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Combining poetry with divination, this collection resurrects the ancient Greek art of Rhapsodomancy, or divining one's fortune or destiny through the use of poetry or verse. Harkening back to antiquity, when Polyhymnia—the muse of sacred poetry—and Calliope—the muse of epic poetry—were invoked for guidance, each page of this anthology contains three poetic excerpts, chosen for their oracular wisdom. Readers are asked to contemplate a question and then randomly select an excerpt, which will offer revelations and inspiration for further contemplation. Excerpts are drawn from poets throughout the ages, including Sappho, Li Po, Rumi, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Dylan Thomas, William Blake, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Though designed as a prophetic tool, it can also be used as an introduction to some of the world's greatest poets.
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Consortium of collective consciousness www.cccpublishing.com www.thepoetryoracle.com The Poetry Oracle first edition Copyright © 2008 by Amber Guetebier & Brenda Knight Published by the Consortium of Collective Consciousness ™ All rights reserved. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to CCC Publishing, 530 8th Avenue #6, San Francisco, CA 94118 USA. FAX (415) 933-8132. Cover design by Elizabeth Jens Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935293 Includes index (Pbk.) ISBN-13: 978-1888729207 ISBN-10: 1888729201 1. Spirituality—Metaphysics, Oracle. 2. Poetry—Classics. Printed in the United States of America. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………….4 How to Use the Poetry Oracle……………………………7 The Poetry Oracle………………………………………………9 Acknowledgments ……………………………………………283 Bibliography……………………………………………………284 The Poetry Oracle Introduction Do you find the idea that you can connect with the divine powers of prophecy simply by opening this book a bit unsettling? Don’t be alarmed, dear querent, it is a time-honored tradition handed down to us from the very ancients who first realized you could consult supernatural sources for knowledge of the future. The legendary Oracle at Delphi was, to the ancient Greeks, a source of inspiration, prophecies, and divine messages from the Gods and Goddesses who ruled the heavens and reigned over the Earth. In ancient Greece, a rhapsody was an epic poem, or part of one, and as common for communicating stories and great tales of adventure as 0 - The Poetry Oracle today’s daily news. Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry, and Polyhymnia, the Muse of sacred poetry were invoked to create stories of adventure, love, and death in a verse form, a story that would last throughout time. So too, has modern poetry, evolved from this ancient tradition. Poets keep the sacred art alive and pay homage to the muses by expressing their truths and imagery in a way that defies time and place. It is with all of this in mind that we have created The Poetry Oracle, rekindling the ancient practice of rhapsodomancy; divination using verse or poetry. We invite you, dear reader, to find the answers to your wildest question, to seek guidance from The Poetry Oracle, to find a bit of poetry that will get you through the day. In keeping with the divine purpose that has inspired us to create The Poetry Oracle, 0 - The Poetry Oracle we have used bibliomancy to choose many of the quotes we offer you here, and have employed the “cut-up technique,” made so famous by The Beats, to select the order of the quotes themselves. As poets, we have written thousands of words, but as lovers of poetry we have read thousands more. Each one of these lines stands out in their own way, marking a passage of a moment, a memory, a sensation