Books as Sacrament: “Scatterlings by Martin Shaw”

If you love poetic metaphor and you love Nature, you will want to join us for this treat!

Martin Shaw is a phenomenon, a master wordsymth! During this offering we are going to be looking at the astonishing inspiration provided by Martin Shaw in his brilliant book Scatterlings. His poetic insights into nature are gourmet metaphorical food! Let’s have a couple of appetizer whetting tastes:

“It has been a difficult night being woken up by singing. Scattered over a short distance are a group of beings undertaking a wilderness vigil. Again the singing breaks my reverie. Its extraordinary layered harmonies break off into polyphonic stutters, and a rhythmic pulse underneath that picks up and urges the whole composition along.  I’m impressed.  I think, “This is the first time that a group of fasters have sneaked out of their spots, hooked up and formed a choir”.  I am perplexed. Finally I hear where the singing is actually coming from.. the river. This is not just the roar of water over rocks. Deft with intricate deviations and ruminations, it feels like the sound of something divinely pleased with itself. I’ve never heard anything like it and I’ve walked the river’s banks dozens of times. This is quite something else. Dark booms and high ecstasies surge the celebrant air. The entire valley seems to be shimmering, animate with the sound.”

“As all myth tellers must,  I beat down clock time with the clatter pulse of my amulets until little pinpricks of ‘somewhere else entirely’ show up.

“In nature I don’t see myself mirrored back to me; I see myself flooding into something far bigger. The mirror cracks and I slip through the eye of the needle.”

I am deeply inspired by Martin’s writing. I would love to have you join me to share his genius during this Books as Sacrament. If you love poetry and you love nature, this is pure mana!