Curriculum of the Soul

A guidebook for living a soul life

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Curriculum of The Soul – Outline

THE POEMS

INTRODUCTION: Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing: Rumi. A Few Words on the Soul: Wislawa Szymborska. Student, Do The Simple Purification: Kabir.

Rainbow over Taos Mountain, Rick Haltermann

PART 1: WHAT WE’RE GIVEN: The Tools

Fate and Destiny:  Thank You My Fate: Anna Swir. Is That My Fate: St. John of the Cross. Fate and Destiny: Robert Grimes

Joy:  Blur: Andrew Hudgins. Welcome Morning: Anne Sexton. The Round: Stanley Kunitz. Salt Heart: Jane Hirshfield. Poem Without a Category: Gensei

Desire/Passion:  Just Spring: Tony Hoagland. The Bargain: Cyrus Cassells. From Blossoms: Li-Young Lee. Touch Me: Stanley Kunitz. Lake and Maple: Jane Hirshfield

Ecstasy:  Good God, What a Night That Was: Petronius Arbiter. Annuciation: Marie Howe. Ecstasy: Hayden Carruth. That Sounds Wonderful: Hafiz

Silence: After Reading Tu Fu, I Go Outside to the Dwarf Orchard: Charles Wright. Rebirth: Antonio Machado. Spring: Tracy K. Smith. Say Nothing: Rumi

Solitude:  My Eyes So Soft: Hafiz. I Am Too Alone In the World: Rilke. Visiting Pai-an Pavilion: Hsieh Ling-yun

Nature:  maggie and milly and molly and may: e.e. cummings.  Miracles: Walt Whitman. Ask Me: William Stafford. Untitled (this is what was bequeathed us): Gregory Orr     

© Rick Haltermann

Intuition: To A Young Poet: Mahmoud Darwish

Curiosity:  You Begin: Margaret Atwood. Iowa City: Early April: Robert Hass. Here Is an Ear Hear: Victor Hernandez Cruz. Damn Thirsty: Hafiz

Courage:  Courage: Anne Sexton. We Have Not Come To Take Prisoners: Hafiz

Dreams/ Symbols: it was a dream: Lucille Clifton. Variation On The Word Sleep: Margaret Atwood

PART 2: THE JOURNEY: Suffering

Suffering: On Turning Ten: Billy Collins. Why It Often Rains In The Movies: Laurence Raab. The Search Party: William Matthews. Emergency Haying: Hayden Carruth

Trouble: Jet: Tony Hoagland. Summer Job: Richard Hoffman. trouble with spain: Charles Bukowski

Addiction:  Man Of The House: Bob Hicok. Lighthead’s Guide to Addiction: Terrance Hayes. The Loneliness of the Military Historian: Margaret Atwood

The Selling of the Soul: At The Galleria Shopping Mall: Tony Hoagland. Advertisement: Wislawa Szymborska. Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front: Wendell Berry

The Dark Night of the Soul: The Holy Longing: Goethe. Die Before You Die: Rabia. Oceans: Juan Ramon Jimenez. The Layers: Stanley Kunitz

Fire Sunset, Rick HaltermannAnger:  Mine Enemy Is Growing Old: Emily Dickinson. A Poison Tree: William Blake. Portrait of a Figure Near Water: Jane Kenyon. Family Stories: Dorianne Laux

Grief:  For The Sake of Strangers: Dorianne Laux. Grief: Matthew Dickman. The Well of Grief: David Whyte. Sweetness: Stephen Dunn. Lament: Rilke

The Wounds/ The Work/ The Gifts:  You See, I Want a Lot: Rilke. Last Night, As I Was Sleeping: Antonio Machado. Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons: Diane Wakoski

PART 3: BEING IN THE WORLD

Presence/ Attention:  The Word: Tony Hoagland. On Living: Nazim Hikmet. For The Raindrop: Ghalib. Say “Yes” Quickly: Rumi

Imagination:  Magic Words: Eskimo. The Silence of the Stars: David Wagoner. The Poems I Have Not Written: John Brehm. My Father’s Hobby: Morton Marcus   

Improvisation:  In The Palais Royale Ballroom in 1948: John Engles. I Am An Atheist Who Says His Prayers: Karl Shapiro. Today, Like Every Other Day: Rumi

Art:  To be alive: Gregory Orr. Some Part of the Lyric: Gregory Orr. Poetry Is The Art Of Not Succeeding: Joe Salerno. So You Want To Be A Writer: Charles Bukowski. What He Thought: Heather McHugh

Culture:  Memory As A Hearing Aid: Tony Hoagland. Manisfesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front: Wendell Berry. Culture and the Universe: Simon J. Ortiz

Working in the World: Hay for the Horses: Gary Snyder.  It Is a Well Lit Afternoon: Anselm Hollo. The Real Work: Wendell Berry. Someone Digging In The Ground: Rumi

Connection:  People Like Us: Robert Bly. The Hug: Tess Gallagher. Gate A-4, Naomi Shihab Nye. With That Moon Language: Hafiz. I Sing The Body Electric: Walt Whitman

Intimate Relationships: The Third Body: Robert Bly. Love Sonnet #17: Pablo Neruda. Twyla: Oriah Mountain Dreamer

© Rick Haltermann

Discernment: Clarity Is Freedom: St. Teresa of Avila. Blue or Green: James Glavin. Quite Ordinary: Layman P’ang

Discipline/ Practice: Tao Te Ching #8: Lao-Tzu. Those Winter Sundays: Robert Hayden. Tao Te Ching #3: Lao-Tzu

Abundance:  Tao Te Ching #44: Lao-Tzu. Like the Water: Wendell Berry. The Meadow: Marie Howe

PART 4:  THE HIGHER SELF

Spirituality: See If They Wet Their Pants: Kabir. Are You Looking For Me?: Kabir. Proverbs & Songs #29: Antonio Machado. Tao Te Ching #33: Lao-Tzu. Development: St. John of the Cross. To Be A Slave Of Intensity: Kabir   

Surrender:  The Man Watching: Rilke. The Guest House: Rumi. Zero Circle: Rumi

Humility:  Famous: Naomi Shihab Nye. How Then Can We Argue?: Meister Eckhart. Tao Te Ching #39: Lao-Tzu. There: Hafiz. Pay Homage: Rumi

© Rick Haltermann

Kindness/ Compassion:  Call Me By My True Names: Thich Nhat Hanh. Kindness: Naomi Shihab Nye. It Happens All The Time In Heaven: Hafiz. The Hope of Loving:  Meister Eckhardt

Patience: Tao te Ching #15: Lao-Tzu. Find a Better Job: Hafiz. The Sad Game: Hafiz. Development: St. John of the Cross. Give Me Your Hand: Rilke

Gratitude:  The Sun Never Says: Hafiz. The Teacher: Hilarie Jones. Starfish: Eleanor Lerman. Arrogance: St. John of the Cross

Praise:  A List of Praises: Anne Porter. Try To Praise The Mutilated World: Adam Zagajewski

Forgiveness:  It Acts Like Love: Rabia. Forgiveness Is the Cash: Hafiz. When the Violin: Hafiz. Between Our Poles: Hafiz. What the Water Knows: Sam Hamill      

Redemption: Assault to Abjury: Raymond McDaniel

Service: I.Life. VI.: Emily Dickinson. The Servant of Unity: St. Teresa of Avila. Tao Te Ching #27: Lao Tzu

Sanctuary:  The Long Boat: Stanley Kunitz. The Sanctuary: Catherine of Siena

© Rick Haltermann - Lighthouse Stairs

PART 5: THE END GAME

Nourishing the Soul: Truth/ Beauty/ Love:  Eagle Poem: Joy Harjo. Some Fill With Each Good Rain: Hafiz. A Hundred Objects Close By: Mira. Gift: Czeslaw Milosz. On A Day When The Wind Is Perfect: Rumi

Living a Soul Life: Render, Render: Thomas Lux. Love After Love: Derek Wolcott. Time To Go Home: Rumi. That Lives In Us: Rumi. I Live My Life: Rilke

Death: Death’s Secret: Gosta Agren. Tao de Ching #16: Lao-Tzu. Notes from the Other Side: Jane Kenyon. Tenderly: St. John of the Cross

NEW: Luminescence Of The Ordinary

Luminescence Of The Ordinary - Rick Haltermann

The Magical Mystery Tour, Parts 1-4 – WGDR’s Tonio Epstein interview Sept 27 2019

  Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

The Magical Mystery Tour – Hope, despair & possibilities in a crazy world

The Magical Mystery Tour – Ho’oponopono and taking 100% responsibility

“Curriculum Of The Soul” receives Gold Award from Nautilus Book Awards

The book has been honored with the 2016 Gold Award by Nautilus Book Awards for Best Title in the Personal Growth category. The book is also an Honorary Winner as Best Self-Published Book of the 2016 Nautilus Book Awards season! Thank you, Nautilus, for the honor!

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© 2023 · Rick Haltermann · All Rights Reserved · Taos, New Mexico