On Sentience

These exquisitely written reflections follow on from an earlier volume, On Presence, and are also illustrated with drawings by Sarah Gillespie. The point of departure is that we already live in a sentient world if only we became aware of this – a communion of subjects – and by paying close and loving attention and emptying the self, we can enter, like Goethe, into communion with the world around us rather than objectifying it. Peter spends many hours of contemplation on the banks of the River Avon, giving rise to the first essay on swans. Then Sarah evokes the mistle thrush – one I remember used to sing its heart out from the top of a tall lime tree in Fife. A third piece describes the looming Icelandic Snaefellsjokull from a boat, while the fourth essay is a beautiful discussion about Fra Filippo's 15^th century annunciation as an allegory of receptivity and inspiration which leads on to a profound observation about the nature of attending to the world as living presence while drawing in nature. These essays and drawings are real nourishment for the soul.