Double Solstice

Art by Claude Monet

And, now comes the river, rippling 

like cobalt snakes across a

fresco of glistening hills!

Its fragrance parts the crystal breeze.

We lean our heads into its brazen reflection.

We press our fingers against its radiant blur.

now i see you, now i don’t

The birds fall silent—

only for now.

Summer leaps in, dappling 

the air with chirp and blossom.

i close my eyes to see better

We walk to the edge of the water.

my senses grow sharper

We lay our bodies 

upon the grass and drink

deeply from the river’s collarbones.

A cacophony of joy smudges

the air, stirring our lips and eyes.

laughter… oh, laughter!

Behind the river, the sun glows

bone-white and desert-dry.

Revoiced,

we move towards living things.

A New Publication, my PhD, and Other Certainties

La fenêtre sur l île de bréhat, Marc Chagall

It is an honor and a pleasure to announce the publication of two of my poems—“Mutiny” and “Density and Divinity”—in the Summer Issue of Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing.

Both of these poems first appeared right here on Dreams. It has been a while since I submitted any creative writing for review, mainly due to my focus on my dissertation work and clinical papers. My deepest gratitude goes to Kim Williams for the gentle nudge he delivered that sent me spiraling back into the creative writing publication realm. Kim, a tender poet and a warm friend, has a captivating poem published in the same issue. Be sure to head over to Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing to order your copy of the Summer Issue today. You may also elect to order an annual subscription to this very unique journal.

And, since we’re in the celebratory spirit, why not celebrate another extraordinary occasion: I am now officially Dr. Nevine Sultan. :-) 

I defended my dissertation on March 26, 2015. My degree was conferred on May 9, 2015. Going through doctoral studies and writing my dissertation was one of the most profoundly spiritual and metamorphic experiences of my entire life. It was also deeply liberating. To be certain, it was not without its tears. And yet, as I journeyed through that process, I became fiercely intent on uncovering and finding those parts of Her that others had imposed on me, and that I had swallowed whole without a second thought. By the end of that numinous venture (particularly the dissertation phase), everything I envisioned and manifested for myself had unfolded… and, I had distilled what I like to refer to as Nevine Absolue. 

Other wonderful events emerged during the last part of my dissertation work, and continue to evolve! I will not share all of my good news in one swoop; I will write more about those gifts in a later post… soon. ;-) For now, I will just say that the Universe is truly remarkable and filled with effervescent surprises! I will also say that what has already happened is a certainty, while what is to come is almost entirely in the realm of the Unknown. Be that as it may, life never ceases to be colorful and abundant. And yet, healing and empty space are a necessity.

Since May 9, I have been in recovery mode. I have been sleeping, cooking, writing, reading, doing body movement, and practicing meditation on a regular basis. I feel like I am slowly regaining my energy—a new, revitalized form of it—and re-finding myself! I have also been spending some truly rich moments with my husband, who stood by my side unwaveringly throughout my doctoral studies. It has been a restorative time for me (and for us), and I am ever so glad I made the wise decision to slow my pace and take things easy for a while.

In the meantime, during these past few weeks (months, really), Dreams and the naked light have gone largely neglected. While I kept up with my creative writing and expression offline, I elected not to share much of it online due to 1) its exceedingly personal nature, and 2) the fact that I wished to keep myself hermetically sealed within my real-life experience. It is my fervent hope to reconnect with my online presence more unequivocally, in the near future.

And so, without further ado, I will be back soon… with a new poem, or a new short, or something else that is creative and exciting. In the meantime, don’t forget to order your copy of the Summer Issue of Snapdragon: A Journal of Art & Healing. There is so much ease, purity, and splendor of spirit within those pages, and you will not want to miss any of it. 

Slowly, slowly… life opens new windows… and creates space for the advent of new beauty. And what can we do but drink of life’s bounty?!?! Enjoy, and… until soon!

xoxoxo

Nevine

Eclipse

Art by Gianni de Conno

We walk the tightwire of decorum

with such determination!

But… 

who leads, and who follows?

A certain frailty shatters the air

between us. An organic whole

self-generates from the fragments.

rain falls from other skies

Uncertainty torments certainty.

is it your breath that’s crossing the

bridge of my cheekbones and the space 

between my eyes while i swallow the night?

In how many other ways 

have we known this moment?

And…

In how many other continua

have we created and entered this

space—and its inverses—before?

your pulse quickens like a

hurricane beneath my tongue, on

my chin, my collarbones, my waist

Do pendulums pine in the dark?

bring me night blossoming jasmine

to drape over the yearning

around my neck

I am distant, far away…

the watcher on the hills.

bring me scalpel and spoon 

bring me sun, bring me moon

I attach myself to The Unspoken—

leaving all else behind.

When I own that I am lost,

I find my way.

Gravity and Grace

Art by Dan-Ah Kim

Oh, breathing body—

What stillness you reap!

Together, you and I…

Together, we creep deeper

into our unbroken communion.

I open...

Breathe.

Unbundle.

Inwards.

.:: i am shadow ::.

.:: i am echo ::.

Inside.

Moments of quietude.

Moments of clear space.

Moments of pure being.

Moments of transparency.

There is no content.

The chambers of the spirit are wide open.

Nothing stirs.

All is still.

I rest inside this place of no mind.

The ground beneath my feet is pearlescent.

Here, the hush of broken ice.

A diamond emerges from the rubble.

Nothing can eclipse this brightness!

.:: i am flame ::.

.:: i am wilderness ::.

.:: i am flight ::.

Oh, long-awaited response

to this body’s unanswered plea—

How you startle me into attendance!

Between Breath and Body

Unknown Artist

Quiet.

Quiet, now.

This is our secret place.

I know where my home is.

Here, my formless shadow

stalks the periphery of the light.

And, the light…

Oh, how it strides

with arms arching 

upwards and beyond!

It recognizes itself 

amidst the grey embodiment 

of my confusion.

We are together

on this quiet new day

that shifts us into a sand dune

of inevitable eventualities.

Our forms cling 

to the shoulders of the sky,

aching of gravity.

I sing with open throat.

A pause rises between us, drawing

a scowl from your eyes,

a question from mine.

Your stark words blaze.

This is my secret place.

If you tread, tread gently, please.

I flatten myself against a ripple

of flesh and bone.

I cling, without sound.

The fire of captivity

soars through me.

I wait…

To be heard.

To be seen.

To be felt.

To be found.

Hello, 2015!

Unknown Artist

2014 is over. It truly is. 

This morning, I found myself thinking that, for all the years I’ve been blogging on Dreams, I posted about the new year before it actually arrived… sometime in the last week of December, usually. That’s not what happened with 2014. The second to last week of 2014 was a whirlwind of busy busy busy activity as I worked at closing things out to make way for the arrival of a new beginning. And then, last week, I decided to pull away from everything and just sit, in relative quietude, with the finiteness of the year.

2014 was a very eventful year for me. Interestingly, I knew, at the end of 2013, that 2014 was going to be not only eventful, but a great year… filled with glory! Last night, as I stood outside and stared up at the fireworks that lit the sky in bursts of gold and green and red, I felt the vibrant but serene splendor of the gift of life. And once again, I knew in every cell of my body that 2015 is going to be dynamic, and brimming with the confident movement and flow that both births and is birthed by change. 

May our 2015, yours and mine, throb with the vigorous heartbeat that life allows us to share with it! Happy New Year!!!

xoxoxo

Nevine