Hope & Starlight is a collection of poetry and prose to help you keep returning home to yourself. Whether you think in terms of spirit, soul, or psychological wholeness, this collection keeps gently pointing us back to the core of our being.

Written by Francis Briers, Interfaith Minister, Spiritual Counsellor, and founder of ‘wise fool school, ’ this is a distillation of his writing from the last 10 years. It includes some of his popular poems and pieces such as his widely shared poem ‘Death + Life’ as well as new material not previously published elsewhere.

The first half is poetry, each one included to evoke the tenderness and wonder of human experience; the second half is a selection of his prose writing, mostly short pieces to dip into when you want inspiration or nourishment with a couple of longer pieces to finish: ‘Love and Loss and the Courage it Takes to Live Life Wholeheartedly, ’ and ‘Living With Uncertainty.’

The heart of it all is this:

There is a treasure at the core of your being, but it can be hard to reach. Simple but not easy. It is present in the tiniest, most specific moments and the grandest and most magical occasions in life and everywhere in between. Teachers and sages can try and tell you how to find this treasure but who can know the landscape of your heart better than you? In fact, even by trying to talk about it we risk distracting ourselves from it. The hope then lies within the difficulty. The treasure is hidden in lands that no-one can map for you, but you are closer to it than to any other destination, no matter where you go. There is a treasure at the core of your being, a treasure in your heart.