Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
- Downloads：1446
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-13 07:53:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Whyte
- ISBN：1786897636
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In Consolations， David Whyte unpacks aspects of being human that many of us spend our lives trying vainly to avoid--loss， heartbreak， vulnerability， fear--boldly reinterpreting them， fully embracing their complexity， never shying away from paradox in his relentless search for meaning。
Beginning with 'Alone' and closing with 'Withdrawal'， each piece in this life-affirming book is a meditation on meaning and context， an invitation to shift and broaden our perspectives on life: pain and joy， honesty and anger， confession and vulnerability， the experience of feeling overwhelmed， and the desire to run away from it all。 Through this lens， procrastination may be a necessary ripening; hiding an act of freedom; and shyness something that accompanies the first stage of revelation。
Consolations invites readers into a poetic and thoughtful consideration of words， whose meaning and interpretation influence the paths we choose and the way we traverse them throughout our lives。
Beginning with 'Alone' and closing with 'Withdrawal'， each piece in this life-affirming book is a meditation on meaning and context， an invitation to shift and broaden our perspectives on life: pain and joy， honesty and anger， confession and vulnerability， the experience of feeling overwhelmed， and the desire to run away from it all。 Through this lens， procrastination may be a necessary ripening; hiding an act of freedom; and shyness something that accompanies the first stage of revelation。
Consolations invites readers into a poetic and thoughtful consideration of words， whose meaning and interpretation influence the paths we choose and the way we traverse them throughout our lives。
Reviews
Nandini Sharma
，
An absolute beauty。 A slow read that is at times terrifyingly insightful but every page revel worthy nevertheless。 Highly recommend！
Ann
，
A book to cherish and keep out as it is something you can pick up， read a chapter and let it sink in。
Pippa Moore
，
This is a book that I’ll come back to over and over again。 The author’s description of each of the 52 words in it is often provocative， opening the possibility of seeing something differently， as though through a new lens。 Like poetry， it is a book to dip into from time to time， and succeeds in providing a refreshingly new view of something you thought you already understood。 Highly recommended。
Alexander
，
Incredibly powerful writing。 Beautifully illustrative thoughts on life， death， travel， emotion， family。 A must-read。
Diana Davies
，
One of the things I value about this work is the way that Whyte takes many qualities associated with introversion， which are usually judged by our extroverted culture as personal failings （thing like "alone，" "hiding，" "shyness，" "silence，" and "withdrawal"）， and reimagines them as great strengths。 He is at his best， I think， when he is seeking for the beauty and meaning within "negative" words like "anger，" "despair，" "disappointment，" and "heartbreak。" I found his exploration of "positive" wor One of the things I value about this work is the way that Whyte takes many qualities associated with introversion， which are usually judged by our extroverted culture as personal failings （thing like "alone，" "hiding，" "shyness，" "silence，" and "withdrawal"）， and reimagines them as great strengths。 He is at his best， I think， when he is seeking for the beauty and meaning within "negative" words like "anger，" "despair，" "disappointment，" and "heartbreak。" I found his exploration of "positive" words to be less compelling。 Overall， though， this is a beautiful little book that I know I'll return to often。 。。。more
Beth Gea
，
DNF 39%No he acabado de conectar con el pensamiento del autor。 Hay una o dos definiciones que sí que me han gustado， pero las otras las iba leyendo y en mi cabeza una voz iba diciendo: "nop， nop， eso no lo veo así"。En este estilo de obras de resignificar palabras， me gusta mucho más el estilo y la obra de João Doederlein （a。k。a。Poeta）。 DNF 39%No he acabado de conectar con el pensamiento del autor。 Hay una o dos definiciones que sí que me han gustado， pero las otras las iba leyendo y en mi cabeza una voz iba diciendo: "nop， nop， eso no lo veo así"。En este estilo de obras de resignificar palabras， me gusta mucho más el estilo y la obra de João Doederlein （a。k。a。Poeta）。 。。。more
Chris
，
I am unabashedly a big David Whyte fan， though principally for his poetry。 I highly recommend his series on the Waking Up app where he takes a poem of his in each and unpacks it。 It is an accessible entry to poetry and Whyte excels at contemplative thought。 Consolations is my first introduction to Whyte’s prose， which in a sense is the same as the discussions of his poetry; however here he is unpacking standalone words not poems。 I generally don’t like unpacking individual words as it often resu I am unabashedly a big David Whyte fan， though principally for his poetry。 I highly recommend his series on the Waking Up app where he takes a poem of his in each and unpacks it。 It is an accessible entry to poetry and Whyte excels at contemplative thought。 Consolations is my first introduction to Whyte’s prose， which in a sense is the same as the discussions of his poetry; however here he is unpacking standalone words not poems。 I generally don’t like unpacking individual words as it often results in banal definitions like， “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting things to change”。 Definitions are mutually recursive by nature， as they are stated in terms of other words， and are only correct in the sense that we agree upon definitions （DFW has a great essay on this in Consider the Lobster）。 Words can be broken down in myriad， and often trivial， ways。 This is not to say that Whyte’s attempts are trivial。 In fact， I think he does a great job in many instances reflecting on the meaning of words and putting them in contexts。 Below are some excerpts of Whyte’s framing of words and their meanings。Maturity: “The wisdom that comes from maturity is recognized through a disciplined refusal to choose between or isolate three powerful dynamics that form human identity: what has happened， what is happening now and what is about to occur”Disappointment:“Disappointment is a friend to transformation， a call to both accuracy and generosity in the assessment of our self and others， a test of sincerity and a catalyst of resilience。 Disappointment is just the initial meeting with the frontier of an evolving life， an invitation to reality， which we expected to be one particular way and turns out to be another， often something more difficult， more overwhelming and strangely， in the end， more rewarding。”I do not believe Consolations has the same impact for inviting reflection as his poetry and discussions around it， but I will still always enjoy Whyte’s writing and outlook on life。 。。。more
Nicole Cleary
，
I sipped this book with my morning coffee over many weeks and loved it！ David Whyte considers a series of words， exploring their deepest meanings and possibilities。 Certainly expanded my understanding of the nuance， grace， and potential of single words。
Connie Hall
，
Whyte goes into many everyday words and deeply explores their meanings。 It is a lovely meditation。
Marian Leica
，
A pleasing emotional philosophy on everyday concepts
Andre Harden
，
This is the book I will buy and give to those I love。 It is full of concise， penetrating wisdom。 Whyte examines certain words which shape our lives and our sense of self and how we fit into the world。 In doing so， he pulls us into a little conversations that destroy shoddy worlds and invite us to create， better， more stable， more honest， more patient， more courageous worlds。 This is a book to read slowly and forever。
Dave
，
At times shocking in the depth of its insight， at others sluggish and perhaps challenging， it's held together by a backbone of deep compassion and humanity。 At times shocking in the depth of its insight， at others sluggish and perhaps challenging， it's held together by a backbone of deep compassion and humanity。 。。。more
Chloe Kay
，
“Honesty is reached through the doorway of grief and loss。 Where we cannot go in our mind， our memory， or in our body， is where we cannot be straight with the world， with another， or with ourself。 The fear of loss， in one form or another， is the motivator behind all conscious， or unconscious dishonesties。”
William Watson
，
6/10
Carolyn Carter
，
I loved David Whyte’s imagery and thought provoking statements in this book！ It was a beautiful read and very refreshing！
Kannan
，
'Consolations' was neither entertaining nor enlightening。 For a book on words， it was off-putting how many times words like conversation and horizon were over used and abused。 'Consolations' was neither entertaining nor enlightening。 For a book on words， it was off-putting how many times words like conversation and horizon were over used and abused。 。。。more
Evan
，
David Whyte， the master of words！David Whyte， the master of words！
Nicholas Tamouridis
，
Posting review shortly！ In the mean time， go check out my other reviews below of some of the finest literature ever written！ 🤓
Steve Granger
，
Beautiful and moving philosophic poetry。
Jessica
，
A wonderful reflection word by word， nice to take in one small chapter at a time with morning coffee。 Lends to a quiet and meditative wake up。
Kaitlynn
，
To remove ourselves entirely and absolutely， abruptly and at times uncompromisingly， is often the real and radically courageous break for freedom。
Miles
，
Consolations are words， strung together utterances， that explore experience but allow the essential mystery of existence to remain hidden。 They come to us， through air， through ink， offering an embrace just comforting enough to help us bear the painful and frightful realization that we are alone， so starkly alone， that the words dancing through our minds are merely a forever once and a never twice。Consolations are the kind， gentle whispers of a compassionate killer。 They exhale death， inviting u Consolations are words， strung together utterances， that explore experience but allow the essential mystery of existence to remain hidden。 They come to us， through air， through ink， offering an embrace just comforting enough to help us bear the painful and frightful realization that we are alone， so starkly alone， that the words dancing through our minds are merely a forever once and a never twice。Consolations are the kind， gentle whispers of a compassionate killer。 They exhale death， inviting us to inhale the coming rot， so sickly sweet yet somehow tempting to those exhausted by life's endless asks。 Through ending our incessant worrying about things to come， to do， to be， consolations cage us in the flowering of our youth， watch patiently as we age and achieve， and wait in our shadow to welcome us in the moment of our ultimate up-giving。Consolations teach us to linger in the meadow of our momentary happiness， to touch ground and perk our ears to the swallow’s song and the dogwood’s sway， passing with closed eyes back to native darkness， then exploding again into the world when light rushes in。 The enforcement of nature’s unbreakable laws breaks us， but consolations give us the grace to break beautifully and cleanly， revealing an inner landscape previously concealed and brimming with new life。Consolations cry out against the great nothing， laughing and weeping together， dropping down and rising up until every space is bursting with presence。 Placed properly， properly in-place， we discover our insignificance as our greatest source of strength。 We see and delight in others around us， everywhere and everywhen， relinquishing grandiosity so that we may take up our inimitable instrument––just one player in the mighty orchestra that tunes， excites， and lulls us all to sleep。 The supine self is not an admission of defeat， but a silent conversation with our mortal bower， the bed that calms and connects us， the place where rest is final and unending。This review was originally published on my blog， words&dirt。 。。。more
Nancy
，
This book， I pick up regularly， choosing a word by chapter。 Always， I am offered different ways to see and know the word。
Livia Pack
，
So precious
Annette
，
What happens when a brilliant poet matures and challenges himself to write short essays on such topics at Friendship， Distance， Closeness？ A wonderful admixture of gorgeous prose and profound attention to consciousness arises。 Could I have added more stars， I would。Not for the feint of heart， these re essays on being human。
Jacob Lindberg
，
Lovely poetry with meaning
Pablo Olvera
，
Simply beautiful
leggere。con。leggerezza
，
Quante parole usiamo ogni giorno？ Abbiamo mai pensato al significato nascosto dentro ad esse？ David White è un poeta， saggista e conferenziere americano。 In questo prezioso libriccino， ci chiede di soffermarci e riflettere sul significato e sul valore di 52 parole。 Whyte è un artista della parola。 Mette conforto， serenità interiore， pace e speranza。 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐 : essere soli è un'ardua disciplina。 𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆 : è il desiderio congelato， il fluire di una vita dedicata alle vocazioni。 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒂 : è la form Quante parole usiamo ogni giorno？ Abbiamo mai pensato al significato nascosto dentro ad esse？ David White è un poeta， saggista e conferenziere americano。 In questo prezioso libriccino， ci chiede di soffermarci e riflettere sul significato e sul valore di 52 parole。 Whyte è un artista della parola。 Mette conforto， serenità interiore， pace e speranza。 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒐 : essere soli è un'ardua disciplina。 𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆 : è il desiderio congelato， il fluire di una vita dedicata alle vocazioni。 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒂 : è la forma più profonda di premura。（。。） Quella che chiamiamo rabbia è la violenta risposta esteriore alla nostra impotenza interiore。 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒛𝒛𝒂 : è la messe della presenza。 𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒐 : è una parola breve， evocativa e di una bellezza struggente， una elegia alle possibilità perdute。 𝑮𝒊𝒐𝒊𝒂 : è un luogo d'incontro， d'internazionalità profonda dove ci dimentichiamo noi stessi， è l'alchimia corporea di ciò che giace dentro di noi in comunione con quello che un tempo sembrava esterno， ma che ora non è niente di tutto questo。 𝑶𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕à: si raggiunge attraversando la porta del dolore e della perdita。 Queste sono alcune delle parole che Whyte analizza con uno stile lirico ed esplora nel profondo del significato estrapolandone tutta la bellezza e il significato nascosto nell'anima della parola stessa。 Ogni parola è poesia in prosa， con significati inaspettati。 Una meditazione letteraria， un viaggio alla riscoperta di sé stessi attraverso le parole che usiamo ogni giorno。 Questo saggio è stato illuminante e lo custodirò gelosamente per averlo a disposizione ogni volta che ho bisogno di Consolazioni。 • TIMIDEZZA • VULNERABILITÀ • CONTATTO • CONFORTO • DOLORE • NOSTALGIA • MEMORIA • Avete mai riflettuto sul sentimento di una parola？ Fate una prova per un giorno intero。 Scegliete una parola di queste ad esempio e scavate nella sua anima。 Cercate tra le persone e nei luoghi， io l'ho fatto。。。 è stato molto interessante 。。。more
Huyen
，
Beautiful writing。 Some psychological concepts were slightly off （e。g。， alone， anger）。
Nadim
，