“In this brilliant analysis of Whitman’s person, poetry and relationships with his disciples, King brings his extensive experience and knowledge as a spiritual theorist and practitioner to bear on Whitman's role as an enlightened teacher of transcendent, world-celebrating spirituality.” - Amir Freimann, author of Spiritual Transmission: Paradoxes and Dilemmas on the Spiritual Path
“For Whitman lovers or spiritual seekers open to exploring sacred paths this book speaks to the possibilities and pitfalls of trying to speed up evolution and/or personal transformation. This is a serious and insightful look into the good, the bad and ugly of the complex relationship between guru and student. We discover, in this book, the sustaining influence of Whitman’s poetic theology and his ardent plea to 'destroy the teacher'.” - Neil Richardson, founder of the online virtual commons, Walt Whitman Integral
“King’s book is valuable for anyone who is on a path towards spiritual wisdom or enlightenment. We need our teachers, models and masters if we’re to move toward what we do not yet know. But if we’re to find our own authentic way, we must find our way on our own. Thus there’s a delicate dance that must go on between spiritual 'master,' or what King calls a 'hierophant,' and spiritual disciple, or 'sycophant.' By analyzing several well chosen examples of spiritual teachers and their students, and his own circuitous path, King shows us the variety, strengths and challenges of these endlessly interesting life dances.” - Robert K.C. Forman, author of Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up To Be: A Journey of Discovery, Snow and Jazz in the Soul
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Non-fiction, 2019, paperback (196 pages)
A guruship for the twenty-first century.
This book explores the implications of Walt Whitman as a guru. Uniquely, it draws on eastern ideas to expand conventional western perspectives on the poet’s legacy. Evidence for Whitman as a spiritual teacher is assembled from his writings and the testimony of contemporaries, including his relationship with a number of key disciples. These relationships are compared to the those between the following teachers and their pupils through history:
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