Mystic Twine: Musings of Mind and Spirit

By J. Michaels

Mystic Twine is a voyage into the numinous realm of the mind and spirit, told in the ancient style of the storyteller. Contained within are weird and wonderful tales, mind and spiritual explorations, prayers and callings, and occasionally a glimpse into the author's view of the absurdities of life in the material world. These are very personal poems, told in quiet confidence to those who keep their ear to the spiritual sound and their eyes on the divine landscape. They reflect a journey that we will all take at some point in our lives. Their source is un-nameable, but they come clothed in a confidence born of the certainty of truth; the kind of truth known upon impact, the kind of truth that requires no validation other than the knowing that fills our mind and soul when we encounter it.

I invite you to accompany me on this journey, a voyage that refreshes us all simultaneously. The nature of these ageless odes, in large part, remains a mystery even to me, and I welcome the occasion to explore them with you, my brothers and sisters. I do not write them to sell nor to glorify myself, but rather I pass them on as a sort of divine pact that I have made with their Source. I ask simply that you turn the page and see if they call out to you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781621897149

J. Michaels

J. Michaels is a longtime student of the human adventure. His writing challenges popular beliefs and expresses both the profane and the profound in a unique storytelling style, as evidenced in the Musings of Mind and Spirit poetry series. His novella, Treasure of the Mind, is a unique blend of prose and poetry based on the murder of his son. Reach him at [e-mail] or see his work at www.overnightpoet.com.

Book preview

Mystic Twine

Musings of Mind and Spirit

J. Michaels

2008.Resource_logo.pdf

Mystic Twine

Musings of Mind and Spirit

Copyright © 2010 J. Michaels. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-60899-254-6

EISBN 13: 978-1-62189-714-9

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

To my parents

Both gone from the dream

But always in mind

Preface

My life has led me down many paths and placed many masks upon my face. I have been a shy, timid boy, wary of the world and the people in it. I have been street-smart and profoundly foolish. I have allowed my need for cheap recognition to equip me with the fighter’s fists, having boxed and later indulged in wild brawls in dance halls. I have been both very cool and a nerd when they weren’t. I have tried to think, compete, work, and screw my way through life, hoping to find an answer or two in the process. I have been an athlete in many sports and enjoyed the exertion and fluidity of them all. I have loved (as much as my self-absorption would allow) and I have hated, albeit briefly and politely. I have been a father of three and a parent of six. I have survived three different serious accidents, wept from both sorrow and joy, succeeded and failed. I have battled and conquered rage, depression, mistrust, regret, and grief and have learned to live fairly with my brothers and sisters. My life has taken me down paths that dead-ended, hurt myself and dear others, and some that have even brought truth closer to my door. I have tried to run my own business and been a leader for others who have done a better job at running theirs. I stumbled onto a career as a software geek that allowed me to both hide from view and visibly contribute at the same time. I screwed up at that endeavor by being good enough at it to be promoted to management, which I was extremely ill-equipped to succeed at, even though I managed somehow to have a fairly satisfying and extended career. I have celebrated life at the arrival of my children and mourned the passing of a father, a mother, a dear uncle, and my only birth son.

In hindsight, it appears that all of these paths have led me to exactly where I needed to be; sitting here at my computer writing to a group of unknown readers of tales that I never even knew I could write. I have however always loved a good story, whether spun by a book, a movie, a poem, or a life. Now, in my own later life, I find that not only can I tell