When the humble friar Juan de Yepes felt despair creeping into his heart after months of imprisonment, he cried out to "Where have you hidden, my Beloved?" Today, we can hear the answer to his plea in his transcendent poetry and prose, which stand as eternal testaments to Saint John's faith, insight, and courage in dark times. His uplifting masterpieces, such as "The Spiritual Canticle" and "Dark Night of the Soul," are revered by spiritual masters of every tradition. In Saint John of the Cross, you are invited to enter into the mind and heart of one of contemplative Christianity's greatest visionaries. Through his writing and poetry, John of the Cross shares his wisdom for how we can abide in pure presence, which paths we can follow to bring clarity and peace to our souls, and how we can nurture a love that can transform even our most painful trials into an ecstatic communion with God.
Author
Author of critically acclaimed new translations of the Spanish mystics, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, Mirabai Starr uses fresh, lyrical language to help make timeless wisdom teachings accessible to a contemporary circle of seekers. She is a professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and a certified grief counselor. Mirabai Starr writes creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She is an adjunct professor of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos and teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and interspiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. She has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of Dark Night of the Soul by sixteenth century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross, The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life, by St. Teresa of Avila, and The Showings of Julian of Norwich. She is author of the 6-volume Sounds True series, Contemplations, Prayers, and Living Wisdom. Her poetry collection, Mother of God Similar to Fire, is a collaboration with iconographer, William Hart McNichols. GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam—winner of the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Religion, the Nautilus Gold Award in Western Spirituality, and named one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2012 by Spirituality & Practice—positions Mirabai at the forefront of the emerging Interspiritual Movement. Her newest book is Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.
