Learn More about Mark Nepo and His Work and Teaching

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Welcome! I hope this finds you safe and well during these trying times. Times like these heighten our care for one another and affirm how much we are, at heart, the same. As we move closer to some form of normalcy, we are being called, as well, to remake our sense of humanity, to be fierce and tender in our call to love. As we enter this work together, I wish you and yours a quiet a passage full of truth, kindness, and ease. And I greatly look forward to seeing you, virtually and, at long last, in person again. I hope we can journey together somewhere along the way. In the meantime, many blessings to you in facing what’s before you and to more deeply discovering what you are being called to.
—Mark

 

Mark Announces New Yearlong Journey, 2024-2025

THE ONE LIFE WE’RE GIVEN: FINDING THE WISDOM THAT WAITS IN YOUR HEART—a yearlong in-person (Michigan) journey guided by Mark Nepo

Find registration details and specifics here. Please make your reservations early as space is limited to 16 students.

START: APRIL 5-7, 2024 || END: MARCH 7-9, 2025

 

 

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THE HALF-LIFE OF ANGELS
THREE BOOKS OF POEMS

Now available wherever books are sold.

“What a beautiful journey this book is. I was moved in some places beyond what I can adequately convey. Mark’s capacity to speak such universal truths through poetry is stunning. He is a master.”
—Brooke Warner, author, editor, and co-founder of She Writes Press

 

In Mark new collection of poetry, The Half-Life of Angels, you have three books of poems gathered in one volume. All the poems in this volume explore and praise the spark of becoming that is the synapse between living things. This spark of becoming is the half-life of angels that arcs between the deer’s nose and the thawed stream, between Sappho’s heart and the poems she uttered, between God’s finger and Adam’s hand, and between the Ocean of Source and the lips of every soul. In time, the soul’s journey in the world strips away all that is extraneous—the way a meteor is stripped to its essence of light as it catapults toward Earth. It can take a lifetime to burn off what doesn’t matter until we face each other—spark to spark. The three books of poems in this collection explore and praise this life-giving spark.

“Now in my seventies, I am committed to putting my life’s journey with poetry in order. The result will be the publication of several volumes of poetry. The Half-Life of Angels is the first of these volumes. I confess that reading through fifty years of poems has been like stepping through holy sites and ruins in order to map the learnings of all my former selves. As any poet, I gather these poems as a way to retrieve a deeper, more ancient knowledge that transcends any one self. And yet, such knowledge can only surface through an authentic self. All these expressions have shaped who I am.”

—Mark Nepo

 

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Mark’s 2022-2023 Calendar:

In the coming eighteen months, I will be teaching and speaking both in-person and online.  I believe it’s important to stay connected and to keep growing in whatever way we can.  I remain committed to our journey together and hope to see you somewhere along the way, both in person and online. Stay safe and be well. Many blessings.—Mark

 

2023

AUG 4-6: Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY, Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity, Weekend Retreat. Event is in person. REGISTER HERE.

SEPT 8-10: Mercy By the Sea, 167 Neck Rd, Madison, CT, Publication Retreat centered on Falling Down and Getting Up, Fri 7-9:30PM EST Sat 9:30-5:30PM EST, Sun 9:30-1230PM,  LINK TO COME. Event is in person.

SEPT 15-17: Friday Night Reading and Weekend Retreat (Sat and Sun), Falling Down and Getting Up, The Sophia Institute, Charleston, SC, or call 843-720-8528. Event is in person.

OCT 13-15: Harmony Hill Retreat Center, Falling Down and Getting Up, A Weekend Retreat. Event is in person.

NOV 9-12: Santa Sabina, San Rafael, CA, Four-Day Retreat, Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity, LINK TO COME. Event is in person.

DEC 8-10: Pine Manor Retreat Center, Elsinore, CA, Weekend Retreat, Falling Down and Getting Up, LINK TO COME. Event is in person.

 

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SURVIVING STORMS: FINDING THE STRENGTH TO MEET ADVERSITY

“Surviving Storms by Mark Nepo is brilliant. In Nepo’s unique and powerful hands, the times we are living, with all the tumult and strife, are put into perspective. His clear, lucid view of individuals as well as our larger community is compassionate, smart, and ultimately practical. I was so entranced with this book I didn’t want to stop reading. What is particularly wonderful is that while this is a book I will return to time and again for my own joy and deep consideration, it is also one that helped me listen and participate with enthusiasm for our differences and what brings us together.”
—Louise Foerster, NetGalley

“This book is an enduring resource for our times. Journey here and discover your own strength.”
―Chip Conley, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the Modern Elder Academy

“Surviving Storms is thought provoking, riveting, courageous, honest, and true. The light of something timeless and true moves through Mark Nepo’s heart and fills his voice as he pours hope into both our collective and individual wounds.”
—poet Michael Mejia

Available wherever books are sold.

We live in a turbulent time. Storms are everywhere, of every size and shape. And like every generation before us, like every soul’s journey on Earth, we must learn the art of surviving storms, so we can help each other endure. In his new book, spiritual teacher and poet, Mark Nepo, explores the art and practice of finding the strength to meet adversity by using the timeless teachings of the heart. The reason heartwork is so important is that, as a tree needs to deepen its roots and widen its trunk to endure the force of unexpected storms, we need to know our true self so we can deepen our roots and solidify our connection to all Spirit and all life. Then, we, too, can endure the force of unexpected storms. This is especially relevant now. As a timely resource, this book carefully describes the heart’s process of renewal and connection in as much detail as possible. This spiritually practical book points to an inner exploration we each must map for ourselves, though there are common passages along the way. Once the rubble clears, we, like those before us, are inevitably called to build the world one more time, admitting that we need each other.

 

Mark announces the publication of Surviving Storms.

“Very few modern writers impress me as much as Mark Nepo with his insight, inspiration, and turn of phrase.”
—Christopher Buck, Publisher, OMTimes

“Mark Nepo is an exceptional writer and an amazing teacher and spiritual guide.”
—Paul Grondahl, Director, New York State Writers Institute

“Lyrical, insightful, and wise, Surviving Storms is the guide to resilience that we find ourselves so desperately needing, both for individuals and communities. Mark Nepo’s words are a potent antidote to discouragement and a heartfelt call to perseverance.”
—Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive

 

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A NEW VIDEO BOOK OF THE BOOK OF AWAKENING

I’m very excited to share a new creative project I’ve been working on with LIT Videobooks in which we created a 51” video version of The Book of Awakening. These innovative filmmakers have helped bring many of the central lessons and stories to life in a powerful way using animation. The #BookofAwakening is available NOW in videobook format!
—Mark

Watch the trailer, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis speaking about The Book of Awakening and its impact on her, at: litvideobooks.com/awakening

 

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MARK’S BOOK OF TEACHING STORIES
AS FAR AS THE HEART CAN SEE
REISSUED BY FREEFALL BOOKS
SEPT 1, 2020

 

“Nepo is a consummate storyteller with a rare
gift for making the invisible visible.”
—Publishers Weekly

 

“…a great storyteller who has much wisdom.”
—Spirituality & Health Magazine

 

Stories help us. They are teachers. They are medicine. They keep us connected to what matters. They keep us awake. This has always been true. And so, I am thrilled to announce that my book of teaching stories, As Far As the Heart Can See, is being republished by Freefall Books. The book contains forty-eight stories and parables about staying awake and staying close. I assembled these stories and parables from the many workshops and retreats I have been blessed to guide here and abroad over the decades. Each has some residue of my life on earth, for no story can come through without some taste of the teller. I hope they continue to help you on your journey.
—Mark

 

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THE BOOK OF SOUL: 52 PATHS TO LIVING WHAT MATTERS IS A NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER

Available on Amazon

Available on Indiebound

 

 

 

 

“Mark Nepo has long been one of my favorite spiritual writers, and The Book of Soul is further proof why. It’s filled with breathtaking lines you’ll want to linger over, commit to memory, and carry with you.”
—Melinda Gates, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Moment of Lift  

In his latest book, The Book of Soul, Mark explores our struggle to inhabit the soul on Earth through a messy human life, and how underneath our differences, we can be who we are everywhere and create a path to what matters. After being born physically, we unfold within a second womb, meant to incubate our better angel. The second womb is an experiential one that, through the labor of a lifetime, births the soul on Earth. This book delves into that process of transformation in its mystery, difficulty, and inevitability. It is designed to be entered a chapter each week over the course of a year, so you can weave your inner reflection into your days, letting one inform the other. Our journey from innocence to experience is how we emerge from the second womb. The sections of this book mark the passages we all face in moving through this experiential unfolding: enduring our walk in the world, until we discover our true inheritance, which lets us live in the open by widening our circle, until we help each other stay awake. About the book, Mark says, “It seems the purpose of suffering is to exhaust us of our differences, and the purpose of love is to awaken us to how we’re at heart the same. Then, we discover that the temple is the world. Still, every life, every generation, every age takes its turn at pushing each other away, only to be loved and worn back to the one tribe we belong to. This seems even more relevant in our tense, modern world. For there is no they. We are they. We are each other. And there’s a Unity that always waits below our righteousness and insistence that we know the way.”

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It’s easy in these times to allow ourselves to slip into resignation, isolation, or despair. The Book of Soul is an antidote, a path that leads us back to our own wisdom and intuition and to the authentic truth of our souls.

—Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global and Founder, Huffington Post

 

I love all Mark’s books because of his deep insights and his amazing way with words, but there’s something truly special about this one. It feels like a compilation of the best and most profound ideas from his work. I want to savor each and every chapter.

—Katy Koontz, Editor, Unity Magazine

 

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THE 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF

THE BOOK OF AWAKENING

WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY JAMIE LEE CURTIS

Available on Amazon

Available on Indiebound

• SELECTED AS ONE OF OPRAH’S ULTIMATE FAVORITE THINGS

• #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, MORE THAN 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD

• TRANSLATED INTO MORE THAN TWENTY LANGUAGES

“There was one book that transformed my life and that book is The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. The river of life is wide and the journey we make together is made so much more beautiful, important, and moving when our lives are linked by this book.” ―Jamie Lee Curtis, from the Foreword

“Mark Nepo has written a beautiful book about life, informed by the shadows of death. I’ve been blessed and humbled by reading his words.” —Marianne Williamson

“Mark Nepo is a true poetic empath, taking us on a 365 day-by-day journey. And no matter what day, or whatever you’re going through—like magic—you will find his words will speak to your exact situation, which at that moment instills in the reader an instant feeling of lightness, solace, warmth, and understanding. Pick this book up, again and again and again, and it will do the same for you.” —Steven Tyler

“Mark Nepo’s writing creates echoes in our hearts of what is true and of what we most cherish. Keep The Book of Awakening close by, and dip in whenever you want to nourish yur spirit.” —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years since this was first published. In all that time, I have been humbled by the many ways this book has been embraced. More importantly, the vastness it points to remains an irrepressible resource, available to everyone. I began writing the first entries for the book in 1997. Early on, an old friend asked if I could share them through email. That slowly led to a weekly sharing that went quietly for years all over the world, from London to India to South Africa. In 2000, the book began its journey in print. And in 2010, the book was kindly given to Oprah Winfrey as a birthday present, and her deep connection and kind support propelled the book to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. It has since been translated into more than twenty languages and is now in its fifty-sixth printing, having reached more than a million readers. I’m often asked what I’ve learned myself from The Book of Awakening. It is this: that when wholehearted and true, we are a sturdy conduit for love and care to keep the world going. If I had to guess, I think this book has touched so many because it is a drink of water from the ocean of love and care. I am ever grateful to have come upon it and to have been transformed for retrieving it.  —Mark

 

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DRINKING FROM THE RIVER OF LIGHT
A NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER

“A passionate testament to the spirituality of expression.”
—Publishers Weekly

“I cherish the wisdom and embrace the practices offered in this luminous book.”
―Mirabai Starr, author of Caravan of No Despair and Wild Mercy

In his 21st book, Mark Nepo, the acclaimed poet-teacher, and NY Times #1 best-selling author of The Book of Awakening, presents the art and practice of expression as a means to unfold our spiritual growth. Whether we consider ourselves artists or not, he explores how the deeper we go into the creative process, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. Whether your writing is published or not, whether your music is recorded or not, whether your art is in a gallery or not, your garden is given a prize or not, or your cooking is or isn’t featured in the local paper—inhabiting a personal life of expression is its own reward, by which we strengthen our connections and find our way. Filled with stories and exercises intended to introduce readers to the skills of vision, perception, feeling, and articulation, Drinking from the River of Light is a culmination of all Nepo’s years of writing and teaching regarding the deeper creative process.

Praise for Drinking from the River of Light

“This beautiful book is a gift on the journey of awakening.”
—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

“I love all of Mark Nepo’s books, but this one is especially beautiful, luminous, wise, and helpful.”
—Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder, Omega Institute and author of The Seeker’s Guide, Broken Open, and Marrow

“This new offering by a spiritual virtuoso of our era will help you find the way.”
—Parker J. Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything, Healing the Heart of Democracy, and Let Your Life Speak

“This wonderful book is a deep dive into the universal art of self-expression, exploring how to give voice to our deepest, most original self. Candid, rich, and consistently profound. I loved it.”
—Mark Matousek, author of Sex Death Enlightenment and When You’re Falling, Dive

“This is a book of refined wisdom, insight, and great reminding. Crack the spine of this gem, drink fully, and as Whitman advised, go forth to ‘Sing the body electric!’”
—Albert Flynn DeSilver, author of Writing as a Path to Awakening

“In Drinking from the River of Light, Mark Nepo’s words land like dew on a thirsty leaf. I couldn’t put it down and drank every word in it.”
—Zainab Salbi, author of Freedom Is an Inside Job

“Mark Nepo commands language with a fierce truth that is difficult, if not impossible, to turn away from.”
—Richard Frankel, Indiana University School of Medicine

 

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MARK’S COMPELLING AND TIMELY EXPLORATION OF COMMUNITY, MORE TOGETHER THAN ALONE, IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM ATRIA AND IN THE UK FROM RIDER BOOKS.

“Every word in this book has been tested in the fire and can be trusted.”
—Parker Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything and Let Your Life Speak

“A masterwork on community animated by visionary vigor, philosophical rigor, a cross-cultural purview, and a poetic sensibility.”
—Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice (Read the full review here.)

“I’ve been reading and re-reading More Together Than Alone which is so profoundly relevant in these times. With the wisdom and honesty that lies in each page, it’s been a tremendous source of peace and understanding for me as I navigate what is now before us. Mark’s prose is so insightful and from the heart. Each story reminds us so much of who we are as human beings and the choice to recognize how we are all one at heart. It gives me hope that we will all pull together in the days ahead with compassion and unity by lifting each other up.”
—Lisa Carey, Global Truth Center, Los Angeles

Read more about More Together Than Alone and PREORDER today.

 

 

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Things That Join the Sea and the Sky was a 2017 Nautilus Book Award Winner

 

THINGS THAT JOIN THE SEA AND THE SKY CITED BY SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE AS ONE OF THE BEST SPIRITUAL BOOKS OF 2017

In Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, Mark shares bare and honest reflections drawn from over fifty years of journals. This thematic non-fiction reader is comprised of 145 entries gathered and shaped over the last fifteen years. The book takes the reader through seventeen sections organized around archetypal thresholds we all face, including “Stopping the Noise,” “Unraveling Our Fear,” “The Gift of Deepening,” The Practice of Relationship, The Reach of Kindness, and “The Radiance in All Things.”

Of the book, Mark says, “These pages are field notes on living, a travelogue of my conversation with the Universe, a mix of inner reflections, questions, and stories that have come to teach me how to be here. They contain raw moments of sinking and being lifted, intimate accounts of being thrust into feeling and depth, my stretching and wondering about my life and the lives of others in this ongoing push and pull with a Universe that holds us, then tosses us about, only to hold us again. Under every piece, I hope you feel the common song we’re born to sing in our unique and very human way.”

At the end of the book, Mark shares an essay about the nature and gift of journaling, followed by journaling guidelines, and 100 journal questions to work with. All to encourage the reader to engage in their own conversation with the Universe through the art of journaling.

“A rich source of comfort and courage for anyone who opens it.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Written with the simplicity of a Koan, Nepo’s short writings say everything there is to say about recording the hidden wonders of the world around us.”
—Retailing Insight

“Open this book. Read the table of contents. And let the magic and promise of this offering invite you into the depths of your own humanity. Allow the poetic soul of Mark Nepo to guide you. And then keep this guide on your nightstand as an oracle and a roadmap for living well. This book is pure gold.”
—Christiane Northrup, New York Times best-selling author

“This book offers itself to you like an intimate conversation with a dear friend. Enjoy the beauty and the deep dives into life’s varied meanings and mysteries.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Love

“Mark Nepo’s vulnerable and generous-hearted sharing from the depths of his inner explorations is irresistibly readable, reminding us of the importance of staying with ourselves unconditionally, trusting the moment-by-moment experiences that lead us to our awakening.”
—Michael Bernard Beckwith, author of Life Visioning

 

In celebration of Things That Join the Sea and the Sky: Field Notes on Living, Mark reads “Stopping the Noise”:

 

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NOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOX SET FROM SOUNDS TRUE

FLAMES THAT LIGHT THE HEART: TEN LESSONS ON LIVING WITH MEANING, TRUTH, AND KINDNESS.

Over the last year, I’ve been working with Sounds True to create a video course called Flames That Light the Heart: Ten Lessons on Living with Meaning, Truth, and Kindness. I’m excited to have gathered many stories, metaphors, and paradoxes from my years of teaching into this in-depth exploration of the life of transformation and the heartwork that is required to be a spirit in the world.  My intention, here, is to help you live with meaning, truth, and kindness in your own personal way.  The course is now offered through Udemy, the online learning center.  You can preview the introduction to the course here, as well as the first session.  The sessions offer a long and intimate conversation on the growing pains of transformation and the art of living as an awakened part in an awakened whole.  I hope you’ll take a look.  Many blessings,
— Mark

Flames That Light the Heart is an invitation to ten video sessions where Mark explore’s the passages that open us, as well as the skills and ways of being that help us meet the difficulties that life brings us. Using ancient and contemporary stories, poetry, journaling, and dialogue, Mark explores what it means to be transformed by what we go through and how to access the skills and inner resources for learning, growing, and healing.