The First Book of Yo argues that Reality itself is the only true “God.” By fully accepting and observing this truth, we can: experience mystical enlightenment, - find personal meaning, - create caring religious communities, and - ameliorate agonizing existential anxiety. Yoism is The religion for people who hate religion, - A spiritual framework for atheists and agnostics, - An open-source religion based solely on Reality, - A psychological + mystical guide to truth without delusion. Yoism is a collaborative, evolving belief system (like Linux or Wikipedia) that rejects: Traditional dogma, - Anthropomorphic (human-like) gods, and - Magical thinking. The Four Central Tenets of Yoism: Reality is the ultimate truth. - Reality can be known via empirical observation. - Nothing outranks Reality (no scripture, authority, etc.). - The existence of God as the source of Reality can be proven. Most people are “insane” in two ways: Belief-based insanity: Holding beliefs not aligned with Reality (e.g., traditional religions as well as atheism), - Behavioral insanity: Acting against what we know is right (e.g., addictions, self-destructive habits), and - Avoiding truth , societies embrace a shared identity that helps them triumph in violent competitions with external groups. Reality, in contrast, is God speaking! God ≠ a being. - God = the source or process "behind" Reality. - "Yo” is used as a substitute word for God to avoid baggage from traditional religion. The First Book of Yo will: Help readers rethink the relationship between God and Reality, - Show how to integrate mystical experience into everyday life, - Enable readers to rethink their personal relationship to God, and - Encourage readers to create their own “Book of Yo” (personal meaning system). The co-founder of a tech-inspired religion outlines the system's history and basic tenets. Founded in the 1990s, Yoism is described by its co-creator Kriegman as "an open-source religion modeled on Linux and Wikipedia." In this volume, the author recounts his own spiritual journey alongside the founding, history, and basic tenets of Yoism as they have developed over the past three decades. The name of the religion is reflective of its defining feature as a community-driven enterprise; Kriegman notes that while the term didn't resonate with him initially, he nevertheless embraced it, given the widespread support it received from his fellow adherents. Indeed, language is a central concern of Yoan philosophy—the author observes that the way we speak "has a profound effect on how we conceptualize the world." As such, Yoism has its own set of gender-neutral pronouns, and Kriegman provides a detailed analysis of the religion's underlying grammatical constructions. Even as an open-source religion, it does have some underlying principles that are agreed upon by most Yoans, such as a broad pantheistic notion of a "mystical Universe/God" ("Yo"), as espoused by thinkers like Baruch Spinoza and Albert Einstein, in addition to an emphasis on rational inquiry. Given this focus on empiricism, the author is critical of the role that religions (particularly Christianity and Islam) have played in fostering violence and promoting anti-intellectual movements connected to political instability, authoritarianism, and a host of other issues that continue to plague the modern world. A clinical psychologist and author of multiple works on the human psyche, Kriegman approaches belief systems with the expertise of a scholar who has devoted a half-century to studying human behavior and philosophical schools of thought. The author is a self-styled "Apostle to the Atheists" who openly discusses his own mystical experiences in college that he underwent while in an "altered state," and he writes in an accessible style (the text is replete with four-letter words) that makes for an engaging reading experience. With more than 750 total pages, the tome is occasionally repetitive, though rarely dull. An absorbing introduction to Yoism.— Kirkus Reviews What if God isn't a being—but Reality itself? At nineteen, Daniel Kriegman had a profound mystical experience—one that shattered his understanding of God, self, and the nature of existence. For over fifty years, he has struggled to articulate what he discovered in that moment of clarity. The First Book of Yo is the result. Blending psychology, philosophy, and raw spiritual insight, this provocative work introduces Yoism —the world's first open-source religion. Rejecting superstition, dogma, and anthropomorphic gods, Yoism offers a radical claim: Reality is God speaking. With an unflinching and often confrontational voice, Kriegman challenges readers to examine their deepest assumptions. Are your beliefs aligned with reality—or are they comforting illusions? Are you living in accordance with what you know to be true—or avoiding it? This is not a passive read. It is an invitation—and a challenge. Inside, you'll explore: A new defi