The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present in the Life You Have - Softcover

Mark Nepo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857386913 ISBN 13: 9780857386915

Publisher: Quercus Books, 2011

Designed as a companion and soul-friend, this is a book of marvels woven from the author's own story, stories of others' struggles with their humanness, and truths from the great wisdom traditions. A series of daily reflections, The Book of Awakening is a guidebook for a new journey of the soul. Each entry is a work of art, accompanied by a practice that makes for a completely original call to awaken the mind and the senses.

Review:

The time when we walk in the shadow of death is, ironically, a time when we feel illuminated by life's true meaning. Poet and philosopher Mark Nepo has firsthand experience with this mystery--he had cancer. During his arduous recovery, he sought inspiration and guidance that would reflect his growing appreciation of life. Although this daybook is exactly what Nepo longed for as he struggled with a difficult disease, , it can be appreciated by all readers.

This collection of essays, one for every day from January 1 through December 30, offers a poet's sensibility and sensuality and gives the reader Nepo's well-harvested wisdom. "Water reflects everything it encounters," Nepo writes in a May 5 essay. "This is so commonplace that we think water is blue, when in fact it has no color.... But the water, the glorious water everywhere, has taught me that we are more than what we reflect or love. This is the work of compassion: to embrace everything clearly without imposing who we are and without losing who we are." After each entry, Nepo offers a short list of suggestions or questions to help carry the essay into the day. There are many inspirational daybooks out there. What sets this one apart is the mature poet's voice rising from a seasoned soul. --Gail Hudson

About the Author:

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over thirty years. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.

• Publisher: Quercus Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0857386913
• ISBN 13: 9780857386915
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 436