"Woo" is a strange little word, used to describe crystals, astrology, transcendental meditation, past life regression therapy, cleansing enemas, or any other hokey, marginal spiritual belief perpetuated by wild-eyed, crazy aunts and eccentric roommates the world over.

I went to a notoriously flaky liberal arts college and was so overwhelmed with drum circles, trustafarians, and bogus eastern religion that I developed a healthy dose of skepticism and a tendency to roll my eyes whenever anyone mentioned words like “Chakra” or “Namaste”. Like any self-respecting, young punk with a bad haircut and a chip on his shoulder, I flirted with calling myself an atheist, but eventually settled into a comfortable agnosticism. Sure there might be a god, but (s)he and I generally kept out of each other’s way and the arrangement worked just fine for both of us. Recently, my feelings have changed a bit and the comfortable détente between me and my spirituality has started to crumble.

It started when some really important people in my life started reading Deepak Chopra and flirting with ideas related to The Tao of Physics. I was encouraging, gave the requisite pats on backs and supported my loved ones in finding meaning in the universe, but inside I was wincing a little bit. I wasn’t afraid of them, but was worried that, in the name of supporting them, I would find myself in rooms full of wide-eyed, oversharing twelve-steppers and creepy tantric-yoga swingers.

However, as they did their seeking and I was privy to more and more conversations about the meaning of our existence, something slowly started to shift inside. I started to wonder if there was some spiritual, or at least philosophical part of myself that I was neglecting. Panic set in. Was I at risk of drinking the kool-aid and becoming some kind of crazed, religious zombie spouting parables from an Oprah author? Would I discover that I was the reincarnation of some ancient Babylonian god, start wearing man clogs and going to yoga twice a week?

Thankfully, I’ve calmed down, put the eye-rolling and snickering aside for a bit. I’ve started to read a little Deepak Chopra, some Tao of Physics, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I might want to know a little more about the mysterious side of the universe and listen to my intuitive side a bit more. I’m not sure where this thread is leading, but I’ve felt a little more calm and open to the world since I started. That’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

However, if I start participating in drum circles, painting my face, or ending my posts with "Namaste", please pour some Bourbon down my throat, put on some Slayer, and snap me the hell out of it.