The Welsh have a tradition of honoring the winner of their National Eisteddfod poetry competitions with with a custom made chair. These chairs are works of art, many of them, thrones dedicated to their great poets.
Several known chairs from the last century and a half have gone missing, however. This is a fascinating half-hour documentary of one poet’s search for those lost chairs, especially for the chairs awarded to Dewi Emrys, the only poet to have been awarded four chairs.
The video is in the Welsh language, with English subtitles, making it that much more of a cultural adventure.
I posted this on the Poetry Chaikhana’s Facebook page over the weekend, but I thought I should share it here, as well. This is a video of the actress Ashley Judd reciting a poem by a 19-year-old young woman about “Nasty Women.” As she speaks this poem, she stalks across the stage and channeling the shared experience of outrage combined with a renewed spirit of self-assertion. It is blunt, the language and imagery will be uncomfortable for many. But I share it for this reason: This poem, and the way it is delivered, is undeniably powerful. This poem has become one of the focal points of this massive movement. Refusing to mince words, this poem gives voice to the feelings of so many women who participated in this weekend’s events.
That is the power of poetry. Crystalizing and magnifying the sense of identity and purpose within the collective awareness.
Whether or not you like the poem or the mood it represents, I encourage you to watch in order to see the power of poetry as it operates within society.
A short video in which I discuss poetry, mysticism, and transformation, exploring ideas, such as–
– There is something inherently esoteric in all poetry
– Poetry is the natural language of mystical experience
– Poetry affects thought patterns and rhythm of breath
– Poetry and trance
– Poetry is built of words, which are built of breath
– We participate in the poet’s breath
– Poetry can convey sacred experience directly
From a 2008 interview with Ivan M. Granger by the Ecstatic Arts and Theater Project
Links:
https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com
The Poetry Chaikhana
Poetry from all the world’s great religious and spiritual traditions. Explore by poet, tradition, theme, or timeline.
https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Publications/The_Longing_In_Between/
The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World
An anthology of sacred poetry edited with commentary by Ivan M. Granger — including this haiku by Issa.
Theme Music by The Yuval Ron Ensemble. Used by permission.
A reading of ekphrastic haiku in both Irish and English by Gabriel Rosenstock. “Ekphrastic” poetry is poetry inspired by art. Each haiku is accompanied by a painting that inspired it.
These will make you pause and think… and chuckle, some of them.
Part 2 of my conversation with Jerry Katz on sacred poetry and nonduality. Tasty stuff!
Nonduality Talk Radio – Host Jerry Katz in conversation with Ivan M. Granger, founder of Poetry Chaikhana (www.poetry-chaikhana.com) and author of The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World.
– Part 2: The centrality of longing within the spiritual journey. Sacred poetry lets one see the mystic heart of all religions. Poetry as the natural language of mystic insight. Poems by: Gabriel Rosenstock, Elizabeth Reninger, Lalla, and Ivan M. Granger.
Originally aired 1/7/2015
https://nonduality.org/2015/01/07/5269-ivan-m-granger/
More about Ivan M. Granger and Poetry Chaikhana:
https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com
…Part 1 https://youtu.be/z0-2WzycE2o includes a discussion of what defines “sacred poetry.” The alchemical nature of poetry. Metaphor as the language of sacred poetry. Poetry selections by Mahmud Shabistari (Persia, 14th century) and Kobayashi Issa (Japan, 19th century), with an exploration of the insight they can evoke in us.
…Part 2:
00:00 – 7:01 Poet Gabriel Rosenstock discussed. His haiku read and contemplated. The centrality of longing within the spiritual journey. Mysticism as “the science of longing.”
7:01 – 13:28 Poets Dorothy Walters and Elizabeth Reninger discussed. Ivan reads one of Elizabeth’s poems, Bird Bath. Assent and ascent.
13:28 – 14:20 Ivan talks about doing poetry readings.
14:20 – 18:17 Ivan reads a poem from Lalla and discusses it in relation to his own searching. Two types of longing: Longing that pulls us out of ourselves, and longing that “leads you right into your own feet.”
18:17 – 21:15 Ivan reads one of his poems, Parched, and talks about it. He also reads his poem Holy Ground and expands on its meaning in relation to the experience of emptiness rather than a structure of some sort.
21:15 – 28:33 Ivan talks about sacred poetry as culturally important, especially with regard to religion, as it lets one see the mystic heart of all religions. Poetry as the natural language of mystic insight.
An excellent discussion by Gabriel Rosenstock on how haiku helps to tame that monkey mind and opens us to wonder of life… all in Irish (with English subtitles).
Oh, and we get paper airplanes delivering kamikaze poetry too!
The video version of my recent interview on Nonduality Talk Radio. I hope you enjoy it!
Nonduality Talk Radio – Host Jerry Katz in conversation with Ivan M. Granger, founder of Poetry Chaikhana (www.poetry-chaikhana.com) and author of The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World.
Part 1 topics: Is all poetry sacred poetry? The alchemical nature of poetry. Metaphor as the language of sacred poetry. Poetry selections by Mahmud Shabistari (Persia, 14th century) and Kobayashi Issa (Japan, 19th century), with an exploration of the insight they can evoke in us.
Originally aired 1/7/2015
https://nonduality.org/2015/01/07/5269-ivan-m-granger/
More about Ivan M. Granger and Poetry Chaikhana:
https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com
00:00 – 5:10 Introduction. Purpose and nature of Poetry Chaikhana. Ivan’s perspective on sacred poetry as personal, conversational, and mystically inclined.
5:10 – 7:56 Ivan’s view of sacred poetry as alchemical more than intellectual.
7:56 – 12:33 What is sacred poetry?
12:33 – 16:52 Ivan reads a poem by Shabistari and comments.
16:52 – 20:28 Coleman Barks discussed. Ivan’s desire to introduce the public to great sacred poetry besides the few that are well known such as those by Rumi. How Ivan started the Poetry Chaikhana project.
20:28 – 24:58 Ivan talks about his own poetry and writing journey, especially the nature of metaphors in sacred poetry.
24:58 – 30:24 Ivan reads and discusses a haiku by Issa.
…Part 2 includes a discussion of the importance of sacred poetry during periods of religious conflict, along with several poems by modern poet-mystics.
I am really pleased to announce the first poem video from my collection Real Thirst.
Actually, this is my first video ever. I had a delightful time figuring out how to do everything. I discovered, for example, the fascinating world of royalty-free audio clips and sound effects. Virtually any type of sound you can imagine is available; the challenge is to unleash the imagination, to hear the empty spaces and imagine which sound wants to fill that space. It is like creating a painting with sound.
I had fun putting it all together over a couple of afternoons… a handful of images, use of camera pans, sounds and music, text, voice, a few added effects, all layered and woven together to tell a story, or evoke a visionary dream.
I hope this short video inspires and brings a smile.
Let me know what you think. And please feel free to share this video around on the Internet.
A couple more videos to come, as time (and creativity) allow…
The creators of this animated piece describe it as, “A visual poetry, animated and directed by Pouya Afshar and Will Kim. This film was made at UCLA animation workshop in 2007.”
I hope you enjoy this meditative animated collage.
Following this morning’s post on Sachal Sarmast, a friend from Pakistan shared this video with me from Sachal Studios — a reinterpretation of the classic jazz piece “Take Five,” made famous by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Even if you don’t know the name of the song, you’ll probably recognize the melody. But something about hearing it played with sitar and tabla just makes you want to smile… and maybe get up and dance!
Apparently this has become one of the top selling musical downloads on iTunes. Once you’ve listened to it, you’ll see why.
In recent years, the movie industry in Pakistan has been struggling. And many of the country’s best studio musicians once employed in the industry have been forced to find new outlets for their talents. This is one of the more delightful examples. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Maybe it’s worth a trip to iTunes…