `TODO Finalize the map of Marlhold` Logseq itself is **free to download** and use, and so is this template. Setting up your own template and world bible structure from the ground up can can take DAYS or WEEKS. **Sign up free as a Traveler** to get a head start and make it yours. --- ### These freebies are my way of giving back—no strings. If they spark something for you, consider becoming a **Supporter** ($5/month or $50/year) or drop a **one-time tip** of any amount to help cover site costs and keep me writing. Your support means the world—truly. Thanks for stopping by. Safe travels. ### Writings URL: https://jrwarden.com/writings/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T00:15:59.000Z _No content available._ ### Tags URL: https://jrwarden.com/tags/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T00:48:37.000Z _No content available._ ### Projects URL: https://jrwarden.com/projects/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T11:24:15.000Z _No content available._ ### Sign In URL: https://jrwarden.com/signin/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:15:25.000Z _No content available._ ### Sign Up URL: https://jrwarden.com/signup/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:14:27.000Z _No content available._ ### Membership URL: https://jrwarden.com/membership/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:57:07.000Z _No content available._ ### Collaborate URL: https://jrwarden.com/collaborate/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:44:23.000Z I’m a fantasy writer building my platform through my own blog. I’m actively looking to connect with other writers through guest posts, newsletter features, and thoughtful collaborations — all outside of social media. **What I can offer:** - Guest posts on fantasy writing craft, worldbuilding, and the writing process - Essays on 'real-life' magics or traditions and myths - Pieces on digital sovereignty, minimalism, or other philosophical topics - Cross-promotion through my newsletter and blog **How to reach out:** Send me an email below and please include a short pitch or the kind of collaboration you have in mind. [Contact](https://jrwarden.com/contact) ### Contact URL: https://jrwarden.com/contact/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T10:42:33.000Z Your Name Your Email Your Message Send message ## Posts ### Fictional Influence: Why Books Are Getting Worse URL: https://jrwarden.com/fictional-influence-why-books-are-getting-worse/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T16:07:50.000Z Just popping in to share this excellent article for all my readers and writers. > Kristin McTiernan argues that the publishing industry is experiencing a decline because it relies on a skewed feedback loop, mistaking the high sales of hyper-marketed, formulaic "cozy-fantasy slop" for genuine consumer preference while locking out distinct or challenging voices. > To cater to a younger demographic with shorter attention spans and a lower reading ability, publishers have flattened prose, shortened books, and scrubbed out complex ideas—a stark contrast to past blockbusters like *The Da Vinci Code*, which, despite clunky prose, still engaged readers intellectually. > By treating simplicity as a lack of depth, the industry has alienated mature, affluent readers who are choosing to walk away rather than buy watered-down content, creating a self-inflicted spiral of declining sales and shrinking author incomes. [Why Books Are Getting Worse (And Who’s Really to Blame)Publishers blame readers. Readers blame publishers. Author incomes keep dropping. The real problem is who the industry stopped writing for.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/icon/Fictional-Influence--Logo1--1fec3417-a429-42b9-a661-e2b18fb77a14.png)Fictional InfluenceKristin McTiernan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1628025832090-8de412e2369d-a2e8a70b-ed61-4f59-854d-0539068382df.jpeg)](https://www.kristinmctiernan.com/why-books-are-getting-worse/?ref=fictional-influence-newsletter) Enjoy (or not)! \~ J.R. Warden ### Skeptic: 7 Ideas That Should Make You Distrust Your Own Mind URL: https://jrwarden.com/skeptic-7-ideas-that-should-make-you-distrust-your-own-mind/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T17:32:17.000Z This was a fantastic article about critical thinking and the lies we, as human beings, tell ourselves. Enjoy on their website: [7 Ideas That Should Make You Distrust Your Own MindSeven ideas. If they’re new to you, they will rearrange how you see nearly everything. If they’re not, consider this the map of where the bodies are buried.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/icon/skeptic_favi_transparent-66b1d88d-4ee4-4845-b938-b3c1ad91f28f.png)SkepticSkeptic![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/thumbnail/The-Rider-Works-for-the-Elephant-45fd20ac-927e-48d3-bca2-f973a45c35d1.webp)](https://www.skeptic.com/article/seven-ideas-that-should-make-you-distrust-your-own-mind-a-cheat-sheet-to-the-animal-you-are/?ref=jrwarden.com) ### Body Awareness: A Gateway to Mindfulness URL: https://jrwarden.com/body-awareness-a-gateway-to-mindfulness/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T12:00:10.000Z I've been reading a book by the name of Grow Up. While aimed toward men, one practice it describes has been genuinely useful: simply noticing your breathing throughout your day. Most of us walk around with a low-level stress response and don't even realize it. When you're talking to a coworker, driving in traffic, looking at your credit card statements, whenever. If you are stressed, your breathing will be shallower, faster, irregular, or you will hold your breath longer than normal. Muscles around your chest, shoulders, and stomach will be tighter, and your breathing will be constricted. These physical changes help the body deliver oxygen to muscles for a physical response, but they also create something of a loop. This changed breathing signals 'danger' to the brain. Cortisol and adrenaline flow, and heart rate increases. In modern life, this happens with no real or present physical danger. We don't even realize this up and down fight-or-flight response is part of what causes fatigue. But it's not our brain's fault; it's doing its part to keep you alive. Every now and then we just need to remind it that it’s okay. So check your breath throughout your day. If you find you've stalled, relax and make a conscious effort to breathe deeply into your stomach. This tells your nervous system that you're not in physical danger. Take this time to recognize what emotions you're feeling and identify what thoughts or things caused you to lose your normal breathing. I’ve found this surprisingly effective, especially when I’m trying to stay present, and the more I practice it, the more I realize how much low-grade tension I carry. I think you'll be surprised, too. > If this post resonated with you, would you consider forwarding it to another writer or reader? I don't use social media, so word of mouth from readers like you is how my work spreads. Thank you. \~ J.R. Warden ### Open to Beta Readers and Collaborations URL: https://jrwarden.com/open-to-beta-readers-and-collaborations/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T13:00:03.000Z ### What I’m Looking For I’m especially interested in connecting with others who enjoy thoughtful, reflective writing about creativity, storytelling, wellness, philosophy, and I’d love to find a few people open to: - **Beta reading** my essays or longer posts (giving honest, constructive feedback) - **Swapping guest posts** or newsletter features - General conversation about writing and creative work I’m not looking for a huge group or constant back-and-forth. I’m more interested in a few genuine, low-pressure connections with writers who value depth over volume. ### What Kind of Feedback Helps Me If you’re open to beta reading, here’s what’s most useful to me right now: - Whether the main idea or feeling lands clearly - Places where the writing drags or loses focus - Moments that feel strong or worth developing further - Overall tone and clarity You don’t need to be a professional editor. Thoughtful reader feedback is incredibly valuable. ### What I Can Offer I’m happy to offer the same in return: honest feedback on your essays, posts, or drafts. I’m also open to guest posting if there’s mutual interest. ### How to Reach Out If any of this resonates with you, feel free to reach me through my **Collaborate** page: [Collaborate With Me](https://jrwarden.com/collaborate/) You can also reply directly to this post or email me. I read everything. I’m not looking to build a big network or “grow fast.” I’m just looking for a few good conversations and creative exchanges with other writers who are also trying to do this thoughtfully. If that sounds like you, I’d be glad to hear from you. > If this resonated with you, would you consider forwarding it to another writer or reader? I don't use social media, so word of mouth from readers like you is how my work spreads. Thank you. \~ J.R. Warden ### I'm Quitting URL: https://jrwarden.com/im-quitting/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T01:54:41.000Z ### There's no such thing as moderation with this. Just like with cigarettes, the endless feeds either own you or they don't. I've decided they no longer own me. I've deleted my Threads and Facebook accounts. I've removed YouTube from my phone. These weren't sudden decisions — I've been taking gradual steps for years. But now I'm accelerating. I'm deleting my last account on X and selling my gaming PC. This is a statement. An act of choosing. I'm making my life more intentional by quieting the outside voices that do not help me hear my own. From now on, my outreach here will be old-fashioned: - Reading other blogs and leaving thoughtful comments - Reaching out to people directly, one email at a time - Guest posting on other sites - Newsletter swaps with writers I respect - Improving the quality and search visibility of my own work ### This isn't just about quitting platforms. It's about rejecting the exhausting idea that a writer must be everywhere, do everything, and follow every piece of advice. There's too much noise. Too many voices telling you the "right" way to build, to write, to exist online. It's paralyzing. I've spent enough time trying to follow other people's playbooks and feeling like I was failing when they didn't work for me. I wish I would have realized sooner that I'm simply not those people, so why should I expect myself to be them? From now on I'm writing my own playbook and I'm choosing to own my work directly — on my own website, in my own inbox. No platforms in between. My website is my home now. ### What's Changing on the Site I've restructured things to reflect this shift: - **Posts** — Shorter thoughts and reflections. My day-to-day replacement. - **Essays** — Longer, more considered pieces. - **Projects** — Works in progress and bigger creative endeavors. From now on, you'll receive new posts directly in your inbox. Some will be longer essays. Others will be shorter notes and dispatches. You can always [manage](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/account) which newsletters you receive (Essays or Posts) or unsubscribe anytime. > If something I write ever resonates with you, the most meaningful thing you can do is share it with someone else who might need it. That's how this space grows now — reader to reader, without algorithms or feeds. Thanks for being here. More to come. \~ J.R. Warden [www.jrwarden.com](https://jrwarden.com/) ### TCoLaS - An Epic Fantasy Novel URL: https://jrwarden.com/tcolas-an-epic-fantasy-novel/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T11:22:32.000Z ### **Status** - Current Status: *First Draft* - Genre: *Epic Fantasy / Dark Fantasy* - Expected Length: 200k words ### **Short Blurb / Premise** - To be updated... ### **About the Project** - A passion project of mine that started gathering notes in 2018 while I worked on another trilogy. - My first attempt at a big traditional fantasy world and big POV characters. - Inspired by stories by Glen Cook, George R.R. Martin, and H.P. Lovecraft ### **Current Progress** - 110k+ Words - Entering Post-Midpoint ### **World & Themes** - Spinalis - A world divided by sunlight and darkness. - Honor, Duty, Scorn and Spite. ### **Future Plans** - Traditional Publishing - A separate story in this world ### **Call to Action** If you’re also working on fantasy projects and want to connect, feel free to reach out via the [Collaborate](https://jrwarden.com/collaborate/) page. ### A Potential Update to the Warden's Way URL: https://jrwarden.com/a-potential-update-to-the-wardens-way/ Last updated: 2026-03-30T17:23:08.000Z Greetings, all. As Spring finally comes back around again, I've been spending some time reviewing my daily and weekly process. I'm always tweaking my rituals and looking for ways to do things better, and I've found something great. ### A new daily practice Morning pages are great. Something about hand writing down all the things on your mind helps you purge them from your consciousness so that you can begin your day in earnestness. While I love morning pages and will continue to do them forever, I found an additional daily practice that has really done wonders for me. Take a look at this: > I've never heard anyone explain how to manifest anything in your life like this before… 🤯 > > Listen > [pic.twitter.com/81b6K5TWhH](https://t.co/81b6K5TWhH?ref=jrwarden.com) > > — The Shift Journal (@TheShiftJournal) [March 20, 2026](https://twitter.com/TheShiftJournal/status/2034989942758126002?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=jrwarden.com) In addition to morning pages, I've been using my Guiding Intentions to write down ten things I want to change. I write the sentence, I read it in my head, I repeat it aloud, and I close my eyes and repeat it once more while visualizing what that change would look like. This consequently may have reduced my need for a Weekly Review because I revisit my Guiding Intentions every day. Now this also means that my Morning Pages take a bit longer than they normally do, but so far I think the change is worth it. Give it a go for a week and let me know your thoughts. If I hear enough positive results I will update the ebook. \~ J.R. ### The Road Opens Wider: A Quiet Update URL: https://jrwarden.com/the-road-opens-wider-a-quiet-update/ Last updated: 2026-03-23T00:26:07.000Z ### Dear Traveler, The moon has shifted, and so has the path. For a while, this space followed the lunar calendar—whispers in the waning, missives under the full light. It was a good rhythm, but it began to feel like another schedule to keep rather than the free, organic flow I set out to honor. So I simplified. Everything is now **open to the world**. No more gated posts, no hidden vaults, no exclusives locked behind tiers. Every reflection, sketch, thought, long-form piece, and craft note is public—readable by anyone who wanders by, no sign-up required to read. The website is massively easier to navigate. The only thing that asks for a free sign-up is commenting and access to the two tools I made for my own journey: - The Warden’s Way ebook - The Writer’s Logseq Template for organizing worlds and novels You’re already a free member (Traveler), so you should have received these on join. But if you haven’t grabbed them yet—or want to re-download for a fresh copy—head here: [Welcome, Traveler!](https://jrwarden.com/welcome-traveler/) --- Among all the Waymarks and whispers I've left here so far, this one cuts deepest. In it, I wrestle with why we create at all—not as ego, not as escape, but as sacred response. Drawing from Jung's visionary mode, the Imago Dei, tikkun olam, and the quiet courage of facing the blank page, it frames craft as a spiritual practice: surrender over striving, faith over fear. It's the post I return to when doubt creeps in, because it reminds me (and hopefully you) that art isn't optional—it's how we participate in the ongoing creation of the world. If you're a writer, maker, or wanderer feeling the pull but stalled by inner noise, start here: → [The Faith of Art: Move Beyond Doubt and Make Your Craft a Spiritual Practice](https://jrwarden.com/the-faith-of-art-move-beyond-doubt-and-make-your-craft-a-spiritual-practice/) Go on, seeker. Write. Paint. Create. The altar awaits. --- The old tiers (Companion, Pub Regular, Scribe, Warden’s Council) are gone. In their place is one optional level: **Supporter** — $5/month or $50/year No perks. No secret content. Just your quiet way of saying “keep going,” covering the Ghost Pro cost so this stays online and I stay on the writing. If it resonates, great. If not, the writing remains free forever. Your presence here—reading, commenting, sharing—is support enough. This change feels lighter. Closer to the minimalist truth I’m trying to live: create openly, give freely, let support come from gratitude rather than obligation. The moon still rises, but now she watches over an open trail. Thank you for walking it with me, whether silently or with words in the comments. Safe travels, J.R. Warden P.S. If this update moves you and you’d like to help sustain the journey, become a Supporter or drop a one-time tip anytime. No pressure—just appreciation. [Tip Me](#/portal/support) [Become a Supporter](#/portal/account/plans) ### Writing Update URL: https://jrwarden.com/writing-update-feb25/ Last updated: 2026-03-02T14:20:49.000Z It's been some time since I've provided an update on my fiction. Considering winter is the season for pulling inward and reflecting, it seemed timely to share with you today. My current WIP is over the halfway point. The writing has been slow, but meaningful. Changes are taking place for all the characters as they transition from reactive to the things that happen to them to actively driving themselves towards their own fate, even if they do not know where those roads end. Maybe I was an ambitious fool for taking on an epic fantasy with 4 POV characters. It's seeming more and more likely that this draft will end north of 200k words. Its publishability will come into question based on length alone, but maybe the challenge is what I need. They say if you want to grow, you pick the hardest option. The one that tests you and forces you to improve. I'm tired, boss, but I'm not giving up. ### Creative Struggles URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-creative-struggles/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:53:41.000Z I remember looking over Cathedral Ledge in NH fondly. I felt the cold snip of October wind as the mountains unfolded below in a blaze of crimson and gold. Every time I see any sight of scale, the vastness makes my own worries feel small. That moment is a quiet gift of wild places: they don't erase our struggles, but they shrink them by reminding us how briefly we occupy the frame—our deadlines, doubts, and daily grind are just one speck in a landscape that has endured harsher seasons without apology and on a longer timeline we can barely comprehend. So when the next hard climb—literal or otherwise—feels insurmountable, pause and look up: the mountain isn't judging your pace; it's simply waiting for you to keep moving forward, one deliberate step at a time. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2026/02/IMG_0003-1.jpeg) Cathedral Ledge N.H - Photo by J.R. Warden Which of these is bigger today: the personal moment of feeling small, the universal truth it reveals, or the actionable push to just keep stepping? \~ J.R. Warden ### Everything is Language URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-everything-is-language/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:54:15.000Z Looking at the few knick-knacks I own made me realize something; everything is language. Let me explain. The knight figurine with the sword letter opener says something about me. So, too, does the incense burner, the inkwells and calligraphy pens, wax seals and stamps. But this isn't just limited to my space. Even the landscape outside, the buildings, the forests and abandoned dog track—everything communicates meaning, story, warning, an invitation. Language communicates ideas in more ways than just one. You just have to find the message. **Read one non-word "text" around you—a cloud's shape, a stranger's eyes, the pattern of cracks in the sidewalk—and jot down what it seems to say to you.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/20251031-DSC01121.jpeg) Hurricane Waves at Hampton Beach, NH - Photo by J.R. Warden **What non-word thing (a view, a song without lyrics, a photo, a gesture) spoke to you recently?** \~ J.R. Warden ### My Heart Is Made For This URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-my-heart-is-made-for-this/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:54:38.000Z Sitting next to a sibling through the latest Avatar movie taught me something; not everyone has a heart for stories. They take it for granted and make jokes and comments every other minute. They can't see the characters develop as the story goes on. Me? I'm fighting back tears every twenty minutes and hiding behind my 3D glasses. Not everyone is wired for stories the way I am—some hearts stay cool and distant where mine cracks wide open—yet every person has at least one artistic current that pulls them in completely, whether it’s music, paint, movement, code, or worlds built from words. Identify the one artistic pull that reliably moves you (the thing that makes time vanish and emotion surge), and **feed it deliberately today** with one small, intentional act. Watch, listen, sketch, write, or create for even ten minutes. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/20250803_191400.jpeg) Arriving in Hong Kong - Photo By J.R. Warden **What’s the artistic current that hits you hardest?** \~ J.R. Warden ### Solitude URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-solitude/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:54:59.000Z Meditating has been one of the biggest helps in my life with my creativity and my mental wellness. It isn't just quiet time—it's a reset button that clears my mental clutter. Ten minutes is all it takes to check in with my heart, know myself better, steady my emotional waves, and unlock my creativity. **True wellness blooms from the simplest act: pausing amid life's constant motion.** Start today with ten-minutes of focusing on the **sensation** **of your breath** going through your nose. Visualize white clouds going down into your lungs, and black smoke exiting your nostrils. Inhale clarity, exhale noise. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/20251031-DSC01299-1-1.jpeg) Fort McClaren - Maine - Photo by J.R. Warden What's your ten-minute spot today? Drop it below— \~ J.R. Warden ### The Impermanence of Family URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-the-impermanence-of-family/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:56:21.000Z Spending a rare weekend with family, laughing over old stories, that feeling always brings up one thing for me: the clock is ticking on every hug and every shared meal. It's just a matter of time before we all scatter back to our separate roads soon enough. **Nothing lasts forever.** Everything that has a beginning has an end, and that means that every person you know is eventually going to exit your life. It could be by choice, circumstance, or fate. Knowing that every relationship must end puts us in a precarious spot: Is it worth the time and effort of making it work? It also reveals a truth: At the end of everything, **you only have you**. You live with yourself more than you live with others, and no matter where you go, there you are. So here's my advice to you this week. **Cherish your connections without clinging.** Invest your energy today in one small act that strengthens a bond—like a quick call or honest conversation—because **the value isn't in forever, but in the depth you build right now.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/IMG_0006.jpeg) White Mountains - NH - Photo by J.R. Warden What's one relationship you're investing in and what's the tiny action you're taking before the exit sign appears? Spill it below—I'm checking replies. \~ J.R. Warden ### Like Onions, Stories Have Layers URL: https://jrwarden.com/waxing-workshop/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:57:12.000Z As the waxing moon swells in the sky, it calls us to build with intention. For writers crafting immersive worlds, a common shadow looms: **How do you construct a setting that pulses with life, yet doesn't bury your story under endless details?** Worlds like Tolkien's Middle-earth or Le Guin's Earthsea thrive because they **serve** the narrative, not overshadow it, but many of us spiral into rabbit holes of maps, languages, and histories that stall our progress. > At the heart of effective worldbuilding lies balance, and balance is achieved when elements are put into place to support your story, not weigh it down. Let's break this down into **four key principles: Relevance, Layers, Consistency, and Sensory Immersion.** Drawing from literary examples and debunking myths, you can reference them and use them as tools to audit your own work. ### The Four Principles - **Principle of Relevance: Build Only What Serves the Story** You don't need a "complete" world upfront— that's a perfectionist trap that kills momentum. Instead, focus on details that reveal character, advance plot, or heighten tension. In Dune, Frank Herbert's Arrakis isn't exhaustively mapped; its spice-driven ecology directly ties to Paul's arc. - **Principle of Layers: Start Small, Scale as Needed** Worlds feel alive through progressive revelation, like peeling an onion. Begin with a "nucleus"—one defining fact (e.g., "magic drains life force")—and layer outward. In Celtic myths, the Otherworld overlaps reality in thin places, revealed gradually. No need for front-loaded info dumps; use "iceberg theory" where 90% stays submerged. - **Principle of Consistency: Weave a Web, Not a Tangle** Inconsistent lore breaks immersion faster than bad grammar. Build a "lore web": Connect elements logically (e.g., if dragons hoard gold, how does that affect economies?). Andrzej Sapkowski's monster ecology ties to human flaws, creating ripple effects. Consistency isn't rigidity—allow evolution, but track changes. - **Principle of Sensory Immersion: Ground in the Five Senses** Worlds come alive through touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight, not just visuals. Over-relying on sight leads to flat descriptions; multisensory details make settings memorable. In N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth, the earth's volatility is felt in tremors and ash-scented air. These principles form a flexible forge: Adapt them to fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction. You can reference this as a checklist in your writing setup for quick audits (**or even build yourself a template onion diagram**), ensuring your world enhances rather than hinders your tale. ### Audit Your World Now, let's hammer these principles into practice with four practice activities. Do them in sequence or pick one, just aim for 15-30 minutes each, using your Logseq for notes. 1. **Relevance Audit: Prune Your Overgrowth** Step-by-step: List 10 world details from your project. For each, rate 1-5 on story relevance (does it drive plot/character?). Cut or repurpose anything below 3\. Example: If "elven politics" doesn't affect your hero's quest, save it for a side story. For pantsers, apply retroactively to a draft scene. Stuck on cuts? Ask, "Does the story collapse if I remove this?" 2. **Layered Nucleus Build: Grow from the Core** Start with one nucleus fact (e.g., "Water is currency in a desert world"). Branch to 3-5 layers: How does it affect daily life? Conflicts? Senses? Draw a quick mind map in Logseq or your own visual diagram of your story onion. For series, layer across books. Feels too vague? Ground it in a character's POV. 3. **Consistency Web: Connect and Test** Pick three interconnected elements (e.g., magic system, geography, culture). Note cause-effect links (if magic requires blood, how does that shape rituals?). Add "stress tests" by changing one variable and check for breaks. Logseq tip: Use linked references for easy updates.For historical fiction, web real events with fictional twists. Inconsistencies emerging? Create a "change log" block to track evolutions without retconning. 4. **Sensory Immersion Drill: Vivify a Scene** Choose a location and write a paragraph describing it through all five senses, tying back to principles (e.g., relevant to conflict). Then, integrate into an existing scene. A forest isn't just "green"—it's rustling leaves (sound), damp earth (smell), thorny underbrush (touch). For minimalists, limit to 2 senses per scene. Over-describing? Time yourself to 5 minutes—focus on active, story-serving details. These exercises yield immediate wins: A tighter world ready for your next writing session. Share results in replies for community tweaks! --- Integrate these tools into your writer's toolbox and tell me your thoughts, but start simple: Apply these principles during planning or revisions—perhaps via a Logseq template with dedicated blocks for audits and webs. For advanced variations, scale up: Turn the lore web into a series arc framework, where nucleus facts evolve across books (e.g., a world's magic weakening over time mirrors character growth). Or, for collaborative projects, share webs with beta readers to crowdsource consistency checks. Long-term strategy: **Cycle with the moon**—use waxing phases for building exercises, full for reading aloud, waning for pruning. This rhythms your practice, preventing burnout amid life's chaos. Track your progress in your Logseq journal to see how your worlds strengthen over months. ### What's your takeaway? Reply with exercise results, a built world snippet, or questions—your input shapes future workshops, like deeper dives into sensory tools or Logseq integrations. Together, we build stronger castles. \~ Junior ### Solstice URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-solstice/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:57:42.000Z In the darkest season of the year, I rarely feel fear of isolation in the encroaching winter chill. I do my best work alone. I hear myselfbetter, as if my soul itself is whispering secrets to me. Telling me where to go. In our hyper-connected lives, true self-discovery does not bloom from constant noise or company, but from deliberate moments of stillness that force us to confront and reclaim our inner narrative. **Rather than fleeing discomfort in isolation or boredom, lean into it as a sacred forge for sovereignty, carving out 15 minutes daily to wander alone and journal one unfiltered thought.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/20251102-DSC01403.jpeg) The White Mountains NH - Photo by J.R. Warden What has your soul been telling you? ### Dark Moon Wards: Shadow-speakers URL: https://jrwarden.com/dark-moon-wards-shadow-speakers/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T22:32:19.000Z When the moon hangs black in the sky, the wards grow ironclad and shields secrets that the daylight would scorch. It's in this sacred darkness that whispers from ancient shadows reveal fragments of forbidden maps and secrets that could unravel empires. Or forge new ones. You've been chosen, reader, because you've sought the edges of imagination, where light fears to tread. This post hides a warded truth just for you: the lore of the Shadow-speakers from my fantasy world of Spinalis. --- Recently, I asked X, Threads, and thefantasy.pub a question: [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-15.23.31.png)](https://thefantasy.pub/@jrwarden?ref=jrwarden.com) To which I received one response (at the time of writing this): ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-15.25.06-1.png) --- One Fantasy Fact Swap later and I'm on a kick about the shadows of my world... **So let me tease you with secrets from the abyssal south, where ice-veiled peaks hide frozen rivers and canyons.** Inspired by shadows in Glen Cook's Black Company series, **my shadows aren't mere absences of light but living entities, eternal spies, and keepers of forgotten knowledge that are trapped in the icy southern wilds, away from lethal sunlight.** Shadows are formless. They slip through the material plane like Peter Pan's shadow, traversing under doors without issue. They hoard eons of secrets, spying on winds and stars, and on rare occasions **trade secrets and omens with mortals.** Such mortals are known as **shadow-speakers**, mystics in the south who commune with the shadows and act as conduits for the denizens of darkness. Shadow-speakers are always people who were born with some degree of magical ability, but many did not know they possessed the talent until their inner light drew a shadow to them like a moth to a flame. **Such initial encounters often kill the shadow-speaker**, but those that survive discover the extent of their magical ability. In most cases there is not much a shadow wants. An immortal being with immense knowledge and a hunger for souls usually only wants those two things, and unless the speaker can provide one or both to the shadow, the shadow is either very bored with its eternal life or it is getting what it wants from the speaker. While shadows can be killed with magic or light, it is still uncertain if they reproduce or exactly where they came from (shadows do not seem to believe mortals can compensate them with enough souls for such knowledge) but it is known that **shadows that have lingered in Spinalis since the world's first dawn.** But here is where things can get political: If someone has the talent and bravery to speak with shadows and allows shadows to use them as conduits, **it is assumed that the Shadow-speaker has access to those secrets.** Societies usually revere or fear them. Upper-class patrons pay shadow-speakers fortunes for espionage to discover the misdeeds of ranking officials' forbidden sins, or knowledge on the populace' temperament. **Scholars reward speakers well for revealing clues leading to ancient artifacts or evidence of lost history.** Many commoners employ shadow-speakers simply to provide them with omens. In fact, most assume that shadow-speakers often employ a retinue of shadows that do their bidding on a regular basis, or at least **the best shadow-speakers claim they have amassed a silent army of shadows.** Whether that is a ploy to garner power or not, it is difficult to tell. ### The Ritual The ritual begins in utter darkness. The speaker enters an often red-lacquered box (a nod to warded coffins in folklore, symbolizing rebirth through peril) and is chained to their seat for safety, as shadows can control motor skills if the speaker is caught off guard or if they willingly allow the shadow to control them. Once inside, they chant invocations in a tongue of whispers, allowing a shadow to slip into their body. The host's eyes glow with ethereal light, either yellow or red, while their voice rasps with ancient timbre. Communication between the speaker and the shadow isn't verbal; **it's a fusion of minds.** In that state, the speaker can commune with the shadow or allow the shadow to take control entirely so that their lips may be used to speak with the speaker's client directly... That is what happens in the prologue chapter of my work in progress: **an astrologist discovers a new star and seeks the help of shadows to discover its meaning and origin.** **If you could learn one thing from the shadows, what would it be?** ### Lunar Rituals URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-lunar-rituals/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:58:33.000Z In the last 30 days my membership has skyrocketed 250%. What changed? I got serious. I aligned my major posts with the quarters of the moon - a simple schedule that my readers can look forward to easily. These Waymarks? They're consistently weekly now. People can tell when something feels genuine or not. If the creator is *into* what they're making or if they're just collecting a paycheck. I love fantasy, and I love bringing magic and meaning and *soul* back into real life. This new refinement of the blog has revealed to me that **growth in any creative endeavor stems not from forced productivity hacks, but from harmonizing your output with your natural rhythms and authentic passion.** **Weave your genuine obsessions into recurring rituals (like lunar phases) to amplify your impact without losing your soul.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/12/20251031-DSC01309.jpeg) Fort McClary, Maine - Photo by J.R. Warden ### Bonus Question What is one thing that brings magic into your life? ### Three Laws Creators Need To Get Through Their Blocks URL: https://jrwarden.com/waning-whispers-three-laws-creators-need-to-get-through-their-blocks/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:59:13.000Z I'm human. You're human. We do human things and sometimes its a hindrance from what we really want out of life. But that's okay. There's hope. In this article I'm going to introduce 3 Laws that can help any creator push through their inner blocks. --- ### Law 1: Attention is the Only Real Currency > Time management is the downstream effect of attention management. Most “living well” advice fails because it focuses on hours instead of energy. Firstly, we must address one significant thing that I wish more people would talk about: **your time is finite.** Your lifespan is an unknown number of heartbeats. Every minute you give to a person, a screen, a room, or a thought, is a minute of finite, irreplaceable life that you have converted into currency and handed over. **No refunds, no interest, no inheritance.** This means that we must, with extremely delicate care, weigh and consider every thing that takes our very finite and limited time and determine if it adds value to life or not. **Attention thieves hide in three places:** 1. **Environment** Every object you own, every notification you allow, every plant on the windowsill is a tiny open tab draining energy from your attention account. Possessions are not neutral; they are vampires with good marketing. 2. **Obligations you never chose** The meeting that could have been an email, the favor you can’t remember agreeing to, the app that “only takes a second.” These are micro-transactions that compound into a second lifetime gifted to other people’s priorities. 3. **The addiction to addition** Human default setting: when life feels off, add something—another course, another tool, another relationship, another habit. The sovereign move is the opposite: subtract until what remains shines through. Time and attention is the only economic measurement you need to remember. Everything else is secondary. Law 1 is about acknowledging the things that are stealing your attention, and therefore your time. Guard your attention and time the way a dragon guards gold because it is the only gold that actually belongs to you. Everything else is borrowed from the universe. --- ### Law 2: Sovereignty through Boundaries of Negative Space > Real sovereignty is the ability to say “no” faster than most people say “maybe.” End boundary conversations swiftly. In a world that constantly demands your attention, being able to say "no" and clearly define what you can and can't do is tantamount to your success. **True sovereignty emerges from establishing 'negative space' where you deliberately allow no one to enter.** This is hard, and something I personally struggle with, but your strength with Law 2 is a muscle you build. Most of us hesitate because we're wired for harmony: we fear conflict, rejection, or missing out. But **every "maybe" is a crack in your fortress that invites obligations in.** The sovereign creator flips the script— they default to "no" and only upgrade to "yes" if it aligns with their core vision. This isn't rudeness; it's respect for your finite self. End boundary conversations swiftly: don't debate, explain, or negotiate endlessly. A polite but firm "No, that doesn't work for me" closes the door succinctly and respectfully. Boundaries aren't walls to keep everything out; they're filters to let in right things. **Sovereignty thieves:** 1. **The Guilt-Inducers** Family, friends, colleagues—they mean well, but sometimes "just this once" requests are emotional loans. The dinner invite that kills your writing flow, the volunteer gig that saps your weekend—these are disguised as connections but act as chains. 2. **The Opportunity Mirage** Shiny new passion projects, collaborations, or trends that promise growth but deliver dilution. These illusions of progress fragment your focus. Ask yourself, "Does this amplify my core work or scatter it?" Every "yes" to the wrong thing is a "no" to your core work. 3. **The Internal Saboteur** Your own doubts and perfectionism. This inner voice turns "no" into a negotiation with yourself: "Maybe I can squeeze it in." But sovereignty starts inward—set boundaries with your habits first. No checking email before noon, no social media during deep work blocks. Treat your time like a VIP event: invitation-only. The trick with Law 2 is to recognize your life's patterns and preempt them. Your "no" creates room for unhurried creation, spontaneous joy, and the kind of deep focus that births breakthroughs. **Sovereignty isn't isolation; it's intentional curation.** In the end, the most powerful creators aren't the ones who do the most; they're the ones who protect their space to do what matters. --- ### Law 3: Creation = Pressure + Persistence > Don't try to increase motivation, increase pressure with non-negotiable deadlines and public commitment or time under tension. Force yourself to create raw material, walk away, and then return. Creation isn't lightning that strikes when the mood is right—it's a forge where raw ideas are hammered into shape through deliberate force and patient refinement. **We chase motivation like it's the holy grail, but it's mythic and unreliable.** Instead, Law 3 flips the equation. Don't obsess over heat (that burst of motivation or passion), it's the least controllable. **When energy wanes, you stall.** The real power lies in cranking up pressure with external accountability that forces action and time through persistent, spaced-out boundaries and negative space that allows ideas to mature. **Let's break it down:** 1. **Pressure** Pressure isn't about stress—it's about creating stakes that propel you forward. Set hard deadlines that can't be ignored, like shipping a blog post by Friday noon. Better yet, add public accountability: announce your goal on social media, tell a friend you'll share your draft by end-of-day, or join a creator's group where progress is shared weekly. 2. **Persistence** Creative work thrives on a deliberate pause for subconscious processing. Stop trying to polish perfection in one session; that's a recipe for burnout and mediocrity. Instead, force out the raw material quickly—your first draft, sketch your initial design, record your rough melody—then walk away. Let it simmer. During downtime, your brain's default mode network kicks in, connecting dots you missed in the heat of creation. A 24-hour break often reveals glaring flaws or brilliant tweaks; extend to 48 hours for deeper insights, like restructuring an entire chapter. Just make sure you get back to it. Most people undervalue persistence because it feels passive, but it's active cultivation. Combine it with pressure, and you've got a system: Deadline forces the raw output, persistence refines it into something potent. Think of it as alchemy—turning the lead of half-formed thoughts into gold through heat, compression, and time. **Don't wait for inspiration; manufacture it.** --- ### Pulling It Together Law 1 prompts you to audit and eliminate attention thieves like cluttered environments, unchosen obligations, and addictive additions, reclaiming finite energy for clarity and focus. Law 2 instills sovereignty via boundaries and negative space with swift "no"s to guilt-inducers, opportunity mirages, and internal saboteurs, thus protecting that reclaimed attention in voids where your true priorities flourish. Finally, Law 3 forms this guarded space into a forge for your creation through pressure with non-negotiable deadlines and public commitments, and persistence with raw output followed by pauses for subconscious refinement. ### My 7-Day Challenge: Integrating the Three Laws Ready to put it all together? This 7-day challenge weaves Laws 1, 2, and 3 into a actionable sprint to unblock your creativity. Commit now—publicly if you dare—and track your progress in a journal. - **Day 1: Refine and Audit Attention (Law 1)** Refine any old lingering creative work and list your top attention thieves by category: environment, obligations, and additions. Be cognizant and keep track of what you're spending time on today. - **Day 2: Create Negative Space (Law 2)** Eliminate one attention thief from each category you identified yesterday—declutter a space, cancel a recurring meeting, toggle off notifications for apps that pull you into addition-thinking. - **Day 3: Build Boundaries (Law 2)** Practice saying "no" three times today—to a request, an opportunity, or a habit. Define your negative space: Block out 2 uninterrupted hours every day this week. Tell one person about your new boundary to make it real. - **Day 4: Apply Pressure (Law 3)** Pick a small creative project (250 words, a sketch) and set a non-negotiable deadline for raw output by the end-of-day. Announce it to a friend or online for accountability. - **Day 5: Embrace Persistence (Law 3)** Do something unrelated—walk, read, nap. Use the pause to let ideas ferment, then polish with fresh perspective. Return to yesterday's work after 24 hours and refine for the same amount of time you created it in. - **Day 6: Apply Pressure (Law 3)** Repeat day 4 and create something today, only it's crunch time now. Push yourself to output double the new material. You'll surprise yourself when you just let go and let it flow. - **Day 7: Reflect and Integrate (All Laws)** You've gone through the cycle once, now learn from it. In your protected time block today, identify what stole your attention and subtract it. What did you reclaim? Which boundaries held? How did pressure and persistence boost output? Celebrate the wins, adjust for next time. As you wrap up this challenge, remember: these laws aren't a one-time fix but a framework. The most important thing is finding something that works FOR YOU. Tweak things, adjust things, and don't think that you are inferior when you can't do something exactly how anyone prescribes. But no matter what you do, start small, iterate often, and watch how reclaiming your attention, enforcing boundaries, and applying pressure can improve your output from sporadic to steady. ### Bonus Question: What is one thing you are letting go of this month? Share it with me. ### Systems URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-systems/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T08:59:29.000Z It's 6:25 AM in a Midwest Panera and I'm writing my second Waymarks newsletter this morning because I'm implementing systems that force my hand. Task stacking, no excuses, no skipping, no “I’ll do it tomorrow” allowed. Real freedom, be it in work, money, or creativity, isn’t endless options: it’s a set of tiny, boring systems that quietly remove the daily question marks so your finite willpower can stay pointed at the horizon you want instead of the next choice. **Pick one promise you keep breaking and lock it into a non-negotiable recurring calendar event. Let your system shame you into becoming the reliable person you already claim to be.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01216.jpg) Fort McClary Maine - Photo by J.R. Warden Tell me what exact time + day + task is your new unbreakable system? ### Full Moon Missives: Ornithomancy URL: https://jrwarden.com/full-moon-missives-ornithomancy/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T22:32:33.000Z As the full moon rises, the veil between worlds thins, allowing missives from a seer in my fantasy world to drift into our own. Inside is one ancient divination method, ornithomancy (bird divination), and its prophecy about what I’m writing now. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/image.png) The celestial spaces overhead have long been viewed as the space of the gods. Therefore, the sights, sounds, and creatures of the heavens have long been sources of divine inspiration and signs of the gods pleasure or distaste with individuals, or entire armies. Prophesying by birds has appeared across ancient history: 1. Hittites in Anatolia: texts from the 13th or 14th century BCE 2. Early Greek times: appearing on Archaic vases, as well as in Hesiod and Homer 3. Romans had their own priestly Augurs supervise the practice Orinthomancy is a divination method that involves taking directions, counsel, or omens from birds found in the wild, usually. Seers interpreted the flight paths, behaviors, numbers, and the kind of bird that appeared in a viewing effected the reading. ### Birds in legend, fable and folklore by Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946 > If a flock of various birds came flying about any man it was an excellent omen. The eagle was particularly observed for drawing omens; when it was observed to be brisk and lively, and especially if, during its sportiveness, it flew from the right hand to the left, it was one of the best omens that the gods could give. > Respecting vultures there are different opinions, both among the Greek and the Roman authors; by some they are represented as birds of lucky omen, while Aristotle and Pliny reckon them among the unlucky birds. > If the hawk was seen seizing and devouring her prey, it portended death; but if the prey escaped deliverance from danger was portended. > Swallows wherever and under whatever circumstances they were seen were unlucky birds... > In every part of Greece except Athens, owls were regarded as unlucky birds; but at Athens, being sacred to Minerva, they were looked upon as omens of victory and success. The swan, being an omen of fair weather, was deemed a lucky bird by mariners. > The most inauspicious omens were given by ravens, but the degree of misfortune which they were supposed to portend depended, in some measure, in their appearing on the right hand or the left; if they came croaking on the right hand it was a tolerably good omen; but if on the left a very bad one. . . . The crow appearing \[at a wedding\] denoted long life to the married pair, if it appeared with its mate ; but if it was seen single separation and sorrow were portended This ancient method of divination still flutters in the blood of every storyteller who ever looked up at a passing wing and felt the future shift. The Mesopotamians, Hittites, Greeks, and Romans all agreed on one thing: the sky is never silent if you know how to listen. Tonight, under this Moon, someone on the far side of the Veil has been writing. --- > The night wind shifts. A single black feather drifts across the face of the moon and lands, impossibly, on your windowsill—or perhaps on the edge of this very screen. > It is addressed in crimson ink that still smells faintly of frost and pine. > The wax seal bears the mark of Darkstall: a raven clutching a quill. > Break the seal below when you are ready to receive what the birds have already seen… #### A missive from the Obsidian Scriptory in Darkstall Warden of the World, I am Colbert Arden, apprentice-scribe and novice augur to the Lady Lyraine who rules these starlit towers, write with a cheery disposition. Tonight, I practiced the old art of ornithomancy upon the roof, and the birds spoke to me. Though the courts of Darkstall live by the turning of constellations, my Lady has commanded me to master every tongue the world speaks-wind, bone, feather, and flame-so that nothing may be hidden from her sight. A murder of ravens, twenty-and-nine strong so as the number of a moon’s full turning, flew in from the north in a line so straight it might have been drawn by a quill. Straight flight over Darkstall is rare, especially into the darkness of the south. It means a plunge into trails, yet a road kept open or a labor that will not be scattered. Last came a cardinal, bright as fresh-spilled blood against the snow. It landed on the balustrade beside me, cocked its crest, and spoke in the voice the birds borrow when they have certainty: “The Warden will fill the scriptorium before the snows close the passes. The blog shall rise like cordwood stacked against winter: post upon post, warm and ready for every hearth. The novel will stir in its iron-bound chest, turning only a few pages in dream. It will not demand the Warden’s full hunt, for its season is not this moon. When the moon next swells, the Warden will walk unburdened beneath it, and unearth the novel in earnest once more.” Take this reading as truth, Warden. The birds have already seen you at the desk while the coffee steams and the schedule turns green with completed work. They have seen the relief in your shoulders when the last post is queued and the calendar lies open like fresh snow awaiting only your tracks. The murder guards your focus. The cardinal lends its fire. Write now. The sky has declared the outcome, and even the stars of Darkstall bend to acknowledge it. Your servant across the Veil, Colbert Arden Apprentice to Lady Lyraine Obsidian Scriptory, Darkstall > The last line of the letter dissolves into crow-wing shadows. > For a moment the air in your room feels thinner, as though the moon herself leaned in to listen. > Whatever Colbert saw is no longer prophecy—it is momentum. Share a missive from your world. What are the birds carrying for you? ### Sources [Ornithomancy - Wikipedia![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/icon/wikipedia-1.png)Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/thumbnail/Tomba_degli_Auguri-1.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomancy?ref=jrwarden.com) [Birds in legend, fable and folklore : Ingersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archivev. 292 p. 21 cm![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/icon/glogo-1.jpg)Internet ArchiveIngersoll, Ernest, 1852-1946![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/thumbnail/birdsinlegendfab00inge-1)](https://archive.org/details/birdsinlegendfab00inge/birdsinlegendfab00inge/page/212/mode/2up) [Augur - Wikipedia![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/icon/wikipedia-2.png)Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/thumbnail/Augur-2C_Nordisk_familjebok.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augur?ref=jrwarden.com) ### Trust URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-trust/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:00:58.000Z When driving or creating something new; sometimes I can't see the future. I don't always know where I'm headed, but the chances are strong that there's someone out there who's driven down this road before. Every meaningful thing we do (love, work, art, parenting, building) is exactly this: steering full speed toward a future that hasn’t shown its face yet, guided only by faint evidence that someone else made it through the dark before us. **This week, pick the one scary thing you've been delaying because you can’t see the outcome and find one person who’s already done it. Let their taillights be your proof and take the next step at full speed.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01251-1.jpg) Fort McClary Maine - Photo by J.R. Warden What are you delaying? ### Monkey-Brain on Autopilot URL: https://jrwarden.com/waymarks-monkey-brain-on-autopilot/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:01:33.000Z I blinked and an hour vanished; Black Friday shopping and hundreds of dollars gone. Is it all because I picked up my phone for “one quick thing”? Is this a 'tax' of having a smartphone, luring us into impulse buys and endless scrolls? Modern life is complexity, not simplicity. It invites chaos into life. It’s not just a lack of discipline that’s costing me time and money—it’s my environment. The systems I use set my monkey-brain up for failure and then leave me disappointed when it inevitably caves. Don't be like me. **Instead of hating yourself for being undisciplined today, change one thing in your environment so it naturally steers you toward the life you actually want and makes the right choices the easy ones.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01171.jpg) Hampton NH - Photo by J.R. Warden What's the last app you deleted from your smartphone? ### Template Runway URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-template-runway/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:01:56.000Z I used to start every journal entry with a fresh burst of anxiety, feeling like I had to invent the entire post from scratch before I could write a single word. I believed I had to deliver gut-punches of pure emotion from the depths of my soul. But I was wrong. Now I know that internal resistance isn't from a lack of creativity; it's the exhausting effort of continuous reinvention and putting my work on such a high pedestal that it paralyzes me out of fear of making a mistake. The greatest artists and thinkers rely on rigid frames—sonnets, film scores, four-part movements—because structure frees the mind to focus on the message. **A template isn't a prison. It just may be the runway for your best work.** --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01121.jpg) Hampton Beach, NH - photo by J.R. Warden What's one simple template or system (for work, life, or creativity) that finally let you stop reinventing the wheel? ### The Myth of "Easy" URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-the-myth-of-easy/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:02:16.000Z I used to think discipline was the on-ramp to easy living. You put in the hard work up front, build habits, build systems, and then you coast. This morning, looking at the same blank page I have faced for over a decade, I realized that's a lie. The effort required to accomplish something meaningful doesn't lessen. The daily decision to show up, even when you don't feel like, is a permanent challenge. **Embrace the Perpetual Challenge.** Stop waiting for the moment when your goals become effortless. That moment isn't coming. Instead, accept that friction is the feature, not a bug. Your strength isn't built when things are easy—it's built in the decision to push through the resistance, *every single day.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/20251031-DSC01111.jpg) Big Waves at Hampton Beach, NH - Photo by J.R. Warden ### Simplicity is King URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-5-simplicity-is-king/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:03:17.000Z I've gone rogue. One trip and one phone call is all it took to push me over the edge. I'm going to move. Maybe even be nomadic for a time. It's funny how we can mentally build something up much larger than it actually is. For months I've been stressed that my desire for freedom would alienate me from the one I care most about. But if I'm living for them I'm not living for me, and we can find a balance. It won't be instantaneous, but I can start making changes now. Getting rid of excess. I've already migrated this blog to Pro hosting (at the detriment of my mailing list. I'll try to fix that this weekend.) Now to push to simplify my life to SUV size. Let's go. Simplicity is King. ### I want to feel pain. URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-4-i-want-to-feel-pain/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:03:56.000Z I'm back in this place again: second guessing the direction of my life, and also knowing that I'll never be truly satisfied nor will I never not have regret. I understand that it will never get easy no matter what path I take. No matter what life I choose. All I know is that I want freedom to live, to create, to heal, and only one path offers me that even if it's just for a while. > Diving into pain is more than 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' . It's 'I can't heal what I don't know hurts". I'm saying goodbye to possessions and people and relationships, but I'm making a commitment to myself that I will face the broken parts of me and find a way through them. Both are scary. Neither will stop me. Things on this blog will be changing up soon. \~J.R. Warden ### Medicate or Withdraw? URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-3-medicate-or-withdraw/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:04:55.000Z When does enough become enough? New job, new house, new car, new phone? So much of American culture is based on selling you something you probably don't need at best, and at its worse its plainly trying to take advantage of you. And when someone finally sees all the poison that's passed around and sees through the illusions and sees reality? Maybe the reason I've struggled so much is because I've tried for so long to live outside my own reality. To live in illusion. To medicate myself through the hard times when I should just realize I am who I am for a reason. That I have these feelings, these depressions and anxieties, for a purpose. Instead of medicating myself through them, instead of thinking that there is something wrong with me, maybe I need to see myself for how and who I am and change what I'm doing. Maybe something needs to change, be it a value, a perspective, my environment, and I'll be happier for it, or maybe this is just how I'm wired. Maybe I'm just naturally inclined to be deep, purposeful, and just need a deeper meaning in how I spend my time in order to be happy. Maybe I can't survive as a wage slave. Maybe I have to give up everything to feel like my life has meaning. The job, the house, the partner. I'll live out of my car. But that raises a question. > If I don't have anything, but I have meaning, does that mean I have everything? I want so bad to just withdraw. To disappear from everything that wants anything from me. I want to engage with the world on my own terms. Be alone except when I want company. I want peace. I want sex. Pleasure. That'll never change. But I don't want companionship like I did just a year ago. I'm tired of people in thinking that I'm unhinged because I want a kid. People on Reddit say 'the only thing people in their thirties want is children'—yeah, because we know being a company person isn't what it cracked up to be. I see things like 'why do people want this' and other posts that are like a backhanded way to vilify someone for wanting a family. But wanting a family is normal. Stop living out of touch with reality and bashing other people for their biology. What isn't normal is being a wage slave career person. How satisfying is that really? In thirty years when you are all alone in a retirement home and all of your family is dead because you never made your own? Congrats, you were a career oriented person. I bet (insert big company name here) will thank you when you've sacrificed not just pay and lifestyle for the company BUT YOUR WHOLE LIFE AND YOUR LEGACY. But it's not just companies like that. It's the whole system. It's the government. The world is full of people and organizations and things that just want to take advantage of other people. Tax slaves. Wage slaves. They're the same exploited people. The external world is only interested in what it can take from me and you and what benefits it can get. I can see the fakeness and I can see that reality. It sickens me. That's why I want to withdraw. That's why I want to live out of my car. ### The Faith of Art: Move Beyond Doubt and Make Your Craft a Spiritual Practice URL: https://jrwarden.com/the-faith-of-art-move-beyond-doubt-and-make-your-craft-a-spiritual-practice/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T23:51:03.000Z ### This is the longest blog post I've ever written. I believe that to create something is a spiritual act. Whether that be children, a family, a business, a building, a car, a novel, or a painting. Sometimes it's the act of turning off all the filters of your ego, the self criticism, and listening to the deepest and quietest parts of yourself. The parts where the gold glimmers in that darkness because those are the truest parts of you. The most sincere. The most vulnerable. ​Creating with that level of honesty and intentionality is spiritual. > The human desire to create is not just a fundamental desire of human nature, but THE fundamental human desire. In this post, I'll explain why I believe that creating is the fundamental human purpose, how it may be divinely ordained, how the act of creation not only requires faith but can also be an act of faith in itself, and I'll share my own Prayer to the Muse. (If the title of this post did not tip you to it, this post and my prayer is akin to some of the messages in Stephen Pressfield's book The War of Art.) ## The Human Drive to Create: Three Psychological Portraits You do not have to be a believer in a Supreme Being or fit nicely into a religion to recognize that the desire to create something meaningful and value-adding to the world is the main motivator of the human experience. Consider the psychologists Becker, Nietzsche, and Jung, and what they think of creativity and the artist. ![brown and beige globe on brown wooden table](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1582561833407-b95380302a43?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMyfHxhcnR3b3JrfGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODU0NjI2N3ww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Europeana](https://unsplash.com/@europeana?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ### Ernest Becker's Denial of Death In his seminal work, The Denial of Death, Becker posits a stark thesis: that the primary, often unconscious, driver of humanity is a profound and pervasive terror of death. Unlike animals, humans have the ability to imagine the future and reflect on the past. It is not merely a fear of the physical process of dying, but a deeper anxiety of complete annihilation, of the final erasure of one's significance in the cosmos. To manage this terror, we create what he called "**immortality projects**". These are meaningful endeavors to create something of transcendence, like art or businesses or families, that our minds believe will allow a part of us to live on after our mortal bodies. Therefore, artistic creation emerges as a particularly sophisticated form of an immortality project. The artist, according to Becker, confronts the same terror as everyone else but possesses a unique talent in the ability to create and express a new reality that others may appreciate and value. This act secures a form of heroic individuality, a symbolic triumph over the limitations of a finite existence, but this model of creativity is a defense mechanism-a way to compensate for our fear of being forgotten. It originates not from a place of strength and abundance, but from a position of lack and fear. Saying the creative act is a response to the threat of non-being, of death, Becker believes that the artist creates to fill the void left by the awareness of his mortality. Consequently, the creative process is is haunted by the fear of failure, and if the art does not achieve the symbolic immortality for which it was conceived, the creator is forced to face their 'creatureliness' and slide into despair and depression. **To Becker, the creator is an anxious hero. This is the push against mortality.** His model seems to be seated in realism, but to me it seems overwhelmingly negative. While the fear of death may be a very primal motivator, I do not subscribe to the idea that every artist creates only as an immortality project or that it is the primary motivator for most. > An artist creates an immortality project by placing their work on a pedestal as a defense against an approaching annihilation. ![brown wooden house on green grass field under white clouds during daytime](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579169233120-8acbdeef5de8?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDkwfHxhcnR3b3JrfGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODU2Mzc4MXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Europeana](https://unsplash.com/@europeana?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) #### Nietzsche's Will to Power and the Drive to Create For Nietzsche, **Will to Power** is a drive towards self-mastery, self-determination, and most importantly creativity. It is not a rational, conscious choice but a primordial force within us. It propels everyone to grow, expand, and 'discharge ones strength'. The drive is not self-preservation, but self-enhancement, to overcome resistance, expand its sphere of influence, and to feel its power increase. For an artist, these implications can be impactful. The creative act is no longer an escape from a terrifying reality, but a direct engagement with the Will to Power. The artist harnesses the powerful drives of sexuality, passion, aggression, and channels them into a 'creative spiritual activity' that is not a repression of instinct but a masterful redirection of raw impulses into a higher creative goal. Zarathustra teaches the battlefield for the Will to Power is not the external world, but the inner one. This is a path of perpetual, and often painful, transformation. > "Creating-that is the great salvation from suffering, and life's alleviation, but for the creator to appear suffering itself is needed, and much transformation. ... Much bitter dying must be there in your life, ye creators!" The artist must be willing to "burn yourself in your own flame: how can you become new if you have not first become ashes! Nietzsche's model of creative drive culminate's in the concept of the Overman, or the individual who has overcome the smallness of humanity, rejected herd morality, legislates new values, and is an ultimate creator who gives 'meaning to the earth'. The psychological state of this creator is **Amor Fati**\-the love of fate. Amor Fati is an active, joyful embrace of everything that has been and will be. The creator looks back at the past, with all its accidents and suffering, and says, "but I willed it thus!" and transforms every "it was" into a chosen necessity that affirms one's existence without reservation. **To Nietzsche, the creator is not merely a craftsman but a force of nature driven by the Will to Power to impose their own vision on the world, transfigure suffering into beauty, and create new values. This is the pull of self-overcoming.** I believe that this model closer to the truth of humanity's motivation to create than Becker's. Not only is it more positive, which is a motivator in and of itself, but I find it healthy to engage in the Amor Fati view of life. Yet I believe Nietzsche still falls short to capture the source of creativity in humanity. > The process of creation is a "redemption from suffering" and the greatest stimulus to life. ![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1732780769425-6e21b7c4c04d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMyMHx8YXJ0d29ya3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3NTg1NjM5NDd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Wiki Sinaloa](https://unsplash.com/@wikisinaloa?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ### Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious Jung's model of the human mind is not a single entity but a dynamic, multi-layered one in constant interplay. The three domains are the Ego, the Personal Unconscious, and the Collective Unconscious. The **Ego** is the center of the conscious field. It is the source of our identity, the part of our minds that we recognize as "I", is responsible for our decision-making in the external world, and the maintenance of our personal narrative over time. It organizes our thoughts, feelings perceptions and memories. Beneath the consciousness is the **Personal Unconscious**. This is unique to each individual and contains all not currently conscious, including memories that were forgotten, subliminal perceptions, and content that has been repressed because it was too painful or incompatible with one's self-image. The emotional shocks, passions, personal crises that shape an individual's life are stored here. Jung's most controversial part of his three-piece model is the concept of the **Collective Unconscious**. This is the deepest and most universal layer of the psyche, a shared psychic inheritance common to all human beings. Its contents were never conscious and are not individual acquisitions; they are inherited from the psychic life of our ancestors. Jung saw it as the "womb of all his sciences and arts" which predisposes us to experience and perceive the world in universally human ways. The existence of the collective unconscious, for Jung, explains the astonishing parallels found in the myths, religious symbols, and fairy tales of disparate cultures across the globe. To chart this territory is to map the very origins of art, myth, and religion. From this shared psyche rises the **Archetypes**. Jung considered them the "psychic counterpart of instinct"; just as a bird is born with an instinct to build a nest of a particular kind, a human is born with an innate predisposition to form a "mother" image, a "hero" concept, or a fear of the dark. They are invisible psychic molds that, when activated by life experiences, give a definite and recognizable shape to our perceptions, emotions, and fantasies. The Archetypes are The Hero (Luke Skywalker), The Shadow (Darth Vader), The Anima/Animus (One's Ideal Opposite Sex), The Sage (Obi-Wan), The Creator/Magician (Power of Transformation). While symbols and images are consciously recognized in dream, art, or religious visions, the underlying archetypes are the unseen DNA of the human psyche and influence our behavior and strive for realization in the world. But that does not mean that all art springs from the same psychic depth. #### The Two Modes of Creation Jung made a distinction between the sources of creative works and the role the artist plays in the creative process. He called one the Psychological Mode and the other the Visionary Mode. The **Psychological Mode** of creation pulls from the conscious human experience and the individual's personal unconscious. Its materials are familiar to human life: "the lessons of life, with emotional shocks, the experience of passion and the crises of human destiny in general". The artist working in this mode takes these common experiences and raises them to the level of art and form that illuminates or interprets their meaning to give the audience greater clarity and depth into their own lives by bringing into consciousness what is normally overlooked or only dimly sensed. This art is an interpretation of the contents of consciousness and the known world with little left over to explain. In contrast, the **Visionary Mode** of creation pulls its inspiration not from the familiar world but from the collective unconscious. The experience is "no longer familiar" and a "primordial experience which surpasses man's understanding". It is an encounter with the raw power of the archetypes and a glimpse into the "timeless depths" that "rend from top to bottom the curtain upon which is painted the picture of an ordered world". The implications are paradoxical. The artist in the Visionary Mode of creating is not the master of the work, but the servant. > "Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument". The artist is one who "allows art to realize its purpose through him". This creative process is described as ruthless. A "war takes place within every artist" between the human longing for happiness and security and a "ruthless passion for creation which may go so far as to override every personal desire". It "battens on their humanity", demands everything to the service of the work even at the cost of health and personal fulfillment and to the point where the artist's personal life is at most a help or a hindrance but "is never essential to his creative task". This presents tension in the nature of creative works. The purpose of the artist is, on one hand, the ultimate expression of individuality and a deeply personal and unique undertaking. Yet, on the other hand, the visionary artist, the one who produces the most profound and impactful work, is described as a depersonalized vehicle, a channeler, a radio antenna picking up a signal that broadcasts to all humanity. For Jung, the highest form of creative agency is not an act of Nietzsche's Will to Power but an act of surrender. The artist's unique contribution is expressed not in the content of the vision, which comes from the collective, but in their courage and capacity to become the vessel for that vision. **To Jung, the artist is a channeler of a collective, transpersonal source.** The creative act is thus a paradoxical one: true, unique selfhood is achieved not by asserting the ego, but by allowing the ego to be subsumed in service to the greater psychic reality of the collective unconscious. Creativity becomes a dialogue, a form of spiritual receptivity, where the artist's ultimate choice is to listen and to serve the image that seeks to be born through them. > The artist is an instrument, a vessel through which the collective unconscious speaks to the age, whose burden is one of sacrificing personal happiness, health, and egoic desires to serve the creative work that has seized them. ![man in brown shirt sitting on couch](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1581592487708-44addd761b40?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDM0Mnx8YXJ0d29ya3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3NTg1NjM5NDl8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Europeana](https://unsplash.com/@europeana?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ### Putting It Together **Ernest Becker provides us with our foundation:** the sobering biological context for the creative act. In his view, creation is fundamentally an "immortality project," a desperate and noble rebellion against the terror of human mortality. **Nietzsche adds a philosophical layer and gives us the engine**: the artist's Will to Power is not a will to dominate others, but a will to master the chaos within, to overcome personal limitations, and to affirm life in all its tragic beauty. He claims that the highest human calling is to transform one's existence into a work of art. **And Jung gives us a bridge between ourselves and the infinite.** In his perspective, the artist is a modern-day shaman, venturing into the depths of the collective unconscious—the shared psychic inheritance of humanity—to retrieve the symbols and visions necessary. The artist gives voice to the archetypal forms of the collective unconscious and the raw, primal forces of inspiration. You see, creativity is not a peripheral luxury but a central and necessary human function, a vital engagement with the ultimate questions of existence, and perhaps a link between us and something greater. > The artist is a courageous figure who uses their craft to transcend personal doubt and serve a higher purpose. ![a painting on the ceiling of a building](https://images.unsplash.com/flagged/photo-1572392640988-ba48d1a74457?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDl8fGFydHdvcmt8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU4NTQ2MjU1fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [adrianna geo](https://unsplash.com/@adrigeo%5F?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## The Creative Mandate We arrive at the heart of the argument: the creative act is not only a fundamental human drive but a divine mandate, a primary means by which we fulfill our highest purpose. This understanding is rooted in one of the most profound and foundational concepts in Abrahamic theology: the **Imago Dei**. > "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27) This concept, known as *Imago Dei* in Latin or *tzelem Elohim* in Hebrew, is the cornerstone of theological anthropology. It asserts that humanity, unique among all of creation, bears a special likeness to the Creator.Theologians have debated for centuries what this "image" consists of—whether it is our rationality, our moral capacity, our ability to form relationships, or our spiritual nature. However, if we consider the context of Genesis 1, the very first and most foundational characteristic revealed about God is that of *Creator*. **Before God is a lawgiver, a judge, or a redeemer, God is a maker.** The narrative is a sublime poem of divine artistry, of bringing order from chaos, light from darkness, and life from nothingness. Therefore, if we are made in the image of a God whose primary revealed act is creation, it follows that our own innate capacity to create is the most direct and powerful reflection of that divine image. Our ability to imagine, design, innovate, and bring something new into existence is not merely an evolutionary advantage or a psychological quirk; it is the divine spark, the imprint of the Creator, within us.As > Rabbi Adina Allen states, "If God is, first and foremost, a creator, and we are created in God's image, then we too are created to be creators". This perspective transforms the artist's studio, the writer's desk, or the musician's practice room into a holy space—a place where the divine image is actively being realized and expressed. ### Co-Creators With God In Jewish mystical tradition, this idea is central. The human being is seen as a *shutaf la'kadosh baruch hu*—a partner with the Holy One, Blessed be He—who is "destined to help repair the world" (*tikkun olam*).This concept, particularly prominent in the Kabbalistic teachings of Isaac Luria, posits that the original act of creation resulted in a cosmic "shattering," and that it is humanity's sacred task to gather the scattered sparks of divinity through righteous and creative acts, thereby restoring harmony to the cosmos. In this view, every act of creation that brings beauty, truth, or goodness into the world is an act of cosmic repair. The Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah further maps this process through the ***Sefirot***, the ten divine emanations that form the **Tree of Life.** Creativity is understood as a divine flow of energy moving through these channels, from the initial, unfiltered spark of inspiration (*Chochmah* or Wisdom) through the process of shaping and structuring (*Binah* or Understanding) to its final manifestation in the world (*Da'at* or Knowledge). ![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1683221756807-e29fb48f40e0?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDh8fHJlbGlnaW91cyUyMGFydHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3NTg3MTQzNDF8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa](https://unsplash.com/@tepapa?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## Creation as an Act of Worshipful Faith If we accept that we are created in the image of a Creator and are called to be co-creators, then the conclusion is inescapable: **the act of creation is a profound form of worship**. It is an offering of our deepest selves, a tangible expression of the divine spark within us. Every brushstroke, every note of music, every line of poetry becomes a prayer offered back to the source of all creativity. > As one Christian writer puts it, "each act, from painting to cooking to woodworking to gardening, is an act of worship that points back to the Ultimate Creator." This form of worship is not one of passive obedience but of active, courageous faith—a true spiritual discipline. This is the faith required to begin. When you start a novel or a painting, you act on a belief in something that doesn't yet exist, an "unseen" concept you trust you can bring into being. It's the faith to proceed when every creator faces the blank page, the empty canvas, or the silent instrument, with no guarantee the work will be "good," understood, or successful. Self-doubt is a constant companion, and to move forward requires a leap of faith in the process, in your abilities, and in the intrinsic value of the act itself. This faith often demands surrender. Many artists describe moments of feeling like a conduit, where the work "flows through them" or the story "wants to go" in a certain direction. This requires letting go of rigid control and trusting the emergent nature of creativity—the "muse." **This is the same faith Jung’s visionary artist must have to surrender their ego to the transpersonal power of the collective unconscious, and the same faith a mystic needs to step into the darkness of the unknown.** Ultimately, this dedication—pouring hours, emotion, and resources into your work with no guarantee of external validation—transforms the creative act. It is a constant dialogue with the divine, a process of listening for the "new song" (*shir chadash*) that can only emerge when we open ourselves to what is bigger than us. The "worship" aspect elevates creation from a solely personal craft into a devotional act, an offering, and a form of communion. ### Universal Mystical Traditions **This sacred understanding of creativity is not confined to the Judeo-Christian tradition.** It is a universal insight found at the heart of the world's mystical paths, which reinforces its status as a fundamental spiritual truth. In Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, beauty is considered a primary attribute of God. A central Hadith (a saying of the Prophet Muhammad) states, "God is beautiful and He loves beauty" (*Innallaha jamilun yuhibbul jamal*).God is known as *Al-Jamil*, "The Beautiful". Consequently, the universe is seen as a reflection of this divine beauty, and the artist's role is to act as a conduit for that beauty, to create works that lift the veils of ordinary perception and allow the viewer to glimpse the divine essence. For the Sufi, creativity is a spiritual path, an inner exploration to connect with the divine. Art forms like music, poetry, and dance are not mere entertainment but sacred expressions of faith, designed to produce in the participant an intense love for God and an awareness of the divine presence. ![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1718140245034-9b68a05d112f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fGdvZCUyMGFydHdvcmt8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU4NzE1NDY4fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Art Institute of Chicago](https://unsplash.com/@artchicago?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## The Prayer to the Muse Exploring these ideas of cosmic repair and divine beauty is one thing, but to truly live them, we must embody them in our practice. Faith, after all, is not just a belief system but an action. For the artist, the spiritual work begins when we quiet the noise of the world and face the blank page. It requires ritual. For me, that ritual often takes the form of a quiet prayer, a conscious act of inviting a power greater than my own ego into the sacred space of creation. It is a way of saying, 'I am ready to listen.' Tweak my prayer below as you see fit. If you can't see it, that means you're not a free member. (What are you waiting for?) ### My Prayer to the Muse "O Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father, Divine Sophia, source of all wisdom and inspiration, I humbly invoke your presence. Descend upon me, you who breathed life into creation, and illuminate the depths of my understanding. Grant me the steadfast discipline that I may build a strong foundation for my work, and the clarity that my words may flow with grace and truth. Open the channels of my soul, that I may receive the divine spark of creativity. Reveal the hidden patterns and unveil the truths that lie within, without, above, and below. Strengthen my resolve against the shadows of doubt and procrastination. May the divine fire of inspiration burn within me, transforming the raw materials of my imagination into works that reflects your glory. Grant me the courage to face the inner battles, to overcome the resistance that seeks to stifle my voice. You who are the Word, the Logos, and the Giver of all good gifts, guide my hand and my heart. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I dedicate myself to this sacred act of creation. Amen." ## Conclusions I hope you've come to see this synthesis of the psychological and the theological provides a complete vision of how creativity can be a spiritual practice. The archetypes of Jung's collective unconscious can be understood as the psychological architecture of the *Imago Dei*. The visionary artist, who becomes a channel for these timeless patterns, is, in theological terms, fulfilling their sacred role as a co-creator with God. The act of surrender to the creative impulse, which Jung identified through empirical psychological observation, is the very same act of faith that theologians describe as essential for a life lived in communion with the divine. > The artist, in the sacred space of the studio, becomes a priest at the altar of the new, performing the holy work of bringing more light, more truth, and more beauty into a world desperately in need of repair. So go on, seeker. Write, paint, create. In a world increasingly fragmented and in search of a soul, the role of the artist is more critical than ever. **If you've found this article useful, share it with a friend or family member.** \~J.R. Warden #### Sources 1. 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Does Nietzsche specifically say how creating your own values can be achieved, or does he just focus on the importance of doing it? : r/askphilosophy - Reddit, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/ut8tzl/does\_nietzsche\_specifically\_say\_how\_creating\_your/](https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/ut8tzl/does%5Fnietzsche%5Fspecifically%5Fsay%5Fhow%5Fcreating%5Fyour/?ref=jrwarden.com) 47. Existentialism Thus Spoke Zarathustra Summary—1, accessed September 22, 2025, [http://www2.hawaii.edu/\~freeman/courses/phil360/12.%20Zarathustra%20notes.pdf](http://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil360/12.%20Zarathustra%20notes.pdf?ref=jrwarden.com) 48. 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Apollonian vs Dionysian - Friedrich Nietzsche - Walden42300, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.walden43200.com/in-depth-analysis/friedrich-nietzsche-apollonian-and-dionysian-socrates-as-the-supreme-evil/](https://www.walden43200.com/in-depth-analysis/friedrich-nietzsche-apollonian-and-dionysian-socrates-as-the-supreme-evil/?ref=jrwarden.com) 54. Friedrich Nietzsche on how art can help you grow as a person - Big Think, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://bigthink.com/high-culture/nietzsche-art-life/](https://bigthink.com/high-culture/nietzsche-art-life/?ref=jrwarden.com) 55. The Birth of Tragedy saw Nietzsche adding the concepts of Apollonian and Dionysian to the philosophy of aesthetics, featured his first criticism of Socrates, and discussed the importance of tragedy for human culture - Reddit, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/philosophy/comments/109cgmr/the\_birth\_of\_tragedy\_saw\_nietzsche\_adding\_the/](https://www.reddit.com/r/philosophy/comments/109cgmr/the%5Fbirth%5Fof%5Ftragedy%5Fsaw%5Fnietzsche%5Fadding%5Fthe/?ref=jrwarden.com) 56. The Will to Power as Art 75, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.beyng.com/pages/en/Nietzsche-1/Nietzsche-1.075.html](https://www.beyng.com/pages/en/Nietzsche-1/Nietzsche-1.075.html?ref=jrwarden.com) 57. Interpretation of Nietzsche's "We have art in order not to die of the truth.", accessed September 22, 2025, [https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/54649/interpretation-of-nietzsches-we-have-art-in-order-not-to-die-of-the-truth](https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/54649/interpretation-of-nietzsches-we-have-art-in-order-not-to-die-of-the-truth?ref=jrwarden.com) 58. The Will to Power Quotes by Friedrich Nietzsche - Goodreads, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25192319-der-wille-zur-macht](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25192319-der-wille-zur-macht?ref=jrwarden.com) 59. Friedrich Nietzsche on Art, Language, Reality, and More - Big Other, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://bigother.com/2023/10/15/friedrich-nietzsche-on-art-language-reality-and-more-2/](https://bigother.com/2023/10/15/friedrich-nietzsche-on-art-language-reality-and-more-2/?ref=jrwarden.com) 60. Nietzsche's Aesthetics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), accessed September 22, 2025, [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche-aesthetics/](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche-aesthetics/?ref=jrwarden.com) 61. FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE: Thus Spoke Zarathustra A Book for All and None, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.colorado.edu/herbst/sites/default/files/attached-files/zarathustra\_excerpt.pdf](https://www.colorado.edu/herbst/sites/default/files/attached-files/zarathustra%5Fexcerpt.pdf?ref=jrwarden.com) 62. Currently reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Favorite quotes: : r/Nietzsche - Reddit, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/Nietzsche/comments/1lx9k3/currently\_reading\_thus\_spoke\_zarathustra\_favorite/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nietzsche/comments/1lx9k3/currently%5Freading%5Fthus%5Fspoke%5Fzarathustra%5Ffavorite/?ref=jrwarden.com) 63. My favorite quote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra so far : r/Nietzsche - Reddit, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/Nietzsche/comments/rpg8ef/my\_favorite\_quote\_in\_thus\_spoke\_zarathustra\_so\_far/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nietzsche/comments/rpg8ef/my%5Ffavorite%5Fquote%5Fin%5Fthus%5Fspoke%5Fzarathustra%5Fso%5Ffar/?ref=jrwarden.com) 64. Friedrich Nietzsche: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (excerpts) - Praxeology.net, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://praxeology.net/zara.htm](https://praxeology.net/zara.htm?ref=jrwarden.com) 65. Why was Nietzsche "life-affirming"? : r/askphilosophy - Reddit, accessed September 22, 2025, [https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/ucnkgp/why\_was\_nietzsche\_lifeaffirming/](https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/ucnkgp/why%5Fwas%5Fnietzsche%5Flifeaffirming/?ref=jrwarden.com) ### Stop Worldbuilding in Chaos: My Logseq Template for Writers URL: https://jrwarden.com/stop-worldbuilding-in-chaos-my-logseq-template-for-writers/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T23:30:27.000Z If you're a writer, you know the feeling. Your world bible is scattered across a dozen different documents. Your word processor is always open, your character notes are in one place, your timeline is in another program, and your brilliant idea for a magic system is on a sticky note that's lost its stick. It's chaos. It's the friction that pulls you out of the creative flow and into the frustrating hunt for that one piece of information you *know* you wrote down somewhere. As an author who has had enough struggling with organization for years, I've finally found a program and created a template to solve this problem. The tool is an open source and free program called **Logseq**, and today I'm sharing the template I built with you. It's a method for building a "second brain" for your novel—a single, interconnected space where every piece of your world is just a click away. --- ### ✨ What's Inside the Template? This isn't just a document; it's a pre-built graph for worldbuilding. It's designed to be a flexible foundation that you can build your unique story on top of. It includes: - **A Writing Dashboard:** Your project's mission control. It serves as a main menu to all your most important pages and can be customized with queries to track your tasks and scenes to be written. - **A Full Suite of Templates:** Pre-built templates for **Characters**, **Locations**, **Lore**, **Magic Systems**, **Factions**, and more. Just type "/template" and start building, knowing your notes will be consistent from day one. - **An Automated World Bible:** Hub pages like "\[\[Characters\]\]" and "\[\[Locations\]\]" use simple queries to automatically create master lists of all your entries. No more manual indexing! - **A Complete "How to Use" Guide:** A built-in guide that walks you through the core concepts of the template, from using properties to understanding the outliner, ensuring you can get started right away. --- ### 🕸️ The "Hub and Spoke" Philosophy This template takes advantage of Logseq's flexible organizational system. Instead of rigid, restrictive folders, we use a web of interconnected notes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-19-at-07.22.40.png) Every piece of your world—a character, a city, a magical artifact—gets its own page (a "spoke"). You then use a simple link to connect it back to a central index page (a "hub"). This means a single character can be linked to their faction, their birthplace, and a key plotline or historic event, creating a rich, contextual web of information that mirrors the complexity of a real world. --- ## What is Logseq? The most important thing to understand about Logseq is that it's an **outliner**, not a word processor. Every paragraph, every note, every idea is a **bullet point** (called a "block"). This is a superpower for writers. There are so many features, but here are a few: **Daily Progress:** Use the journal to track your writing goals. Jot down notes without having to worry about where you file them. Just add a tag! You can create a to-do list for the day, track your word count, or write a brief summary of what you accomplished. **Queries** are automatic, self-updating lists. The "hub" pages in this graph (like \[\[Characters\]\]) use queries to search your entire graph for specific properties or tags. This means... **Logseq creates a Timeline of Your Work:** By using properties to track your word counts on your journal, Logseq automatically creates a habit tracker! You can create a task by simply typing /TODO. This allows you to create a checklist of actionable items for your project. *Example:* `TODO Finalize the map of Marlhold` **Properties** are the metadata for your notes. Think of them as labels on a filing folder. They look like this: 'key:: value'. For example, on a character page, you'll see a property `character:: POV`. This tells Logseq that you have organized this block or page as a Point of View character. - **The Conclusion:** It's a simple, powerful loop. - You use a **character** **template** to create a note on your journal page. - The template automatically adds the property `character:: antagonist`. - The **query** on the \[\[Characters\]\] page sees this property and automatically adds your new character to its master list. - You never have to manually update your index pages. Just use the templates, and the queries will do the organizing for you. --- ### 🚀 How to Get Your Copy I want every writer to have access to this powerful tool. Logseq itself is **free to download** and use. But setting up a template like this can take DAYS or WEEKS to learn how Logseq works and begin crafting pages, queries, and setting up the structure of a world bible from the ground up. However, if you want to skip the setup and dive right into building your world and streamlining your notes, I've made the pre-built graph available in two places. ### **You have two ways to get The Writer’s Logseq template right now:** 1. Buy it once for $19 on Gumroad → yours forever, no subscription. 2. Get it here (plus my support in getting you going) when you join as a Scribe. - **For the Scribe:** As a supporter, you get instant access to the downloadable .zip file. Just open the folder as a new graph in Logseq, and the entire system is ready to go. You'll find the download link on the exclusive [Welcome Scribe](https://jrwarden.com/welcome-scribe/) page. Your support is what makes projects like this possible, and I'm incredibly grateful. - **A Living Project:** This template is a living document. As an Inner Circle member, you will receive **all future updates and improvements** I make, in addition to other bonuses. - **Personal Support:** Your subscription also includes access to me for **questions, troubleshooting, and help** with minor adjustments as you adapt the template to your own world. ## It’s your choice: one click to get the Writer’s Template today: [Buy Once on Gumroad ($19)](https://jrwarden.gumroad.com/l/gdlfbr?ref=jrwarden.com) [Join the Scribe Tier](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/signup/690ba809858a03000137971b/monthly) > **End Your Worldbuilding Chaos** > Become a Scribe member and receive the ultimate tool for organizing your characters, lore, and plot. ### Introducing The Warden's Way: Your Free Minimalist Guide to Living an Authentic Life URL: https://jrwarden.com/the-wardens-way-post/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T23:30:13.000Z ### Your Journey to an Authentic Life Starts Here Are you tired of feeling like your actions don't align with your dreams or values? Do you crave a life with more intention and less overwhelm, but feel that most systems are too complex to stick with? I understand. I created "The Warden's Way" for this very reason. For years, I felt a disconnect between the life I was living and the one I wanted. I knew I needed a structure that was lightweight enough to be consistent with it, but a strong enough to guide me towards what I value over the long term. This ebook is the result of that quest. "The Warden's Way" is a short, shareable tool that outlines a minimalist process for living true to yourself. It's can help you gain clarity, define your sovereign intentions, and build a sustainable reflective practice. The road to the life you want isn't built in a few grand gestures. It's in small, manageable steps—one daily, one weekly—fueled by consistency and self-awareness. ### What You Will Discover Inside: - **The Philosophy: The Three Keys to Self-Sovereignty** This guide is built on three core principles: **Conscious Alignment** (identifying your inner truth), **Radical Ownership** (recognizing the power of your choices), and **Intentional Creation** (mindfully building the life you desire). We'll explore these in detail. - **The Map: A Sovereignty Self-Assessment** Before you can chart a new course, you need to know where you stand. This guide includes a simple 15-question assessment—not a test, but a tool to give you an honest picture of your starting point across the Three Keys. - **The Compass: Defining Your Guiding Intentions** Using your assessment results, you'll be guided through prompts to craft your own "Guiding Intentions." These aren't rigid goals on the horizon; they are the stars in the sky you can use to always know your true north. - **The Path: Two Minimalist Practices for Life** This guide will teach you two simple, powerful practices to create lasting change without adding to your overwhelm: the daily **Morning Pages** for mental clarity and self awareness, and the weekly **Sovereign Review** for reflection and course correction. ### A Note From Your Guide You might be asking: "Who is this person to be guiding me?" It's a fair question. My qualification is not a degree in psychology or a certificate in life coaching. I am a fantasy author, a storyteller, and a fellow seeker who has wrestled deeply with these ideas in my own life. "The Warden's Way" is not a set of commandments from a guru; it is the map I am drawing for my own journey, shared in the hope that it might help you navigate yours. ### **You have two ways to get The Warden’s Way right now:** 1. Buy it once for $5 on Gumroad → yours forever, no subscription. 2. Get it free (plus new Waymarks every week) when you join as a Traveler. Others have already claimed their free copy and and changed how they start their day. It's your choice – one click either way: [Get it Free](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/signup/free) [Buy it Once on Gumroad ($5)](https://jrwarden.gumroad.com/l/wardensway?ref=jrwarden.com) ### Is This For You? This guide is for adventurers of the spirit, scribes of the unseen, and crafters of their own reality. It's for anyone who feels the pull toward a more intentional, authentic, and sovereign life. It's a journey of small, consistent steps. "The Warden's Way" was created to be your companion for those first steps and all the ones that follow. --- ### Living the Bitcoin Standard: Part 2 - Wallets, Preparation, Hodl URL: https://jrwarden.com/living-the-bitcoin-standard-part-2-wallets-preparation-hodl/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:46:42.000Z ### ### **Wallets - The Harder the Better** **Unlike your traditional bank account that can help you recover lost funds, Bitcoin ownership places the responsibility of managing your funds on your shoulders alone**. If you lose your bitcoin wallet, it's stolen, or your seed phrase becomes compromised, you may be out of luck if you haven’t taken the necessary steps to protect yourself. **Custodial wallets are user-friendly, and safer from your own mistakes, but you relinquish some control over your funds and inherintly must trust your the provider or host of your wallet to keep your funds safe from hackers or from going belly-up.** This is a serious risk because it’s happened. **Non-custodial wallets offer the ultimate solution for ownership, control, and security, but require greater responsibility.** While it’s okay to start off with custodial wallets until you get the hang of things, you’re going to want to get your own wallet if you’re going to live on the standard. This is where the concept of hard wallets and hot wallets come into play. Hot wallets are typically a mobile application or browser extension. They are always connected to the internet, making sending/receiving simple and easy, but this convenience also comes with the trade off increased vulnerability to hacking and theft. Hard wallets are physical devices solely designed to hold your bitcoin offline. This greatly increases your security. A crucial element of any non-custodial wallet is the seed phrase - a list of words generated when you first create your wallet. This phrase acts as a master key to your bitcoin. If you ever lose your hard wallet or your phone, you’ll need to restore your access to your funds using this phrase. It is the single most important piece of your wallet and you cannot take it lightly. Store this phrase securely offline, preferably in a fireproof container inside a safe or safe deposit box, if you have one. The hard wallets I would suggest are the Trezor Safe 3 and the Ledger Flex. While I own both, I would recommend the Safe over the Flex for four reasons: 1. Shamir Secret Sharing 2. Hidden Wallets 3. It’s open source 4. It’s cheaper Affiliate Link [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/Trezor-Safe-3-Backs---1-Front.png)](https://affil.trezor.io/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=169&aff%5Fid=36378&ref=jrwarden.com) Choose your style - Trezor Safe 3 [Buy Now ](https://affil.trezor.io/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=169&aff%5Fid=36378&ref=jrwarden.com) **Shamir Secret Sharing and hidden wallets are so important and the main reason I advise the Safe 3 over other wallets. Here's why:** Imagine someone invades your home and puts a gun to your head. Yolife > your bitcoin, and you give up your seed phrase to protect yourself or a loved one. Unfortunately, that means that your bitcoin is now out of your hands forever and no government agency is going to refund your life savings. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Hidden Wallets are a major feature of the Trezor Safe 3\. In the robber situation, the invader knows you have crypto on your device. At gunpoint, he forces you to open the Trezor Suite app, plug in your device, unlock it with your PIN, and your wallet's funds are displayed. **But Hidden Wallets are password protected and they create plausible deniability that the crypto on your main screen is all the bitcoin you have.** Let's say giving up your dust isn't enough, or the burglar wants your seed phrase instead. **Shamir Secret Sharing is a method of splitting up your seed phrase into pieces like it's a financial horacrux.** You choose how many seed phrase shards to generate and how many are needed to restore the wallet (⅔, ⅘, 5/7, 6/10, whatever). Keep one in your safe at home, one in a safety deposit box, and another in a family member’s safe across town and now you can afford to lose a seed phrase without harm, be it a burglar, a fire, or a flood. The code for the Safe 3 is also open source, meaning that anyone can look into the programming and find errors or security vulnerabilities, and the device is quite affordable at only $79. Bonus feature: ‘**Self-destruct**’ is an option on the Vault 3 as well. Affiliate link [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7d/01/7d011407-bf39-4ef0-b9d3-4ebf72a0dd5f/content/images/2025/11/Trzr-Safe-3-BTC-1.png)](https://affil.trezor.io/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=239&aff%5Fid=36378&ref=jrwarden.com) Get the Bitcoin-Only Edition of the Trezor Vault 3 [Buy Now ](https://affil.trezor.io/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=239&aff%5Fid=36378&ref=jrwarden.com) So, you’re one step closer to financial freedom, but how do you begin? ### Preparation If you’re going to adopt the Bitcoin standard, it would probably be a good idea to ensure your financial situation can withstand some turmoil. It requires a different mindset about money and a strong stomach for volatility. If all of your savings were cut in half overnight, could you survive? Take a hard look at your finances and lower your bills. Do you really need subscriptions to three different streaming services? You can only watch one at a time. Do you really need that new game or book when you have so many yet to be finished? **Reducing your expenses will protect you from being forced to sell more Bitcoin during market downturns and allow you to better ride the wave and potentially benefit from future price increases.** Building an emergency fund will provide a safety net during price swings and every sat you can save and hold contributes to your long-term resilience. Read about minimalism. It’s not just decluttering your physical space; it’s about prioritizing what truly matters in your life, cutting out the excess, and focusing on experiences over material possessions. This philosophy can be incredibly beneficial when adopting the Bitcoin standard. By simplifying your lifestyle and reducing your reliance on consumerism, you’re freeing up resources that can be allocated towards acquiring and holding more Bitcoin. Minimalism can help you cultivate a greater appreciation for the things you own and reduce your desire for unnecessary spending. Speaking of stacking sats, there is another method worth mentioning… ### **Hodl or Trade?** Some people grow their stack by day trading; timing the ups and downs of the markets to increase the amount of bitcoin they have over time without fronting more cash, but this isn’t a cost-free method to get more bitcoin. Not only are any gains you make going to be subject to short term tax rates according to your income tax bracket (more on that later), but the time and stress of day trading will add chaos to your life. Trading requires you to keep track of the market, and unless you have generous free time and can function on a lack of sleep (because I would bet that when actively trading crypto you’re going to wake up in the middle of the night to check prices), I don’t recommend it but you do you. Consider if it would be best for your mental health if you are constantly plugged into the market, especially if you’re living the bitcoin standard and all of your finances are saved in Bitcoin. You’re going to stress yourself out when you end up inevitably down at some point, especially if you’re thinking short-term. Fear will seriously impact your ability to make decisions in a volatile market and all the stress is truly unnecessary when you’re thinking long term, as you should on the bitcoin standard. This is why I’m a hodlr, or buy-and-holder. I don’t worry about price and buy every week, or dollar-cost-average as it's called. I prioritize saving more BTC over everything else, especially because… **Tax Withholding – No more interest-free loans to the government** At the beginning of the year, I go exempt with my employer and keep the income taxes normally taken out of my paycheck and convert this money into BTC, too. I do this because I believe I should profit from my own money rather than give it to the government before it’s due and allow them to make money off it throughout the year or squander it. I cannot advise this to anyone. It is extremely high risk. I pay a fine to the IRS every year because of it. Do not do this unless you have multiple times over your expected annual tax bill put aside so that you can survive a market crash of 70% and still pay your taxes when the time comes. Even then, you still shouldn’t do this. The only reason I justify doing this myself is because I own my vehicle outright, have a cheap 350 sqft apartment, the only debt I have is student loans, and I have months of income saved up. I set myself up so that I can survive market swings on the Bitcoin standard. But how do I do that, exactly? How do I manage my cost basis and what tools might I use for that? I'll show you in part 3! ### Living the Bitcoin Standard: Part 1 - Introduction, Risks, and Research URL: https://jrwarden.com/living-the-bitcoin-standard-part-1-introduction-risks-and-research/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:45:32.000Z ### What is the BTC Standard? The Bitcoin Standard is a wealth management method that prioritizes BTC’s potential growth by saving in a hard deflationary asset (BTC) over a soft inflationary one (fiat). This article is a summary of all that I know about living on a BTC standard. For myself, I found it a challenge to find a bigger guide that answered questions like: 1. What services should I use to pay my bills? 2. How do I manage my cost basis? 3. What about taxes? While I will share how I do things, note that I am not a financial or tax expert or advisor. None of this is financial advice. Seriously. I write fantasy fiction and I’m into mythology, philosophy, religion, and hermetic arts like astrology and alchemy. I live with my head in the clouds, but I love BTC for the principles it stands for. This article is intended to be a high level, yet long and informative opinion and educational article that I hope provides you with a basic understanding of Bitcoin and why people choose to live on it. Be aware that some of the links I provide are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through the link that I provide. Think of it as a thank-you tip to me for writing this article and keeping it up to date. I spent a lot of time writing it, not to mention the research and testing to see what works for me, so be gentle. For those of you familiar with Bitcoin and wanting to skip the warnings and fundamentals, you can scroll down and see the wallets and services I use. Everyone else should start with an understanding of the risks. ### Risks For anyone new to BTC, you should do many hours of research before you decide to implement the Bitcoin standard. If you aren’t in it for the long term, retirement or at least five years, then this probably isn’t the wealth management method for you. Even if you are BTC-Savvy, how I live on the Bitcoin standard is probably not the way that you should. When you go all in on BTC, you must understand the basics of the financial system that you are hedging all your bets on. Understand that there is always a risk, however improbably small, that the Bitcoin network could go down. Satoshi Nakamoto could come back from the dead and sell all his coins and the market could tank for years. The governments of the world could ban its use (even though recent events suggest increasing adoption by governments, and how even a ban couldn’t stop the people from using it). Anyone contemplating this should do their own research. Hearing the opinions of others is an important part of making an informed decision, but I would recommend that you follow your own instinct over anyone else’s. ### Research If you’re contemplating adopting the BTC standard, you need to **understand the difference between soft and hard money and the fundamentals of the Bitcoin network**. I recommend you read the book [The Bitcoin Standard](https://saifedean.com/tbs?ref=jrwarden.com), but at least understand that this is a huge risk and that you are embarking on a journey where only you are responsible for your financial wellbeing if you get burned. There are other arguments that are important to consider. The system is highly dependable, autonomous, and secure, but it isn’t perfect. At the cost of its security and decentralization is its scalability or transaction speed. Visa has an average of 1,700 transactions per second, and Mastercard is reported to handle around 5,000 TPS. But what about BTC? A sluggish 7 transactions per second was a common estimate for pre-segwit addresses (legacy). Post-segwit, the theoretical maximum can be estimated to around 27 per second, but there is also the layer-2 Lightning Network, which offers near instant transactions, but that is a topic of its own. Some argue that this transaction speed limit is what stands in BTC's way to mass adoption, but we’ll have to see how the Bitcoin network improves in the future. ### **Why Bitcoin > Fiat** To summarize some key points of [The Bitcoin Standard](https://saifedean.com/tbs?ref=jrwarden.com), this section will give you the quick version of why I think that wealth in BTC is better for me. Government-issued currency is inflationary, meaning that the amount of money in circulation is always growing. **Economic theory suggests that as something becomes more plentiful, its value decreases because it’s easier to come by.** This causes prices of goods to naturally rise as the value of the dollar decreases. Even stocks are extensions of fiat. Companies are based in the native currency of their country, and by default involve exposure to that currency. The point is to get away from soft, inflationary fiat and to a harder, more stable money that will actually grow wealth over time. **Gold is the OG hard money, in that its supply is very hard to increase.** As demand for gold outgrows the supply of gold coming into the market, and the value of fiat currency decreases and requires more dollars to buy x amount of gold, the value of gold increases over time. History shows that the periods of time when currency was backed by gold showed the most stable growth for the people of that era. But it’s not a perfect solution as it’s not easy to transact with. It’s heavy in large quantities and it’s not easily divisible into smaller fragments on the go for every-day transactions. Enter BTC. **There will only ever be 21 million bitcoins in total.** It has pre-programmed scarcity and is arguably deflationary as people lose their wallets or small balances are left behind (called dust). While decentralized miners all over the world get paid in new bitcoin to run the network, the supply is drastically smaller than the demand with 19 million coins already mined and the rewards for mining halving every four years. This decentralization distributes power and responsibilities away from central authorities or governments and gives them to the individuals. **Unlike gold, BTC is highly divisible.** 1 bitcoin can be broken down into 0.00000001, or one Satoshi (sat for short). Many people prefer to go by sats rather than decimals of a BTC. For example, why say you have zero-point-zero-zero-zero-zero-one--zero -two-three bitcoin when one thousand and twenty three sats can suffice? Also unlike gold, your bitcoin can never be seized by the state or stolen by a thief without your consent or naivety, so long as you self-custody your bitcoin in a secure way. Your bitcoin can’t be frozen like a traditional bank account if you’re wrongly suspected of a crime by some three letter agency trying to pull Civil Asset Forfeiture. Your security must be on the forefront of your mind, and that starts with choosing a wallet. We'll get into those in the next blog post, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it! ### Authentically Me URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-2-authentically-me/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:07:55.000Z It can be so hard for me to be unafraid. unafraid of failing, of not knowing the future. It robs me of the present, I know that, but it's such a hard thing to shake. It's something that I've subconciously learned to do over the years. > People pleasing is more than being nice; it's a survival tactic when you grow up not knowing where you belong. I go back and forth, I foresee every fork in the road and debate which one I should take far in advance and it stops me, dead in my tracks, from ever approaching that crossroads. It's fear. I know it. Uncertainty eats me up. But there's something seated deep in my soul, heart, subconscious, whatever you want to call it, that knows this is the right path for me. That part of me consoles me that yes, it's uncertain, and it's certainly not going to unfold like you plan it to, but it is the right path. So the problem isn't really me knowing the future is full of success or the pitfalls I need to avoid, it's just me believing that I'm good enough. That I deserve it. But I know I'm doing the work. I'm heading in the right direction better than I ever have before. I'm healing. I'm believing. I'm creating. I'm becoming authentically me. ### From Ashes to Insight: A Meditation on Healing Life's Burns URL: https://jrwarden.com/from-ashes-to-insight-a-meditation-on-healing-lifes-burns/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T22:31:42.000Z ### When was the last time you ran from your pain? Welcome back, traveler. Today’s topic is a hard one. A hard one to digest and a hard one for me to even write about. It isn’t always easy to recognize what’s hurting us because it can turn out to be something we swore was always good for us. It could be something like medication, a diet, or, in my case, a relationship. While there may never be a clear-cut decision completely free of regret, it is important to recognize the things that harm us so that we can be renewed through it. But before we delve into the heart of this, I want to draw upon some parallels that spoke to me. ### The Phoenix: Rebirth from the Ashes So many people know this iconic bird thanks to Fawkes, Dumbledore’s legendary companion in the Harry Potter series, but allow me to give you more insight. The Phoenix is a Greek legend of a massive bird always depicted in flame. It shares similarities from other mythical creatures like the Russian firebird, Hindu garuda, and the Native American thunderbird (although notably less so). Our immortal bird is said to regenerate cyclically; dying in a spectacle of a large inferno, only to rise again from the ashes of its burned body. Why does this matter to us? Well, I think because the thing that gives it life is what kills it, and by living through its own death, it begins anew. It came to my attention that the Phoenix can be more than just a tale, but a model of how we should live through our own pain. The Phoenix symbolizes renewal, the sun, time, resurrection, metempsychosis (the transmigration of the soul, i.e., reincarnation or moving on to the afterlife), and some even believe Jesus Christ. > But what if the thing I swore was giving me life, is instead actually killing me? How can I, like the Phoenix, be reborn from this pain, too? I’m sure there is something in your life you want a fresh start on. Who doesn’t? And how do you know what that fresh start should look like? ![red and green leaves on water](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1601824772646-0c49738674d6?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDc5fHxmYW50YXN5JTIwZmlyZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE3NDgxNzYyMzB8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Jr Korpa](https://unsplash.com/@jrkorpa?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ### Symbolism of Fire: What it Means In Christianity and other religions, fire can have more than one interpretation, depending on the context. Most times, however, when fire is involved in religion the context is not positive. Our minds go to thoughts of hellish pits and cruel punishments that last an eternity, the scene in Indiana Jones’ where faces are melting, and the screams of tortured souls and the pain that flames produce. But sometimes fire can be holy and purifying. The bible’s messages to be insightful to the philosophies and views of older times. Fire is used to burn trees that produce bad fruit, so that the corpse of that tree can provide nourishment to the next generation. Revelations 21:8 reads, “\[Fire can\] punish the murderers, sorcerers, and liars in the lake that burns with fire in sulfur, which is the second death.” Isiah 48:10 says, “Behold I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” See, when we consider those two passages in a certain light, we might come to view fire as pain or affliction. If that’s the case, is it not safe to say that emotional pain can literally cause an inner death? I’m sure you’ve experienced moments like these in your life; when walls are crashing down around you. But when you clear away the rubble, there’s this clarifying zest in the air and how you feel. That, fellow traveler, is the rebirth that we must strive for with everything that pains us. ### Pain Is Your Friend Pain is something we shy away from far too often, especially in our modern environment where dopamine-inducing content is never further from us than our pocket. Of course, it is normal to pull away from things that hurt us, but sometimes it can be more harmful to bury and live with emotional baggage than facing what is hurting us. I know I lived with mine for far too long. > Pain exists for a reason: it’s there to tell you that something is hurting you or putting your chances of survival at risk. Something is threatening you or your ego, persona, self-image, etc... For thousands of years, being shunned from your tribe meant death because no person could live for long by themselves out in the wilderness, so that feeling has evolved with us to this day. It’s why rejection can hurt so much; our brain interprets it as a literal threat to our livelihood. Sometimes when we are hurting, it’s our body’s way of telling us that something isn’t right, and our conscious self isn’t always on the same page. It’s at these junctions that taking the time to consider what is hurting you, or why you feel the way that you do about something, is so important. We cannot fix a problem that we cannot identify, and that is my suggestion for this blog post: to meditate through your pain. ### How Pain Can Lead To Renewal **Meditation is about listening to yourself. It’s about taking time out of your day to just be with your own thoughts and emotions.** To consider them and let them pass over you without judgement. There is insight to be gained in increasing your awareness and compassion for yourself and others. This is a lesson I learned: we take heartbreak at face value so often. “My spouse hurt me by doing X.” Well, there are almost always more underlying emotions below the surface, not just in reaction to what your spouse has done, but why you feel the way you do. It might sound overly simple, but taking the time to listen to your pain, consider it, and find the root cause of it can have huge implications on your life. If you’ve never meditated before, that’s okay. You can start with just ten minutes a day and focus your mind to concentrate on only your breathing. If you’re feeling good and relaxed, you can take it a step further and practice what I call the Phoenix Method. ![Watercolor of cherry blossoms.](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1585157603209-378be66bede1?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMxfHxpbGx1c3RyYXRpb258ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ4MTc2MzUzfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Library of Congress](https://unsplash.com/@libraryofcongress?ref=jrwarden.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ### The Phoenix Method The Phoenix Method of meditation is a powerful way to heal from your pain and uses the symbolism of fire to transform your pain into wisdom, compassion, and strength. This is my twist, comprising three steps: 1. **Acknowledge your pain.** Don’t deny or suppress it. Accept it as a part of your life and journey, and see it as a signal that something needs to change or heal. Sit comfortably in a quiet place and close your eyes. Breathe deeply and calmly. Bring your attention to your pain, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental. Observe it without judgment or resistance. Notice where it is located, how it feels, what it looks like, what it sounds like, what it smells like, or what it tastes like. Just be aware of it as it is. 2. **Feel your pain.** Don’t bottle it up or let it consume you. **Find meaning and purpose in your pain, such as lessons, insights, or opportunities, to change yourself or your environment.** As you breathe, imagine that you are inhaling a bright flame of fire into your pain. Imagine that the fire is burning away all the negativity, impurities, and toxins from your pain. Imagine that the fire is also igniting a spark of light, warmth, and love in your pain. As you exhale, imagine that you are releasing all the smoke, ash, and dust from your pain. Imagine that you are radiating a glow of healing, peace, and joy from your pain. 3. Heal your pain. **Meditate on specific emotions that can help you heal from your pain and rebirth yourself from the ashes.** You can choose one or more emotions depending on your situation and needs. 1. For example, you can meditate on forgiveness with the mantra: **“I forgive myself for any mistakes I have made. I forgive myself for any harm I have caused myself or others. I forgive myself for the pain I have suffered and inflicted.”** 2. You can also meditate on gratitude with the mantra: **“I thank myself for all the good things I have done. I thank myself for all the blessings I have received or given. I thank myself for pain I have overcome and transformed.”** 3. You can also meditate on courage with the mantra: **“I trust myself to face any challenges I encounter. I trust myself to make any changes I need to make. I trust myself to rise from my pain and rebirth myself.”** Repeat these steps as often as you need until you feel healed and reborn from your pain. You can also use other tools such as music, aromatherapy, crystals, or affirmations to enhance your meditation experience. ### Conclusion See, pain can be a catalyst for transformation and renewal. We learned from the legend of the phoenix, the symbolism of fire, and the practice of meditation how we can heal from our pain and rebirth ourselves. I hope this helps you understand the Phoenix Method of meditation, and how delving into your pain is vital. If you want to learn more about other meditation techniques, you can check out the [resources](https://jrwarden.com/rrar/) page. Good luck! \~ J.R. Warden (P.S. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe below to never miss another!) ### Embrace Minimalism: 17 Rules to Transform Your Lifestyle URL: https://jrwarden.com/embrace-minimalism-17-rules-to-transform-your-lifestyle/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:47:53.000Z Welcome back, traveler. > Isn't it time you start demanding more from your day? I put together this list of tips and rules for myself, so it seemed prudent to share them with you. This post starts with bigger ideal-based rules, and gradually shifts into shorter practical tips, but each one can help you achieve a minimalist life full of purpose. #### 1\. Eyes on the Prize Most of us have heard it before, but in case you haven't, minimalism can be defined as a lifestyle or philosophy where one is in constant pursuit of a meaningful and intentional life with less. It is a practice of self-discipline where you only live with what you truly need, enhances your life, and helps you achieve your goals. If you pare-down your possessions, routines, or tasks, you'll have more time to focus on what matters in your life. In American culture minimalism can be quite hard. We're the most advertised to population in the world, and many of us are always in search of 'the next thing' to make us happy. But it isn't only our shopping habits that we should watch, spending our time frugally is also important, and removing responsibilities and distractions from our environment can help us on both fronts. Your environment should **reinforce* your goals for your life. Removing distractions and negatively-impacting activities that don't help encourage you to reach those goals is a great thing to do. ****So this first rule is simple: Define what you are aiming for and never forget it.** That can be more time with friends and family, or more peace inside your home. If you don't start there, you probably won't find lasting change. #### 2\. Live Intentionally by Picking 3 We first began with the big picture goal, an ideal state, so now we need to dice it up a little more into the top three areas of our life by priority. In broad strokes, think about the things that matter most to you. What things make you feel happy or give you a sense of purpose? What do you crave more of in your life? ****I want you to pick three things.** Not ten things you love, only three. When we narrow down our scope to the most important things, we're ****creating criteria that we'll use to judge what possessions we truly need**. As humans, we're pretty bad at multitasking; there's only so much time and mental energy we can devote ourselves to, so why fight your nature? Sometimes we have to prioritize and give things up. Even things we love. My three big ones are the connection I have with my family and friends, writing as a medium to express myself (fiction or blog), and learning and self improvement. I wouldn't include a career in your top three if you can help it, because you aren't your job, you're much more than it! But, if your work is something you're passionate about and it does matter that much to you, go ahead. ****Keep the three things that matter most to you written down in a journal or on a sticky note at your desk.** It'll give you something to reflect on when you're going through your belongings and deciding what tasks are most important in the years to come. #### 3\. Rest Actively Often, our time off work is squandered on passive activities that provide momentary relief, but lack any feeling of long-term fulfillment. Embracing the idea of "resting actively" can transform your downtime into opportunities for personal growth, connection, and rejuvenation. How often do you come home after work just to space out in front of a screen? When you walk away from it you might feel a bit more relaxed in the moment, but those lingering thoughts "I should do practice that", or "I could have taken care of this", eat away at us from the back of our mind. Wouldn't you feel better if you took care of those things you procrastinated on? If you took the time to work out, go hiking, or create something artistic? Doesn't taking the time to focus on your top three things sound more fulfilling? I'm not saying you can't mindlessly relax. I'm saying that there's a point of diminishing return. For me, that's about two hours. Beyond that, I begin to feel as though I'm not really living intentionally. I'm resting passively. I always feel better when I take the time to schedule out my weekend's restful activities. Even if it's only by "morning reading and coffee", "afternoon board game time", "evening family movie", it still gives me a framework that helps me stay in line and feel that I was intentional about my rest. ****Remember, rest is not just about doing nothing. It's about doing things that truly matter to you and fill your cup. Schedule time for those things.** #### 4\. Digital Minimalism This might be one of the hardest parts for some people. After all, we're more connected online than ever before, and connecting with people is important... but... There's so many negative aspects that technology brings into our life without us realizing it, oftentimes for years. When I say these things, understand I'm a former gaming hobbyist and tech enthusiast. I love cryptocurrency and I have education in IT. The newest and most expensive pieces of technology were things I craved consistently, even to the point where I found myself 10k in credit card debt. Over the years I've changed quite rapidly, and now some of the biggest things that have gotten in the way of myself and the life I want to live are with video games and social media. There are other methods of digital minimalism, such as photo and storage reduction, but I won't go into those areas here. And that's what digital minimalism is: being more intentional with what technology you interact with, just like how you want your environment to reflect your life goals. You don't have to cut the cord, but you should unplug it. I'd argue that the benefits do not outweigh the costs, but it's not like we can escape the need of some of these platforms entirely, and I wouldn't expect anyone to. Even I still use Twitter and Facebook occasionally. But here's where you should draw the line: ****You choose when to interact with those platforms, not the other way around. At the very least, block most notifications on your phone.** Acceptable things might be texts, messages, and calls for pertinent communications. But do you really need to be on everyone's speed dial? Do you really need to know when someone posts a photo that doesn't even involve you anyway only to get sucked into your feed for an hour? Do those people have the right to draw your attention away from living in the moment and the life you want? Better yet, remove everything but the messaging apps from your phone. You can still use the full platforms and feeds on a computer or browser and it empowers you to choose when to interact with them. ****Consider removing shopping applications, too. Not only will it cut back on time scrolling endless shopping feeds, it will also help you save money.** If you want more resources, go watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix, and I'd definitely recommend the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport for a much longer read about digital minimalism. #### 5\. Task Stacking Many of us (or most of us) want to adopt new habits into our life. Brushing our teeth more frequently, practicing mindfulness, or creating art, and it's as they say: consistency is key in changing tasks into habits, and habits into lifestyles. A great way to reinforce these new habits and streamline your routine is by doubling up tasks or engaging in 'task stacking'. ****This involves pairing two activities together to complete them simultaneously, saving time, promoting efficiency, and making the new habit come more naturally.** A simple way to increase the amount of books you read may be to pair it with your morning coffee instead of checking your email and all your socials. They are two tasks that can be done together rather easily (just don't splash coffee on your books, no one likes that). A way to improve your mindfulness, mental health, or spirituality, could be by listening to a podcast as you do your daily tidying. Want to improve your relationship with a friend or a family member? Start calling one person during each daily walk to foster a better relationship with them. There are so many different ways that you can utilize this tip, it's all up to you! #### 6\. The 33 Wardrobe Challenge The wardrobe challenge is a minimalist fashion experiment that encourages you to simplify your wardrobe and promote a more intentional approach to dressing. The idea was conceptualized by Courtney Carver, who introduced it in her blog "Be More With Less", but the rules are as follows: Limit your wardrobe to 33 items. This includes your jewelry, shoes, and outerwear. Things that don't count towards your 33 items are your wedding ring, undergarments, and your workout clothes. Courtney suggests that first timers start with an "I Love" pile, and define their own signature items, such as a pair of sunglasses or a trench coat. Trust me, simplifying your wardrobe into outfits can make your mornings much more simple and save you time so you're not rushing before work. #### 7\. The Chopping Board Keep a maximum of one of each kitchen prep tool. This goes for wooden spoons, ladles, spatulas, you name it. If this worries you, see the 20/20 rule. #### 8\. Keepsake Cut-Down Whittle your way down to one box or tote/tub of keepsakes. Chances are, you don't remember what 80% of your keepsakes and hand-me-downs are. If you cut it down to only one container, it will make those things you keep more valuable to you. Besides, your memories of your family aren't in those items. Your memories exist only in your mind, and holding onto their remnants with an emotional attachment might not be the healthiest. #### 9\. Wrap It (Japanese Style) I really like this method of releasing your attachment to things we have emotion tied to. It goes well with the tip above. In Japan, wrapping things in paper or fabric is a way to show that we care bout them and that we are thankful. If we're considering getting rid of something, wrap it up. Not only do we show our appreciation of things by wrapping them like a gift, but it also makes it easier to let go of when we can't see what's inside it. #### 10\. Double Dishes How many people are in your household? Two? Four? You should only hold on to double that number of dishes, or two days worth. Not only does this mean less clutter around the house, but it will also force you to keep the dishes you do have clean. This could also include food storage containers. #### 11\. Swedish Death Cleaning Attention-grabbing name, huh? Swedish Death Cleaning is simple. As you go about cleaning and decluttering your home, consider who in your family would treasure that item if you die. Who would want it, and who would take care of it how you would like it to be? If you can't think of anyone, or if you think that no one would want it, get rid of it. Your possessions won't last forever, and neither will you. Don't leave your family with a burden of trinkets that have no practical value or won't be treasured. #### 12\. One In, One Out This rule is pretty simple: if you buy something, you have to get rid of something. This rule is best implemented once you have a good start on your decluttering journey because it challenges your every purchase and makes you consider what you're going to get rid of. If you've already tossed of a lot of your belongings you're likely down to only a handful of things you truly love or do truly improve your life. It's a lot harder to pick between loved items, and it really makes you compare the item you're considering buying and the items you already have. #### 13\. Buy Once Another simple shopping rule. You can't buy it if you only use it once. While that just makes sense for things like expensive tools or clothes, it also applies to things you wouldn't expect: Fast food / eating out. Books (borrow from the library first) Travel-sized toiletries (get reusable containers) Gift wrap (consider reusable fabric) Specialized exercise equipment (make sure you can do multiple workouts) #### 14\. The 20/20 Rule Don't hold on to "just in-case" items if you can replace them for less than $20 within 20 minutes. You rarely actually need these items, and holding onto extras is only clutter. Not to mention, your situation might be different later on and that extra item might not even apply. #### 15\. The 90 Day Rule If you haven't used it in 90 days, chances are it isn't vital to your lifestyle. Either change your lifestyle to utilize the item (if its within your three most important things we defined earlier), or get rid of it. #### 16\. Implement Systems of Organization This can cover a whole range of use cases: Create a system for your mail with an In, Out, and Pending box. Have a process that determines how and when you tackle your mail. Organize your time with a planner or schedule. Have a system for your laundry. Like outfits. #### 17\. Simplify Food You don't need to be a master chef, but keeping recipes on One Note Or Logseq (my favorite note app) will help you stay organized. By planning and making the same meals, you can cut down on clutter and the amount of groceries you need to buy. It also makes choosing what to make simpler and easier. Avoid that decision fatigue! That's it, folks! (For now) If you have any tips or rules you'd like to share, let me know in the comments and I'll add them to this list! \~J.R. Warden ### So It Begins URL: https://jrwarden.com/juniors-journal-1-so-it-begins/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:09:25.000Z I feel like Théoden in lotr before the battle of helms deep. i'm looking down over all the uruk hai, and each one is a challenge i have to slay in order to withstand being a writer. They're innumerable. unquantifiable. > finish the next draft > edit it > seek feedback > repeat ad infinitum Send out a query. Get rejected until I find an agent for representation. Plan the next newsletter. Plan the next book. the next chapter. fuck, the next page. push the book *to sell*. it never ends. its wave after wave of endless uruk hai throwing themselves against the walls of my mind. they aren't just the multiplying number of tasks i have to accomplish. they're the voices in my head. i'm stupid for wanting this. i'm romanticizing and idealizing. starting late? might as well forget it today. why am i starting from zero again, with a new name with a newsletter and a blog that very few know of? Under my old name, my actual name, I've got five books out there. 2 sci-fi, 3 fantasy. over a thousand followers on X. people have written me and told me they loved my book. i've spoken to students at a nearby high school. i've developed a level of credibility, but i'm throwing that all away. why? To separate myself from my writing. to put that wall between my mind and that swarm. to start from scratch, no bumpers, guardrails, no help, to finally convince myself that I deserve this. that i earned it. > Writing is not the purpose of my life. > Its my expression of what I know of it. it's daunting. overwhelming. but i'm going to build back better and make myself great again. i know the steps to take. I've done it before, i'll do it again. better, this time. the last 10 years were not a waste. they were the refinement of my skills and knowledge. So it begins. \~J.R. Warden ### Sovereign No More? Reclaim Yourself When You Lose Yourself URL: https://jrwarden.com/sovereign-no-more/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:49:55.000Z > There was a time when 'we' grew louder than 'me'. Relationships. They can bring out the best of us, the worst of us, or hollow us out. This article is a reflective sharing and teaching on **staying loyal to yourself**. Don't take this wrong; it is important that your partner be a priority in your life, but they should never be the purpose of it. And the reason for this is multi-faceted. Compromising your values and putting your own needs aside, even if you've convinced yourself it's just temporarily, will only create resentment down the road. It's a slow burn that grows stronger as the years of 'what if's begin to build up inside you. **At first, you'll be dissatisfied with your partner, and then you'll be dissatisfied with yourself.** I know what it's like trying to look at each day optimistically and hold out hope that if you can just help your partner get through this one problem that's holding them back they'll turn around and meet your needs, but the truth of the matter is that them changing their trajectory to then focus on you is not a guarantee. If you're like how I was, I would guess that it is a guarantee that you're unhappy right now. Even if you're not, you still need to ask yourself this one question: > Am in love with this person as they are right now, or am I in love with the idea of what they could become? I know the path that self-sacrifice takes you down. As those 'what if' questions build up, you'll start to wonder if your partner understands you or if they even have the *ability* or *capacity* to ever fulfill your needs. After that, it gets worse. You'll begin to even question yourself. Your own values and convictions. The things that you need. Feelings of emptiness will abound. But if these things were important to you wouldn't you stand up for them? Not always. When you value a relationship more than you value yourself you're destined for disappointment. Your self-value will plummet, and no relationship is worth feeling miserable about yourself. Above all, you must always remember: > I'm the one that has to live with myself. In any relationship there has to be some level of give and take, and if it's all give its no wonder you're running on empty. If the word 'boundaries' becomes a recurring excuse to shield themself from making important compromises or having important conversations with you, it might be time for you to put up a boundary of your own. It's called self-respect. But regaining your self respect, your sense of self, and regrounding yourself isn't as easy as it sounds. It's a long, hard process of discovering what has happened to the very core of your being and working your way through it. It's about forgiving yourself, recognizing what hasn't been healthy for you, and slowly running up that hill. > What has really helped me in my journey is twofold: **Meditation and disconnecting from the outside world**. When you stop listening to all the news feeds and noise outside yourself and spend time every day to listen to those quiet whispers inside you, marvelous things happen. You start to see not only what isn't working for you in the relationship, but you begin to discover even bigger truths about yourself. Using meditation as a routine to look inward, examine your own thoughts and feelings, helps you redefine what your values are. Couple that with shutting off the phone, or ditching a smartphone and going Light like I did (and still am) for an extended period, and you'd be surprised what you might find within yourself. If that means you aren't compatible with your partner any more, so be it. You'll be much better off. Trust me. > "Love is not transactional, but relationships are." - The Minimalists \~ J.R. --- ### Poll: What Digital Rabbit Hole Consumes Most Of Your Phone Time? URL: https://jrwarden.com/poll-digital-rabbit-holes/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:50:07.000Z Smartphones have been one of the greatest inventions, connecting millions of people together and making information accessible for millions of people. But we all know they are thieves of our most precious non-renewable resource: time. It's not just time that these devices cost us; studies by computer scientists and psychologists are saying that our new digital lifestyles have reduced the average attention span from 2 and a half minutes to 45 seconds over the last 2 decades. (1) Our sense of time is evaporating and it's no wonder we struggle with depression and feeling unfulfilled. But this post isn't about judgement. It's about awareness. Becoming conscious of *where* our attention flows is the first step towards reclaiming our focus and, ultimately, our sovereignty. So, let's get specific. When you find yourself lost in your phone, which digital rabbit hole tends to be the deepest? - **Endless Social Media Scrolling (Feeds, Forums and Shorts)** - *Pull the crank just one more time* - **Compulsive News Checking or Doomscrolling** - *Keeping up with everything, all the time* - **Mobile Gaming Sessions** - *Levels and gatchas are calling your name* - **Messaging and Email Checking** - *Fear of missing out on conversations* - **Aimless Web Browsing, Shopping, and Research Spirals** - *From one link to the next* - **Something Else (Share in the comments!)** It's likely that many of us see ourselves in several of these options. Recognizing these patterns is powerful. Each minute lost in a digital rabbit hole is a minute not spent being present, creating, resting, or connecting authentically. It chips away at our mental bandwidth and can leave us feeling fragmented and reactive. But what if there was a way to fundamentally shift this dynamic? What if you could consciously choose how you engage with technology, turning it back into a tool that *serves* your life rather than consumes it? This is the core idea behind **digital minimalism**. It's not necessarily about ditching technology altogether, but about radically reassessing tech's role and reclaiming control. I've wrestled with this exact issue, which led me down a path of experimentation including drastically simplifying my own phone setup – going 'Light,' you might say. The results have been profound, impacting my focus, creativity, and overall sense of well-being in ways I didn't anticipate. Look forward to that post soon. Tippers, however, can take a look at [Craft Your Own Sanctuary In A Noisy World](https://jrwarden.com/craft-your-sanctuary/), where I delve into powerful practices—ancient and modern—for cultivating that vital mental sanctuary even amidst the chaos. Thanks for sharing! \~ Junior --- (1) "Squirrel! Why attention spans seem to be shrinking and what we can do about it" by [**Cyrus Moulton**](https://news.northeastern.edu/author/cmoulton/?ref=jrwarden.com) \- January 23, 2024 [https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/01/23/decreasing-attention-span/#:\~:text=Computer%20scientists%20and%20psychologists%20have,minutes%20to%20around%2045%20seconds.](https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/01/23/decreasing-attention-span/?ref=jrwarden.com#:~:text=Computer%20scientists%20and%20psychologists%20have,minutes%20to%20around%2045%20seconds.) ### Craft Your Own Sanctuary In A Noisy World URL: https://jrwarden.com/craft-your-sanctuary/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T09:11:13.000Z Sometimes a sanctuary is a place of worship or any place where you feel safe, but the most powerful sanctuary is the one you can find inside you. It is always with you and can never be taken away from you. There is mounting evidence that the digital world that is forming around us is having detrimental effects on our mental wellbeing, most especially younger generations Alpha and Z. The suicide rate of young females showed the largest significant percentage increase compared with male youth (1), and suicide rates for boys 15 to 19 has increased more than 30 percent!(2) Another study specifically states that adolescents who spend 3 or more hours on their smartphones a day have shown a 34% higher likelihood of having a suicide-related event. (3) My heart goes out to these younger generations. This is the only world they've ever known, there is no escape from it, and it feels hopeless. While these feelings are completely valid, they aren't new. They've been around a long time, and in this post for [Tippers](https://jrwarden.com/#/portal/signup) I'm going to explore two powerful practices-one ancient, the other modern-for building a mental sanctuary that can withstand the noise and chaos of our modern lives. The tools you need to create your sanctuary are **stoicism** and **digital minimalism**. I find this duo of philosophies to be exceptionally powerful at both creating a healthy mindset that builds up your mental defenses against the things flung at you, and simultaneously cutting out the *amount* of noise that reaches you in the first place. In this post, I'm going to propose the two biggest practices you can implement that I believe will have the biggest impact on your life. Note that these aren't necessarily the easiest things to do, but if change is what you desire I'm certain you'll find a way or at least walk away with an idea of the direction you want to head. --- ## Stoicism and the Dichotomy of Control Stoicism is a philosophy from the ancient Greeks, but is most known and seen through the eyes of Romans like the emperor Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, to name a few. It's a practical philosophy that encourages focusing on things that are in your control at any moment, like your virtues and your ability to make the best of every situation, and letting go of everything else to better live in alignment with your nature and society. It's a very "go with the flow" type attitude. The biggest thing to get firmly placed in your memory is the recognition of the things that are in your control and what is not. They call this the Dichotomy of Control. To do this, we must divide everything into categories. > The things within control are our judgments, our intentions, and responses or choices. That's it. In the mind of the Stoic external events like others' actions, disasters, pretty much anything on the news, and technology itself are things that she is not able to control. These are called *indifferents*. This does not mean to encourage apathy to these things, but a recognition that these are neither positive or negative things. Even your *body* falls into this category. How the Dichotomy of Control aids the building of your inner sanctuary is twofold: 1. Growing a resistance to an emotional reaction by recognizing that everything and everyone on your feed is outside of your control. This helps by preventing us from wasting mental energy with the unchangeable and detaching our inner peace from external outcomes. 2. The primary sanctuary-building aspect of the Dichotomy is the immediate recognition that you control your response or judgment in the face of your device, *right now*. The power to change your relationship with your phone long-term (via Digital Minimalism) stems from this initial internal control point, and that power is already inside you. How those points influence your life and methods is largely up to you, and I'll get into the best method of implementing digital minimalism that I know of, but understanding that you already have the ability to become resilient is important. You got this. If you haven't yet, check out the resources page for my top recommendations on more stoic reading. But for now, let's move on. --- ## Digital Minimalism and Digital Intent Most of us don't realize how much our environment affects us. It's a fact that the human subconscious is purpose-built to ensure your survival. While I'm busy sipping on this coffee on the Panera patio, my brain is actively looking for movement. I get distracted by people going by because the subconscious is wired to be on alert for threats to my safety (and potential partners...). Avoid danger, get pleasure. It's a simple instinct, but one that we can rise above. So what happens when we have a pocket rectangle that can give us anything we want at any time? We reach for it *constantly* without even realizing it. Every dull moment of our day is filled by this little box because it's *designed* to be addictive. Realize this: smartphones and apps are made by multibillion dollar companies, with a crap ton of research and testing, to make a device as addictive as possible because your time and brainspace is their moneymaker. Every reel and every pull-down-refresh of a feed hits your brain the same as pulling the lever on a slot machine (4). But luckily, your solution to this is seated in the Dichotomy of Control from earlier. I find that it is far easier for me to control my environment than it is for me to control my mind. My ape-brain cannot always overcome these million dollar products by willpower alone, and instead of getting frustrated at myself for not focusing on my writing, wouldn't it be better if I just changed my environment? This is where the sanctuary we're building gets physical with Digital Minimalism. > Digital Minimalism is a philosophy of using technology intentionally to support your values and goals and is not simply tech avoidance. There is a difference between deliberate and value-driven tech use with passive and reactive consumption. I used to enjoy all the latest tech (and still do) but I now recognize that I have the control to set a clear intention with each device. When you are trying to set your external environment to foster your intention you must recognize that having one device that does it all is not the solution. This means that by and large you must set an intention for each device. Before I get a new device I define what the purpose of it is as specifically as I can. I assess the attention, time, and mental health cost of my ape-brain's digital habits versus these devices' actual benefits. I must ask myself if the trade-offs are worth it. These are the three devices I carry with me in my backpack: #### The Light Phone III Allows me to communicate with family and loved ones without offering me constant distraction. Take a quick photo when I need to and get me to where I need to go. #### The MacBook Allows me to write wherever I want with freedom. Gives me the ability to manage my emails, websites, bills, health and business things that I must do, but is just big and clunky enough that I can't take it out and start scrolling Facebook just anywhere. #### The Kobo This device allows me to hone in on reading when I don't want to be distracted and keeps me from gathering the physical clutter of book collecting. It is also my notebook where I can write down my thoughts and journal. By far, the most impactful change in my digital life has been switching to the Light Phone. It's a dumb phone with just enough features to accommodate modern life without the constant noise from feeds, shopping apps, app stores, and web browsers. I have found that constant connectivity erodes my solitude that I need for deep thinking, problem solving, and creativity. The value of replacing shallow digital distractions with high-quality, purposeful and engaging leisurely activities has been more than worth it. My Light Phone experience is a personal example of applying these principles by choosing a tool that enforces intentionality and reduces noise, thus helping build my own sanctuary. It has given me the space and quiet that I need to get to know myself better, and I would recommend it to just about everyone. In fact, here is a referral link to the [Light Phone store](https://www.thelightphone.com/shop?ref=ngzhnte). However, this is *my* solution and not the *only* solution to minimizing your digital life. The key takeaway from here is **defining a specific intention for each device** **or** **adopting intentionally limited technology that reinforces your Dichotomy of Control.** And, of course, be sure to check the resources page for more on Digital Minimalism. --- ## Bringing It All Together Considering the bigger picture, let's see how Stoicism and Digital Minimalism work in concert and how these two ideas compound onto one another: 1. Stoicism provides the internal mindset of resilience, focusing on what matters, and what you can control. A mindset that is needed to practice digital minimalism, which requires discipline and resisting external pressures and fear of missing out. 2. Digital minimalism creates the external conditions for cutting out noise and providing more space and time for the reflection that makes it easier to cultivate Stoic virtues like attention and reasoned judgment. With these methods, our sanctuary is being built from both the inside and the outside. Of course, this is an ongoing and personal journey of your own conscious choices, but it cultivates space for living a more meaningful, focused, authentic, and resilient life amidst modern-day chaos. Thanks for reading, \~ J.R. --- 1. Ruch, D., Sheftall, A., & Schlagbaum, P. (2019, May 17). *Trends in suicide among youth aged 10 to 19 years in the United States, 1975 to 2016 | adolescent medicine | jama network open | jama network*. JAMA Network. [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2733430](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2733430?ref=jrwarden.com) 2. Duncan, J. (2017, August 14). *Smartphones, cyberbullying seen as possible causes of rising teen suicide rate*. CBS News. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/smartphones-cyberbullying-targeted-as-causes-of-skyrocketing-teen-suicide-rate/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/smartphones-cyberbullying-targeted-as-causes-of-skyrocketing-teen-suicide-rate/?ref=jrwarden.com) 3. Heid, M. (2017, October 10). *We need to talk about kids and smartphones*. Time. [https://time.com/4974863/kids-smartphones-depression/](https://time.com/4974863/kids-smartphones-depression/?ref=jrwarden.com) 4. Sanford, R. (2024, February 5). *The Social Media Slot Machine*. SJC Rotary. [https://www.sjcrotary.org/post/the-social-media-slot-machine](https://www.sjcrotary.org/post/the-social-media-slot-machine?ref=jrwarden.com) ### New Blog Announcement URL: https://jrwarden.com/new-blog/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T21:48:20.000Z Greetings! The fact you are reading this means that the time has finally come. The new website is live! Having experience with website hosts like Squarespace, and crowdfunding sites like Patreon, I knew that being dependent on those platforms was not a road I wanted to travel down with this pen name. Enter Ghost, my all in one solution for the time being. Visit the [About](https://jrwarden.com/about/) page for more information on what to look forward to here.