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The Way Under the Way: The Place of True Meeting
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."
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."
328 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2016
52 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 26, 2021
I keep this by my bed. His poetry feeds my soul.
February 28, 2025
I found Mark Nepo through this poem “ Adrift” ( I believe as read by Tara Brach) and it is one I keep returning to:
Everything is beautiful and I am so sad. This is how the heart makes a duet of wonder and grief. The light spraying through the lace of the fern is as delicate as the fibers of memory forming their web around the knot in my throat. The breeze makes the birds move from branch to branch as this ache makes me look for those I’ve lost in the next room, in the next song, in the laugh of the next stranger. In the very center, under it all, what we have that no one can take away and all that we’ve lost face each other. It is there that I’m adrift, feeling punctured by a holiness that exists inside everything. I am so sad and everything is beautiful.
Everything is beautiful and I am so sad. This is how the heart makes a duet of wonder and grief. The light spraying through the lace of the fern is as delicate as the fibers of memory forming their web around the knot in my throat. The breeze makes the birds move from branch to branch as this ache makes me look for those I’ve lost in the next room, in the next song, in the laugh of the next stranger. In the very center, under it all, what we have that no one can take away and all that we’ve lost face each other. It is there that I’m adrift, feeling punctured by a holiness that exists inside everything. I am so sad and everything is beautiful.
November 17, 2018
Mark Nepo's writing captures my soul and makes me search deeper.
I am at a loss to name a favorite poem from this collection because each would evoke emotion.
I am at a loss to name a favorite poem from this collection because each would evoke emotion.
December 27, 2020
Beautiful poetry to start my morning
March 11, 2021
great poems - deep meaning - heartfelt - warm - needed
February 8, 2022
A wonderful collection of inspiring poems. Mark Nepo, in all of his books, teaches us how to navigate this journey called life. He shows through personal experience how to fight the good fight and emerge from our struggles gracious and triumphant.
I’m reading this for the third time as part of my morning ritual.
I’m reading this for the third time as part of my morning ritual.
December 30, 2021
4.5. First two books are seeded with gems galore. Some of my favorites: In Muir Woods and the poem that brought me to Mark Nepo to begin with, Understory. The last book is lackluster in comparison - his poems about quotidian life are celebratory but plain - like gratitude journaling that slipped out and didn't intend or need to be published. All in all though some of these poems have had a saving / guiding / reminding effect on me that cannot be understated.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews