Consolations II: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

by David Whyte

David Whyte’s Consolations use everyday words to present us with a prism through which to better understand ourselves and the lives we walk through. At the request of readers globally, Whyte returns with fifty-two short, elegant meditations on a single word ranging from ‘Anxiety’ to ‘Body’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Shame’ and ‘Moon’. He embraces their nuances, amplitudes and depths, and, in doing so, confronts realities that many of us would spend a lifetime trying senselessly to avoid.

In Consolations II, anxiety might be more mercifully understood as the preparation for being hurt, fixed beliefs are recognised as the very places where we do not wish to understand, guilt is a friend compassionately waiting for us to catch up and routine becomes a form of ritual and worship. Each piece in this life-affirming book is an invitation to slow down, shift our perspective and find comfort. In these pages, Whyte explores the full constellation of human experience.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Essays

318 pages, Hardcover

Published December 4, 2024

About the author

Poet David Whyte grew up with a strong, imaginative influence from his Irish mother among the hills and valleys of his father’s Yorkshire. He now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

The author of seven books of poetry and three books of prose, David Whyte holds a degree in Marine Zoology and has traveled extensively, including living and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands and leading anthropological and natural history expeditions in the Andes, Amazon and Himalaya. He brings this wealth of experience to his poetry, lectures and workshops.

His life as a poet has created a readership and listenership in three normally mutually exclusive areas: the literate world of readings that most poets inhabit, the psychological and theological worlds of philosophical enquiry and the world of vocation, work and organizational leadership.

An Associate Fellow at Said Business School at the University of Oxford, he is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with many European, American and international companies. In spring of 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Neumann College, Pennsylvania.

In organizational settings, using poetry and thoughtful commentary, he illustrates how we can foster qualities of courage and engagement; qualities needed if we are to respond to today’s call for increased creativity and adaptability in the workplace. He brings a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the nature of individual and organizational change, particularly through his unique perspectives on Conversational Leadership.

Reviews

[Sarah Brown Wessling · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve probably all seen those grids of seemingly random letters with the prophetic, “The first three words you find will predict your year.” I can’t help but look. The same way I can’t wait to crack open a fortune cookie or turn over the tag on a tea bag to see the message waiting. Every once in a while, I write down the first three words I see or tuck a fortune into the pocket of my wallet or snap a photo of a tea bag. Every once in a while I wonder if the words know something I have yet to understand.

That’s a bit like reading this gorgeous collection of words. It’s a little like a dictionary (each chapter is an essay on a word), a lot like poetry, a little like philosophy, a lot like meditations. And just like those grids of hiding words, a handful of them stood out to me as I went chapter by chapter: anguish, burnout, love, moon, you.

Underneath and in-between these words, I found some of my own, like a metronome for meaning: waves, invitation, liminal. His words taught me about my own. Everything is in motion, everything cycles. We are invited to the uncertain. We are always in-between.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Consolations I. I find myself picking it up again and again. Had hoped II would be more of the same, but it has not resonated in the same way. Still worth reading for Whyte’s beautiful way with words.

[Brahm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like David Whyte's words a lot.

I feel it is almost essential to listen to him on a podcast or YouTube or something to get an imprint of his voice in your head before reading his essays (or I suppose, get the audiobook).

Thanks SPL for adding a copy to the collection on my request!

[Tim Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really intriguing book with beautiful, excellent writing that will make a reader think, laugh and occasionally disagree.

David Whyte walks through the alphabet from "Anguish" to "Zen" laying out the meaning of everyday words. Don't be confused, this is not the Merriam-Webster meaning, but a set of thoughts--usually three to five pages--of what that word brings to Whyte's mind.

There is plenty here to make one think: ("Injury is the invitation to live from the inside out. Injury is how we are shocked into discovery."; "The sound in the word 'moon' is like the moon itself, coming and going while giving a reassuring sense of being eternally present.")

There is also much to make one laugh: ("It might be difficult to found an Institute of Future Studies in Ireland, a title that goes against all logic as well as intuition grounded in the timeless, or if this institute does come to exist it could only be founded by American or English academics, or Irish who have spent too long in America."; "The inclusion of the word in 'Nowadays' is often just a prelude to a speaker's underlying conservatism and reluctance to move into the actual now as in, 'kids nowadays.'")

And, there is ample opportunity for disagreement: ("...fixed beliefs are the beginning of all unhappiness between human beings...Perhaps the healthiest belief of all, is one that disarms all the rest: the belief that fixed beliefs are the enemy of all human peace." [Isn't this, then, a fixed belief?]; "Guilt is the word that secretly carries its own cure.")

But there is nothing whatsoever in the book that is boring or of little use.

One critique: He covers the whole alphabet other than "X" (understandable) but also skips over J, K, Q, and W. What's wrong with "Joy", or "Kind", or "Quintessential" or "War"?

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing thing about Whyte is that he is always able to go beyond the usual definition of a word and into its larger meaning — sometimes the opposite of what you are thinking it will be. Some words are more powerfully analyzed than others in this book, but the book is absolutely worth a slow read so the meanings can sink in. I re-read specific words when I’m in need of the lesson Whyte is imparting.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first Consolations is one of my favourite books of all time.. hence why I may be particularly harsh on this follow up. But I feel the edition I own is a shambles as far as editing goes, with a myriad of basic mistakes, unnecessary repetition and overly-complex prose riddling its copy.

I’m afraid the simple elegance and eloquence of Consolations I was lost here and I just hope Mr Whyte finds it again with a fresh approach very soon.

[Bob Does Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thoughtful and Expansive Exploration of Everyday Language

David Whyte’s Consolations II continues his masterful exploration of language, offering an easy yet profound read that invites deep reflection. Like the first volume, it doesn’t just illuminate the words he writes about—it shifts the way you see all language, making even the most familiar words feel newly significant.

[Miglė · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Whyte writes with beauty, insight and compassion.

Consolations II felt too didactic for me - I could easily see him make the opposite argument, and run with it with as much enthusiasm.

I am a massive fan of Whyte's poems though, and a great appreciator of the first Consolations book. It is all, in the end, subjective. I look forward to his future books!

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book with so many great thoughts and interesting perspectives. I still don’t think anything quite compares to his first one, but this comes close. It’s wild how much my life has been changed lately by books that feel like actual works of art. This one is definitely at the top of my list. What a gift.

[Dan Brigman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whyte never fails to impress.

This volume is an excellent addition to anyone's library. He offers fascinating thoughts and descriptions about seemingly everyday words. Each paragraph opens up a new enlightening thought about words that many of us find to be "everyday words."

Outstanding.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned/the content of this book made me feel…

Reflective is such a huge way that it made me feel part sad too? Life can’t always be roses though, and this book really does highlight this without trying to be depressive…

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Clayton Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. This author writes in a style that I really appreciate.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find as many poems resonated in this collection as in Consolations (1st book). Death, by far my favourite poem in this book, providing me with a new perspective.

[Pia De G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful essays encouraging us to consider a commonly used word in a deeper way. makes for good meditation, self reflection and changing one's perspective.

[Chloë Janssens]

A bit weird how it ends with a white man defining "Zen". Other than that, good passages, in general a bit on the conservative side and felt a bit didactic at times.

[Mai Mislang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another balm for my heart, best read after Consolations I