The Way Under the Way

Book excerpt: Nothing compares to the sensation of being alive in the company of another. It is God breathing on the embers of our soul. —Mark Nepo, “The Way Under the Way” When we shift from trying to be special to seeking what is special in everything, we discover “the way under the way”—the timeless terrain of that mysterious force which animates and unites us. The Way Under the Way brings you a sweeping three-part collection of 217 of Mark Nepo’s original poems and essays to open the heart, awaken insight, and support you on each step of your unique journey through life. The first two works, Suite for the Living and Inhabiting Wonder (originally published by Bread for the Journey Intl.) bear witness to the messy and magnificent adventure of being human. Evolving these further, Mark Nepo integrates nearly 60 new poems into the thematic reach of the material. The Way Under the Way presents a wholly new work, centered on “the place of true meeting that is always near” and the natural rhythms of opening and closing that can become the art that keeps us vital. “All we ever need is right where we are, if we can open the ordinary treasure that is always before us,” writes Mark Nepo. The Way Under the Way is an invitation to “ignite your own exploration of the nature and workings of the inner life.”