PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
"Lawrence Edwards grew up on Long Island, New York. His mystical experiences that first began as a young child led him to the formal study of meditation and psychology in undergraduate and graduate school. He studied with transpersonal psychologist, Dr. Kenneth Ring, at the University of Connecticut, and graduated magna cum laude in 1974. During this time, he practiced meditation and hatha yoga and began studying Tibetan Buddhism with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He continued practicing and studying in Buddhist and yogic traditions, which culminated in his training as a monk under the direct guidance of his Kundalini meditation master in India. He went on to earn a PhD from Temple University in 1986. His doctoral research was on delineating the types of psychological change and spiritual growth experienced through the long-term practice of a Kundalini-based yoga. Kundalini Shakti is the ancient yogic term for the innate universal power of Consciousness, transformation and revelation, which is the root of all forms of yoga. Later he received teachings and empowerments from H.H. the Dalai Lama, H.E. Tsewang Seetar Rinpoche, and Gelek Rinpoche.In addition to practicing and teaching meditation for more than fifty years, Dr. Edwards is trained in Jungian depth psychology, biofeedback and neurofeedback, and is board certified in neuro-biofeedback (BCIA senior fellow). He has served on the board of directors and as president of the Northeast Regional Biofeedback Society. As a New York state licensed psychotherapist (LMHC), Dr. Edwards has been in private practice offering transpersonal psychotherapy for more than thirty years, and served on the faculty of New York Medical College since 1998.Dr. Edwards is the founder and director of the Anam Cara Meditation Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization that he started right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, which had such a devastating impact on his suburban New York community and beyond. With the mission of Anam Cara (ancient Gaelic for ""friend of the soul"") to make the powerful transformative practices of meditation freely available to all, Dr. Edwards has offered free weekly meditation programs, in addition to retreats and courses for more than two decades. He continues to work with individuals and groups interested in deepening their meditation practices and spiritual development."
Lawrence Edwards is that rare miracle-an authentic mystical poet inspired by direct experience of the divine. In O My Beloved, he offers us a gorgeous, wild, passionate, sacred feast. Eat, be inspired, rejoice, and keep using these messages from reality to embolden and ennoble your life. -Andrew Harvey, author of Turn Me to Gold: 108 Translations of Kabir The jewels in this collection are translucent. By getting out of their own way, these poems let the divine light come streaming through. -Mirabai Starr, author of Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of Women Mystics These whisperings from the Divine are magnificent.Reading these poems is a Lectio Divina, changing us as we drink the nourishment of Kalidas' shared freedom. -Robert A. Jonas, EdD, retreat leader, musician (shakuhachi), and founder and director of The Empty Bell sanctuary I love these poems! In his inspired O My Beloved, Lawrence Edwards put words to the timeless longing our soul feels for its source. Each poem has a power to pull the receptive reader into a deep meditative state filled with a love of the Divine. -Lee Lyon, founder and director of Foundation for Integrative Meditation, Santa Fe, NM, author of The 112 Meditations from the Book of Divine Wisdom When the Goddess speaks, she expresses the inexpressible. And this is exactly what she does when she speaks to the poet Lawrence Edwards. She expresses the inexpressible and then urges him, cajoles him, and spurs him on to find a way, to find the words that expresses it to the rest of us-to express the utter, unimaginable grandeur and glory of the Oneness of the All. -Teri Degler, author of The Divine Feminine Fire: Creativity and Your Yearning to Express Your Self Kalidas' renderings of these 'Whisperings' throb with the Divine presence. Evoking tears of longing and holy laughter, I found myself savoring them with long pauses to drink in the Beloved's blessings. The poems overflow with tenderness, passion for the Holy and compassion for the 'dear mind' that attempts to reign. Kalidas transmits the Devi's invitation to go-or be taken 'where mysteries beyond mysteries unfold.' Take Her up on her offer and 'hurl yourself in!' -Sister Elizabeth Broyles, CMA, cofounder, Companions of Mary the Apostle O My Beloved is an enchanting, mystical song of the Divine, leading the way to victory beyond the battlefields of life and death itself. Kalidas strikes with a clean sword, penning words that cut straight into the Heart of the One. What pours forth in these poems is Divinity's pure nectar. -Anita Craig, founder and director, FLOW, Future Leaders of the World (Pty) South Africa; and founding member of the Ganga Bhavani Maa
