Clear Mind, Wild Heart

"In the middle of the road of my life I awoke in a dark wood, where the true way was wholly lost." When you find yourself without bearings, as Dante Alighieri voiced so well centuries ago, where will you look for guidance? Throughout the ages, teaches David Whyte, the language of poetry has held the power to lend us courage ... to give us the vision of those who endured ... and to hazard ourselves boldly at the "fierce edges" of our lives. On "Clear Mind, Wild Heart" you will join this acclaimed poet and teacher to engage with the poetic imagination as your companion and guide for the difficult terrain we are all traversing.

Poetry, teaches Whyte, offers immediate and powerful tools unique from any other tradition. It can help us to see beyond the fragile surfaces of our lives, open us to the universal cycles and patterns that shape our lives, and awaken our conversation with what has been called the Untouchable, the Numinous, or the Eternal.

"Clear Mind, Wild Heart" guides you into the wellspring of this living poetic tradition through six hours of exploration and poetry with David Whyte, including the verses of such inspired voices as Emily Dickinson, William Blake, W. B. Yeats, Marina Tsvetayeva, Rainer Maria Rilke, Antonio Machado, and others. Through their words, you will discover how to "apprentice yourself to beauty" and find a place of belonging where you can hold loss and grief, the challenges of change, and the wonder of new discovery and adventure.

"The language of poetry takes us outside of our small selves and calls us to look at ourselves and the world with open eyes," teaches David Whyte. Whether you are a lifelong poetry lover or new to its insights and pleasures, "Clear Mind, Wild Heart" is an inspiring guide to answering that call.

"Clear Mind, Wild Heart" highlights:

Finding the courage to hazard yourself in the world
Emily Dickinson on the "aliveness" of words
Conversing with the unknowable
The harvest of your attention
How the language of poetry teaches us a relationship with silence
Goethes "Holy Longing"
Apprenticing yourself to beauty
Blakes reflections on innocence and experience
Creating a "house of belonging" through speech and imagination
Work: pilgrimage into identity
Who are you? How presence shrives you of your old identity
Encountering the visitations of loss, grief, and defeat
The poetic spirit in marriage, parenting, and friendship
Six hours of exploration, as taught in David Whytes acclaimed seminars and retreats

In my view, the language of transformation has been devalued by the self-help industry. It's been so bled of meaning or beauty or both that it's of no use to any of us anymore.

Whyte has directed me towards a language that'll always have blood in its veins, and that's sharp still - the language in poetry. There're no easy slogans here, no pastiched wisdom. Nor are there any gags or attention-grabbers or bullet-points of formulaic action. Whyte just rolls on like a sea lapping steadily at the shore; he gives the listener an ocean of language to contemplate, to immerse themselves in - it's up to you to find what you need for whatever transformation you're currently attempting. His words are generous, intelligent, considered, and often deeply moving. Plus there are dozens of "eureka!" moments to be had: one of mine was when I first heard him say, "I think that boredom is a failure of the imagination." Another was when he introduced then read Yeats' poem "Song of wandering Aengus."
He's not saying much that's new - but he speaks with an eloquence that has woken me up. And he has a lovely voice, and speaks with a soothing cadence.

Buy these CDs. It's worth it.