“nur alima’s poems will enrapture you, becoming the vanguard of a mighty flow/leading us in a symphony of transcendence. Glory shines through these pages as they range from Meditation and Music to Nature and Politics.”
Mary Oak, author of Heart’s Oratorio: One Woman’s Journey through Love, Death and Modern Medicine (Goldenstone Press, 2013)
“Most of us observe the world, but poets write to make sense of it all. nur alima schieBeare’s collection,Journey to the Beloved, explores the folly of power and the beauty of jazz. She makes connections that are not immediately obvious but upon closer observation are revelations. Only a talented and wise writer could movingly craft a poem that includes Emma Goldman and Bela Fleck. Her writing instincts and poetic craft are a joy to behold. This collection is a revelation.”
Le Hinton, poet, teacher, lecturer, author of five poetry collections includingThe Language of Moisture and Light
(Iris G. Press, 2014)
“nur alima schieBeare’s poems have the luminous glow and fierce voice of a spiritual warrior, one who finds peace in the breath of the beloved through an intentional practice of poetry as healing, and finds truth in speaking up to power against injustice. Her book is an expanding universe of poems moving outward and inward at once, vibration creating the space. If, as Mary Oliver says, attention is the way of soul building, nur alima’s poems come across time and space as a deep-soul gift to the reader.”
Heather H. Thomas, author of Vortex Street and Blue Ruby
Poet’s Statement:
“In reflecting on my life and all the places I’ve lived and lives I’ve lived…freedom, justice, and the path to light have been some of the driving forces. Freedom of the spirit and the thirst, the search for the light. As it says in the Quran “Light upon light, God doth guide who he will to his light”. And the Goddess says if you don’t find it within you, you’ll never find it without. From ignorance, to involving myself in justice movements, growing, understanding more and more of the personhood of all species and all beings – all of which have lead me through periods of both great ecstasy and deep sadness. Like Radha (Hindu) and Persephone (Greek), I’ve spent time in the underworld with the lord of the underworld, and time dancing with Krishna (Hindu) in the night of splendor - reaching out to the stars and reaching in to inner grace. The great poets say that the beloved is always there but we don’t always see the beloved, we don’t always experience the beloved. This book is my Journey to the Beloved, and to the glory of the spinning, luminous universe. May we all rest in the hands of the One being.”
From the book:
To the Reader
from the light
for a being of light.
listen in quiet
center
time slowed
as you listen
you are walking into the light,
you are carrying the light in your heart.
the light fills your heart
moving upward
filling your crown,
descending on your crown,
expanding, merging,
you are the heart of light
your whole being is light
you walk
toward your highest ideal
as the light grows
and expands
spilling every where
till you are light walking in light.
light,
walking in ever evolving landscapes
of ice and snow
endless fields of white
and light,
limitless, eternal,
“light upon light,
god doth lead who he will to his light”*
“light upon light”
Blessed be
nur alima schieBeare attended the University of Pa and Antioch University where she studied psychology, counseling, holistic health and comparative religions She received her master’s from Bryn Mawr college where she studied policy and clinical social work. She has worked in both adult and juvenile prisons, private high schools and in family service agencies using classical and holistic treatment modalities. She has studied meditation and religions most of her life and is a devotee of both Jalaludin Rumi and Hafiz. She is a student in the Sufi Order of the West, founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan.
