Granny's GPS Kept Saying “Keep Going Baby” Written by Kāteb Shunnar Author’s Opening Words Before yall start reading this, let me tell yall something. Growing up, I truly believed my Granny had powers. I ain't talking superhero powers either. Forget all that flying through buildings and shooting lightning from fingertips stuff. Nah. I'm talking bout grandmother powers. Different category. Different department. Heavenly level powers. Cause somehow Granny knew when I touched s

The River Knows ( Audio Only) • The poem "The River Knows" by Kāteb Shunnar uses the metaphor of a river to express absolute freedom, unstoppable momentum, and liberation. • The narrator, like a river, trusts intuition and moves naturally, with words that are felt by the soul rather than seen by the eyes. • The poem emphasizes honoring Creation's laws, finding one's way, and letting the Universe be a guide, suggesting the river's essence resides within everyone.

The Spiritual Meniscus. ( Audio Only) The Spiritual Meniscus is a Metaphor for Emotional Resilience. • The author introduces the concept of a 'spiritual meniscus,' an unseen lining around the heart, mind, emotions, and spirit that softens life's impacts, analogous to the cartilage in a human knee. • This spiritual meniscus can become worn thin due to accumulated stress, grief, disappointment, and responsibilities, leading to exhaustion even without specific traumatic events.

The Seasons of Life and Resilience ( audio only) • The author reflects on the lessons learned from observing an old live oak tree and the changing seasons, drawing parallels to life's experiences. • Each season, from spring's new beginnings to winter's endurance, offers unique wisdom, teaching about hope, growth, letting go, and survival. • The author's grandmother taught him to 'watch the tree' rather than just the leaves, symbolizing a deeper understanding of life's process

The Temple That Remains By Kāteb Shunnar. Listen to the audio below... The Enduring Temple Within • The author reflects on the impermanence of all things built by human hands, from relationships and homes to dreams and memories, noting that even physical materials like stone, iron, and wood decay over time. • True enduring connection and love cannot be constructed from temporary worldly materials, as they are tested by life's challenges like disappointment, grief, suffering,

Audacity Jones The Nerve to Stand in the Light When Everybody Else Comfortable in the Shade By Kāteb Shunnar Audacity Jones: The Nerve to Stand in the Light • Audacity Jones struggles with his name and a persistent feeling of disappointment, often talking himself out of opportunities. • He encounters an elderly woman who offers him a bruised peach, using it as a metaphor for accepting oneself despite imperfections and not apologizing for who you are. • The woman's words promp

A Poem...... A little knowledge about The Jonqiil The jonquil flower (part of the Narcissus family) is a powerful spiritual symbol of rebirth, unrequited affection, and the resilience to push through dark times. As a primary birth flower for March, its early spring bloom embodies the awakening of the spirit. Core Spiritual Meanings Rebirth and Renewal: Because the jonquil emerges from the cold earth early in the year, it symbolizes spiritual cleansing, hope, and the pro

Before the Streetlights Called Us Home: Remembering What Made Us Human is a heartfelt journey back to a time when neighborhoods felt like family, children played outside until the streetlights came on, Sunday dinners brought generations together, and conversations mattered more than screens. Through memories of New Orleans culture, family gatherings, corner stores, frozen cups, basketball debates, and wise elders, Kāteb Shunnar reflects on what many of us truly miss about the

The Man In The Chevrolet Some Folks Toss Away Blessings Then Sit Around Wondering Why Life Feel Empty Author’s Opening Note Before yall read this reflection let me say something honest. Some lessons do not arrive wrapped pretty. They do not walk in wearing church shoes carrying a leather Bible and speaking soft like they know they holy. Nah. Some lessons pull up rattling down the street in an old Chevrolet sounding like somebody dropped a toolbox down a staircase. And somehow

Author’s Opening Note Before we get into this reflection let me tell yall something honest. This weekend I had one of them conversations that stay with you like New Orleans humidity in August. You know what I mean. Them conversations that follow you home, sit beside you on the porch, eat your leftovers, and somehow still got more to say before they leave. The kind that sit beside your spirit long after the words stop moving. Somebody called me over the weekend and somewhere d

Author’s Opening Note Before yall even step into this reflection, let me tell you something right now. Some folks gon read this title and clutch they invisible pearls so hard they might sprain a spiritual finger. Soon as they see the words wobble and wiggle together, they already loading judgment into the chamber like they the holy police commissioner of movement. Calm down Cheryl. Drink some water. Loosen your neck a little. Your blood pressure fighting for its life over som

The Flower Never Changed Everybody Ain’t Looking From The Same Window Author’s Opening Note Written by Kāteb Shunnar Before you even step inside this reflection let me go on and tell you something real. Some folks gon read this and immediately get defensive. Not because I am attacking them personally but because truth got a funny way of knocking over furniture inside people spirit. Truth walk in like that loud auntie at a family cookout. Ain’t even take her purse off before s

Felicity at Claiborne The Pot Was Never Meant for One Ingredient Written by Kāteb Shunnar Author’s Opening Note Alright now, before we get into this reflection, lemme gone head and say this first. Yeah. I know. I talk about New Orleans alot. At this point somebody probably sittin somewhere sayin, “Lawd, if Kāteb mention New Orleans one mo time we gon have ta put him on the city payroll and give him a brass band escort.” Man look. I can’t help it. I love this city. Not in that

When the River Almost Took Me but I Learned How to Float. A Reflection on Broken Places, Loud Voices, and the Quiet Voice That Still Said Stay Written by Kāteb Shunnar Author’s Opening Note Let me tell you something most people don’t sit with long enough to let it change them. In life, when everything start getting loud, and I mean that deep kind of loud, not just folks talking or cars passing, but the kind that sit in your chest and hum behind your thoughts, most of us don’t

The Quiet Strength That Raised Me What the Porch Taught Me That the World Still Ain’t Figured Out By Kāteb Shunnar Author’s Opening Note I’m gonna tell you straight, this one right here didn’t come easy. It came out in pieces. In pauses. In them quiet moments where I had to stop typing and just sit there, staring off like I was waiting on the walls to say something back. Because writing like this ain’t just writing. It’s remembering. And remembering… that ain’t always soft. S

Author’s Note: What you are about to read is stitched together from memory, spirit, humor, New Orleans air thick with gumbo steam, and the stubborn kind of truth you don’t learn until life finally gets tired of waiting and sits on your chest. Every word comes from a place of growth, bruising, prayer, and late-night front-porch revelations. Though the story is mine, I offer it to you the way Granny Celestine offered everything open-handed, long-winded, slightly aggravating, bu

Author’s Note Before you start reading, let me be real with you. This here ain’t some polished tale or a story cooked up when the world finally lined up right. Nah, this comes straight outta the thick of everyday life the mess, the noise, the steam rising from the streets and the kitchens, where folks keep moving and surviving and figuring it out as they go. From standing in the kitchen while things were still unfinished. From watching people I love carry more than they ever

Author Opening Note. Most folks do not know this but the Ace of Spades was once printed larger than every other card because card makers had to prove they were official and paid up. One card carried the weight of the whole deck. Funny how that works. One moment. One choice. One truth standing tall while everything else waits its turn. Life does that too. It singles out a moment and says show me who you are right here. Now before you step into this reflection let me speak plai

Author’s Opening Note Let’s sit down and talk for a minute, yeah? Really sit. Not the half-listening, phone-in-hand kind of sitting. I need you present mind, heart, the quiet spot in your chest that don’t get talked to much. We got some things to chew on, some things you might not want to hear, and some things that might just make you laugh when the world’s been too heavy. I ain’t here pretending I got it all figured out. Nah, I been stumbling, watching, learning from momen

The Mirror Don’t Blink A Story About What Follows You When Nobody Else Does By Kāteb Shunnar Author’s Opening Note Let me say this now before we get too deep in it, before you get comfortable, before you lean back thinking this just another piece you can nod your head to and keep it moving. This one might sit a little different on you. Not because I am trying to scare you. Not because I am trying to preach at you like somebody auntie after two glasses of sweet red wine and a