And it was at that age…poetry arrived
in search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don’t know how or when,
no, they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
from the branches of night,
abruptly from others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.
….Pablo Neruda
Poetry as long been associated with conveying spiritual insights and revelations: a means to inspire and inform beyond the rational and linear modes of thinking that have come to dominate our culture.
The power of a poem that resonates with your life experience can be amplified by exploring both the poem’s meaning, and its conscious expression using your own unique voice.
There is the Bard within the Celtic traditions, carrying poetry as a teaching and a medicine. In Sufism (Rumi being the best known Sufi poet) the community would stay up all night to dance and recite poems, inducing states of communion with the sacred. There are poems within the Buddhist and Zen traditions, and in the Christian traditions poetry is often turned to at sacred ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, to communicate that which is felt to be an experience beyond words. And there are many other examples of religious or spiritual paths that use poetry as a path of awakening or revelation, and for invocation of the divine.
The structures of poetry, such as its use of rhythm, symbolism, metaphors and mental imagery all support access to the right side of the brain: the creative, holistic imaginary and mythic capabilities we all hold, yet so often neglect. And the use of poetry and poetic language can also inspire us to speak and write in ways that provide a powerful path of connection and intimacy with others, as well as to ourselves. Thus conveying and communicating what would seem unsayable without this pathway of poetic words.
Our western world is dominated by the use of language that is linear, logical and rational, often creating a sense of right/wrong, and separation. This may be accompanied by the diminishment, denial or dismissal of our heart-brokenness and the feeling side of being human – the ecstasy and the tragedy of life that we numb ourselves to, as it is is often judged to be weak or ‘bad’. Yet poetry provides a way through, helping us to reclaim our power through the potency of our language and the word, as well as bringing back connection to the sacred and our part in the wider web of life. Through both the poetry of others, and our own poetic creations, a new doorway opens, a portal that provides access to ancient knowledge and wisdom that are still very relevant to our modern times.
How Jules works with Poetry…
“Inspired by such teachers as Kim Rosen, Joan Mclean, Chloe Goodchild, Nicholas Twilley and the poets and teachers at Emmerson college, I have experienced the many ways that poetry can offer doorways to transformation healing and revelation. Inspired by my own journey over many years as a dyslexic and a writer, I now endeavour to offer others the opportunity to liberate their voice, their wisdom words and their knowing through the portal of poetry.“
“Individually… I combine poetry, my ‘Naked Voice’ facilitator skills, coaching, and other modalities to craft a session in which you explore and discover through the language of a written and spoken poem: confidence, expansion, embodiment, and the courage to allow the outward expression of inner experience. Trusting your journey to unfold ‘soul-fully’, wherever you need to go with the spoken and written word, we venture into the unknown together on a journey of alchemy and magic…”
“In groups… I facilitate and offer a variety of processes with poetry. Some of these forms involve the whole group participating, while others are similar to one-to-one sessions where you individually explore the healing medicine a poem offers, by ‘taking it into your own heart’. Explorations may involve your own wisdom words and writing. An example is a process called a Poetry Dive (courtesy of Kim Rosen). I use this with groups to support the liberation of a stream of consciousness. It begins with my own spontaneous speaking of poems to music, to provide a springboard for diving deep and liberating your own knowing and language of the heart.“
“I should say that there is no need at all to have any prior knowledge of poetry as a subject.“
– Jules
(“I particularly want to honour Kim Rosen here for her beautiful work and the trainings she offers within her Poetry Depths Mystery School. Not only has her work greatly supported the healing of my own wounding around language, the many other facets Kim brings to her work have provided vital keys to doors on my own journey with poetry, spiritual enquiry and group facilitation. Whatever it was (beyond a friend’s recommendation) that inspired me to ask Kim to come to Wales (for the first time) from the US many years ago, I bow deeply to it…that meeting and the many more adventures since have been life changing…”) – Jules
