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Meditations with the Navajo
Prayers, Songs, and Stories of Healing and Harmony
Foreword by Richard Erdoes / Read by Gerald Hausman
Published by Inner Traditions Audio
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
A collection of stories, poems, and meditations that illuminate the spiritual world of the Navajo.
• Explores the Navajo's fundamental belief in the importance of harmony and balance in the world.
• Shares Navajo healing ways that have been handed down for generations.
• Includes meditations following each story or poem.
Navajo myths are among the most poetic in the world, full of dazzling word imagery. For the Navajo, who call themselves the Dine (literally, "the People"), the story of emergence--their creation myth--lies at the heart of their beliefs. In it, all the world is created together, both gods and human beings, embodying the idea that change comes from within rather than without. Poet and author Gerald Hausman collects this and other stories with meditations that together capture the essence of the Navajo people's way of life and their understanding of the world. Here are myths of the Holy People, of Changing Woman who teaches the People how to live, and of the trickster Coyote; stories of healings performed by stargazers and hand tremblers; and songs of love, marriage, homecoming, and growing old. These and the meditations that follow each story reveal a world--our world--that thrives only on harmony and balance and shares the Dine belief that the most important point on the circle that has no beginning or end is where we stand at the moment.
• Explores the Navajo's fundamental belief in the importance of harmony and balance in the world.
• Shares Navajo healing ways that have been handed down for generations.
• Includes meditations following each story or poem.
Navajo myths are among the most poetic in the world, full of dazzling word imagery. For the Navajo, who call themselves the Dine (literally, "the People"), the story of emergence--their creation myth--lies at the heart of their beliefs. In it, all the world is created together, both gods and human beings, embodying the idea that change comes from within rather than without. Poet and author Gerald Hausman collects this and other stories with meditations that together capture the essence of the Navajo people's way of life and their understanding of the world. Here are myths of the Holy People, of Changing Woman who teaches the People how to live, and of the trickster Coyote; stories of healings performed by stargazers and hand tremblers; and songs of love, marriage, homecoming, and growing old. These and the meditations that follow each story reveal a world--our world--that thrives only on harmony and balance and shares the Dine belief that the most important point on the circle that has no beginning or end is where we stand at the moment.
About The Reader
Gerald Hausman, born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1945, grew up in New Jersey and Massachusetts. He graduated from college in New Mexico and continued to live there for two decades. During that time, he had a summer residence on the island of Jamaica where he and his wife, Loretta, founded a school for creative writing. Mr. Hausman has lived in Bokeelia, Florida since 1994. In addition to his many books about Native America, Gerald Hausman has written extensively about animal mythology. His work as a folklorist has earned him many national and international honors. Gerald's most recent award is from the Florida Magazine Association for his column "Pine Island Soundings" about life on a barrier island.
Gerald Hausman is a frequent storyteller at college writers programs and at young authors conferences. Recently, he performed at the Young Authors Conference in Kaiserslautern, Germany as a guest of Department of Defense Dependent Schools. His lively presentations, complete with a myriad of sound effects, have earned him praise from storytellers, speakers, writers, and listeners.
Product Details
- Publisher: Inner Traditions Audio (January 8, 2019)
- Runtime: 3 hours and 5 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781620559390
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Raves and Reviews
"Meditations with the Navajo is a work refreshingly unlike many others dealing with Dine mythology. It is free of the anthropologist's specialized verbiage. It speaks to people."
– Richard Erdoes, author of Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions and Crying for a Dream
"In his reverent, gentle workings of traditional themes, Gerald Hausman displays a deeper understanding of the natural world than most of the writers of our generation."
– Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki storyteller and author of Keepers of the Earth
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Meditations with the Navajo Unabridged Audio Download 9781620559390
