"Sage Secrets" is now "By Way Of"
What Happened?
Not much, which is why a change is needed. After over two years of regular and semi-regular posts focused on whatever happened to cross my mind, Sage Secrets needed greater focus.
I found I was no longer writing so much in the vein I had initially intended: extracting wisdom and highlights from history, philosophy, and scripture and presenting them to modern readers. Instead, the work had evolved to encompass a far more comprehensive range of topics, many of which did not seem tied to the blog’s stated aims.
I don’t want to stop writing about what interests me, but I want what I write to find the right readers and interest them.
Hence, “By Way Of.”
The phrase expresses a means of reaching an ultimate destination (i.e., journeying to San Francisco by way of Route 1 or spiritual growth by way of martial arts).
You might even say that’s what writing is: reality/meaning/understanding by way of words and symbols.
I like this notion. It encapsulates what the best articles in this Substack have tried to get at. Whether the topic was video games or Taoist wise men, or family life, each was a route to greater wakefulness, integration, maturity, or however you want to define becoming a more complete person.
It also embodies the more positive connotations of greatness.
True art transcends its medium to get at deeper truths and express higher meaning, which I will continue to attempt to do.
A personal theme for 2022 was “Synthesis,” trying to bring my disparate interests and pursuits together into a more cohesive whole.
By Way Of will be the culmination of this for 2023.
As always, thank you for your continued support and readership. Expect no significant changes besides improvements ahead.
Improvements Like:
Posts with greater consistency and regularity
The rest of this month will be spent plotting a schedule for the year and getting a jump start on articles.
More structure and actionable insights
A more focused blog means more focused posts. This will mean more that you, the reader, can take away and apply to your own life. The new articles will aim to deliver the same engaging content as before but also ‘spell out’ more directly what you can do with it.
Shorter content popping up on social
Attempting not to bombard your inbox with more than one email a week has led to many ideas and insights going into a vault with no way of expelling them. These will go up on Twitter and Instagram, whose profiles will go live shortly.
And if you notice anything you don’t like (or do like), do let me know.
Wishing you all a restive holiday and Happy New Year,