You resent the obstacle
but through it
I am showing you the way
© Crystal Meisaan Chan
For the full reflection and practice that accompany this poem, step inside the Offering →
You resent the obstacle
but through it
I am showing you the way
© Crystal Meisaan Chan
For the full reflection and practice that accompany this poem, step inside the Offering →
Dear Friend,
It’s been a long time since I last wrote. Over the past years, I’ve been slowly recovering from Long Covid. The experience has reshaped me – and in that reshaping, something new has emerged.
Curving Toward the Center is now on Patreon. It’s not just poetry anymore – it’s a spiritually inclusive, justice-rooted offering of haiku, short parables, spiritual guidance and transformative practices – for those living at the intersection of exhaustion, longing, and awakening.
See what it feels like to begin.
You’ll receive monthly tools for:
This is not just poetic or reflective work; it’s a practice-based offering that helps people apply deep spiritual and justice-oriented principles to their daily lives.
I’ll begin sharing haiku here again soon. But the center of gravity for my work – the heart of it – is now on Patreon. There are tiers for every kind of engagement, from a free level to deeper offerings that support sustained spiritual growth, burnout recovery, and justice-centered reflection.
If you’re curious, take a look. See you there!
👉 Click here to explore Curving Toward the Center on Patreon
With gratitude,
Meisaan Chan
Last night, sadness settled on my heart
and woke up with me this morning.
So I went to the lake, early, and saw
a huge ball of fire-love rising, and it lifted
my heaviness with it.
I can take your sadness, the sun said simply
The lake was a mirror, so there were actually two suns
now, both so bright I couldn’t look at them
and marveled at the abundance of this world
marveled at the gulls, so serene
marveled at all of the trees holding their seeds now
just waiting for them to fall
I listened to
the dreams of trees
When feeling disconnected, I go to the lake
I gaze the sky, I remember that I am not the universe
but am an intrinsic part of it;
I ask for the earth mother to give me her rhythm
in my heart, that I live with her pulse
and you know what, she does
every time
© Meisaan Chan
When the soul has space to breathe
it flourishes. That is its nature
© Meisaan Chan
Inner distraction
Tame me, Lord
© Meisaan Chan
I am leading the following retreat TONIGHT – see you there.
March Retreat: Simplify Your Life from the Inside-Out
March 14, 7-8:30pm CT
Want to declutter and clarify your inner world? We will use a 500-year old spiritual exercise to do exactly that. Then, we’ll delve into how this clarity revolutionizes your outer world, including:
⁎ Why and how to say “no”;
⁎ Draw boundaries;
⁎ Deepen into our wholeness in a broken world;
⁎ Align our actions to our spirit’s deepest yearning.
You’ll have private time to reflect or journal, and we’ll process as a group to gain insights and collective wisdom. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to simplify and transform your inner and outer world.
I’m giving mini-retreats every month: Ongoing care for your ongoing life. With my tender, strong facilitation. For you.
Come on over! Equity rates, deep soul care.
see you tonight! – mc
When you trust in the right source
forever satisfaction
When you trust in the other sources
forever strange hunger
© Meisaan Chan
Just as clouds gather, carry rain, and then release
so too my soul, for pain; I let it all fall
© Meisaan Chan
Please let me in, says the Lord
Pride has shut your door
© Meisaan Chan
Death is just fine for me, says the earth
so don’t be afraid to die
gateway to transformation
to becoming fertile dirt:
Fear not the process of fertility
© Meisaan Chan