The Unshakeable and the Empty

The Inner Citadel

Find a posture that allows for both stillness and alertness. Let your body settle into this moment, into this space. Bring your attention inward. We are going to build a place inside of you. A place of refuge. The Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius called it the inner citadel. He wrote, "Nowhere you can go is more peaceful—more free of interruptions—than your own soul." Begin by laying the foundations. Imagine a quiet, inner space. It can be a room, a garden, a fortress of stone. Whatever feels like sanctuary to you. This is your seat of consciousness, your guiding principle. Feel its strength. This is the part of you that events cannot touch. Insults, anxieties, the chaos of the world—they all break against these walls. Why? Because within this citadel, you have what the Stoics called the dichotomy of control. External events are beyond your command, but your responses, your judgments, your inner state… these are yours alone. Let the noise of the world fade. The opinions of others, the relentless demands, the fears of what might be. They are outside. Here, within these walls, you are the sovereign. You choose what to assent to. You choose what matters. Feel the profound peace that arises in this fortified space. This is a strength built on discipline, on reason, on the understanding that tranquility is not something the world gives you. It is something you build. Spend a moment here, in the unshakable quiet of your own mind.