This group is dedicated to exploring The Young Man and the Sage, the first book of The Herald’s Trilogy. Here we gather to reflect on its teachings, symbols, and storylines in the context of Netism. Reflect on the book as it applies to your personal journey. What themes jump out at you? What insights did you gain? There isn’t one way to interpret the novel, its translation is fluid from reader to reader, and even from one read to the next. Whether you are reading the book for the first time or returning for deeper study, your presence enriches the group.
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The Young Man and the Sage Discussion
On the Release of the Book
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On the Fall Equinox, 2025, I release my first publication to the world. The Young Man and the Sage stands as my debut work and the culmination of my journey through spiritual awakening. Neither my journey nor my writings are complete, but this marks a definitive moment when I can proudly show the labor of the past two years to the world. It is not what anyone expects, neither is awakening.
Releasing this book has been a rollercoaster ride. I submitted my manuscript to over 150 agents, none of which were willing to take this on. In that process, I had to face my work over and over again—was it good enough? Why was it not speaking to anyone whom I submitted it to?
After nearly a year of pitching this novel, I made the decision to self publish. Then I collected the ARC reviews.
After the frustration of so many rejections, I floored by the response from my readers. A book club host sparked a two hour debate with one question. A philosophy teacher shared three chapters with their class. Another said the book rewired them in a subtle way. Another keeps it next to their altar.
For this reason, I feel like I have already succeeded, even though the book is just now becoming available to the public. To inspire people to see the beauty in themselves and the beauty in the natural world, as they are now, is perhaps the greatest endeavor of any literary novelist.
Arc reviews:
“I opened it to skim and ended up reading three chapters. The line about an alchemical text presented through fiction set the tone, then the creek scene made me slow my breathing. I underlined whole paragraphs.”– Lena V., Arc Reader
“My group met on Illusions and the room went quiet in that good way. The Sage’s question about what kind of people fight the hardest to change their minds sparked a respectful two hour exchange.”
– Marcus T., book club host
“I work in counseling and look for sentences I can carry into session. The passage on how the brain filters only the phenomena needed for survival went straight onto a note card. Clear, compassionate, useful.”
– Carmen L., counselor
“I came in wary of allegory. The scene with the berry in another timeline disarmed me and gave me a practical way to hold choice and responsibility together. I changed one morning habit the next day.”
– Alana P., meditation teacher
“The writing feels simple at first, then it opens. The walk by the creek with smell of earth and sound of water held me. The Sage never preaches; he asks, waits, and lets truth land.”
– Devon K., indie bookseller
“I teach philosophy and read widely. This bridges story with first principles without jargon. Beginning and Sanity carried real weight for my students; Unity gave them calm. We assigned selections the next week.”
– Jae M., adjunct professor
“I finished and flipped straight to The Flame Within the Triangle and The Celestial Mirror notes. The symbolic layer helped me see what I had felt in the dialogue. Rare balance of warmth and rigor.”
– Robert H., educator
You can listen to the first chapter for free on youtube. The audiobook is still being created, but we wanted to release the first chapter so people could have a sense of the tone of the novel. Listen on Netism’s channel:
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