Divine Dynamite: Entering Awakening's Heartland

In the Dark Night, we may feel an intensity of despair, fear, and depressiveness that seems intolerable. Yet as we learn to bear the unbearable, we gradually settle into the darkness, sensing not only its heaviness and lack of light, but also its fertility. Seeds grow in the dark. So do we. ~Robert Augustus Masters Through Robert Augustus Masters' poetic expression, we enter a spiritual world filled with eternal paradox. In this world we are "dying to live" as we emerge from our own ashes or at least move from suffering to openness. Truth is the heart of paradox, the revelatory logic of Being. ~Robert Augustus Masters Robert Augustus Masters rises far above mainstream meandering mediocrity as his words merge with a divine knowing. This is original work, untainted by today's typical spiritual jargon. There is no placid perception here or regurgitated illumination. He intuitively understands spiritual paradox and goes straight to the heart of spirituality. The infinite and finite dance playfully together and then suddenly dive into a profound swirling of metaphors interspersed with poetry. Rainy shore, shimmering sheets of darkly slumping sky Leaning am I into the windchilled thrill of daybreak Ocean thunder and a deeper thunder within and all around And I am ground, ground to sand Drowned, drowned in torrents of broken cloud Spilling shattered against another shore Robert Augustus Masters sheds new light on why we should love our enemies and logically presents his thoughts on why forgiveness enhances our lives. His poetic writing illuminates the mind with awakening concepts and his explanation of why we should move beyond hope and "enter into doing" helps us progress towards our goals much more quickly. When does our spiritual life truly begin? Is freedom from desire the cessation of desire? His work is also filled with practical applications for profound spiritual principles. He has worked as a psychotherapist and teacher and presents his ideas in a creatively truthful manner. Divine Dynamite holds a conversation with your heart and goes beyond cognitive understanding. In "What's Right about What's Wrong in Relationship," I could relate to the endless effort of maintaining an intimate relationship, but also understood the necessity of being in certain environments to grow as a soul or to endure moments of turbulence (jealousy, anger) and chaos (obsession, possessiveness) in order to awaken or find "freedom through intimacy." This chapter was especially meaningful and the poems in this chapter are intensely beautiful. Essay Highlights (Although I loved every one of the 44 essays!): Suffering Versus Pain - Until I read this chapter I didn't realize they were different. Suffering being more about acting out the pain. Riding a Wave of Everlasting Morning - The writing in this chapter is some of the finest I've ever seen. Metaphor heaven. Avoiding Death Is Killing Us - What is death and how can it be a beginning? How are we af