Writing Retreat Day 1: Exiled from the City of Poems
“But poetry — which awakens our senses, frees us from the tyranny of literal meaning and assures us of the credible reality of emotional truth — puts us in touch with something bigger than language, …
Gardening season and its discontents
The poetry of planting a garden–and lines of verse Each summer I imagine that I will spend my days writing and gardening. That’s an idyllic combination – theoretically at least. Sadly, gardening is not my …
Mother Daughter Dreaming
After dementia, a conversation begins A few years ago, while clearing out my mother’s closets in anticipation of moving her to an Alzheimer’s unit in an assisted living facility, I found some of her diaries. Sitting amongst the pile …
Dreaming Toward Bliss
A gift in the night I’d like to tell you a dream I had. I know, you don’t like to hear about other people’s dreams. You think they’re long, and you have no idea what …
Where Om’s Meet Z’s: Dreamwork as Meditation
A mindful approach to dreamwork In classical meditation, we sit and observe the contents of our minds without judgment. We notice when thoughts arise, but we don’t engage with them, and we wach as they …
Packing to Move and Unpacking Dreams
Q&A: Do all dreams have meaning? A ‘Sleepy Skeptic’ wants to know. Q: I’ve heard you say that everything in a dream has meaning, but I’m not sure I believe it. Some of my dreams …
First Book: One Thousand and One Nights Worth of Questions
Dreams, Narrative, and The Meaning of Life Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, by Salman Rushdie. (2015, Penguin Random House) In honor of the holiday season, a few weeks back, I had dinner with …