About The Living Dark
This is a journal of creative, spiritual, and cultural inquiry. I publish essays, reflections, and exploratory pieces-in-progress that draw on nondual inquiry, weird fiction and cosmic horror, philosophy and religious thought, and the lived textures of writing and making art in a noisy, collapsing world. The general purpose is to trace the numinous undercurrents of life, self, religion, horror, creativity, consciousness, and culture, which I've done both privately and publicly for many years.
If I had to describe the reader I imagine while writing here, it would be someone who has already read widely, seen broadly, and thought deeply—the three elements making up the slogan of my former long-running blog, The Teeming Brain—and who now senses that intellectual understanding alone doesn’t feel sufficient. Neither do aesthetic appreciation and philosophical highs, however genuine they may be. There’s something deeper and more real at stake.
Much of the material that later became my 2025 book Writing at the Wellspring: Tapping the Source of Your Inner Genius first took shape here, in conversation with readers and through sustained reflection over time. More books may come out of it.
Speaking of books, here are some that I’ve written and edited. You can click the covers for more information.
What you’ll find here
I return repeatedly to the same underlying concern(s):
Creativity as collaboration with what lies beyond the conscious mind (the muse, daemon, or inner genius)
Meaning and life purpose in an age of upheaval and cultural unreality
Nonduality as the underlying perspective informing creativity, awakening, and identity
The intersection of horror, weird fiction, religion, and metaphysical mystery
The reality of living and writing into the dark—that is, spontaneously, with no plan, letting the path reveal itself one step at a time
I also share reading notes, interviews, and reflections on many things from the perspective of a writer, teacher, musician, cultural critic, and college administrator, along with the occasional piano performance.
From time to time, outside or alongside this newsletter I engage in one-to-one dialogical work with writers and thinkers who find themselves navigating difficult creative, philosophical, or spiritual terrain.
For an orientation, you can check out the Start Here page, which collects some key essays.
What critics have said
Here are a few representative lines from the long conversation my work has had with readers and reviewers over the years: “a thinking-man’s book of the macabre” (Publishers Weekly on Dark Awakenings); “a landmark collection” (Asimov’s Science Fiction on To Rouse Leviathan); “a lyrical meditation on what it means to create from the depths of the soul” (BookLife on Writing at the Wellspring); “epic and intimate, a portrait of a mind and a milieu” (BookLife on Journals, Volume 1), and Thomas Ligotti’s observation that my work keeps “one eye on the black abyss and the other on an enlightened transcendence without denomination.” My books have also been praised by Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal, and more.
What readers have said
Here are a few notes I’ve received from appreciative readers:
“So happy I found your newsletter. Your insights on the writing process resonated deeply with me.” — Jennifer Sablich
“Your work has very much connected with me, especially the elements covering existential dread, Ligotti (of course!), and how we writers/humans can curate our own ‘meaning’ without coming apart.” — William Grabowski
“I’m so glad I found you, just as I was about to totally give up. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.” — V.
“You’re writing some of the freshest stuff on spiritual creativity I’ve seen since Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg.” — R. J.
“Your writing has helped me tap into parts of myself I feel very strongly but often struggle to articulate, particularly my relationship to spirituality, creativity, and what it means (or doesn’t mean) to be a person.” — Andrew Sanger
“Thank you for sharing your writing. It has been a tremendous help in shifting how I see creativity and ultimately life itself.” — J. B.
“I went through a challenging relationship with my writing, and your voice is helping me find my way out of that particular dark.” — M. Rickert
About me
I’m Matt Cardin, a writer, editor, and educator. I’m a former professor of English and religion and a current college vice president with a Ph.D. in leadership and an M.A. in religious studies. I have published fiction and nonfiction for more than two decades, beginning with stories and books that explored the intersection of religion with weird and cosmic horror, which is one of the areas where I’m still best known. You can read a more detailed bio at my author website.
The Living Dark is free and reader-supported.
