"Our greatest gift to the world may be in sharing what gives us the greatest joy," writes bestselling author and philosopher Sam Keen in this exuberant and lyrical meditation on the art of flying. His enchantment with the trapeze began in childhood while attending the circus and found fulfillment two days before his 62nd birthday when he enrolled in a training program at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. "Thus far I have been a man of gravity — serious, strong, rigid, taut, heavy, and earthbound. It is time for levity, lightness, litheness, and soaring."
Keen's enthusiasm shines through every page of this book. He sees the practice of trapeze as "good therapy for a recovering Presbyterian, it gets me out of myself." He ponders becoming a connoisseur of fear, daring the leap of faith, creating a graceful body, learning the art of falling, and becoming a catcher. While practicing his craft, the author creates a new relationship with his body, and, for the first time in his life, senses the present moment as eternity. He also interviews some of the greatest trapeze artists of our era and salutes their courage, grace, and love of making beauty.
Keen now conducts trapeze workshops at his Sonoma, California, ranch for many groups, including troubled teenagers and abused women. Learning to Fly incarnates the spiritual practice of joy. The message is irrepressible: Let your passion lead you to places where your spirit can soar!
