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| Wall Mural in Chinatown. San Francisco, August 2018. |
The great wheel turns, turns with it. New Moon. (With a partial Solar Eclipse approximately 10 minutes prior). On 8/11/18. At 9:57 UTC, which means 2:57 a.m. in San Francisco, 5:57 a.m. in Brooklyn, 6:57 a.m. in Buenos Aires, 11:57 a.m. in Copenhagen, 12:57 a.m. in Addis Ababa, 3:42 p.m. in Kathmandu and 7:57 p.m. in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). Embrace the darkness as it envelopes you. It is the depth of the divine intelligence. It holds what few answers there are.
Another Testimonial
As noted in recent posts, I have received numerous deeply moving testimonials from yoginis, burners, performance artists, tantrikas, poets, musicians, dakinis and other magical creatures who read "I, the Dragon" and resonated with its message.
Here is yet another of these poignant declarations:
- "Reading Richard's words while in college supplemented a kind of learning, of growth that I wasn't finding in my assigned work, but so desperately wanted. His was the first language that worked on my body like yoga, a poetry that explained little and somehow still delivered me to heights of feeling! Reading 'I, the Dragon' is an experience of transformation, not just a retelling but an active process of reliving. Within its pages, Richard gives us the greatest gift possible: his life." -- Harrison Nir (@just_a_har)
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"I, the Dragon: Chronicles of An Epic Life Among the Humans" available via http://GoFundMe.com/wordsofpower |
"Novel" and "autobiographical novel" are loose terms. "I, the Dragon: Chronicles of An Epic Life Among the Humans" is not a novel like Emily Bronte's "Jane Eyre," it is a novel like Doris Lessing's "Briefing for A Descent Into Hell." Little dialogue, even less character development. A journey into psyche. Not the recreation of some shared social or familial "reality." A subjective exploration of life and consciousness, not an objective rendering of some aggregate of relationships, personalities or the experiences of others. "Dragon" is as big, bold, eccentric, complex, and challenging as Joyce's "Ulysses" or Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." In time, it may come to be as recognized as such. Like both "Ulysses" and "Leaves," "Dragon" starts its journey privately published, in obscurity. "Dragon" is also a historical document, influenced by '60s-'70s "New Journalism," e.g., Norman Mailer's "Armies of the Night" and Joan Didion's "Slouching Towards Bethlehem." Yes, arrogant boasts, here is another, even more audacious: Not only is "Dragon" a work of stream of consciousness, erotic poetry and gonzo history, it is also a tale of mystical life as important as "Autobiography of A Yogi." Arguably more important, in its relevance to your life here and now, "Dragon" speaks to the psyche and energies of the 21st Century. The world in which we move is very different from that of Yogananda's era. We are moving beyond patriarchy and guru worship, we are moving beyond false dualities of right hand/left hand and light/dark. Of course, the true successor to "Autobiography of A Yogi" is "Autobiography of A Yogini," yes, written by a woman, by women, in numerous and diverse expressions. But "Dragon" establishes a new standard for full spectrum narrative of the mystical quest; it integrates the psychological, political, shamanic and ecological dimensions through which we move on the path of individuation, and it delivers this narrative in new language for a new reality. There is medicine for you and the world in the pages of this book.
Truth, Beauty and the Dark Goddess
I could have written "I, the Dragon: Chronicles of An Epic Life Among the Humans" in a way that would have left you weeping uncontrollably (and not from joy), I could have written it in a way that would have terrified you and sent you hiding under the covers, I could have written it in a way that would have you believing that everything happens for a reason, that everything turns out alright and that it's all a oneness of light and love (that version would have been very popular but it would have been a lie). I could have written it in a way that made me look very bad, I could have written it in a way that would have made me look very good. But instead I chose to share a life, a whole life, big, unruly, tender and savage in turns, a life full of loss and resilience, fluctuating between the grotesque and the gorgeous. Consequently, "I, the Dragon" is an intense, challenging read. And some will choose not to journey too far into its shadows. So be it. I serve the Dark Goddess. I serve Truth and Beauty. "I, the Dragon" offers powerful guidance and vital intelligence. I will leave the outcome of it all to the Fates. It would be foolish to imagine it could be any other way.
Magic
"I, the Dragon: Chronicles of An Epic Life Among the Humans" is available exclusively via http://www.GoFundMe.com/wordsofpower For a $55 donation, you will receive a signed copy of the black and white edition. For a $133 donation, you will receive a signed and numbered copy of the full color limited edition (333 copies). Funds raised will be used to produce audio books of both "I, the Dragon" and "Wyrds of Power" and also to facilitate upcoming book events and workshops.
I invite you to join this magic circle.
-- Richard Power
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| "I, the Dragon: Chronicles of An Epic Life Among the Humans" available via http://GoFundMe.com/wordsofpower |
