About The Living Dark

Reader Testimonials

“So happy I found your newsletter. Your insights on the writing process resonated deeply with me.” — Jennifer Sablich

“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 really resonate with what you’ve written about creativity and spirituality.” — K.

“Thank you so much for all you have been sharing. I appreciate it so much. I went through a challenging relationship with my writing, and your voice is helping me find my way out of that particular dark. I think I am mostly out of it now, but you are keeping me on course.” — M. Rickert

“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

The Who, What, When, and Why

I’m Matt Cardin, and The Living Dark is my personal online journal exploring the intersection of writing, creativity, spirituality, and metaphysical dread. My goal is to create and maintain a haven for writers, creators, and spiritual wanderers who are drawn to ponder the depths of human experience and the mysteries pulsing beneath the surface of the everyday. A sanctuary for those who share my sense of fascination and fear at the intersection of nonduality and spiritual enlightenment with the sense of creativity as an inner collaboration, a partnership with a daemon muse. In short, this is a chronicle and guidebook for waking up at the confluence of creativity, religion, cosmic horror, life purpose, apocalyptic unveiling, and the numinous unknown.

My overarching purpose is to process and share what I have learned in 26 years as a published writer, 15 years as an English teacher and professor, and five decades as a human being figuring out what I’m doing here. I also have a lifetime of experience as a classically trained pianist. Creative work, combined with education, has been at the center of my life’s journey.

This newsletter's macro-message is about following the creative daemon wherever it takes you by embracing the eternal unfolding edge of mystery. It’s about not plotting the novel of your life, but instead seeing it emerge spontaneously from the darkness of primal creativity in each moment.

This means the content here is varied and predictable, as it follows the energies and inspirations that move me.

Who

I’m the author of six books and the editor of four more. My work has been translated into Spanish and German. I have a Ph.D. in leadership studies and an M.A. in religious studies. I spent 15 years teaching English composition and literature, first as a high school teacher and then as a college professor. I also taught college courses in world religions. Presently I’m a college vice president. My books have been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, long-listed the Bram Stoker Award, and praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and others.

You can read more about me at my author website.

What

The Living Dark tracks many of the same themes and interests that have animated my books, with an extra emphasis on creativity and the inner genius.

Topics you’ll see addressed include:

• Insights into writing and the creative process

• Deep perspectives on spirituality, nonduality, and the daemon muse or inner genius

• Musings on cosmic horror, ontological nightmares, and existential dread

• Advice on aligning creative work with deeper purpose

• Explorations of philosophical, metaphysical, and cultural questions

• Reflections on finding your path by embracing the unknown

• An ongoing series of Reading Notes featuring excerpts from my recent reading, accompanied by commentary and reflections

When

I generally publish a post every Friday, alternating paid posts with free ones. I also publish occasional extra posts on weekends or other days.

Why (to subscribe)

By subscribing, you’ll support the long-term advancement of this project, which includes both a podcast (still getting off the ground) and potential books to spin off from essays published here.

Both free and paid subscriptions are available:

• As a free subscriber, you’ll get free posts delivered right to your inbox, including an ongoing series of Reading Notes with quotes and commentary on my recent reading (books, essays, articles). You’ll also receive a free preview of my short ebook Transmitting Vision: Essays on the Writer’s Path.

• As a paid subscriber ($5 per month or $50 per year), you’ll receive all posts, including ones exclusively for paid-tier members, along with the ability to comment on everything published here. You will also help to increase my bandwidth for pursuing this project. Plus you’ll gain the following benefits:

  • Never miss an entry. All will go directly to your inbox, both free and paid entries.

  • Gain access to the entire content archive.

  • Gain access to audio voiceovers of posts read by their author, me. (This is currently a feature limited to only a few posts, but I plan to expand it.)

  • Gain access to transcripts of podcast episodes.

  • Receive a copy of my ebook Transmitting Vision: Essays on the Writer’s Path.

If you appreciate this unique blend of practical guidance, philosophical exploration, and personal connection…

If you’re seeking a space where writers, creatives, and spiritual seekers can explore the depths of their own being and find their voice in the living dark…

If this all resonates, I hope you’ll subscribe and join the community.