Haiku―The Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines (The Art of Spiritual Living)

A lot of information about Haiku and how to write. We did this as a group and it was both interesting and fun. Easy to follow and plenty of tips on writing Haiku

This book explains the art of Haiku in prayer in very simple ways. I'm sharing the idea with others in my parish.

The exercises and background text are nicely done. Some exercises might ask a bit too much, in the sense of needing space, time, etc... for grandparents like me who watch two grandkids and get little down time. However, this is also the strong point of the book -- it outlines what we need to concentrate and focus and to escape the hectic daily lives we might lead. Not perfect but very nice.

I especially like the way the author included haiku (short, pithy poems and proverbs) beyond the traditionalJapanese form that is more constricted and briefer. I've used some of them in a very popular issue ofmy Beter Conversations newsletter.

This book helped me so much with writing my haikus! It has different engaging exercises. Highly recommend!

An excellent book that continues to hold my interest. I have shared my copy with others and have bought one for friends I use the examples for a lecture series I am giving. It is a great book!

Haiku is to bring the reader into a direct and immediate experience these purchases have done just that. nuff said

[ This review originally appeared in The Englewood Review of Books - 18 June 2010 ]Haiku has long been one of my favorite forms of poetry: short and simple enough to be written in one sitting, and yet spare; its brevity offering gentle discipline when I often am tempted to wax verbose. So, I was delighted to find out about Margaret McGee's recent book Haiku, the Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines, a superb exploration of this poetic form for both beginners and experts alike. In the book's introduction, McGee notes that haiku is intended to depict a single image, "a picture in the mind's eye." She describes "the haiku moment" as "a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves." Thus, the practice of writing haiku is necessarily a practice of slowing down and of attentiveness, of focusing on a single object and the feelings that it stirs up inside of us. McGee also emphasizes that haiku is more about the experience than about the final written product. Drawing on these themes throughout, McGee explores how haiku can become a spiritual, contemplative practice. Specifically, she focuses on how the experience of haiku captures "the heart of a moment," how haiku can be a form of prayer, and the ways in which writing and sharing haiku with others can be a rich community-building experience. The most engaging chapter in the book, however, was McGee's reflection on combining the practices of haiku and Lectio Divina (a meditative way of reading and reflecting upon scripture; for those unfamiliar, I would highly recommend Tony Jones's book, Divine Intervention) Lectio Divina combined with haiku can help us to internalize passages of scripture that we might take them out into the world with us. "When you carry the words of sacred texts out into the world with you," she says, "and look with attention, you may see the words reflected back to you in the common events and objects of daily life" (92). Practices of internalizing scripture have been well-known among monastics (and other faithful ones) for centuries - and especially in the era before the printing press made texts widely available - but McGee's thought to combine haiku with reflection upon scripture is one that will undoubtedly be kicking around my head for a long while. One of the book's final chapters reflects the "presentation" aspect of how haiku are written, specifically how they can be incorporated with pictures or prose.Haiku, the Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines is a rich little book, calling us into practices of attention and reflection that are lost arts in most corners of mainstream American culture. I have no doubt that, if we would attend seriously to the ideas set forth here, we would be better prepared to hear that "still small voice" that seeks to transform us (and all creation) from the inside out.

This little book is a gem for would be and experienced haiku poets alike. It has many no nonsense hints and exercises to enhance your own writing skills.From my own Christian perspective, I take seriously the advice to "consider the lilies of the field" (Matthew 6: 28-29). In her book, Margret explains how the discipline of haiku encourages us to stop look and listen to creation.Particularly interesting is the way Margret links haiku with lectio divina (divine reading). The method outlined in the book has become an important part of my own spiritual practise.

This book gives great suggestions and direction on how to execute the works used in it. It is very quietening, and spiritually focusing.