About Wakes of Joy
Wakes of Joy is a lyrical meditation on presence, surrender, and joy—an ode to the miracle of being alive.
A number of the poems are directly inspired by the words and teachings of Gangaji. Many are expressions of my own journey of discovery, of direct experience, and of deepening through self-inquiry. They were written over a four-year period beginning in 2020 (the year I became a member of the Foundation and began fully immersing myself in the teachings).
I first became a prisoner correspondent, then a transcriber, and finally (in October 2023), GF Prison Program Correspondence Coordinator.
My hunger to hear Gangaji’s words was so great that the Transcriptions Coordinator, Joanna, had to keep searching for more and more audios to “feed” me enough to keep going! (I checked—I transcribed well over 100 talks!) Hours and hours of listening, writing, listening again. All of that immersion, all that deepening, has flowed into the poems I now send you, with my deep love, appreciation, joy—and above all:
Here is a selection of poems from Diana's book.
Trans Scribe
I transcribe, write down the words
spoken in Satsang.
I am not a scribe from ancient times,
but a trans-scriber,
a trans-former of spoken word into text.
This is not creative, you might say,
not like poetry—
but in its own way,
it trans-ports,
from trance to source,
from here to Here.
Call and Response
Are these cells echoes, calls of our ancestors?
Cries, prayers-struggles and triumps—
passed down,
so I may stand here, thriving.
The cells in my hands,
cells from millennia of life,
flowing now in me, my fingers...
allowing words to metabolize with grace,
and tell of sorrows, joys, and who we truly are—
Where do my loyalties lie?
And my longings?
Am I called to pass on
all I hear and feel?
My cells speak,
and listen too.
Deeper Into Yourself
If you are willing to fall
off the edge of the earth, off the brim of the sea,
off the verge of your ordered world...
You may discover
you've been holding on to nothing.
And you cannot fall off—
you can only fall deeper into yourself.
Bashing Against the Pane
A pair of bluebottles hum around the kitchen,
unbothered as I watch,
their bodies thumping against the glass,
again and again.
I walk to the window,
open it wide, and watch
as they fly back into the room.
Perhaps some flies prefer captivity
trapped by their hunger,
by their very name: "Housefly."
A
nd what of me?
Am I bashing against my own glass,
my own name: "Housewife"?
Maybe it is so.
Maybe it is not so,
Or maybe—
will I simply fly?
The Cloak and the Wind
Let me lay it down right here
on this moss-covered stone,
my cloak of countless pockets—
pockets stuffed for generations
with insecurities,
tales of human woe.
Just for an instant,
I lay it down,
drape it limp and idle
over this sacred ground.
Let longing lead me—
show me what remains
when my cloak of burdens
slips from my skin,
no longer holding the reins.
And I step forward,
cloak-less, unbound,
my body still heavy,
cold upon this earth.
Yet my spirit rises—
billows wide and seamless,
rides the wind, untethered,
blown across the endless sky.
Wakes of Joy
I am keeping vigil
with a touch as watchful as a bee.
I am playing
with a heart as open as laughter.
I am growing mindful
with a mind as full as an embrace.
I am...
waking up
with poems as joyful as can be.
Grateful Is Too Skinny a Word
Grateful is too skinny a word
to hold the joy that grows and grows—
seedcoats inside a pomegranate,
ripe to overflowing,
tended, watered
by You.
More about Diana
Diana was born to a British father and a German mother, and has lived in several European countries, including the UK, Luxembourg, and Italy. Now based in Germany, she is also exploring writing poetry in German, starting with Wandernde Wellen der Freude—her own translation of Wakes of Joy. Diana draws inspiration from poets, philosophers, and spiritual teachers, especially Gangaji. She remains joyfully and wholeheartedly committed to her role in the GF Prison Correspondence Coordinator and as the transcriber of the monthly podcasts. In her own words: “Supporting the GF is my heart’s calling, how I give this life in service to love.”🙏 ♥️
To order a hard copy or ebook version in English, you can go to Apple Books, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The German version, Wandernde Wellen der Freude, which can be ordered on Amazon or Bod.