The War for Your Soul
Why You Feel Lost in this Culture — and What Your Soul is Dying to Say
There is a war for your soul.
It’s happening right now.
Yes, I’ll mention the usual suspects—
social media, A.I., cheap, easy p*rn, and the Netflix queue you’ll never finish.
Hollow stimulation.
However, what I’m speaking to is far deeper than those popular targets.
Those are not the disease itself.
Those are the symptoms of a sickness far more ancient.
A slow erosion of the human spirit.
Every single time you open your phone you have a million mini-influencers (or wannabe Icons) telling you that they have the solution to fix your pathetic, broken life.
It’s as though there’s a dark force designed to keep you from doing anything that actually feels spiritually fulfilling with your brief time on earth.
As I sit here, looking at a blank page, with my fingers on my keyboard I can feel the powerful vortex…
that tempts to pull me away from a deep, inner whisper to write these words.
The devil doesn’t so much sit on my shoulder, as he does possess my bloodstream and nervous system.
“You got a few sentences down. Good job. You should check Youtube.” 😈
But I’m not writing this because I want to offer the same repackaged approach to getting your dopamine receptors re-calibrated.
I’m not going to pitch some bullshit coaching program, so I can get rich off of your insecurities.
I felt called to ask: “What happens when you actually sit in a moment of silence?”
I want to dive deeper into why you feel the need to constantly be pulled away from the joy that may be available with you for only the price of a pen.
Why do you feel that pang of disillusion start to sink in before the next notification?
I want to speak into the quiet ache - the sense that life feels in so many ways… wrong.
There is a war happening.
A war for our souls.
It’s not a new war either.
It’s as ancient as the scriptures.
It’s the war that’s been waged by artists, mystics, and spiritual truth speakers for ages.
As stated at the beginning of this message, the issue of the mass stimulation is not the great Satan. These issues are the grotesque manifestations of the true demon that shows up in many forms through all ages.
Our current war’s frontline is not only being pushed upon us through major tech conglomerates, but the 1,000 surface cuts that we each inflict upon ourselves daily through the small erosion of our will.
The war is for depth.
The war is for less.
The war is for your soul itself.
Each day we are offered more and more ways to abdicate our will.
A.I. will now craft your newsletter, youtube script, or even a song to voice yourself in a way that “feels” authentic.
We’re willing to abdicate the sacred process for a result of what looks like we actually did something.
The dehumanizing dystopia is happening right now, if you allow it.
DISTRACTIONS DIDN’T START WITH YOUR iPHONE
One of the most renowned writers in the 90’s/00’s was David Foster Wallace.
He wrote iconic books such as Infinite Jest and Consider the Lobster.
He spoke frequently about the artform of writing, and what was holding so many writers back from writing with better quality.
He also lamented his own inability to focus himself to his greatest purpose, which was to write.
In fact, he admitted he could not have a television in his house as he would find himself too easily entertained with banal day time programming.
If you think this problem is simply one of current technology, it is not! This goes back even further to ages we would now assume were quaint.
“If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work.
The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”
C.S. Lewis
Whether it is 2025 with notifications popping off, or in the 1940’s when a visionary author dreams up the fantastical realm of Narnia (all without a Pinterest board for inspiration), the lure away from our soul’s calling will always be present.
Even in 1925 there was an invention created called “The Isolator Helmet”, which was designed to help people reduce distractions and focus on their work.
1925! Was the pony show just too thrilling not to watch?!
There are tons of books and podcasts that talk about disciplines, efficiencies, and flow states.
But in many ways, these life hacks and disciplines are making us strangely more robotic.
As we strive to be more and more efficient, we’re becoming less human.
EMBODIED DEVOTION OVER DISCIPLINE
The core issue isn’t merely that we have created an I.V. drip of bad dopamine from the moment we wake up. (Although this is an epidemic)
It’s not that we need to hack ourselves into being a Monster of productivity.
This villain we struggle against is the same spiritual monster that has been pulling at the heart of all seekers through the ages.
Underneath the doom scrolling, junk food, or porn compulsions is the insatiable appetite for MORE.
More everything. More anything.
More knowledge. More excitement. More pleasure. More opportunities… even more spirituality.
Paradoxically the more pleasure we pursue, the more pain we receive.
So we again, look for some external joy to pleasure ourselves away from the cry in the spirit.
Yet, the discomfort you could allow yourself to feel when you start to say “NO” to more is your initiation into the truth of the Self.
By stuffing the starving stomach with Cheetos instead of waiting a few hours for a nourishing, gourmet meal, we rob ourselves from what we the spirit truly seeks.
To be here. Satisfied.
With God.
You could seek this spiritual quenching through an exciting Quantum, Cosmic, Aura Awakening, A Christian mission trip to Sri Lanka, or even a heart lifting Kirtan ceremony.
Yet even through these Spiritual pursuits things so quickly become a new facade.
We fall in love with the sign posts that point to God, instead of letting go of all accouterments that would veil God’s face.
Whether it’s the repentant sinner, the successful entrepreneur, or the good Dad… each new identity provides a mask that fits the world we adopt.
The True Self is beyond any of these displays.
Uncovering the mysterious remains beneath all that decorum is a voyage that very few are brave enough to step into.
Are you willing?
Because this is the war to purify, not acquire.
It’s the path to wisdom that much of the culture cannot embody.
It’s often lonely.
It can be difficult.
It can feel strange.
But what if this is what has been calling you to return to yourself?
F*CK YOUR “TRUE POTENTIAL”
I am so sick of all these wannabe online gurus, and self help coaches talk about “unlocking your fullest potential” or “manifesting your highest version of yourself”.
First off, they sound like my parents when they were disappointed in my D+ algebra report card in 9th grade.
“We just want you to reach your full potential, Jesse.”
What the hell does that even mean? My full potential?!
How is that even quantified, and what is the standard?
How do you know when you hit your full potential? And when you do, does that mean you’re good? Nothing more to do with your life.
To be clear, I never had any potential when it came to Algebra.
As an artist however… I want to create what my soul feels important to create… so f*ck your potential.
These courses, promises, and shysters - it’s just ego-istic materialism dressed up in pseudo spiritual bullshit, whether it’s surface level buddhism or Christian exceptionalism.
As someone who feeds off of meaningful inspiration, I understand the importance of finding some fuel to create movement in our life.
However, so many of these pseudo-spiritualists base their messages in the same original sin of wanting to be more than you are. And since you are so far from where you wish you were in life, they offer a way to work or buy your way into your version of heaven.
$$$
The actual Spiritual journey is to know God and to know the true Self.
It isn’t to manifest your dream home with designer shoes.
To know God is to be freed from worldly desires entirely, not twist higher pursuits in a perfectly curated Instagram profile to impress.
True Spiritual Awakening is harrowing and world shaking, as it is the feeling of pure Love in a way that is beyond reason.
It often means letting go of almost everything you are familiar with.
THE SPIRITUAL INITIATION AND THE SHADOW
“A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect towards himself and others.
Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to passions and coarse pleasures in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete beastiality, and it all comes from lying continually to others and himself.”
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamozov
If Dostoevsky’s words are true, these coarse pleasures are keeping you from being able to discern truth. This is a beautiful alarm sign inviting you to follow the path back to the soul and explore.
In what ways are you lying to yourself?
More importantly…
why would you feel the need to lie to yourself?
This is what it means to face your shadow. There is no true light until you walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
In what ways do all these distractions, pleasures, excuses help you avoid the spirit of God that continues to whisper to you?
At some point, the whisper will become drowned out.
These many mini-distractions are simply small sedatives to help take the edge off.
Conversely, once you are actually willing to confront the dark pain that you avoid, it will set you free from what secret torments you.
THE CORE PATTERNS OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
The quest to realize the true Self is not a one time event. It’s a lifelong process that may be marked in personal epochs.
Yet, there is a discernable pattern among Spiritual Awakenings.
The modern vernacular could be the “red pill” moment, where you awake from the lies of the Matrix and see reality for what it really is.
There’s a shattering of the illusion. You are born again, and the whole world looks different.
Whatever the spiritual language, there is a pattern that begins the process of full awakening.
But just seeing the fake world is not the full journey. It’s merely the very beginning.
These are the Steps of the Spiritual journey:
Disillusionment
You realize this world as it is being experienced is not giving what your soul truly seeks.
This disillusionment may look and feel like depression, or a sense of being lost, which is possibly triggered by grief, loss, burnout, or a feeling of hallowness.
The soul begins to see the bullshit of the surface promises of image, status, productivity, even “success”.
Refusal to be Numb
This is what I’ve been talking about.
When you finally say:
“I will no longer numb myself just to survive.”
This is when the addict finally commits to treatment and gets help.
It’s where the seeker refuses to outsource happiness, meaning, or self worth, and accept the reality that pain is not to be avoided, but the pathway into the shadow.
This is called “repentance”, or in some current spiritual terms “rewilding”.
The Inner Reclamation (Building New Practice)
“If the world won’t nurture my soul, I will.”
This is where the new Self is alchemized.
This is the true beginning of spiritual life. Not mere ideology. Not just empty belief or platitudes, but PRACTICE.
Across all teachings of ancient traditions, what emerges is not uniform dogma, but universal inner habits:
Core Practices:
Silence & Solitude
Meditation, Breath, & Prayer: return to presence
Writing & Reflection
Reading & Study of Wisdom
Intentional Creation: Art, Ritual, Craft to express the eternal in finite form
Nature: Reconnection and Re-integration with rhythm and ethos of the natural world which reflects eternal spiritual truths
These Practices are “spiritual hygiene”.
Practice emerges from the awakened soul to tend to the inner spirit’s new needs, instead of imposing harsh disciplines to force a spiritual life.
These are ways you reclaim your attention.
Embodiment
This is the outflow of step 3.
Life is aligned with the soul, not spectacle.
This is the true walk you’ve been seeking. It’s not necessary to join a monastery, performing on stage for millions of fans, or saving the world with an online coaching program.
It’s about living your life differently… the same life - with presence, slowness, simplicity, and devotion to what actually matters.
You don’t need more. You live richly with what you have been given.
The Zen monk sweeps the floor with contentment.
The poet writes on a page with their morning coffee.
The parent repeats the same game with their child instead of scrolling on their phone.
The artist works unseen, freed of the desire to be acclaimed.
The old woman praises the new flowers that have arrived in her garden.
It’s not loud. It’s not grand. It’s not a show.
It’s radical and authentic.
It’s a rebellion from this culture’s paradigm that is designed to addict, distract, and commodify you.
So what do I do now?
This is always the question.
Perhaps do some Ayahuasca. Some mushrooms, or go to a concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas…
Maybe. I wouldn’t deny there could be some elevating experience to all of those things.
If you look at Step #3 (The Inner Reclamation), these are thematically consistent practices that emerge in all spiritual frameworks.
So pick any of those practices and begin to integrate them.
But you first have to be willing to Step #2, and say…
“I refuse to numb myself any more.”
From there…
What I propose among those practices in stage 3, is something so simple and perhaps pure -
Write.
Writing is embodied, physical, and can be done anywhere, anytime, and the reward is the rebellious act that your soul needs in this war.
If there is a single discipline that I have found necessary for the connection to my soul, it is the act of writing.
This is the antithesis of the easy, quick results based culture that says, “Just have A.I. write it up.”
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.”
― George Orwell
As I said earlier, the more we are willing to abdicate or surrender our deeply personal process, the more we lose ourselves.
I’m not talking about having A.I. write up a simple business email, or even help you structure an outline.
I’m talking about writing to revive your life.
Writing to explore your thoughts beyond the surface level.
Writing articulates the voice beyond the programs that have been running from your culture, your parents, and all the noise you’ve been absorbing since the day you were born.
Writing a poem, to feel the voice of God speak through you.
Write.
Re-write, and re-write….
The first draft always sucks, and your first impulse is probably old programming.
Writing is often arduous, but its gold can only be mined in the PROCESS.
This is the true treasure of what A.I. can so easily rob from us. .
We artists may face a real existential confrontation when we see how much better A.I. can pump out something more quickly than I am capable of creating.
But that doesn’t matter to your soul.
How much of ourselves are we willing to abdicate?
The power of writing for ourselves, in our own words, is the process of unearthing.
My songs would not resonate with people to the degree that they do, if I had just done covers of Johnny Cash.
If I had not spent (at times months) combing over my lyrics and delivery to FEEL the resonance of truth, these gifts hidden in my heart would be still locked away.
While looking at a blank page can feel immense and daunting, it is also infinite with playful possibilities.
You have the power to explore the riches of your soul and create in the process.
Let your imaginative spirit paint colors across the eternal canvas that has no rules.
It doesn’t have to be great. It just needs to be honest.
THE ARTIST’S ROLE
You, dear artist, have a unique role.
The role of the artist takes on many forms, but my deepest concern right now is how so very few artists are actually able to go deep.
Each paper cut we abdicate reduces our capacity and tolerance.
Distractions, corporations, greed, lust, fleeting pleasures have always been part of the struggle, but the sheer quantity and ease is what’s more concerning than ever.
If you need joy in your life, the answer is not to pursue pleasure.
Joy disappears when you demand constant stimulation from the world, instead of inner peace.
Joy is the echo of full attention.
When you write, you give yourself full attention to the pen, paper, and you.
Mindfulness is the doorway to depth, and the presence that you have been avoiding is the unseen homeland that you’ve felt calling you beyond the dark horizon.
THE VOID & SHADOW
This void is what most of the world fears viscerally.
And yet, age after age… epoch after epoch, it is the Artist who gives courage to the individual to venture into that void.
The void where the unknown becomes experienced, and the glimmers of God are seen far more profoundly than fear based dogmatic structures of religion.
The Artist speaks in a language that is spiritual as it’s a mystery that moves mountains that confound the literal mind.
Our culture has become more and more spiritual in its language, but turned truth into a performance for podcasts and social media rants.
Meditation. Spiritual retreats. These are big business now, and in the common vernacular.
But how easily we look at the signpost, and forget the true destination.
When artists create their best work, it is as profound and present as the best meditation or drug induced experience.
Art exists in the present. It confronts. It cures. It opens.
Yet, this issue that I keep coming back to, is how much of your own soul have you given up… ?
How much depth have you surrendered or abdicated to ease, pleasure, and surface?
YOUR INVITATION
As you read this, you may feel its truth. It’s probably something you’ve been feeling for some time, or saying for yourself.
The eyes have been opened, and you look for a new path as described in Step 1 & 2 of Spiritual Awakening.
What now?
Be honest. Are you willing to stop the self deceit that Dostoevsky described?
Can you honestly say you no longer accept a numb, sedated spirit?
That’s the first defiant and brave act in this war for your soul.
The next simple practice is as simple as exploring the power in the pen.
Write every day as a ritual that is moving from alignment, not brutal discipline.
You have an infinite spirit to explore and uncover, and the tool to for that is the pen. Write.
Romanticize it if it helps.
Grab a beautiful journal, and a pen that oozes black ink.
If it helps to imagine yourself as a 1950’s poet in Paris, go for it.
Journal your day like it’s a scene in a film.
Then observe yourself in it.
Express your thoughts on paper, then ask yourself if those thoughts are actually true?
Write a love poem. Write a hate poem.
Write your thoughts on God.
Write all your blasphemous thoughts on God, and then feel God loving you back through your words.
You don’t need to save the whole world for everyone.
But you can save yours.
. Jesse Dvorak