The aim of this book is to act as a stand-alone guide to, and practices for, Awakening and is mostly composed of articles, replies to questions and internet discussions on Awakening since the publication of Freedom From Anxiety and Needless Suffering. The thrust of the book is that the initial awakening which reveals that, in essence, we are Pure Awareness is very simple to obtain. Then this needs to be established by repeated awakenings due to the natural tendency to 'nod off' and re-identify oneself as a separate object in a universe of separate objects. When one is awake then anxiety and unnecessary mental suffering disappear, for these are caused by this misidentification which causes us to see each other, and the world, through a murky filter of self-interest, self-concern, self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, self-loathing, the list is almost endless. It is this world-view that causes the anxiety and mental suffering based on concern for the future and feeling we are bound by the past.

Poems of Awakening is an anthology in which poets speak about experiences of living joyfully in the moment and sensing themselves as part of what Walt Whitman calls a vast similitude which interlocks all". The book includes both ancient and modern works by Kabir, Hafiz, Shih-Te, Anna Swir, Walt Whitman, e.e. cummings, Wendell Berry, H.D., Mary Oliver, May Sarton, Li-Young Lee, Jane Hirshfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, Naomi Shihab Nye and many others.The sections of the book are organized to reflect a spiritual journey:I: My Body EffervescesII: A Deep QuietStillness and LightIII: Now I Become MyselfIV: Healing and RenewalV: May My Heart Always Be Open VI: How A Beautiful Day is SpentVII: The All-Surrounding GracePraise for Poems of Awakening: In todays world, we all need many sources of inspiration, and Betsy Smalls Poems of Awakening is a deep one. The poems, and the feelings they evoke, appeal to the best part of ourselves. Highly recommended for yoga practitioners and anyone who aspires to continue to live with an open, joyousheart in the midst of challenges. Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D, PT, yoga teacher since 1971 and author of eight books including Yogabody: Anatomy, Kinesiology"Poems of Awakening is a carefully chosen collection of inspiring poetry from all over the globe. These poemshelp me remember what is true and real."Danna Faulds, poet and dedicated practitioner of Kripalu Yoga, and author of four books of yoga poetry: Go In and In; One Soul; Prayers to the Infinite; andFrom Root to Bloom As a Senior Kripalu Yoga Teacher I teach that one must first set the tone for each yoga class and findingjust the right reading or poem can at times be a task. Betsy Smalls, Poems of Awakening takes the stress out of finding the right poem for a class or any occasion. Her innovative ?Çÿlinked sets guide the reader to the sense of spirit they are seeking. This is a beautiful work compiled by an effervescent yogini. Maya Breuer, Director, Santosha School of Yoga, In the Kripalu Tradition As a practitioner and teacher of yoga and meditation, it is exactly the kind of book Ive been lookingfor. Leza Lowitz, author of Yoga Poems, Lines to Unfold By Betsy Smalls prodigious collection of poems is a treasure. . . The poems touch the heart, invite self-examinationand welcome profound emotional response. Betsy has organized her anthology in sets of poems that reflect her own spiritual journey, summoning the reader to travel a poetic path of deep awareness and personal growth. Peggy Osna Heller, MSW, Ph.D., poetry therapist and author of Word Arts Collage: A Poetry Therapy Memoir What a joy it is to find so many beautiful, moving, edifying poems in one place! Al Zolynas, poet and editor of The Poetry of Mens Lives Poems of Awakening is a gift to yourself and all those you love and serve. Amy Weintraub, authorof Yoga for Depression and founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute

A guide to, and practices for, Awakening composed of articles, replies to questions and discussions since the publication of 'Freedom From Anxiety and Needless Suffering'. Its thrust is that the initial awakening which reveals that, in essence, we are Pure Awareness is very simple to obtain. Then this needs to be established by repeated awakenings due to the natural tendency to 'nod off' and re-identify oneself as a separate object in a universe of separate objects. When one is awake then anxiety and unnecessary mental suffering disappear, for these are caused by this misidentification which causes us to see each other, and the world, through a murky filter of self-interest, self-concern, self-promotion, self-loathing etc. On Awakening one discovers that there truly is no separate self and this filter is removed allowing us to see the world 'as it is' with no self-concern for the future or past. This gives a great ease and lightness of being which is (en)lightenment in the literal sense of the word...

This book is a stand-alone guide to, and practices for, Awakening and is composed of poems based on articles in 'Ripples In The Lake Of Eternity', which are themselves based on new discoveries, replies to questions and internet discussions on Awakening. The thrust of the book is that the initial awakening which reveals that, in essence, we are Pure Awareness is very simple to obtain. Then this needs to be established by repeated awakenings due to the natural tendency to 'nod off' and re-identify oneself as a separate object in a universe of separate objects. When one is awake then anxiety and unnecessary mental suffering disappear, for these are caused by this misidentification which causes us to see each other, and the world, through a murky filter of self-interest, self-concern, self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, self-loathing, the list is almost endless. It is this world-view that causes the anxiety and mental suffering based on concern for the future and feeling we are bound by the past

Poetry

Mark Nepo is emerging as one of the truly significant writers and thinkers of today. Nepo has a singular way of distilling great truths down to their essence. Moreover, during his cancer journey, Nepo relied on the power of expression and the writing process to keep him tethered to life. In Reduced to Joy, Mark Nepo explores the places where pain and joy are stitched to resilience, uncovering them with deep wisdom, poetic passages and personal revelations. Nepo reminds us all of the secret and sacred places within, forgotten in the noise and chatter of our busy distracted 21st Century lives. Reduced to Joy is a lesson in stillness, in standing in the mystery and, above all, in the work of love.

THE DAY OF AWAKENING is a book of revelation and Self-discovery, challenging our misconceptions and inviting our self-inquiry. It deals with states of awakening to mystical consciousness and the true nature of man. It speaks of the path of initiation and includes examples of the highs and lows of every man's earnest endeavor to accommodate and adjust to himself as he goes through the inevitable changes encountered on the way to Self-realization. But before we can proceed on the path of enlightenment, there are aspects of the spiritual life that need to be understood, facets of every righteous man's journey, about which he may entertain false concepts and universal beliefs, such as: this world, healing, supply, mind, and body. In this book, a Mystic's Manual, all these are dealt with, as well as aspects of belief that assail man: what is Law, the effects of karma, understanding the nature of God, error, and prayer; meditation, forgiveness, and the truth of Individual Being. It contains the wisdom of the ages in simple, contemporary parable, poetry, and illustration, interwoven with Scripture. Like a germinating seed breaching the confines and limitations of its shell, it is the Call of Awakening, leaving us ultimately with no choice but to respond to the irresistible unfoldment of Soul, whose revelations of the moment lead man to an understanding of the truth of his being and his oneness with God. Life then becomes an awareness of the Living Word and not just words, such that thereafter everything speaks.

The main aim of this book is to act as a stand-alone guide to Awakening; which is synonymous with Enlightenment when maintained. The title comes from a photo I took of the sunrise over the ocean which a friend suggested I use as for the cover. This book is composed of articles, resulting from my further investigations (and contemplations) into the nature of Reality. The thrust of the book is that beneath the surface appearance of thoughts (including all mental activity) and sensations there is a deeper level of being, which is the perceiver of these. The former are a flow of fleeting objects whereas the latter, which is the Awareness of these, is a constant conscious subjective presence. This is the only constant that has been (with) you since you were born and that which has witnessed your entire life. So this is what you actually are rather than the ever changing body/mind in which these thoughts and sensations have occurred.

The aim of this book is to act as a stand-alone guide to, and practices for, realizing and loving the Source (Pure Consciousness)and is composed of new articles and replies to questions since the publication of 'The Simplicity of Awakening'. The thrust of the book is that the initial awakening which reveals that, in essence, we are Pure Awareness is very simple to obtain. This needs to be established by repeated awakenings due to the natural tendency to ?nod off? and re-identify oneself as a separate object in a universe of separate objects. When one is awake then anxiety and unnecessary mental suffering disappear, for these are caused by misidentification which causes us to see the world through a murky filter of self-interest, -concern, -promotion, -aggrandizement, -loathing, the list is almost endless. It is this that causes the anxiety and mental suffering based on concern for the future and feeling we are bound by the past. The book also contains practices for developing and feeling love for the Absol

During the past thirty years, the editors of the Hudson Review have observed a trend among some of the best literary essayists and reviewers to situate their criticism in a deeply personal manner as opposed to the theoretical, technocratic work being produced in many literary and academic publications. Over time, the Hudson Review became a home for this kind of accessible, memoirist writing. Literary Awakenings collects eighteen essays published over the last three decades that celebrate the writer’s relationship with literature, one that is deeply shaped by experience and remembrance. The essays gathered here recall disparate awakenings to the influence of literature and discoveries of the many ways in which it enriches nearly every aspect of our lives. Antonio Muñoz Molina describes his education as a writer and a citizen as a form of protest against Franco’s totalitarian regime in Spain. Drawing upon Huckleberry Finn, Wendell Berry meditates on the impulse to escape that literature often invokes, and Judith Pascoe’s tribute to Clarissa confesses to the appeal of reading select literature that initiates one into an exclusive coterie of people. What unites these diverse contributions is the joy of appreciation, the pleasures of engaging with literature.