Below are Peter's own reflections on his workshop. 'The Vale of Soul Making' brought together eight Kabbalistic companions for a day of inspirational poetry, reflection and deep conversation. The day was generously hosted by Joyce in her lovely home on Dartmoor. What could have been better? We not only had the benefits of a top class tutor introducing us to 'the visionary company' of great poetry, but also the pleasure of a delicious home cooked lunch in beautiful natural surroundings.
If you weren't able to make this day, then don't miss Peter's next visit on November 19th, when he will be introducing us to the wonders of William Blake. For more details see the August newsletter on the website.
Our Keats day in May was a natural follow-on from the Wordsworth and Coleridge course that I presented late in 2010. The group included some who had attended then as well as a few new faces – and very lively, probing and creative it turned out to be!
We traced Keats’s extraordinary poetic and spiritual trajectory during the very brief period given to him (little more than two years to compose one of the most revered canons in English poetry). From the intense and ambitious (but rather ill-defined) narratives of Sleep and Poetry and Endymion, we moved to the great Odes and the Milton-haunted attempts at a culminating epic in the Hyperion poems. We also looked at some of Keats’s own most famous pronouncements about life and transcendence in his letters.
In the process, the group debated a number of issues and concerns, including those relating to the earth, the place of humanity within the scheme of creation, and the relationship of sexuality and creativity. At the same time, we didn’t lose sight of the fact that this was poetry that we were studying, and many insights into the evolving qualities of Keats’s art were expressed. We certainly didn’t duck controversy – and the frank and searching nature of our discussion was consistently exhilarating.
When it was all over, we agreed that a day in Keats’s company was an excellent means of clarifying and extending our spiritual understanding and practice. As before, we arranged to study another poet in a few months’ time, and the course on Blake (covering the whole range of his poetry and taking in some of his most potent images) is scheduled for November. The energies unleashed in our two poetry days so far suggest that it should prove a very powerful and illuminating experience!
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