Many gems of wisdom unfold here such as, “Being spiritual is inhabiting our humanness so thoroughly that the part of the universe that lives in me comes out and connects with the part of the universe that lives with you.” Other topics discussed are: being present and being absent as well as considering the difference between what we stand for and what we stand on.

Poetry and Inspiration for the Journey of Being HumanThe infinitely varied journeys of our lives share a common destiny: to be worn of all that is not essential till we are reduced to joy. On Reduced to Joy, bestselling author and poet-philosopher Mark Nepo invites you to join him in a poignant examination of "the gifts and challenges of being a spirit here on Earth," through six captivating sessions that address the vital task of discovering and returning...

Mark Nepo suggests that life is an incredible tapestry that is never finished. It is weaving us, and we are the threads. We are taught to navigate the outer world by problem solving, but for the things that matter, the heart releases its own logic. He says that life constantly asks us “to let everything in and not choose or make logical sense of it, but to let it reverberate until it becomes that teacher, the Upaguru, the teacher that is next to you at this moment.” He has learned that lif...

This deep dialogue explores the importance of community and how we can cultivate connectedness with others. Nepo speaks of two tribes: one that fears the differences in people and one that welcomes what can be learned by those differences. He gives advice as to how to keep our hearts open beyond our own opinions and how to tap into our innate nature of kindness.

In this 2024 conversation with Justine Wills Toms, poet Mark Nepo explores one of the most important aspects of being human—the power of friendship. Both ancient and modern wisdom counsel that the path to a good life is to be full of care, to work with what is given, and to look for friends along the way. Friendship is the tether that holds us as we navigate life's many thresholds. Nothing draws us through them as powerfully as the loving care of others. Friendship is an island of safety a...

Nepo’s creative works, books, poems, workshops are all about creating a sacred place where the experience of honest truth can happen. Even in our deepest moments of suffering, he encourages us to seek out slivers of light seeping through the broad slats of darkness. His genius is to discover metaphors as a way of understanding and making meaning of our lives.

Many are familiar with teacher and poet Mark Nepo's books on inner transformation, relationship, and theemergence of purpose in our lives. But less well-known is the journey that shaped his vision as a teacherthat began in 1987 when he was diagnosed with cancer. The revelations during that time would informevery dimension of his work to follow.With Inside the Miracle, Mark Nepo shares what he discovered along this challenging terrain, and theinsights most...

The Book of Awakening provides small doses of what really matters: simple truths and stories from everyday lives, plus inspiration from the great wisdom traditions.Each day's entry is accompanied by commonplace yet profound practices, designed to help us live the life we want by being present to the life we have. For, in the words of St Francis of Assisi, 'You are that which you are seeking.'A daily guide for authentic living in hard times, The Boo...

In this 2023 conversation with Justine Willis Toms, poet-philosopher Mark Nepo shares how we can have a direct connection to the attending guiding spirit within. Nepo helps us understand that the heart plays a central role in how our life-force manifests, and considers it one of our greatest resources as a conduit for our intuitive mind.Nepo gives us an analogy from India regarding how to meet fear and pain, which we often inflate, and provides a practical suggestion in “right-sizi...

Many are familiar with teacher and poet Mark Nepo's books on inner transformation, relationship, and theemergence of purpose in our lives. But less well-known is the journey that shaped his vision as a teacherthat began in 1987 when he was diagnosed with cancer. The revelations during that time would informevery dimension of his work to follow.With Inside the Miracle, Mark Nepo shares what he discovered along this challenging terrain, and theinsights mos...

A poetic treasury of spiritual insight, The Language of the Soul uncovers the original meanings of words to help us remember what it means to be fully aliveFor poet and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo, words have always been more than tools for communication—they are vessels of meaning, portals to the sacred, and medicine for the soul. In The Language of the Soul, Nepo explores the deep, often forgotten roots of 228 words from thirty-one languages and...

A call to advance integrative teaching and learning in higher education. From Parker Palmer, best-selling author of The Courage to Teach, and Arthur Zajonc, professor of physics at Amherst College and director of the academic program of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, comes this call to revisit the roots and reclaim the vision of higher education. The Heart of Higher Education proposes an approach to teaching and learning that honors the whole human being--mind, heart, and sp...