In the Absence of the Ordinary

Soul Work for Times of Uncertainty--Essays on grief, change, and sacred transitions

By: Francis Weller

Narrated by: Francis Weller

We are at a threshold. As we face uncertain futures, the familiar is falling away. This book invites us to embody new ways of being and connecting so we can navigate troubled times together

From the bestselling author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, a beautifully packaged collection of 17 essays on meeting this moment with clarity, care, and skill

Praise for The Wild Edge of Sorrow: "It blew me away. I underlined things on nearly every page." —Anderson Cooper

In his singular and inimitable voice, psychotherapist and author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow Francis Weller offers 17 soulful essays to help us move together through the anxieties, difficulties, and sacred transitions of 21st-century life.

In the Absence of the Ordinary frames our current era as a rough initiation—an upending experience of profound trauma and transformation that demands we reorient our ways of thinking, being, and relating. Through essays like “Some People Wake Up…,” “The Gift of Restraint,” and “Gratitude for All That Is,” Weller offers clarity and wisdom on how to face the sobering stakes of our time—while offering the nourishment and support we need to embody the new roles this initiation requires.

• Section 1, “When the Bough Breaks,” names our collective traumas and peels back the false armor of modernity. We’re called to the depths, to understand the power of descent, and to cultivate the necessary skills of initiation.
• Section 2, “Care of the Soul,” differentiates between the connected soul and the individualistic self, inviting us back into alignment with the wider world of belonging. We learn to approach our experiences with reverence, work with our grief, and develop restraint, repetition, and self-compassion.
• Section 3, “Meanwhile, the World Goes On,” gives shape to the emptiness we carry and the ways modernity has severed us from our birthright of interconnectedness with the natural world. It offers rituals of gratitude and practices of kinship to restore our bond with the living Earth.

In each essay, Weller fortifies us to become immense—to meet these unpredictable times with presence and faith, to restore our souls’ place in the soul of the world, and to hold steady, amid and for it all.

Weller’s wisdom, compassion and wealth of experience is revealed in his words and in his voice.

A book for This moment in our world. Weller’s “medicine” for the Long Dark is critical information.

Timely

From his first word. This is a timely work for me, but for our humanity. Such depth and knowledge. This book was recommended and I kept putting it off thinking I didn't want to open grief. I'm so glad I was nudged again. You won't regret listening. I bought the book to refer to after I listen.

A much needed companion for this stressful era

I love his work, and appreciated how this felt both original and ancient all at once. Frances was an excellent narrator whose heart and insight delivered this so well. He could read the phone book and I’d feel deeply comforted and engaged.

The tenderness amidst deep grief acceptance

I Liked the nature immersions amidst the tenderness that described how we may be with our grief, whole heartedly.

In the absence of the ordinary

So much here, like a treasure trove of nourishing words. Will need to listen again.