Healing Power of Poetry

I remembered the first time I discovered David Whyte‘s reading of his own poems and those of Mary Oliver‘s. It was an exhilarating experience. His words touched one’s thinking and feelings at multiple levels and it takes you to a whole different world – a spiritual world separated from the physical world we live in; a world where you experience tranquility and joy; a world where everything is connected and everything is trying to tell you something that makes your human experience wholesome and pure; a place where you want to dwell for a while and come back again and again to experience life in new ways.

It’s been a while since I last visited David’s poetry reading. I recently had a shoulder injury. In the healing process, I remembered how powerful David’s poetry readings are. So I returned to his poetry reading and I want to share some his readings here with anyone looking to heal, to de-stress, to start something new, and to have the desire to become a better human being. I hope that you find the same Joy in listening to his poetry reading and discussion as I did.

Poetry of self-compassion

” One day you finally knew
what you had to do…
…
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do —
determined to save
the only life that you could save.”

by Mary Oliver, The Journey