For me, the best poetry stirs my soul; it awakens my spirit through its clarity and simplicity. Its purpose is clean, pointing me towards greater understanding of who I am in this world, or, even better, towards comprehension of the divine that indwells both this world and me. It is this comprehension, this movement towards the divine, that enables each of us to make this world better as we work for justice and an "acting-out" of the divine's attributes.
Much poetry that is published does not fall into this category for me. I find it bland; I struggle with the lines, struggle to make sense of it, and eventually give up. But every once in awhile I am rewarded with a rich vein of spirituality comes to me. William Simpson, spiritual master of the Conscious Living Foundation (www.consciouslivingfoundation.org) has provided this vein for me, in his recent book, From the Path: Verses on the Mystic Journey. The poems in this book are food for the soul, providing both inlet and outlet for contemporary journeying with the divine.
Mr. Simpson is well aware that spirituality is a journey, that one never arrives. Through his long years of meditation, Simpson has discerned that each of us is here for a purpose. For him, part of that purpose was to record these sixty-six poems "found" during the course of his summer meditations in 2004. (He also includes a helpful primer on "first steps," described on the back cover as "practical techniques for growth and transformation.")
While he wrote, he struggled with his self-with whether the poems made sense, or how it would end. This struggle demonstrates the reality of the spiritual life as we move between the two poles of doubt and faith, darkness and illumination.
This struggle is clearly scene, and enhanced for each of us, in several of his poems. For example, in "And So I Sit," Mr. Simpson details the difficulty in maintaining a spiritual practice: "Distracted and enticed by / Flaws and indiscretions / I am pulled away from / Your presence." The joy of knowing the divine is attested in "To Rest In You," even with the awareness that a glimpse of truth now is not the end of the journey: "What a relief to rest in You! / To let go of pain. / To let go of tension. / To just let go?. / And what of the world? / Terror and war." Finally, we learn in "Another Kind Of Love" that the path to the divine is learned and lived by love: "There is another kind of love. / One without an unfulfilled desire. / One that seeks no selfish end?. / When the best way / To get it- / Is to give it- / Purely. / There is another kind of love."
We can thank Mr. Simpson for showing us how to dance. It is up to each of us to follow his lead and enter into this mystic dance.
Jeremy M. Hoover is a freelance reviewer and proofreader. For a quote on proofreading, or to request a review, email Jeremy at jeremyhoover@gmail.com or visit his website, jeremyhoover@gmail.com.
maide service in Lincolnshire ..If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
Faith is the remarkable force that gives us the empowerment... Read More
Let Your Family and Friends Know That You Are A... Read More
We all sin. To avoid using the "s" word, we... Read More
Christianity: White man's religion?Martin Luther King referred to Sunday as... Read More
Being critical of Buddhism isn't easy.Buddhism is the most likable... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
There was a time in my life when I seriously... Read More
Presently, many of us live in uncertainty. Due to the... Read More
Inspirational author Vernon Howard wrote, "Would you be worried over... Read More
What is a Christian? According to The American Heritage? Dictionary... Read More
When we ask ourselves the question who am I in... Read More
We, a group of ordinary people who believe in Jesus... Read More
Job was a spiritual man who loved and obeyed God... Read More
Peter is a man after my own heart. I feel... Read More
With another year full of family events coming upon us,... Read More
There is a natural tendency to asociate spirituality with religion,... Read More
There is light at the end of the tunnel, but... Read More
As a Coach and Psychotherapist I have found that the... Read More
It was said that Caesar Augustus one night consulted his... Read More
We have to go through some unfortunate experiences sometimes in... Read More
My fiancee' and I frequent a restaurant in L.A. called... Read More
The atmosphere surrounding the earth is still a matter of... Read More
We are all here on this plane, thinking to ourselves... Read More
I am sure many of you reading this article have... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..Some may ask why in a disaster some people are... Read More
In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that... Read More
Matthew 3:7-10 John Rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees7 But when... Read More
Over the past number of years, while going through my... Read More
Years ago no matter where I lived, whether a house... Read More
One of the things I have had to deal with... Read More
The question isn't, "Is there life after death."Rather, the question... Read More
Let us face reality squarely in the face by acknowledging... Read More
Humanity is entering a very critical time in its path... Read More
Ecclesiasts 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and... Read More
What does the story of your life say about you?... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
"Let me take you down to a town called Paradise."Van... Read More
What the Animals Tell Us"I am the Sun's son. I... Read More
If I speak in the tongues of men and of... Read More
Good morning beloved,I always feel a need to let people... Read More
"I would rather regret some of my failures in life... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Even Pandora and her box come in two versions. In... Read More
Believe it or not most astral Attacks are not caused... Read More
The following fragment was found in Qumran along with the... Read More
"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being,... Read More
Malice is a great enemy to mankind. It is evil... Read More
As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
Self-actualization comes down to three basic premises: this is who... Read More
Spirituality |