Praise for The Moon Reminded Me
"In The Moon Reminded Me, Ellen Grace O’Brian shares a lifetime of deep wondering, weaving the presence of our inner life with the presence of life beyond our own. These bare, insightful poems are reminiscent of Basho, and more recently, Gary Snyder. She speaks of the storm from the eye of the storm in a way that affirms that life is worth living."
—Mark Nepo, author of The One Life We’re Given and The Way Under The Way
"From one poem to the next, O’Brian’s lens shrinks and widens without effort, to exhilarating, near vertiginous effect. Her images flit from the ordinary to the timeless, from the foam of a wave absorbed by sand, to the ancient longing of humans for the Eternal. Above all, she is aware, on every page, and beautifully, to the immovable presence of Love in the universe. Love unbridled and all-pervading, Love bursting with grace and beautiful madness, residing in us all, waiting only to unfurl. What a gift this collection is.”
—Khaled Hosseini, NYT #1 Bestselling Author of The Kite Runner
“Here is a book of beautiful spiritual poems of unusual quality.”
—Fr. Thomas Keating, author of Open Mind, Open Heart
"Ellen O'Brian invites us into her soul, the space where poetry is born. Here human individuality engages with a wider Self. In this contemplative space words point to the concrete realities that unveil another Reality. Accept this invitation--this is good company to be in."
—Kabir Helminski, translator of Rumi, author of Living Presence and The Knowing Heart
"These glimpses into the spacious love of the Divine are testaments to Ellen’s awakening and invitations to your own. Savor this book."
—Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Accidental Grace
These poems illuminate the soul, delicately, lightly, with measured emotion. Ellen Grace O’Brian manages to express spiritual practice as life, beyond doctrine, and straight to the heart. “Be a jagged edge/falling in love/one salty kiss/at a time.”
—Norman Fischer, poet and Zen Buddhist priest, author of Magnolias All At Once and What Is Zen?: Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind
"In The Moon Reminded Me, Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian presents a rare combination of deep yogic vision and intricate poetic skill, awakening us to our inner journey of Self-realization."
—Dr. David Frawley D.Litt., author of Vedic Yoga: The Path of the Rishi and Shiva: The Lord of Yoga
“In her book, The Moon Reminded Me, Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian has so gracefully shared her life’s journey, depth of her insight and devotion in a most meaningful language of poetry. Highly recommended.”
–Nahid Angha, Sufi scholar, executive editor of Sufism Journal
“In her savory, contemplative verse, Yogacharya O’Brian crosses and penetrates the boundaries of tradition. Like Whitman, she illuminates the transcendent in the immanent. Like Leonard Cohen, she points to the light that enters the cracks in everything, even despair. Like the Zen poets, she evokes the sublime in the ordinary. Like the psalmists and bhaktas, she sings out in praise and cries out with longing for God, which is, in itself, a divine connection.”
–Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: How Indian Spirituality Changed the West
"These poems are touched by a delightful quirkiness in the turn of a line. Something gets illuminated within me because a difficult lesson is learned by the poet and made integral to her heart. Some poems draw a line in the sand, and by this fierceness, gain my trust. By the end of The Moon Reminded Me, I know this voice, the one that is Ellen Grace O’Brian’s lovely voice, a voice of one who cares for beauty, truth. . .love."
—John Fox, author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making, Founder of The Institute of Poetic Medicine
"In the poetry collection, The Moon Reminded Me, poet, mystic and spiritual teacher Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian reveals the deep hidden folds of Being. Her light filled poems arise out of felt acuity and deep stillness reflecting myriad manifestations of divinity that she perceives and experiences in every one and everywhere. Yogacharya articulates with spiritual and lyrical mastery, her own deep knowledge of many wisdom traditions. Any collection of contemporary nondual (Advaita) poets writing in English should include the poems of Yogacharya O’Brian. Through the ruminative quiet of her poems, let this book lead you home. As she writes in the poem titled: Someone Has Left the Door Open, “Turn around and you’ll see— the One you’ve been looking for has found you.”
–Acharya Shunya Pratichi Mathur, author of Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom, Spiritual Director, Vedika Global, Foundation for the Living Wisdom of Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedanta
"This wonderful poetry collection sings to the heart. It raises up the spirit, serving as all great poetry does, to take the reader beyond the realm of speech and mind. Her Sanskrit words flow in naturally, not noting any divisions between East and West."
–Indira and Shanta Bulkin, East~West Sanskrit Institute
"Here is reality: honest, personal, simple, elegant. Open, let your breath listen to the Breath."
–Anne Hillman, author of Awakening the Energies of Love
"The poems of Ellen Grace O'Brian encourage us to open our hearts to the world, to each other, to God. They remind us that we are all related--crows, foxes, snakes, the moon--all part of the same family. These poems will cajole you, challenge you, soothe you. Sit with them awhile."
–David Denny, author of three poetry collections: Man Overboard, Fool in the Attic, and Plebeian on the Front Porch. Recent honors include numerous Pushcart Prize nominations, a two-year term as Poet Laureate of Cupertino, a Tuscany Prize in Fiction.
"In this exquisite new collection of mystical poems, Ellen Grace O’Brian – one of this country’s most inspired spiritual leaders – asks the question, “How do we live our eternal life?” She points to the light in everyday things with elegant, poignant simplicity --a flight of geese, a salty kiss, the wounds of men returned from war – reminding readers that God is among us in every passing, eternal moment, if only we pause long enough to see."
–Mark Matousek, author of When You're Falling, Dive