“The blessing of the morning light to you, may it find you even in your invisible appearances, may you be seen to have risen from some other place you know and have known in the darkness and that that carries all you need. May you see what is hidden in you as a place of hospitality and shadowed shelter, may what is hidden in you become your gift to give, may you hold that shadow to the light and the silence of that shelter to the word of the light, may you join all of your previous disappearances with this new appearance, this new morning, this being seen again, new and newly alive.” ~ David Whyte
I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I felt to hear David Whyte recite this poem within a few feet of where I sat, deeply moved and mesmerized by words that created an opening, a way in to both known and unknown places within.
The Art & Practice of Shaping a More Beautiful Mind with David Whyte was held on the first day of spring, March 2024, at the University of Alberta. There was something about being back in a lecture room that almost required taking notes, but that was soon abandoned as I listened to one of my favourite poets speak about possibility, horizons, vulnerability, and more, all with a focus on the art of asking beautiful questions of ourselves:
“How narrow is the dimensionality of my life?” and “How do I get beyond the conversation I have made for myself – or that others have made for me?”
DW spoke about routine, using examples of routines as rituals that an artist or anyone may begin the day with or at the start of a new painting, poem, etc. Those are all good, but there are also others who maintain rigid routines as a means of keeping heartbreak away…
“There’s not a sincere path you can take in life without heartbreak in it. So why not do something you care about?”
I loved the story that David Whyte told about his mother, who always seemed to have time for down-trodden strangers. As a young boy, he remembered seeing these strangers in their kitchen; his mother would feed them or just listen to their story. One day he asked her why she was so kind and compassionate to these hard-luck folks, and she replied, “I always act and treat them as if I already know the beginning of their story…”
The time went by too quickly, and soon we were standing in line, hoping to buy one of just a few copies of his books on the table. Yay – I did! and was also able to extend a sincere “thank you!” to this profoundly wise poet/philosopher whose works I’ve loved for years.
From the inside cover: “Davide Whyte… is particularly interested in the way the invisible elements of human life converse with our visible endeavors, and the poem and essays brought together in Essentials read as eloquent dispatches in the manner of an explorer, shining light in unexpected places.”
All my favourite David Whyte poems are in this book. I highly recommend a copy of your own.
