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Loading... The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praiseby MartÃn Prechtel
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HTML:"Beautifully written and wise â?¦ [Martin Prechtel] offers stories that are precious and life-sustaining. Read carefully, and listen deeply."â??Mary Oliver, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Inspiring hope, solace, and courage in living through our losses, author MartÃn Prechtel, trained in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, shares profound insights on the relationship between grief and praise in our cultureâ??how the inability that many of us have to grieve and weep properly for the dead is deeply linked with the inability to give praise for living. In modern society, grief is something that we usually experience in private, alone, and without the support of a community. Yet, as Prechtel says, "Grief expressed out loud for someone we have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honors what it misses." Prechtel explains that the unexpressed grief prevalent in our society today is the reason for many of the social, cultural, and individual maladies that we are currently experiencing. According to Prechtel, "When you have two centuries of people who have not properly grieved the things that they have lost, the grief shows up as ghosts that inhabit their grandchildren." These "ghosts," he says, can also manifest as disease in the form of tumors, which the Maya refer to as "solidified tears," or in the form of behavioral issues and depression. He goes on to show how this collective, unexpressed energy is the long-held grief of our ancestors manifesting itself, and the work that can be done to liberate this energy so we can heal from the trauma of loss, war, and suffering. At base, this "little book," as the author calls it, can be seen as a companion of encouragement, a little extra light for those deep and noble parts No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)155.9Philosophy and Psychology Psychology Developmental And Differential Psychology Environmental psychologyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I can remember him clearly at eighty five, five years ago, out in his quarter-acre back garden, pushing the rototiller. That I might be growing my own food when I'm his age...
I borrowed this book from a friend back then. My partner and I have been slowly reading it aloud to each other since then, and just finished it.
It is the most concise of Prechtel's books. Like none other, Prechtel speaks to what it is to be human, in the fullest sense of the term. As the subtitle suggests, it is an exploration of grief and praise—two sides of the coin of remembrance and participation.
The book alternates between poignant stories and outright sermons on what does and doesn't work when it comes to the practice of grieving.Contrary to convention, grieving is not an optional or archaic rite; it is a demanding practice that is necessary to balance of the world in order.
Across my study of myth, there is something I'm learning about an older calculus of significance. Can you think of a fairytale or a parable where that which is forbidden isn't partaken? Beauty and sorrow are like this; they travel together. Grief and sorrow are not something to be avoided; in actuality, it is through their full range and expression that beauty and joy are fed. Grief is rich with meaning.
More than any other, it seems this book is an essential distillation of Prechtel's teachings. May it be a guide to you during these uncertain times. ( )