The Being in Humans

by Linda Golden

Overview

Linda Golden has crafted a book that captures the nuances of her life's journey. She considers herself a student of the human condition, sculpted by her training as a Psychoanalyst as well as her studies of spiritual traditions. She focuses her attention on the interplay, in poetic form, of the pull between psychological forces and longings of the spirit. Her insights and observations blended with honesty and humor make for an inviting read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635340112
Publisher:	Finishing Line Press
Publication date:	09/09/2016
Pages:	42
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.09(d)

About the Author

Linda Golden was born in Brooklyn, her family moved to California when she was 4. She grew up in the Los Angeles area where she still lives. Early on she was fascinated by rituals around religion. Drawn by the energy before she understood what that was. She used to sit on the floor watching participants entranced. Even when she traveled she was drawn to houses of worship or found that feeling in nature. She eventually ended up living in Topanga, a rural mountain community, for over thirty years. Because of a family tragedy, when she was a teenager, she sought to understand what had happened. The study of psychology lead her through school. Some answers were found there. Still something was missing. She gravitated back to things spiritual. She found the marriage of psychology and spirituality to be helpful to her as well as the people she worked with. Linda came to see that a psychological view of history is helpful to people in order for them to understand the patterns in their lives. Healing their life in the present was aided by the precepts of a spiritual approach. Even when she took advanced training to be a Psychoanalyst, she found adding other level of awareness useful. She is married to Mike, her childhood sweetheart. They met when she was fifteen, he seventeen. They grew together, sometimes unevenly, each finding their own paths, sharing many others. They have two children, both married, with five grandchildren between them. In retirement they moved to a granny apartment in their son and daughter-in-law's house. This multigenerational home is also occupied by three grandchildren. Mike and Linda visit with their Northern California contingent often. She and Mike explore painting, sculpture, enjoy world traveling. Writing in a group setting has been one of the treasures of this time of life. Linda is grateful for the support and inspiration she has received from her fellow writing travelers. She has been published in print and online in numerous publications. All of her interests, passions, come together in this, her first book.

Table of Contents

The Being in Humans 1
Who Was the Crack in Your World 2
First Touched 3
Who Dances 4
Who Wrote That on My Page 6
Inspiration 7
Rewind 8
Secret 9
Heart Song 10
How Will I Grow 11
Spirit's Emergency 12
Good Enough 13
Don't Be Sorry, Be Different 14
Dark Places 15
Now 16
No More 17
Healing Old Wounds 18
Hers 19
God, When I Die 20
Going Home 21
Autumn of Our Lives 22
Web of Life 23
We Love Because We Can Forgive 24
What Is Important 25
The Fates 26
Move 27

Editorial Reviews

Most of us look at life head on. Linda Golden looks for the nuances, the places where a heart can linger, the space between the breaths. With courage, and yet lightheartedness too, her poems illuminate familiar experience with a light that is clear, but also gentle. She stops to pay attention Always honest, she teases out feelings we often hide, even from ourselves. It's a pleasure and a gift to pay attention with her as she explores these nuances. As subtle and diverse as life itself.
-Noela N. Evans, Meditations for the Passages and Celebrations of Life, Bell Tower Books, Random House

Linda Golden's chapbook, The Being in Humans, honors something greater than herself. She avers this in her poem "Good Enough." Another poem, "Dark Places" begins with the three lines: I know when I write down the bones / Close as I can without breaking them, / Then I have your attention. It is as though her pen becomes a lifeline. Golden captures the reader's attention with hard truths. Some poems search for grace, some resign themselves to vital observation. Notes of regret are contrasted with songs of survival and strength. Some of Golden's poems shine in mystery, others relate adversities overcome, or contain essential instructions. There is a steady beat of vibrant intellect in this collection. "Who Dances" and "Heart Song" ring with rhythm and lush language.
-Ellen Reich, Sleeping Guardian, Finishing Line Press

From the Publisher