Blog | Refine The Mind

Join 8,500+ Creators who love our
Soul-Activating Power Ups:

Refine The Mind: The Blog

I founded Refine The Mind in 2012 and have published 165+ articles here.

Hundreds of thousands of words, freely given to you over the years.

Here you'll find the full archive. Enjoy. :)

Ayahuasca: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Fuck “Privilege”

On Spiritual Elitism

Jordan Bates is Full of Shit

How to ‘Vipassanalize’ Depression

A Double Shot of Epiphany: On Soul Joy and the Tricky Leprechaun Called “Money”

Birthing the New Earth: OUROBOROS School of Wealth and Wizardry

The Pathless Path Beyond Suffering and the Way to True Peace and Happiness

11 Books to Wake You Up From the Matrix

Some Important and Challenging Questions About COVID-19

On COVID-19: No One Truly Knows What is Happening

Juliet Tang on How to Stay Empowered, Sovereign, and Resilient in the Time of Corona

8 Reasons Why the Age of Corona is the Perfect Time to Start a Conscious Online Business

Jiro Taylor on Death, God, Awakening, and the Planetary Transition

Coronavirus, Enlightenment, and the Planetary Transition

It’s Okay to Trust the Wisdom of Nature

Dethrone Your Parents if You Wish to Be Free

Money and Sex are Two of the Most Powerful Mirrors

You are Beautiful Just as You Are

Charles Bukowski on Pure Intent and Going All the Way

How to Stop Self-Sabotaging and Step Into Your True Power

How to Wake Up From the Matrix

Jordan Peterson is a Sacred Mirror

On Spiritual Narcissism, Transcending Rationality, and the Next Phase of Human Evolution

Forgiveness Truly is Divine

How to Wake Up and Become Unstoppable

‘Letting Go’ by David Hawkins: The Book That Shifted My Entire Reality

5 Subtle Reasons Why Modern Life is Depressing

Cultivate Your Reality-Tunnel With Razor-Sharp Intentionality

How to (Not) Give a Fuck Like a Zen Master

Boundary-Setting: An Undervalued Fundamental Life Skill

Jordan Peterson Outrage Reveals Current Cultural Pathologies

The Meaning of Life is to Give and Receive Love

Pragnosticism: A Non-Dogmatic Approach to Politics and Life

12 Simple Secrets to Upgrade Your Existence

We Live in a Divine Painting: 3 Videos to Refine Your Perception

A Love Letter to the Refine The Mind Community + General Life Update Thing

The “Can’t Complain” Philosophy: How Stoicism Can Level Up Your Life

8 Signs of a Mind Infected by Political Malware

12 Books That Destroyed and Rebuilt My Mind

Literal Hell: An Extreme and Haunting Thought Experiment to Cultivate Stoic Thankfulness

You’re Living in a Techno-Wonderland and You Don’t Know It

On the Advantages of Being Agnostic About Everything

7 Episodes of Sam Harris’ Podcast That Made Me a Smarter, Better Human

Transcending Tribalism: Jonathan Haidt on the Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives

Tribalism 101: Why Politics and Religion Make People Crazy

Vinay Gupta on Big Data, Elon Musk, Virtual Reality, and Saving the World

Please Stop Saying Half of Americans are Nazis for Voting Trump

12 Compelling Arguments That Sealed My Vote in the US Presidential Election

We’re Living in the Most Peaceful and Prosperous Period of Human History, But There’s a Catch

An Extraordinary Flowchart for Determining How You Can Help the World

Brief Instructions for Overcoming the Anxiety of Informational Abundance

Vinay Gupta: The Man Who is Constantly Trying to Solve Humanity’s Largest Problems

Why Humanity Must Become a Multi-Planetary Species

A High-Autonomy Lifestyle is More Feasible Than You Think

SHORT STORY: The Man Who Became Agnostic About Everything

On Novels, Saunas, & the Blasé Surrealism of Haruki Murakami

Should We “Revere” the Universe? — A Reflection on Yūgen

The “Facebook Eye”: On Remedying the Alienation of Modern Life

21st-Century Sisyphus: Unsettling Comic Asks if Your Life is Meaningless

Drone Consciousness & Mindfulness: How to Avoid Existing on Autopilot

5 Major Philosophers’ Ideas Translated into Matrix Morpheus Memes

Tactility is the Message: Sacralization of Subjectivities in the Contemporary Media Environment

Sublime Death: A Philosophy Comic Worth Contemplating

Introducing ‘JORDAN BATES DOESN’T KNOW SHIT’: An Ambiguous Podcast in an Ambiguous Universe

The Human & the Tortoise: A Mind-Bending Philosophy Comic

Rilke’s Definition of a Good Relationship & Why Love is the Most Difficult Thing

On Secular Spirituality: Experiencing the Sacred in Yosemite by Letting Go

30 Sage Quotes That Will Fracture Your Worldview

The Most Good You Can Do: Why You Should Care About the Effective Altruism Movement

SHORT STORY: Interview Concerning Events Preceding an Unforeseeable Change in Course for a Mr. C.G. Koch

8 Books on Zen and Taoism That Made Me Lighter

Everything is Happening: Attempting to Express the Inexpressible

11 Takeaways From 8 Months of Unemployed Nomadism

20 More of the Best Things I’ve Read on the Internet

“Go With the Flow”: Plumbing the Unseen Depths of a Hippie Platitude

22 Outstanding Essays I’ve Read on the Internet

Phenomenological-Eco-Mysticism: An Account of Two Mystical Experiences in Japan

In Praise of Idleness: Bertrand Russell on the Virtues of Leisure

25 Profound Quotes That Will Make You Question Everything

Society of the Spectacle: The Unsettling Consequences of Living in an Image-Based Culture

Kierkegaard + Batman: Bodacious Comic Re-Imagines Father of Existentialism as Dark Knight

6 Destructive Ideas Perpetuated in Western Culture

“Dominator” vs. “Partnership” Cultures: A Profound Re-Telling of Human History

Do Something: A Short Diatribe

The Intersection of Activism, Art, & Acceptance: An Open Letter to Critics

How it Feels to be a Young American in 2014 (Or, How America Fails Us)

Internet-People, Meet Zen: 40 Zen Sayings & Proverbs

Power, Noise, & Meaning in the Internet Multiverse

Infant Mind & Other Modes of Experiential Learning

Arthur Schopenhauer on “Natural” Versus “Artificial” Education

Novelty Overload & the Peculiar Anxieties of Travel

Learning to Let Go of Fear and Enjoy Life

Drunk On Words: Why You Should Read Poetry Daily

5 Creative Methods to Clarify Your Life’s Work

On Carl Sagan & Feeling Hopeless About the State of the World

Become What You Are: Friedrich Nietzsche’s Guide to Self-Liberation

Reality Tunnels & E-Prime: A Taste of Robert Anton Wilson

11 Tips for Self-Education in the Internet Age

We Are Verbs: Human Existence as Perpetual Becoming

The Desire for “More” is Killing Us: Lessons From Plato’s Republic

10 Great Novels to Fracture & Expand Your Perspective

David Foster Wallace & the Dark Side of News Media

A Quest for Novelty: Reflections After 10 Months in South Korea

The Inadequacy of Mass Education & the Case for Autodidacticism

The 14 Mindfulness Teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Zen Buddhist Order

Decentralization: Potent Nectar of 21st Century Technologies

7 Comical & Subversive Religions You’ve Never Heard Of

The Tao Te Ching & Taoism: A Chill Book, a Chill Philosophy

21 Eccentric & Existence-Affirming Tweets From Artist KOOL A.D.

Endless Creative Potential: The Wonders of Crowdfunding

Thought Experiment: Would You Rather Have Experienced None of This?

Desiderata: A Serene Poem & Philosophy

When We Die: A Story of Naked Humanity & the Unanswerable

The Reddit Mind: 44 Smart, Thought-Provoking Subreddits

Viktor Frankl’s Roadmap to the Human Search for Meaning

Artgasm: Why You Ought to Make Some Art

Spike Jonze’s Film ‘Her’ Brilliantly Addresses Our Relationship to Technology

In Touch With Time & Possibility: Travel as Mind-Altering Substance

The Stonecutter: A Chinese Folk Tale of Power & Contentment

Existential Angst & Why It’s Okay Not to Feel Okay

The Beat Generation Worldview in Kerouac’s On the Road

Don’t Forget to Enjoy: Edward Abbey’s Advice to Environmentalists

9 Thinkers on Not Taking Existence too Seriously

Terence McKenna’s Disillusioned Perspective on Mass-Consumerist Culture

David Foster Wallace on Enslavement to Impulse

Haruki Murakami on Subjectivity and Transformation

John Blofeld on the Taoist Spirit of Playful Non-Resistance

Carl Sagan’s Vision of Planetary Unity and Peace

Three Cognitive Benefits of Reading Fiction

The Innovation of Loneliness: Do Social Networks Erode Real Relationships?

The Surprising Paradox of Self-Esteem

The Wisdom of Rilke: Love Your Solitude, Love Your Unresolved Questions

Anonymity Thought Experiment: How Would You Live if No One Knew You?

Kahlil Gibran’s Stunning Declaration of Mankind’s Nature

On Being Human: No One Has All the Answers

10 Mind-Broadening Facebook Pages You Should Like

Alan Watts’ Epic Career Advice (+ Why I’m Moving to Korea)

The Mirror Lies: Beyond a World Obsessed With Appearances

Kill Anxiety and Radically Improve Your Life With Conscious Breathing

You Aren’t Like Them: Timothy Leary’s Famous Call to Arms

8 Ways to Earn a Living While Traveling Abroad

True Story: The Man Who Followed Love to Alaska

I Don’t Have “Bad” Days Anymore (And Neither Should You)

How to Love Exercise: The Crucial Mindset Shift (+ 16 Uncommon Tips)

Longboarding and the Art of Flow: How to Maximize Satisfaction

Your Grown-Up Mind is Blinding You to Beauty

The Gorgeous Reality of Not Being Well-Liked by Everyone

The Dangerous Mistake of Organized Religions

Magic in the Mind: A Straightforward, Fun Guide to Meditation

The Essential Ingredient to Finding a Sense of Purpose in Life

An Impassioned Plea: Why Traveling Abroad Will Be the Best Decision of Your Life

The Impossibility of Traditional “Happiness” (And How We Must Re-Define It)

35 Profound, Crowbar-esque Quotations to Pry Your Mind Open and Inspire You

3 Status Quo Mentalities That Lead to Widespread Discontent

Harness the Power of Reddit: 37 Mind-Expanding Subreddits

Nature-Deficit Disorder: A Discrete Epidemic (+ 6 Health Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors)

Work Smarter, Not Harder: 21 Time Management Tips to Hack Productivity

David Foster Wallace’s Unforgettable Commencement Speech

The Story of How I Broke My Neck and Nearly Died: What I Learned And Why I’m Better For It

4 Offbeat, Fail-Safe, and Life-Changing New Year’s Resolutions (+ A Book Giveaway)

The Adventuring Method and 6 Other Ways to Overcome Fear

58 Splendid-Groovy-Magnificent Things Happening the Moment You’re Reading This

The Authenticity Rule (+ 9 Tips) for Forging the Relationships That Matter Most

The Astonishing Power of Wise Word-Wielding in the Modern Age

How to Fully Appreciate on This Thanksgiving, and Every Day

7 Old, Dirty Myths That are Suffocating Your Potential

3 Truths About Jealousy (And How to Defeat the Green-Eyed Monster)

Mindfulness: A Wonderful Anxiety Cure You Ought to Know

15 Remarkable Actions to Improve the World Any Given Day

A Simple Antidote When Motivation and Focus Dwindle

18 Mind-Brightening Actions to Combat Dreary Moods

The Simple, Powerful Guide to Forming Any New Habit

10 Toxic Habits to Murder Your Chances of Happiness

Embracing Diversity: The Key to a Peaceful World

9 Powerful Benefits of Living the Golden Rule

A Word Lover’s Guide to Reading More Often

3 Baby Steps to Begin Growing Your Self-Confidence Today

The Irrefutable Reason Why You Owe it to Yourself to Refine Your Mind

7 Paramount Qualities of the Go-Getter

EXPLORE THE BLOG

Join 8,500+ Creators who love our Soul-Activating Power Ups:

Refine The Mind: The Blog

I founded Refine The Mind in 2012 and have published 165+ articles here.Hundreds of thousands of words, freely given to you over the years.Here you'll find the full archive. Enjoy. :)

Join 8,500+ Creators who love our
Soul-Activating Power Ups:

I founded Refine The Mind in 2012 and have published 165+ articles here.

Hundreds of thousands of words, freely given to you over the years.

Here you'll find the full archive. Enjoy. :)