I hope and pray this book finds its way into the hands, hearts and souls of those who are searching for inner peace, for a deeper meaning to life, for a greater Reality than that which meets the eye, and for love, healing and wholeness. When the time is right and the soul is yearning, even a momentary glimpse through the veil and the accompanying “taste” can be enough to bring hope to a restless soul and open the way to heal a heart bereft of “The Beloved.” I pray these poems give the reader a glimpse of something worth searching for.
Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]
Have you wondered about the experiences of mystics such as Rumi, Therese of Avila, the Baal Shem Tov? Perhaps your spirit yearns to meet a Twenty-First Century mystic–to pierce the veil of spiritual encounters. In Maryam Hand‘s book, “Mystery opens her gate.” As the author enters, “tender hands/ wipe at the veils around her eyes.” So we can all peek through.
Hand’s language, though dealing with subtle states, has the simplicity of all profound truth. Piercing the Veil will warm your own “unknowable, hiding heart.” It will feed the yearning of your spirit.
–Mary H. Ber, M.A., M. W. S., author of The Shape of Grief, The ElderBook, and Editor of Moon Journal Press.
Tunis, December 25, 2015
“Piercing the Veil” is a beautifully crafted sequel to Maryam Hand’s first Sufi poetry manuscript, “The Garden in the Fire”. At a time of disheartening religious tensions and a growing discourse of ethnic misrepresentations in the United States, Hand’s spiritual poetry comes like a breath of fresh air to the mystical reader in search of peace, understanding, and tolerance. Maturity, wisdom, and love ornate the poet’s delicate and subtle poetic autobiographical renderings of her spiritual journey. The reader witnesses Hand’s growing love for her Beloved. In her poems, “Full Moon,” “My Complicated Father,” and “Piercing the Veil,” she graciously opens the gates of the past and self-forgiveness while inviting the reader to contemplate her/his soul and past. Being an avid observer of nature, Hand invites the reader to marvel at her affectionate details about hummingbirds, snow flurries, deer, cardinals, huskies, pawpaw trees, etc.
Hand, the “holy bride” returning to her Beloved on the holy night of Laila (or Love) lifts the veils for Sufi readers so they can “[t]ogether … raise [their] voices” and “whirl with joy.” “Piercing the Veil” is an invitation to dive within the heart, the self and the soul in order to emerge as the new mystical being that our world is in dire need of.
–Rym Bettaieb, Ph.D., Poet, Scholar in Sufism and Lecturer in Arabic, Columbia University, New York
Capturing the essence of contemporary Sufism experienced from the feminine perspective, Maryam Hand’s poetry covers the rich terrain of Sufi spiritual experience. Here she weaves a rich colorful symbolic tapestry, affording the reader insights from behind the pierced veils.
Often addressed to You, her poetry embodies the ineffable divine qualities of her mystical faith and the erotic ecstasy of mystical faith. Here she describes the holy night of Laila:
I come to You dressed in bridal veils.
You wrap me inside your woolen cloak, close
to your heart and cover my shyness.
I open to your secret. Your white fire purifies
my veils of separation; the door of your heart
opens a wide gateway.
You carry me to meadows of precious ripe dates.
We taste, break the long fast, giddy,
now veiled in Light, on this holy night of Laila.
— “Laila”
Anyone on a spiritual path, anyone who loves the poetry of Rumi should get and read this vivid, joyous book!
–Cheri Mu’mina Colby Langdell, M A, PhD, author of W S Merwin, Adrienne Rich: The Moment of Change is the Only Poem, and Coping with Vision Loss, and teacher at East L A College in Monterey Park, CA.
Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]
This book is a wonderful journey though poetry. The poems are universal in understanding and feeling. Each poem finds its way straight to the heart.
Rating: ***** [5 of 5 Stars!]
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.