The title of this blog is a favorite quote from the late Joseph Campbell.
It is difficult and painful to experience the darkness in our lives. It’s easier–and feels “safer”–to avoid it. But in daring to enter the cave and grapple with its darkness, we may finally gain the ability to be free.
“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting, over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” (Mary Oliver)
Being human is wonderful, and also, hard.
When I find myself in darkness, I often think of wild geese.
Poetry is a tremendous source of inspiration for me. It is also a salve. Today, I’m particularly grateful for Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver. (I am not surprised to hear that this poem has saved lives.) The poem brings comfort by reminding us we’re not alone, and that this, too, shall pass.
In my quest to memorize my favorite poems, I recently recited Wild Geese:
Mary Oliver passed away recently. She remains my favorite poet. I love pretty much everything she wrote, but my favorite Mary Oliver poems include The Summer Day, Invitation, Wild Geese, Why I Wake Early, The Journey, Sleeping in the Forest, and The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac.
Oliver’s “Instructions for how to live a life” are: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. I have tried to live my life by these words since discovering them a handful of years ago.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate your readership very much.
