Nov 29 2023
Holiday Book Recommendations – 2023
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I know it is a challenging time in the world. Things might feel off kilter. But this is also a special time of the year. It is a holy time, a time to recall what is sacred. It is a time to reconnect with what illuminates our minds and awakens our hearts. We enter the cave of interior awareness during this darkest period of the winter and rediscover the light within ourselves, renewing ourselves for the new year. I thought this might be a good time share this meditation on the relationship between poetry and spirituality from the Introduction in my book The Longing in Between. Mystics write poetry, universally. Saints and sages, shamans and seers, wise women and medicine men — they sing songs, they riddle, they rhyme. Numinous experiences are not easily communicated through words. The sacred can be witnessed and participated in, but not conveyed through limited concepts. Any attempt to communicate what is perceived in states of encompassing unity and mental quiet is necessarily an act of translation. Prose is a poor medium for the task. Its descriptive language works best with known definitions and accepted meaning. Prose is a language of boundaries. Yet the most profound experiences refuse to be contained. Poetry, on the other hand, does not define; it suggests. Where prose describes, poetry allows meaning to gather. It is this elastic nature that makes poetry well suited to the sacred, enabling language to relay truth without circumscribing it. Sacred experience is beyond word and form, yet the limited mind, in trying to understand what it has witnessed, reflexively interprets its experience in terms of the world known to the senses. What emerges is a primal language of metaphor, a rich and spontaneous pidgin that develops between the limited mind and the unlimited awareness. Bliss, perceived through the senses as sweetness upon the palate, evokes the taste of honey. The mystic’s trembling ecstasy, accompanied by the sense of imbibing an ethereal drink, leads to language of wine and drunkenness. Profound stillness and the perception of an all-pervading light paints before the mind’s eye scenes of the full moon glowing quietly above the resting landscape at midnight. The fiery rising of the Kundalini paired with the loss of ego inspires verses on the moth’s ecstatic annihilation in fire. Regardless of culture and religious tradition, mystics everywhere fill their songs with these same metaphors. In mundane perception, when everyone and everything is seen as separate and isolated, at most one can speak in simile, recognizing that one thing is like another. In that mind-set, metaphor is merely artistic pretense. But to the seer, enraptured by the holistic vision of reality as a fluid interconnectedness, one thing truly is another. Metaphor ceases to be a literary device or a dramatic mode of expression; it is observed reality. It is from this visionary metaphor that sacred poetry is born. |
It has been a two or three years since I last sent out a list of poetry books as suggestions for holiday gifts. I thought I should revive that annual tradition!
Poetry Chaikhana Publications
Of course, first we have to list Poetry Chaikhana’s publications! The Poetry Chaikhana has published several collections of poetry.
- Some are anthologies accompanied by my commentary, like The Longing in Between and This Dance of Bliss. (I am stunned that, years after its initial publication, The Longing in Between continues to appear in the top 100 of Amazon’s best selling poetry anthologies, alongside many classics and popular new collections.)
- Honestly, I think Gabriel Rosenstock has given us a masterpiece of crazy wisdom and creative insight with Haiku Enlightenment. This book should be read in college classrooms, shared through haiku associations, and contemplated in Zen meditation groups everywhere.
- A couple of years ago the Poetry Chaikhana published The Awakened One, a fascinating dialog of sorts between classical Japanese haiku masters and contemporary haikuists from cultures and countries all over the world. The perfect taste of haiku ancient and modern.
- Marrow of Flame is a pure delight! An enlightening collection of poetry born of personal awakening by Dorothy Walters. She was a friend and mentor who passed away in her 90s last year. Her poetry continues to find ways to speak to the awakening heart.
- I still find sweet surprises in the pages of Real Thirst, poems I had forgotten, turns of phrase that startle, though, supposedly, I was their author. A good sampler of my own early poetry and translations.
- Probably the most overlooked Poetry Chaikhana publication, but perhaps the one that I return to most often personally, is Gathering Silence, which brings together many of my meditative sayings, ‘thoughts for the day’ and snippets of poetry to form a single voice of insight that is not always my own. Vibrant collage-like artwork of Rashani Réa throughout makes it a pleasure to gaze at any page.
To satisfy that longing (or awaken it)…
In many ways this is my most personal publication, combining favorite soul-inspiring poems from the world’s great religious and spiritual traditions, accompanied by the thoughts, meditations, commentary, and occasional tangents that have been central to the Poetry Chaikhana poem emails for years. Selections from Rumi, Whitman, Kabir, Machado, Issa, Teresa of Avila, Dickinson, Blake, Yunus Emre, John of the Cross, Lalla, and many others. These are poems of seeking and awakening… and the longing in between. “The Longing in Between is a work of sheer beauty. Ivan M. Granger has done a great service, not only by bringing [these poems] to public attention, but by opening their deeper meaning with his own rare poetic and mystic sensibility.”
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the moon Michael McClintock
with every gust Basho
the body of the Buddha Issa
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heavenly mystery . . . Imaizumi Sogetsu-ni
sudden wind Olivier Schopfer (Switzerland)
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Dorothy Walters explores the spiritual journey through its ecstasies, struggles, and vistas. Each step is observed with the keen insight and clear voice of a modern woman who is both a skilled poet and genuine mystic. | |
“Poetry has an immediate effect on the mind. The simple act of reading poetry alters thought patterns and the shuttle of the breath. Poetry induces trance. Its words are chant. Its rhythms are drumbeats. Its images become the icons of the inner eye. Poetry is more than a description of the sacred experience; it carries the experience itself.”
A Sampling of Sufi Wisdom…
Something about Andrew Harvey’s selections and translations always strike a pure note. This book is a delightful collection of poetry and Sufi wisdom stories. Rumi, Kabir, al-Hallaj, Shabistari, Ansari… This is one I return to again and again. |
I read this book early in my exploration of Sufi poetry — and I was hooked! Abu Said Abil-Kheir’s poetry ranges from the ecstatic and celestial, to struggles with abandonment. His poetry has an immediacy and even a sort of devoutly wry petulance. This book remains a personal favorite of mine. |
For the wise woman…
This is the first anthology I got years ago that made me say, Wow! Includes Sappho, Rabia, Yeshe Tsogyel, Hildegard von Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Antwerp, Lalla, Mirabai, Bibi Hayati, Marina Tsvetaeva. The best collection I’ve found of women’s voices in sacred poetry. |
Not really a poetry collection, but this was the book that first introduced me to the fierce and passionate poetry of the great Kali devotees, like Ramprasad and Kalamakanta. Elisabeth Harding has done a beautiful job of gathering together Kali lore and presenting it to a primarily Western audience, while remaining reverent toward Kali and traditions of Kali worship. She discusses the traditional symbolism of Kali and the shocking, violent images associated with Her. Kali emerges in the reader’s mind as the loving destroyer of illusion, ecstatic slayer of demonic qualities. |
For illumination…
This is a compact anthology, but a wonderful collection that includes Li Po, Wu-Men, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, Rilke… And the added bonus of Stephen Mitchell’s way with words. One of my personal favorites. |
I keep recommending this year after year. It is a beautiful gift book with excerpts of Rumi’s poetry accompanied by amazing digital collage artwork that draws you deeply into each page. This book entrances on several levels. An excellent gift book. |
For the Christian contemplative…
This is the book that, years ago, introduced me to the stunning poetry of Symeon the New Theologian, igniting my passion for his visionary poetry of light and transformation. You’ll also find poems and poetic renditions of writings from many other saints and mystics of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Still a favorite of mine. |
I can’t recommend this collection highly enough. Merton, in addition to being a deep mystic, was a truly excellent contemporary poet. His poems feel entirely modern, yet touch on the eternal. While drawing on Catholic imagery, one can hear whispers of Eastern philosophy and insight in his words. Poems to reread and meditate deeply upon. |
I was introduced to the divine love poetry of the Flemish mystic Hadewijch in the excellent anthology Women in Praise of the Sacred, edited by Jane Hirshfield. I knew I had encountered a something amazing, but the sampling in that book was frustratingly small. I finally found this book with the complete works of this mysterious Beguine spiritual figure — visions, letters, and a beautiful collection of sacred poetry. The love mysticism of her poetry rightly draws comparisons to the rich traditions of Sufi and Bhakti poetry. |
For the Jewish mystic…
The most complete collection I’ve found of sacred Hebrew poetry, including Judah ha Levi, Solomon ibn Gabirol, Samuel Hanagid, the early Hekhalot Hymns, and many more. My only complaint: the translations in this encyclopedic collection are not versified, even though the Hebrew originals were. I still love it simply because it pointed me in a dozen enlightening different directions. |
Finally we have a truly excellent collection of sacred Jewish poetry. While T. Carmi’s Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse is more comprehensive, Cole’s The Poetry of Kabbalah has more of a poet’s sense of language and even catches of few sparks from the mystic’s fire. This is poetry that startles and transports. The Poetry of Kabbalah has become my favorite source for Jewish mystical poetry in English. |
A moment of Zen…
Although best known for his Zen discourses and his role establishing Zen practice in Japan, Dogen was an exceptional poet too. Quiet moments of insight expressed in a bare minimum of lines. One of my favorites. |
A good collection without being overwhelming. I especially like it’s selection of Japanese haiku: Basho, Buson, Issa, Masahide… |
A friend introduced me to this collection, and I was entranced. Muso Soseki is known today for establishing rock gardening as meditative Zen practice, but his poetry — wonderful! And with translations by WS Merwin, you can’t ask for more! |
Artist, Therapist, Shaman…
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Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making By John Fox |
Not a book of poetry, but a book that belongs on every poetry lover’s bookshelf. This is a book about the transformational nature of poetry – reading it, speaking it, writing it. Poetry as therapy. Poetry as a pathway to self-exploration. Poetry to rediscover your true voice. I was surprised how much I liked this book.
Transcendent Hindu verses…
This book became an immediate favorite of mine ever since I picked up a copy of it a few years ago. Stunning poems from the Shiva bhakti tradition of India. Basava, Devara Dasimayya, Akka Mahadevi, Allama Prabhu. The commentary in the book, though a little academic, is genuinely insightful. Enthusiastically recommended! |
Andrew Schelling’s translations embody that tension between heartbreak and ecstasy that runs through all of Mirabai’s poetry. These poems can be read as love poems or as spiritual poems — but, of course, they are both. A lovely collection. |
And for blessings…
I keep being told by people how much they love this book of poetic blessings from the Irish philosopher, poet, and mystic, John O’Donohue. These poetically crafted blessings and meditations on the passages of life manage to elevate the spirit, warm the heart, and, on occasion, bring a tear to the eye. |
For even more book recommendations, click here.
(Every year my list gets longer. Even so, I had to leave off so many amazing books.)
Let’s remember that, in the midst of winter’s dark, this is the time to renew the light — within ourselves and our world. Regardless of religion, may we recognize our shared brotherhood and sisterhood within the human family, all within the lap of the generous green earth that is our home.
I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season — and that the new year offers you new life and new inspiration!
Ivan
Ivan – I just recently bought The Longing in Between, and am enjoying reading it – slowly – at night before sleep, hoping to absorb it all deeply 🙂 Reading your commentary on Whitman’s poem, “What is the grass?” – you say “…..he watches it all – the beauty and the suffering, everything unfolding… within himself. It is all him. It is all in the scope of his being…. Through integration we gain a new vision. We see not life with its end in death, but a living, organic flow of life becoming life becoming life: a perpetual vision of self-renewal… The grass, the growth of new life, draws even the most premature and unjust deaths into a realm of wholeness and continuity. The vision, which has made room for death [is] understood as part of a greater unfolding of life….” This is so timely for what is currently going on in our world. Thank you!