Thursday, May 19, 2011

Book Review - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

I read this book a long time ago, but constantly find myself coming back to it. The wisdom it contains in it's pages is something I can always count on, always come back to. Funny thing is, I would say that this book found me rather than the other way around. I was in San Francisco in a little hippie shop and was immediately drawn to the shelf where this book was lying. Before I even opened it I knew I had to have it, knew it would be important to me.

I'm not sure if I would call it religious or spiritual or both, but I think anyone reading it can grasp a deeper understanding of what you already believe in. Each chapter is about something specific like love, work, sorrow and joy. Each chapter is small but incredibly powerful. The depth to which each thought is written is unparalleled. In fact, I really can't even explain how amazing this book is as it truly is something you have to read for yourself. Here, however, is an excerpt so you can get an idea of its amazingness.

Kahlil Gibran on Love...

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden. 

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. 



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