Temenos Academy Review 2012

The annual Temenos review consists of articles, book reviews and poems from many leading figures, including some of the founders like Kathleen Raine and the artist Thetis Blacker. Kathleen writes fascinatingly about how she composes a poem. She likens it to a flash of light in the mind, as one sees a fish dart in the stream. Then it must be recaptured by concentration and remembering, with subsequent intuitive elaboration. Wendell Berry recalls an important incident in his family history, while Simon Wilson explores the spiritual and mystical symbolism of black and white. Jeremy Naydler draws on his experience to defend the flower garden as a contribution to beauty, the spirit of place and a re-creation of paradise. There are 45 pages of detailed book reviews, including one of Keith Critchlow's Hidden Geometry of Flowers as well as Jeremy's Gardening as a Sacred Art. There is much to feed both mind and soul.