Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations
by Richard Wagamese
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"Life sometimes is hard. There are challenges. There are difficulties. There is pain. As a younger man I sought to avoid them and only ever caused myself more of the same. These days I choose to face life head on—and I have become a comet. I arc across the sky of my life and the harder times are the friction that lets the worn and tired bits drop away. It's a good way to travel; eventually I will wear away all resistance until all there is left of me is light. I can live towards that show more end.—Richard Wagamese, EmbersIn this carefully curated selection of everyday reflections, Richard Wagamese finds lessons in both the mundane and sublime as he muses on the universe, drawing inspiration from working in the bush—sawing and cutting and stacking wood for winter as well as the smudge ceremony to bring him closer to the Creator. Embers is perhaps Richard Wagamese's most personal volume to date. Honest, evocative, and articulate, he explores the various manifestations of grief, joy, recovery, beauty, gratitude, physicality, and spirituality—concepts many find hard to express. But for Wagamese, spirituality is multifaceted. Within these pages, listeners will find hard-won and concrete wisdom on how to feel the joy in the everyday things. Wagamese does not seek to be a teacher or guru, but these observations made along his own journey to become, as he says, "a spiritual bad-ass," make inspiring reading.
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The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
This is a very thought-provoking (and VERY quotable) book. It would probably be best read as something to be savored; something to read one or two pages a day over morning coffee, and let the wisdom journey with you throughout the day.
(I was unable to do that... I kept finding myself drawn back to it, and once I was reading, I wanted to continually read "one more page" to see what new insight would be on the next page.)
(I was unable to do that... I kept finding myself drawn back to it, and once I was reading, I wanted to continually read "one more page" to see what new insight would be on the next page.)
The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
The title includes the words “One Ojibway’s Meditations,” and this perfectly describes the book. It is a series of his personal reflections on stillness, harmony, trust, reverence, persistence, gratitude and joy. It I deep and thoughtful and a wonderful book to refer to when you are in one of these situations. He goes deep into the “meaning of life.” E.g., page 36 – all my relations – focuses us on love and accepting other as they are and not just how you would have them be. He talks about ceremony – how and why to do these acts and about love and finding Creator. A thoroughly good read.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
PS. This is one of my favourite books and I have gifted it many times to family, friends and homeless.
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Author Information

22+ Works 3,418 Members
Canadian author Richard Wagamese was one of the leading indigenous writers in North America. He began his writing career in 1979, first as a journalist and then as a radio and television broadcaster. In 1991, he became the first indigenous writer to win a National Newspaper Award for column writing. His debut novel, Keeper 'n Me, won the Alberta show more Writers Guild's Best Novel Award in 1994. His other books included A Quality of Light, Ragged Company, One Native Life, The Next Sure Thing, Indian Horse, Him Standing, and Medicine Walk. He also published an anthology of his newspaper columns entitled The Terrible Summer, a collection of poetry entitled Runaway Dreams, and a memoir entitled For Joshua: An Ojibway Father Teaches His Son. He won the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction in 2007 for Dream Wheels and the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature in 2011 for his memoir One Story, One Song. He was also the 2012 recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Media and Communications and the 2013 recipient of the Canada Council on the Arts Molson Prize. He died on March 10, 2017 at the age of 61. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to the memory of Jack Kakakaway, my spiritual father, who brought me fully into the world, and to Yvette Lehmann, who keeps me fully there in all possible ways.
- First words
- Mornings have become my table.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Dance, dang it, that's what feet are for!
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- Reviews
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- (4.27)
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- English
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