Words of Wonder: Pointing towards the wisdom of experience

I often wonder what it is I’m looking for, have spent a lifetime looking for, when I go leafing through yet another book. Am I even searching for anything in particular, where are all these words leading, what are they pointing me towards? In short, the answer, if there is even a definitive one, is about understanding – a way to understand the nature of who, how, what and why we are the way we are.

I think the best teachings reveal something of our complex and magical humanity to us, and by teachings, I mean books and other conversational mediums from great scripts to deeply moving lyrics to every form of creative expression in between.

I stumbled across some decades-old notebooks of mine recently and found I’d copied out some passages from various books - along with my reflections on how they struck me, how they moved me. I’d forgotten some of these passages, others are ones that pop into my mental landscape frequently, remind me of the words themselves and where they led me in my own process.

All of which is to say, if we really engage with the words in front of us, or those which we allow into our ears (and through that our minds and heart space), they have the power to move, change, challenge and awaken us. As the wisdom of the Tao says, words can point the way, but they are not the way itself.

This edition’s round up highlights this essential point – the wisdom of experience that is shared, understood and reflected back at us, reminding us of our common humanity, thus making it, us, all the greater for engaging with life through multiple perspectives.

With that, let the words lead the way….