poetry as sacred~prose

“Poetry has an immediate effect on the mind.
The simple act of reading poetry alters thought patterns
and the shuttle of the breath. Poetry induces trance.
Its words are chant. Its rhythms are drum beats.
Its images become the icons of the inner eye.
Poetry is more than a description of the sacred experience;
it carries the experience itself.”
-Ivan M.Granger

I'm inclined to say that some poetry has the power to engender what Mr. Granger has expressed.
That would be good poetry, the kind of poetry that I not only enjoy reading, but the kind of poetry that catapults me into writing my own poetry. If good music carries with it music, less than good poetry carries an irregular pattern of sound. Without judging, I am not being pejorative in my observation.

Both reading poetry out loud, and hearing it read by the poet can be a visceral, "full body" experience, or not.  I choose to both read and hear poems that create a definite alteration  in my mind, body and spirit. Being moved allows all our cells to vibrate in new lively patterns!

It is true that poetry carries the experience of the sacred, to those who choose to be an open vessel to receive the words in a poem as sacrament. I would not agree that every poem carries the experience of the sacred, even to myself who tries in her own way to stay open to the sacred essence within poetry, and all other art forms, including music, fine art, and dance.

If one is sincerely interested in having that "full body experience" in  reading and hearing poems, certain changes must take place within. It is imperative to choose carefully the poetry one reads, and hears. The choosing is most subjective, and hopefully changes as one fine-tunes her selections, to parallel what it is that alters her cells, what it is that rings "sacred"!

Also, it is vital how one goes about writing poems. One can be moved, beyond belief, and write a poem that reflects that raw spirit-in-words. Or one can choose to write about an experience from thirty years ago, and still show that natural intensity of experience.  It is how the poet connects memory, the present, with spirit, and pen that distinguishes between a poem that merely denotes a time frame, and one that  gushes true palpable emotion, spirit. This becomes translatable in the body/mind/spirit of those who read or hear the words spoken.

Perhaps the sacred is tucked within all words, waiting to be revealed in the poetry that becomes formed.
Leaving that as a mystery is something that feels just right for me at the moment. What are your thoughts and feelings?

rainy day blessings, kate


The Center for Natural Healing now is offering, "Sound and Poetry  Healing" this fall, '15.
Participants sit or lay on mats, when I read poetry written for healing, as well as
play my baby grand piano....tunes I've composed for deep relaxation and healing.
WIth Kate Lamberg, BA, LMT, yoga/meditation teacher, and facilitator of healing workshops
for over thirty years
Mondays, 4:30-5:30.
Suggested Donation: 10.
To register, directions, more info: healerkate77@gmail.com
namaste'!