Being: A Sacred Devotion to Life

By Steve Schlafman in being on

The first unexpected message from the medicine came sharp and strange: “Your penis doesn’t belong to you.” I was deep inside the journey, far from the familiar edges of consciousness, when those words surfaced. I didn’t laugh—I was perplexed, caught off guard by their vulgarity and weight.…

45: A Year of Death and Creation

By Steve Schlafman in death on

This essay was originally published on my Substack, Where the Road Bends, where I share long-form essays on conscious change and life transitions. Today, I turn 45. It’s surreal seeing that number—45—staring back at me, not because of the age itself, but because of what it represents.…