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  • The Smell of Rain on Dust

  • Grief and Praise
  • Written by: Martín Prechtel
  • Narrated by: Martín Prechtel
  • Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (21 ratings)

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The Smell of Rain on Dust

Written by: Martín Prechtel
Narrated by: Martín Prechtel
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Publisher's Summary

Inspiring hope, solace, and courage in living through our losses, author Martín Prechtel, trained in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, shares profound insights on the relationship between grief and praise in our culture - how the inability that many of us have to grieve and weep properly for the dead is deeply linked with the inability to give praise for living. In modern society, grief is something that we usually experience in private, alone, and without the support of a community. Yet, as Prechtel says, "Grief expressed out loud for someone we have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honors what it misses."

Prechtel explains that the unexpressed grief prevalent in our society today is the reason for many of the social, cultural, and individual maladies that we are currently experiencing. According to Prechtel, "When you have two centuries of people who have not properly grieved the things that they have lost, the grief shows up as ghosts that inhabit their grandchildren." These "ghosts", he says, can also manifest as disease in the form of tumors, which the Maya refer to as "solidified tears", or in the form of behavioral issues and depression. He goes on to show how this collective, unexpressed energy is the long-held grief of our ancestors manifesting itself, and the work that can be done to liberate this energy so we can heal from the trauma of loss, war, and suffering.

At base, this "little book", as the author calls it, can be seen as a companion of encouragement, a little extra light for those deep and noble parts in all of us.

©2015 Martín Prechtel (P)2020 North Atlantic Books

What the critics say

"Martin Prechtel's book is beautifully written and wise...he offers stories that are precious and life-sustaining. Read carefully, and listen deeply." (Mary Oliver)

"Here Martín Prechtel sends us an invitation to peace: to personal, village-level, and world peace.... Martín coaxes us through funny and quirky turns of the ordinary and the miraculous to leave us inspired to wake up singing to the beauty of our rising sun and live in praise of this complex and gracious world." (Inge Hindel, MD/PhD, family and integrated medicine doctor at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, Oregon)

"Caring for animals is a sacred responsibility. To truly grieve and to weep deeply is something the animals really do help us with. And O they help us praise too, to accomplish that most marvelous art of turning the grief into praising. Martín tells us, 'Let the world jump up and live again,' and he makes that happen with his delicious sentences. Read this necessary, very beautiful book, and then read it again." (Coleman Barks, author of Rumi: Soul Fury)

What listeners say about The Smell of Rain on Dust

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Wordsmith extraordinaire, deeply felt resonance of the praise of life, I’ve never read a book like this. His playful, imperfect and highly unique narration was the best part. Prepare to have your mind expanded.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deeply moving and compelling Sharing of his journey

It is hard to find people who have lived life in ways that allow them to dig deeply into their own personal and collective struggle and suffering and to powerfully articulate and share this journey with authenticity and an absolute commitment to authentic open hearted deep spirited connection to others. Pechtel achieves this. the added blessing is to be able to listen to him share his words and story as he speaks his truth.

As a mother who recently lost her beloved son in his early 20s to the oceans waters, I have found Pechtel’s book the smell of rain on dust soothing to my soul in ways that words could not come close to describing. At a time in the history of our world when unexpressed fears and tears are leading to terrifying political decision making in the guise of protecting communities and nations from harm, I find myself holding near and dear the words Pechtel has shared with reverence. I feel like I am drinking from the glass of pure refreshing water that I have been parched to find and so desperately in need of. I am filled with gratitude and praise and hope that many who have struggled and suffered with unexpressed grief will find this book supportive and catalyzing of their essential empowerment journey towards authenticity and true presence in our dis-eased world.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A mastery for unpeeling layers of grief to find praise

Martin is a masterful story teller, his voice is an easy song to listen to.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible as always

Martin's books have changed the way I see the world - this is no exception.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

too fluffy and metaphorical

the reader sounds like Chong from Cheech n Chong and its really unpleasant to listen to.
also, too many run on sentences make for difficult understandings and so metaphorical that its easy to get lost in the actual point!

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