The Ciphered Mind – Encrypted Journaling with Org-mode

~ Tom's IT Cafe

By DeadSwitch | The Cyber Ghost

“Your thoughts should never be anyone’s business. Encrypt the silence.”

In a world obsessed with sharing, I write to forget – not to be remembered by others. My journal isn’t a scrapbook for dopamine or a backup for someone else’s algorithm. It’s a log of operations, and operations require secrecy.

So I encrypt mine. With Emacs. In plain text.

This is how DeadSwitch keeps a daily log that even the digital gods can’t peek into.

Why Encrypt a Journal?

Because the mind is sacred.
Because ideas are weapons.
Because tomorrow’s threat often begins with yesterday’s leak.

Encrypted journaling isn’t about fear. It’s about respect – for your thoughts, your process, your silence.

The Setup – Emacs, Org-mode, and GPG

Here’s the toolbox:

  • Editor: Emacs
  • Format: Org-mode
  • Encryption: GnuPG
  • Extension: org-crypt
  • Storage: Offline, local, under your terms

Emacs Configuration

Drop this into your config:

(require 'org-crypt)
(setq org-tags-exclude-from-inheritance '("crypt"))
(setq org-crypt-key nil) ;; uses your default GPG key
(org-crypt-use-before-save-magic)

This tells Emacs to automatically encrypt any headline tagged with :crypt: before saving.
Decryption happens only when you open the file – and stays in RAM.

A Sample Entry

* May 2025 :crypt:

** [2025-05-04 Sun]
- 5k run - 22:18 [2025-05-04 Sun 09:06]
- Cold shower - difficulty: easy [2025-05-04 Sun 09:28]
- New idea: Emacs Lisp for internal ops [2025-05-04 Sun 14:24]

Your operations, encrypted. Your timestamps, precise. Your log, protected.

Timestamps and Logging Shortcuts

  • C-c . – insert date
  • C-u C-c . – insert date and time
  • C-c ! – inactive timestamp
  • C-u C-c ! – inactive date and time

You want traceability without noise. Emacs delivers.

Why Not Notion, Joplin, Obsidian, or Others?

Because I don’t trust clouds.
Because their encryption isn’t mine.
Because their sync means exposure.
Because when I type, I want code – not JavaScript trying to sell me my own thoughts.

Final Note

“Encryption is not paranoia. It is self-respect.”

  • DeadSwitch

Your mind is a fortress. Don’t leave the gate open.

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