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Hey guys! It's been quite a long time since I've posted here. So much crazy change in my life recently! Where to begin... I think the last time I was posting on here (or "blogging" as I like to call it) I had just run into some trouble in North Carolina. My lovers and soulmates Bergamot and River had just left me for a couple of real jerks, who beat me up and drove away in a big truck. I'll admit it, I kinda lost it there for a second. I decided that my trip around this great county had been a failure, I borrowed some money from my Aunt Cheryl, and I booked the next flight back home to Torrance. Since then, things have been pretty good! I leveraged my existing Environmental Studies degree to get a job working for the city. You know, everyone takes weekly trash and dumpster pickups for granted, but it actually takes a lot of work to coordinate so many trucks to pick up everyone's trash on the correct schedule. Not to mention all the off-cycle trash pickups, large item disposal issues, electronic waste (I've been calling it "E-Waste" because I think that's more marketable and relatable to younger generations), and compostable item pickups. Luckily for the city of Torrance, Brent Phillips is on the job! Oh, I should probably mention that I've stopped going by Skye. Yeah, it was fun while it lasted but I guess I feel like Skye died in North Carolina? Besides, the city needed my birth name for this new job that I got. Oh well. I had a good run. Anyway, your friend Brent is on the case when it comes to all things trash-related in Torrance! I just want to do my part to keep this city clean. Here's a recent picture of me at my new job. New career? Hey, maybe! All I know is that I feel truly content here for the first time since I was living in a tent under the stars in New Mexico. Keep checking in here for updates on my new life!

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Ooooh, amaranth!

The 10 Most Essential Grains (and What to Cook With Them)

Really nice recipes. Every hour.

Show me what you cooked!

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Well you guys. That's it. It's official. Love is dead. I was hanging out with Bergamot and River at our usual cafe, doing our usual routine. Y'know, hanging out in front of the joint, talking to everyone walking by, asking people if they could afford to spare some change for us (I'm a real java junkie!), and singing the songs we've written together for anyone who wants to listen and/or is within earshot of us. I was having a blast and feeling great about the choices I've made recently. I felt like I had started a new, sexy life with these women and that we were on the same extradimensional wavelength as each other. But it wasn't enough. They wanted to go to a bar and unwind. I dunno what they felt like they needed to unwind from since we had all been taking knife hits of really decent hash all week and not really working or moving or talking much, but whatever. My girls get what my girls want. So we head down to some place called the Twisted Laurel. Now, I don't drink much. I'll say that right away. Bergamot and River, though...well MAN. They were putting away cocktails faster than I could say "be the change you want to see in the world". I tried to keep up. I had a few Malibu and cokes and got pretty tipsy. But then these two...these two giant COWBOY BRO MOTHERFUCKER IDIOTS walked in and River started talking to them. And then she invited them over to our booth. And then one of the cowboys casually used a VERY offensive term for women and the chicks I was with DIDN'T EVEN BAT AN EYELASH. Well, let me tell you. I was pissed off FOR them. So I got all up in one of those dude's faces. I was all "HOW DARE YOU" and chivalrous and shit because I knew that B and R weren't gonna say anything and they were CLEARLY miserable. They OBVIOUSLY regretted inviting these guys to our table, even though they were pretty tall and smelled good and looked like they had money. So one thing led to another and the taller of the two told me to step outside with him. It must have been the Malibu because I don't remember what happened next. All I know is that I came to in the gravel of the parking lot, watching the two loves of my life walk away from me forever...in the arms of the rednecks who took advantage of me and probably sucker punched me to unconsciousness. Or however fights work. It's their loss, really. Where else is River gonna find a guy who knows EVERY line to Billy Madison? Who else is Bergamot going to complain to when her manager at the head shop is being a total dick to her? So what if I don't have a 401k or a career path or a mode of transportation or more than two outfits? It's their loss. Guess I'll just sit here in the campground with this cold beer on my black eye to try and bring the swelling down. At least I'll probably look pretty cool with a black eye. Intimidating. Yeah. This is a dark time for your ol' pal Skye.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gzqsmx1KGU)

Sting has long been a musician that I deeply respect and admire. Here is a video for my all-time favorite Sting song “Desert Rose”. I learned so much about the tantric arts from this man, and I know that if I were every blessed enough to meet him, he and I would be fast friends. Namaste.

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Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.

Eckhart Tolle (via the-red-lotus-blog)

So true.

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Greetings everyone!

The cosmos has been especially kind to me recently. I swear, everything changed for me after my erotic bath in the waters of Lake Julian. I emerged from the depths feeling recharged, reinvigorated, full of a certain lust for life that I haven’t experienced since the co-ed naked bike ride I took in college from Eureka to Arcata. Before my chance visit to the apothecary in Asheville, North Carolina I was feeling really down, really depressed. Like someone had just told me that Tre Anastasio had died, or that panhandling and hitchhiking would be banned from every city on Earth. But after coming out of those waters something changed.

I met a girl. Actually, I met two girls.

The beautiful, perfect creatures you see here are Bergamot (in the pink) and River (in the blue). I met them outside Izzy’s Coffee Den one night. I was in a Four Point Gilded Lily position, eyes closed right by the front door, just thinking to myself and writing mental poetry when I heard a voice as sweet as strawberry wine and as deep as the Mariana trench.

“Hey man, you got a joint?”

Turns out, ol’ Skye was able to help out on this front. And I’m awfully glad I did! Over the course of the evening, I really got to know Bergamot and River on a deep, personal level. They both grew up outside of Charlotte but moved to Asheville for job opportunities (Bergamot works at a head shop and River works at a combination fishing supply store and head shop). They both love Jimi and Janice and Jerry, and the three of us even have the same favorite Sublime song (”Scarlet Begonias”)! We’ve been doing everything together for the past week or so. Yoga in the park, cooking macrobiotic foods in River’s co-op that she lives in, playing music together. Sure, we’ve had a few complaints from the plebeian residents of this town because they can’t handle the truth that our drum circles speak, but their vitriol will never silence us completely.

I’m going to admit something to you all: I’m in love. For the first time in my life, I am truly in love. Bergamot is so nurturing, and River is so artistic and talented. And they’re both into the whole three way/open relationship thing which is pretty cool. I finally feel complete, and I’m happy to be their third eye.

Gotta go, everyone! Bergamot needs me to pick up another quarter ounce from some dude she knows. I think he might be an ex? And River asked me to find out which bakeries around here are throwing away their (perfectly fine) day-old baked goods so t hat we can repurpose them into dinner. I’m sure that this is just the start of a new chapter of my life. I could really get used to Asheville.

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Greetings and salutations to all of my followers out there! It’s been quite some time since your friend and spiritual advisor Skye has posted, and with good reason. Friends, I have been deeply immersed in the untapped and largely unexplored world of tantric yoga, sex magicks, and fertility rituals. I know it might come as a shock to you, but I have never been what the normies out there would refer to as a “ladies man”. Oh sure, I’ve definitely been involved with my fair share of women, but I’m not a big drinker so I don’t really go to “bars” or “clubs” or whatever those alpha male assholes do to “get laid” or “meet people” or “start meaningful relationships”. No, I tend to let the universe come to me with all romantic endeavors.

This hasn’t paid off very well. A man gets lonely sometimes.

After I left New Orleans on my quest through this beautiful land, I was filled with a sense of mystery and excitement. My Greyhound bus pass led me to Asheville, North Carolina. I IMMEDIATELY got a great vibe from this place when I saw that there was a holistic medicine shoppe right in the middle of the downtown area. I had never even HEARD of Asheville before my bus driver told me this was the last stop he was making before turning around, but I truly felt blessed to land here. So I walked into the shop and found what was labeled as a “natural aphrodisiac powder”. Now, one is supposed to cover oneself in the powder, find a natural body of water, and fully submerse oneself. I did as directed, jumped into beautiful Lake Julian, and as I was underwater I felt a HUGE growth between my legs! I looked down, and a piece of driftwood had positioned itself perfectly between my thighs. If this isn’t a metaphor for some truly sensual, erotic, heady times to come then I don’t know what is.

If you are a woman reading this post and you are in the greater North Carolina area, please contact me at (415) 994-3808. Namaste.

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Sadly, today was my travel companion Zach's last day on his own, more private journey. He is flying back to Oakland today, and I will miss him more than he will ever know. He and I shared a cornucopia of memories and experiences. There was the time the Yaris ran out of gas outside Roswell and the two of us walked into town with me singing Jane's Addiction songs to him the entire way. There was the time that my food stamps ran out in Durango, Colorado and so I offered to cook dinner if Zach bought food. We had a great time that night! The lentil casserole was pretty good, and Zach was having a blast, at least judging by how much he was drinking. Zach drank a LOT on this trip. I remember I found him in a bar in Austin one balmy night, laughing with two women in a booth. I invited myself on in to the discussion, and even though we both went home sans female company that night I think we both learned a little something about ourselves. These pictures were taken right as his Uber to the airport pulled up. In my haste, I hilariously poked Zach in the eye on accident. In typical Zach fashioned, he shrugged it off and we embraced one final time before our paths diverged. Who knows when I will see my best friend again? I told him I would call him the next time I was in the Bay Area. I know he lives in a big giant warehouse somewhere in Oakland. That would sure beat crashing in People's Park. Goodnight, sweet prince. May a flight of angels sing thee to thy sleep. -Skye

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Close-up shot of the fertility necklace I have been sporting as of late. I get some weird looks sometimes, and a man in a truck called me a pervert. People can be so immature.

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Well guys, the Tinder date didn't go as well as I hoped. Things started well, with us both discussing music and the bands/street performers we liked and all the different illnesses we have recovered from in the past. But then as I was about to (respectfully) put the moves on her, she told me she needed to get paid first! Needless to say, I was shocked. Not that I have anything against sex workers, but do I look like someone who has money or material possessions? I left all of that behind when I left my parents' house in Carson after college. I have transcended. Sadly, my date and I parted ways. The one bright spot of the evening was that I stumbled across this INCREDIBLE middle eastern jewelry and accessory shop on Frenchman Street. I already have an ankh, but I decided I could use a few more. I mean, I have this credit card still for emergencies. And this was decidedly a moment of spiritual crisis for me. Plus my mom still helps out from time to time.

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One more of me praying to Sobek.

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Well dudes, made it to New Orleans! Or I think I'm around there. I'm staying outside the Abita Mystery House, where I sensed a powerful energy coming from the back. This house holds many sacred instruments, antiques, and curiosities that have been collected throughout the years. The house's caretaker offered to show me something special for an extra $10. After a trip to the local blood bank, I came back with the money and the man took me to his backyard, where he introduced me to "Lyle", the oldest living crocodile in captivity. He seemed awful quiet and the caretaker wouldn't let me get too close, but for an extra $10 he took this picture for me. Looking at it now, I am reminded of ancient Egyptian priests praying to the god Sobek for increased fertility. I could use some of his blessings now as well, as I think I may have a Tinder date tonight with a woman (a goddess?) who has been kindly enough to offer to show me around New Orleans. Wish me luck everyone!

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Oh hell yeah.

With a few of us, our life purpose and our daily job might be identical. Our work could offer a chance to meet our life purpose however this is often not perpetually the case…Know why?

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Fuck yeah dude.

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Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.

Pema Chödrön (via stardust-seedling)

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It's always in the strangest and most unlikely places that I seem to meet the best and most spiritually-aware people. While I was living amongst nature and being free in the Lyndon B. Johnson Municipal Park in Austin, TX I encountered this man who informed me he had studied in Tibet under the Dalai Lama, or someone kinda like the Dalai Lama. He said his name was Jave, and asked me all manner of deeply personal and spiritual questions. We discussed things like string theory, resurrection, karma, that movie Zeitgeist, how the planets work, and slack lining. Real interesting and intense stuff. The park security unfortunately asked us to leave shortly after he and I finished a spliff by his van, but she was kind enough to take this picture of us before we parted ways. Jave said he would be playing open mics around town with his friend Jory, some kind of two-person acoustic group called Spiritual Buzz. Go check em out if you're in the Austin area! I don't usually like to support live music (it's a trigger for me due to an event that happened in high school) but if you can stand to hang around music venues then go watch these dudes play! https://spiritualbuzz.bandcamp.com

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Greetings, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry for the "communication breakdown" (Zeppelin reference), but I've been traveling a whole lot recently! Time to get you all up to speed. The last time I was on this Tumblr thing, I had just left the bountiful enchanted desert lands of New Mexico for the bountiful enchanted urban desert land of Austin, Texas! After a bit of convincing, my friend Jerimiah agreed to let me stay on his couch for a few days. Here is a picture of me at his swanky backyard in-law unit on my fourth day visiting. You can tell by the look on his face that he loves me like a brother, even if we haven't really talked outside of XBox Live chatrooms since high school. Anyway, a few days in Austin turned into a couple weeks, and I think Jerimiah was getting a little stressed having me in the house with all of my candles and oils and incenses and sages that I used for daily smudgings and crystals and sleeping bags and yoga mats and lentils and watercolors and Long Beach Dub All-Stars albums and such and such. I felt like he was having a hard time with his empathy and he never seemed to know how exactly he could nourish me emotionally. So long story short, he issued me an ultimatum and I moved out and lived in the park for a few days. Even after all that went down, I still think Jerimiah is a cool dude and I know that in a few years he'll welcome me back to Austin with open arms. Love you brother. -Skye