Speech of the Grail: A Journey Toward Speaking That Heals & Transforms
In Speech of the Grail, storyteller and ceremonialist Linda Sussman explores a new way to speak, one that heals and transforms. She takes for her guide Wolfram von Eschenbach's epic tale of the Grail, showing how it depicts a path of initiation toward healing speech--to "doing the truth" in word and action.
"The Grail! The word stirs a deep response in the Western imagination. Joseph Campbell called the medieval stories where it is first mentioned 'the founding myth of Western civilization, ' because 'according to this mythology, there is no fixed law, no established knowledge of god, set up by prophets or priests, that can stand against the revelation of a life lived with integrity in the spirit of its own brave truth.' Campbell and many other scholars, artists, and seekers have seen the Western wisdom path disclosed in the image of each knight entering the forest where no one else has made a path. The quest is to recover the elusive Grail, thereby returning its sustenance to the world. The presence of the Grail nurtures an invisible web of relationships that connect individual destiny to service of others and to the earth, thereby granting meaning" (Linda Sussman, from her introduction).Sussman begins with a beautiful retelling of the story, allowing readers to inwardly reproduce the potent inner images of the text. Then she shows that it is not so much a path toward perfection as a recovery of the proper relationship with our own imperfections. She shows, too, that it is a path in which male and female aspects work together to overcome evil.
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
"This fascinating meditation on a twelfth-century telling of the Grail story reveals the myth as an initiatic investigation into the question of right speech. Only through discovering how we can speak to the present moment's unique requirements, Linda shows, can we find our true place in the world--a place of abundance, freshness, creativity, integrity, responsiveness, and connection; one which links the personal with the communal, the sacred, and the wide life of the earth." --Jane Hirshfield, author of The Lives of the Heart: Poems and Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry
"An excellent addition to the literature on the Grail." --John Matthews, author of The Song of Taliesin: Tales from King Arthur's Bard and editor of Le Morte D'Arthur: Complete, Unabridged, Illustrated Edition
"Reading Speech of the Grail, I found myself on fire with longing and joy. It is a unique book: a dynamic and totally readable telling of Parzival's quest; an illuminating reflection on the story's meaning, history, and significance; and, most profoundly, an authentic gift that resonates and restores faith in living communication, spiritual longing, and community." --Laura Simms, author of The Robe of Love: Secret Instructions for the Heart
