K e v i n A n d e r s o n
NESTED
MEDITATIONS:
An Introduction
I
call these pieces meditations rather than poems because they are at
odds in several ways with what is considered poetry
today. These meditations are presented in
a layered or "nested" format. They reveal
themselves one line at a time, with each stanza containing the previous
one, much
like a set of Russian matryoshka dolls.
While
the goal of these meditations is to awaken a sense of sacred in the
ordinary, they don't focus only on the joyful aspects
of being human. Grace is to be found in joy and sorrow, birth and
death, love and loss, faith and doubt, and the many other
polarities of existence.
Because
the form of this writing is new, I
offer five guidelines for how to fully
experience a nested meditation.
- These
pieces are most richly appreciated when read aloud. As a meditation
shifts direction, some of the new meanings can be carried by voice
tone changes. Sometimes, sentences switch from declarations
to questions (or vice versa) or pause in new places; it is the reader's
inflection that conveys these nuances.
- The
repetition built into these pieces is intended to give them a meditative
quality and to allow each stanza the possibility of delivering meanings
distinct from the others.
- When
read aloud, the meditative nature of these pieces can be enhanced
by pausing for at least a full, slow breath cycle (one
inhalation, one exhalation) between stanzas. This allows each stanza
to soak in its own distinct meditation before moving on to the next.
- Once
an entire piece has been read, earlier stanzas may appear in a new
light. Circling back may reveal new opportunities for reflection.
- Feel
free to experience these meditations however you choose!
May
this new form of written expression
stir in you an awareness of what Abraham Joshua Heschel called "the
inconceivable surprise of living."
from
the introduction to000
Kevin
Anderson's book000
DIVINITY IN DISGUISE:000
Nested Meditations to000
Delight the Mind and000
Awaken the Soul000
For more information about000
Kevin Anderson's work, click here.0000
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