Gratitude
Hello Readers,
Volume III of the series “To Live in Growing Orbits,” a journey through the fairy tales and myths I tell in my book, Piko: A Return to the Dreaming, will be up later this week. In the meantime, I thought I’d share links to the first two posts for those who want to catch up, as well as some reviews of Piko, that I hope will entice you to read the book if you haven’t, or even write your own review!
Note: I have half a case of books on hand for those who would like a personally inscribed copy. Respond to this post if you do and we can arrange that.
I recognize that Amazon is controversial and am torn about promoting my work through it, but I also want people to read my book, and these days, that happens through Amazon. I’m hoping as this current spiral of time we’re in comes closer to unwinding, the ends will justify the means, as I do think my book is a positive contribution to the evolution of the human mind and heart, and a gift to the non-human world as well. In our pursuit of relentless expansion, we have neglected the non-human for too long. The consequences are now obvious, not just in climate collapse, species extinction, but in the poverty of spirit that currently affects modern civilization. Praise, the unification of mind and heart in beautiful words, is a way to slow down the spiral of doom we’re in that seems inevitable. Through praise, we have the potential to shift mindfully into a new spiral of collective existence sourced through the living heart, just as the brain creates new neural pathways when it goes out of its comfort zone. Join me. Lift your words to the clouds and let them fall again as rain on the earth.
Here are those links I mentioned, including a link to purchase Piko. followed by several reviews on Amazon:
To Live in Growing Orbits, Vol. I: Nanaue the Shark Man
To Live in Growing Orbits, Vol. II: Shark Medicine
Piko: A Return to the Dreaming
If Amazon is a hard no for you, you can order the book at all online retailers, including Bookshop. Purchases there go directly to supporting independent bookstores. You can also stroll into your neighborhood bookshop and request the book.
Reader Reviews
“This book was a beautiful account of the mythic as it swirls and interacts with the everyday. Jennifer’s writing is lucid and deeply engaging. Her telling of the old stories, combined with the autobiographical aspects and the inclusion of the environment in which the ceremony took place created a synthesis that blurred the lines between these part. This book portrayed a world in which the mythic is alive and breathing, and elucidated a relational and rooted way of engaging with the world.”
“I will never quite understand how certain writers, and their œuvres, don't find the audience they deserve. This masterful enchantment is one of them. Well, hopefully it will be seen and appreciated by the many one day!
An exceptional and original work, this rich and colorful weave left me breathless at times. As an avid and discerning reader, I found her stories captivating, with wordsmithing at it's finest, and story-telling which takes flight effortlessly yet also pulls us into an organic felt-sense of the islands' deep and unique mana, nourishment and ancient, cellular wisdom. Yes, islands plural, as she shares the magic of Big Island, Hawaii and Block Island, Rhode Island. I pick it up and read it at random, so enjoyable it is. Outstanding and delicious.”
“This profound book is exceptionally raw, relevant & real for our modern day fast paced society where most of us have forgotten the ancient myths & how important they are to guide us towards a healthy future.The depth of wisdom and storytelling in this book is staggering. She deftly weaves in tales of ancient Goddesses & Gods. The story of Inanna is my favorite, of course. The author weaves in her own personal stories, sharing her vulnerable core with her sharp whit and talented writing skill in a manner that will absolutely capture you. Born from years of experience living on the Hawaiian Islands, soaking in the raw mana of her volcanic born ‘aina, the author shares Native Hawaiian wisdom in a rapturous manner in Piko. Her writing is divine!
Check out this excerpt that speaks to my soul: ‘According to science, suffering happens in the brain, not the heart. Turn off the nociceptors and the brain can be hacked into without the body feeling pain. Anesthesia. It’s a pretty name. Like a Greek goddess or a Russian Tsarina executed in a basement. Scientists say turn off the nociceptors in the brain and suffering will cease. But ghosts suffer. They have no bodies and they suffer. I’ve heard them. Remember the orca who swam for days, keeling her dead calf above the surface in the chilly Salish Sea? Suffering and pain are not the same. Suffering is not a product of fear. It is a gift of love.’
Wow, right?Please check it out and be magnificently moved by this book as I am!”
Reading PIKO, Lighty’s words weave a staircase beyond the literal allowing the reader to enter through a portal of the individual psyche, into the marco-cosmic world of the mythic. Through poetic song, the reader is able to transcend the liminal barrier and allow this ceremony to unfold. As the reader embarks on this journey into the mystical nature of life, we can recognize our truths and learn to acknowledge that the mythic reality is what anchors the importance of being alive as human.
This book explores potent questions of belonging—Who are we? Where do we come from? Who or what is waiting to claim us if we allow surrender? How do we respect sovereignty simultaneously within the self and the other? Contemplation of these topics seems crucial to the health and wealth of future humanity. Like every good ceremonialist, Lighty, a poetic Shaman, uses poetry, humor and a little rock ‘n’ roll flare to lighten the air of seriousness around these topics.
This book is a proclamation. A prayer for the earth. A prayer of healing for the lands and the creatures. A proclamation of Lighty’s belonging. A proclamation that humanity is seeking refuge here on earth. Let it be known.
Both entertaining and informative, our story guide, the author, speaks to a collection of stories—personal, historic, cultural and mythic. Each story is delivered concisely at the perfect interval, allowing the narratives to flow and build off each other. Lighty is a master at interweaving stories, never have I read another author who has the poetic precision as Lighty to accomplish this task with as much grace and clarity. Upon finishing the book, a revelation of beautiful synchronicity dancing between stories lines allows the work to take on a whole new meaning that will leave the reader feeling even more satiated and curious about their personal impact within this world.
This book is the inspiration to modern writing. A renaissance, reclaiming storytelling as the original human ceremony.
Editorial Reviews
"One of the highlights of my year was getting to read and respond to an early draft of this book. Friends - especially friends who work on climate change issues and/or writer friends - please consider buying this book by my brilliant friend Jennifer Lighty. There have only been a couple of times in my life where the book I was reading began to alter the events of my day-to-day life. This is one of those times. To say it's part memoir, part poetry collection, and part folklore is inadequate. The book itself is a magical portal and talisman for healing. The overarching structure revolves around Jen telling cultural stories to the earth as an act of repair and restoration, for both the land and for herself. It is deep, vast, illuminating, and beautifully written. Run and grab a copy, If you have a connection to Hawaii, it will be extra special for you."
—Leigh Medeiros, author of The 1-Minute Writer
"In the Hawaiian language, Piko can be translated as "the very center." As a society, we understand that before we can make sense of the results of our culture, we must remember the very design of it, or its piko. Jennifer Lighty, with her provocative "Piko: A Return to Dreaming," coaxes its readers back into this center and, with masterful literation, weaves the patterns that bleed from this center to result in what we know as the human condition. Although the core concept is poetic, Lighty expresses this work in such a relatable way that anyone can position themselves as the lead character(s) whom, through the beauty of words, symbols, art, and consequence, truly affirm the core design which all results from."
—Ke'oni Hanalei, founder Pōhala Hawaiian Botanicals.
“Jennifer Lighty is the real thing and has done us a great service with Piko. A modern woman working intuitively to contact mythic ground. The language is fresh and imaginative, her intention five fathoms deep. I’m so glad she exists, and that she has turned some of her life’s work into a gift that we can cradle in our hands and feel the benefit.
—Martin Shaw, author of Bardskull
Kō aloha lā ea
Concentrate on love by way of the light
I absolutely love your testimonials!