A Sort of Homecoming

It's 23:23 of December 5th, a Monday night. I'm tweaking out hardcore from drinking my very first Monster energy drink, and it is without doubt the most disgusting thing that has ever putrefied my tongue ever ever. I'm drinking this terrible sludge because I need to pull an all-nighter in order to finish my work on time, which is fine, it's just that I've never done that before.

I realize I haven't written anything in over 3 weeks, which is my longest unannounced hiatus ever. This is bad for a number of reasons.

1. I am going to be a writer for a career. That means I need to write as much as possible.
2. I use writing to unwind and decompress-- I haven't been able to do that for the past 3 weeks.
3. I got my 6,000th view and WASN'T THERE TO SEE IT.
4. You all want to know everything about me! Right? .... Right?

So, I'm treating this post as a sort of return, a reincarnation-- a sort of homecoming. I'm just going to be listing a few things that have been going on with me, and tomorrow (if I get a chance-- if not, later this week) I'll give you the second section to my music suggestion series, Sharing is Caring.

First and foremost, I got a girlfriend. Weird, I know-- I didn't think I had it in me, either. Technically, she started it all and initiated the relationship. She's a short one, with beautiful, long, curly black hair and mad curves with a smile that sneaks up on you and steals your attention away. She asked me out for coffee one night, and after a follow-up date to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, I knew I needed to stay after her.

Second, my penultimate semester at my community college is slowly (and stressfully) coming to a close.  I had a hold on my student account because some joker who worked in the library missed checking in ONE of my returned DVDs, and so it was counted as late and I was duly penalized. So, I got that figured out. After that, I needed a book for one of my finals, and it only arrived 3 days AFTER THE FINAL WAS DUE. Baaaaahhhhghghgh!!! So, needless to say, I've been kind of Hulking out the past few days.

Third, I'm working a lot. Too much, in fact. I'm beginning to smell like bread all of the time. Delicious, yet distracting. It's getting kind of exhausting, but the people are great, so it's no big deal. I've made two fast friends and I look forward to continuing working with them.

Fourth, I'm starting to return back to my roots in Eastern thought, which is proving to be a welcome comfort as the vice of the end of the year closes around my scrotum. I'm making more time to meditate, drink green tea, and study the Dao as well as learn a bit about Reform Judaism (which is best Judaism in my opinion) and a bit about the freedom (yet social inequalities) of Hinduism, just for funsies.

Fifth and finally, I'm beginning to realize who my true friends really are. I've been going through a handful of hardships, and the ones who have been there to clap their hands on my shoulder have been proving a wonderful source of strength, so to all of those who have seen me at my angriest, my most distraught, my most off-course, my most un-Dao, thank you for sticking with me.

That's all for now-- Time for me to get started on the second half of my all-nighter.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

The Oneironaut

And then I looked and I saw a sky full of Big Bangs.
Each genesis lighting up the sky illuminated my path.
Sometimes I wonder if in each and every one of these new universes,
You would be there, healthy and whole, waiting for me.
So, until I know for sure, I’ll set my sails for the unknown shore
Just a few kilometers from my origin.

When the wind smiles at my back and gently caresses my neck,
I remember that night when all of the universes began again.
Sailing on the dreams of last year,
I’ve learned how to navigate lucidity and coast on the current of the subconscious.

Now I’m back again, at the place where the sky gave birth to new existences
Hoping to find breath and catch sight of our waking life.

The bow of my vessel stirs the galaxies below
As I shake off sleep, dusting bits of God off of my shoulders.
Heaven lights up again and I see you, finally, dressed in deep greens, and
Ready to take me in.

I’ve traveled through visions of longing, of terror, of desire and of nostalgia
For longer than I can remember.
I can’t remember the last dream I had,
Here’s hoping you can remind me.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too! 

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

I am Sitting, I am Breathing

 On my Formspring account (link at the bottom of the post), I've received a surprising number of questions asking if I could write a little bit more about my experiences with meditation. I didn't answer those questions because I wasn't really sure if I was fit to tackle the subject, but I've gained a new confidence lately that I want to try out.

Meditation is a practice that's ancient as spirituality itself, and while there are different styles of meditation that exist for different purposes, the basics of it are as simple as sitting.

I'm not joking! In the book Lamb by Christopher Moore, Jesus (called Joshua in the book) travels across Asia learning about different forms of spirituality. He ends up in Tibet and meets a Bodhisattva  named Casper (That's right-- one of the Three Wise Men in Christian lore) who teaches him about meditation. Joshua and his companion stumble upon a Buddhist monastery, and Joshua asks them what they are doing. They simply answer, "We are sitting."

Meditation, at its core, is a state of high mindfulness. That's it. So, if you're by yourself and have enough room and a quiet area, try it out.

1. Be sure the area around is isn't too bright, isn't too loud. Turn off your music, your TV, anything that could be a distraction, be it auditory or visual.
2. Sit cross-legged, or if you can, in half lotus, on a flat surface with your back straight (this may require a cushion for your lower back-- don't be afraid to use one!)
3. Let your eyes slide into a neutral state of being half-open. Your head should be pointed slightly downward in a very relaxed position.
4. Breathe normally. Don't try to regulate it-- Just be aware of it. As you breathe in, think to yourself "Now I am breathing in. This is what breathing in feels like." As you exhale, think to yourself "And this is what exhaling feels like."
5. Be aware of every sensation of your body. The rising and falling of your shoulders and belly, the feeling of the floor pressing up against your legs, your breath passing over your upper lip, your heartbeat in your neck, fingertips, and chest. Remember that each breath gives you life and each moment your heart beats.
6. Don't try to focus too much. Let your thoughts come and go, wave at them as they pass by. 

It's not magical. It's not going to make you levitate or let you taste music or smell colors. It won't let you see into the future or communicate with ghosts. What it will do is give you a higher peace of mind, a sense of oneness and a healthy, relaxed attitude. Meditation is a form of prayer-- They both let positive energy in and help heal negative energy. I'll say it again for emphasis: Meditation heals.

So, if someone asks you what you're doing, answer "I am sitting. I am breathing." That is the first step of that crazy thing called "mindfulness" I always talk about.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

The Symphony of the Universe

Symphonium Universi

The world is singing! Do you hear it?
The world is singing. All you have to do is listen.
On this spinning globe, there is so many millions of expressions of life!
They all are singing out in a beautiful choir of existence,
That hits me like an earthquake that brings me to kneel
In reverence. I can’t help put part my lips to sing along with them.
When all the noise is blocked out, and you stop to listen
You can hear it.
The world is singing.

I sit on the floor, with eyes closed and ears eager to listen.
The familiar pat-pat-pat of raindrops on my window
Ushers in a welcome rain.
Nature is has lifted its voices too.
I hear strings and voices in the Wind, drums in the Earth,
Horns and cymbals in waterfalls, raindrops and rivers.

Now I know why sages travel to mountaintops, prophets spend months in the desert
And the wise know the value of quiet.
It’s not so they can get away from the world!
It’s so that they can get closer to it.

We are part of it! Do you hear us singing along?
Hallelujah, we sing!
Let all creation join in!
We are here, we are alive!
Let us do what is good and right
And let the innumerable expressions of life create!

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring

 and Google+ .

Thank you for reading. Stay Human, my friends.