Poetry is a skillful means for changing consciousness. It can move in a flash from separation to union, from “I” to “We,” and back again into the interior individual. This workshop will take up the key tasks of Growing Up and Waking Up, employing Ken Wilber’s formulation of Eros–the movement towards the Godhead, the nondual–and Agape, the spontaneous overflow of that union into the human realm, embracing all states and stages. I’ll center the workshop on the great German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who wrote, “Earth, isn’t it your dream to be invisible someday? What, if not transformation, is your urgent command?” –a perfect expression of the movement from the material to the subtle realm. I hope to add poetry from the great koan literature of the Chinese Zen tradition, with pointed instructions for the waking-up process. We’ll start with reading and discussing some of these poems as a group, then have quiet time for movement, meditation, and other creative responses which allow you to embody the poem. Then we’ll come together briefly to share the results.