Wanderers want to spend as much time as possible on the path because they know that’s where fulfillment is. But they can only go so far for so long before they must be rebuilt, like any tool used to fulfill its purpose.
You should structure your life in a manner that allows you to spend most of your life pursuing fulfillment on the path. This requires time away from the path to rest and recover, as well as to nurture the spirit with pleasure after exhausting it, but not pursuing pleasure which makes the body, mind, and spirit(BMS) sick.
The wanderer denotes their paths to mastery as part of their Rites of Passage so they are aware when they are on path or off path.
Path awareness is crucial in the wanderer’s pursuit of lifelong fulfillment.
It is beneficial to use existing scaffolding when determining how and when you walk the path. A week is a good unit of measurement.
A week on the path can look like this:
- Monday – Friday – On the path, arriving at the inn Friday night.
- Saturday – Resting at the inn, continuing mastery, indulging in pleasures depending on the needs of the spirit.
- Sunday – Resting at the inn, handling affairs, preparing to return to the path, possibly leaving early, or resting more if needed: we do not overstay our welcome.
A week on the path can also look like this:
- Saturday – Wednesday – On the path, arriving at the Inn Wednesday night.
- Thursday – Resting at the inn, continuing mastery, indulging in pleasures.
- Friday – Resting at the inn, handling affairs, preparing to return to the path, possibly leaving early, or resting more if needed: we [b]do not overstay our welcome.
Saturday you could be on the path until late afternoon, maximizing path time, then have a pleasurable Saturday night.
It’s okay to have an entire off-path day, but remember we only want to be off-path to rest from toiling on the path, where fulfillment is found. A full day away from the path must be earned.
Sunday is when we prepare to leave the inn so we can embark on the path on Monday. This is where you finish your chores, pay your bills, clean the house, all the things that need to be done but do not move you farther down the path. We want to spend most of our time on the path, so we should avoid spending time doing non-path activities during path days.
RELATED: A Treatise on Setup Routines – The Setup Sunday Protocol
If you finish setting up early, you can continue to rest from the path or begin walking earlier.
Your individual circumstances will dictate how your lifestyle is scheduled.
Overstaying your welcome at The Inn is the pursuit of pleasure.
Pleasure cannot be fulfilled. The pursuit of pleasure is Hell.
You need to designate when you are on and off the path. This way you will know when you are betraying yourself or when you are working on yourself.
Aim to have 4-6 days on the path, with one rest evening, one rest/free day that can be used for progress, and one preparatory day that can be used for progress or recovery once non-path tasks are complete.
This is how we structure our lifestyle. FTA – Fulfillment Through Attainment.
Stopping at the Inn
When you’re off the path, you’re at the inn. You can indulge in pleasure at the inn, but you cannot burn it down or make yourself look like a fool. Nor can you overstay your welcome.
You arrive after many days of sleeping outside under the stars, so your rest is earned. Because you earned it, your rest provides pleasure so much greater than if pleasure were the pursuit.
We know the pursuit of pleasure is toxic to Body, Mind, and Spirit(BMS).
You stay at the inn for two nights to ensuring you’re rested and prepared to return to the path with your domains restored and a burning hot spirit screaming to progress down the path.
Work hard, play hard responsibly, then work hard again and repeat this for life and you may find fulfillment.
While you’re at the Inn, you’re having a good time because body and mind have been thoroughly exhausted–so the spirit may be rewarded with pleasure that will not dull or rust because it is not pursued but used in its proper time, when the wanderer is tired from walking the path faithfully.
You must track the days you spend at the Inn. Track your “rest” or “lazy” days. Refusal to do so makes it difficult to leave.
This is how time slips through your fingers.
