The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise

Description

“Beautifully written and wise … [Martin Prechtel] offers stories that are
precious and life-sustaining. Read carefully, and listen deeply.”—Mary Oliver,
National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Inspiring hope, solace, and
courage in living through our losses, author Martín Prechtel, trained in the
Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, shares profound insights on the relationship
between grief and praise in our culture–how the inability that many of us
have to grieve and weep properly for the dead is deeply linked with the
inability to give praise for living. In modern society, grief is something
that we usually experience in private, alone, and without the support of a
community. Yet, as Prechtel says, “Grief expressed out loud for someone we
have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise
we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love
honors what it misses.” Prechtel explains that the unexpressed grief prevalent
in our society today is the reason for many of the social, cultural, and
individual maladies that we are currently experiencing. According to Prechtel,
“When you have two centuries of people who have not properly grieved the
things that they have lost, the grief shows up as ghosts that inhabit their
grandchildren.” These “ghosts,” he says, can also manifest as disease in the
form of tumors, which the Maya refer to as “solidified tears,” or in the form
of behavioral issues and depression. He goes on to show how this collective,
unexpressed energy is the long-held grief of our ancestors manifesting itself,
and the work that can be done to liberate this energy so we can heal from the
trauma of loss, war, and suffering. At base, this “little book,” as the author
calls it, can be seen as a companion of encouragement, a little extra light
for those deep and noble parts in all of us. Read more

Features:

Product Details:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ North Atlantic Books; Illustrated edition (April 14, 2015)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1583949399
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 99
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.52 x 0.56 x 8.51 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #19,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #15 in Shamanism (Books) #38 in Grief & Bereavement #90 in Mental & Spiritual Healing
• #15 in Shamanism (Books)
• #38 in Grief & Bereavement