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Prescribing powerful poems for the Heart, Mind and Soul

The Poetry Pharmacy Forever

The Poetry Pharmacy Returns cover

The Poetry Pharmacy Returns

The Poetry Pharmacy cover

The Poetry Pharmacy

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How often are we dissatisfied with how things are,

How often are we dissatisfied with how things are, how people around us behave? And how often does this derail us unnecessarily, making us frustrated and unhappy? In the great Buddhist tradition, we can’t control other people, or the world around us, we can only control our reactions to them. Acceptance, including self-acceptance, is key to achieving peace of mind. That’s not to say we shouldn’t aim for self improvement. But we be should try to be aware of and at ease with our flaws. #acceptance #selfacceptance

It’s really easy to judge others. It can make us

It’s really easy to judge others. It can make us feel virtuous and in control. But criticising others is often a disguise for us finding fault in ourselves. Here Hafiz gently offers us an alternative: find someone wise and generous, with an elegance of spirit which you admire, let this be the inspiration for your actions. As Aristotle said many thousands of years ago, it is through learning to mimic the behaviour of others that we can cultivate a habit of goodness. #elegance #selfimprovement #mentor

Whatever values we attribute to the world around u

Whatever values we attribute to the world around us, whatever we have or don’t have, agree or disagree with, one thing that can never be taken away from us is hope. The important thing about hope is that it can flourish even in the most barren of places, during the most dispiriting of times, if we lean into it. This timeless poem by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful reminder to listen for the song of hope which perches in the soul. #hope #song #soul

#humility #wisdom #eliot

#humility #wisdom #eliot

So you’re sad? Hopeless? It’s easy to fall int

So you’re sad? Hopeless? It’s easy to fall into a rut of feeling sorry for ourselves. But there will always be a naked Celia to picture, when High Holborn seems too depressing to be walked alone. #monday #uplift

We seem to be bombarded with the message that the

We seem to be bombarded with the message that the world is a dangerous place, every unfamiliar face is a new deceit, that we should stay at home and board up our windows. But that’s not the day to day experience that most of us live. Every day, through small actions, we build a world together. This beautiful poem reminds us that human connection is all around us, if only we are prepared to look. #connection #community #kindness

The heady compulsion of needing to know someone in

The heady compulsion of needing to know someone inside out is as old as time, as these gorgeous lines by Rumí written 800 years ago remind us. Rejection is excruciating, but perhaps more bearable when we consider that most of us have had to suffer it at some point. If you are swept up by longing, lust and fascination, remember that it is something to savour, one of the most powerful feelings in the world. This is being alive. #love #infatuation #obsession

We are so excited to announce that @indiravarma an

We are so excited to announce that @indiravarma and Stephen Mangan will be joining William Sieghart for our Christmas Poetry Pharmacy Live show at The Tabernacle, London on December 11th✨ A limited number of early bird tickets are available with promo code Christmasearlybird. Head to link in our bio 👉🏼

Even though we all know that, one way or another,

Even though we all know that, one way or another, we are damaged, we have invisible cracks, Izumi Shikibu’s poem reminds us to appreciate ourselves, flaws and all. We may find that our vulnerabilities, like a gap in the roof of a ruined house, leave us prone to wind and rain, but without them we may be missing out on a transcendent view of the moon. #vulnerability #scars #honesty #insight

Climate anxiety is a heavy burden, but although th

Climate anxiety is a heavy burden, but although the future may seem daunting, it is by no means fixed. And sometimes the most powerful change comes from within- a change of perspective. So if we reframe the future and the tasks before us, we may not be able to change everything in one fell swoop, but we can take some measure of control. Despair can give way to hope, which is what we need if we are to guide this unpredictable world in the right direction. #hope #perspective

How quickly the rose tinted glasses can come off i

How quickly the rose tinted glasses can come off in a relationship. But the truth is, we often turn to our relationships to fix us: to plug the gaps in our own psyches. And in doing so we play out dramas and fantasies in our heads, which have little to do with the subject of our attention. In short we are living in our imagination. Disappointment is hard to swallow. But if we simply project our own desires and needs on others then disappointment is inevitable. Much better to take those rose tinted glasses off, which is when real love can begin. #disillusion #love #fantasy

Sometimes, when life seems overwhelmingly dark and

Sometimes, when life seems overwhelmingly dark and hostile, when just putting one foot in front of the other is an exhausting daily battle, the only option we have is to save ourselves. Even when the world does not appear to offer us anything beyond impossible demands and bad advice, we can carve out a silent place, we can rediscover our own voice. In this exquisite, intense poem Mary Oliver reminds us to seek the space and quiet we need for our own survival. For the full poem go to ‘The Poetry Pharmacy Returns’. #selflove #selfcare #survival @maryoliverofficial

We are celebrating #worldmentalhealthday with @ste

We are celebrating #worldmentalhealthday with @stephenfryactually president of @mindcharity reading ‘Best Society’ by #philiplarkin. Head to our story to find #harrietwalter on her candid reflections about her own mental health journey. Share with anyone you want to support on this important day #poetry #mentalhealth

‘The Moment’ read by #harrietwalter. We all ha

‘The Moment’ read by #harrietwalter. We all have ambitions, but there is a point beyond which having more doesn’t bring us increased happiness or satisfaction. Ownership is ultimately a measure of wanting to govern our lives. The truth is we do not have the capability, let alone the right, to control nature, circumstance or fate. The moment we take more pleasure in owning something than in the thing itself is the moment we lose the art of enjoying it. #ambition #acquisition #control

Happy #nationalpoetryday ! Read a poem, find an ev

Happy #nationalpoetryday ! Read a poem, find an event, celebrate life through poetry. Here’s @gloriaobianyo reading from ‘Mental Health’ by @yrsadaleyward at our recent event in partnership with @mindcharity. #poetry #healing

‘One Art’ by Elizabeth Bishop read by @stephen

‘One Art’ by Elizabeth Bishop read by @stephenfryactually . Thank you to our partners @mindcharity #loss #heartbroken #setbacks

‘Love after love’ by Derek Walcott read by #ha

‘Love after love’ by Derek Walcott read by #harrietwalter 🩷

‘The Thing Is’ by Ellen Bass read by @denisego

‘The Thing Is’ by Ellen Bass read by @denisegough1 🙏🏽🩷

We are still coming down from the intense emotion

We are still coming down from the intense emotion of Tuesday evening’s beautiful Poetry Pharmacy Live in partnership with @mindcharity . Thank you @stephenfryactually @gloriaobianyo @denisegough1 @kavpuri #harrietwalter for your moving readings and reflections on the healing power of poetry #healing #poetry #mentalhealth #selfcare. Image credits @annaggordon 🩷

A reminder to bask in the feeling of joy when it c

A reminder to bask in the feeling of joy when it comes, however it comes, in the shape of Indira Varma reading Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem Don’t Hesitate.

You also shouldn’t hesitate if you’re planning to join us at The Poetry Pharmacy Live tomorrow night, as there are just a handful of tickets left for what is going to be a truly magical evening.

This special one-off event will feature @stephenfryactually and a line-up of acclaimed actors reading beautiful poems perfectly matched to conditions of the heart, mind and soul, including Dame Harriet Walter, Gloria Obianyo and Denise Gough.

Head to the link in our bio now and grab your ticket while you still can 👉

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