Hidden wonders of the human heart: How to see through your sorrow

by Sue Susan Holiday

Reviewed by Monika Kuiter

At first, I was a little surprised to see so much more than what had been reported by prospective clients: the many quotes and references from literature and other sources, and the etymology of certain words all interwoven in a slim book.

I was awed by the richness of the author’s vocabulary. I was reintroduced to words like "bereft", which I had not seen written, let alone heard, since my readings of Dante's Inferno at Indiana University in the US. “Bereft” – a word that I started to feel turning around in my mouth; it was palpable. So valuable a word to describe a feeling of loss in a very differentiated way. I began to gain a sense of it in much more than a mental grasping.

Slowly, I found my way into the book and was ever more fascinated by all the above, and by how the author (Susan) weaves a net of widely varying aspects of her being (work, life, interests, passions, knowledge and so much more) into the book. It took me on a journey that brought tears to my eyes and I learned that this is valuable and in what way, or where a deep joy settles in the revelations that rise within.

With Hidden Wonders: how Susan thinks and feels about and has experienced the word “wonder” is wonderous in itself. When reading her thoughts about it, there is a deep feeling of “Here, we are – together” in the willingness to what I see and to take in what I see. I am open to the vulnerability of what this encompasses. Susan writes: ‘wonder’ shares its root with the German Wunde, meaning ‘wound’. A wonder having its origin in a wound? “I am still wondering about this.”

What she writes in “Hidden Wonders” about the duality of negative and positive as seen in Escher’s “Sky and Water of the Fish”, is reflected in her personal works as a photographer or, dare I say a seer, a capturer of things unseen and an author inviting us and reminding us of what we willingly overlook all too often inside –stuff that is discarded and unseen. Susan has the gift to see what is buried and the courage and the will to open up for the unseen and is reminding us, that we do have this gift, too.

Most thankful I am for the precise, deep, and honest descriptions of what was going on within Susan as a therapist, person, and soul when meeting with a client and how she handles the perceptions through her antennae, channels, field... and how she acts on them. This to me, is an unbelievably courageous act, or, as is said, a need. I am deeply thankful for her sharing it. Without wanting to compare myself with Susan, I feel seen.

Thank you, Susan for "Hidden Wonders". Yours is a book that I will certainly read again and again and can wholeheartedly recommend to the psychosynthesist community, to all related professions and also to those from any walk of life, having a heart and soul interest in developing and growing.

Monika Antonia Kuiter, M.A. is a Psychosynthesis counsellor, group facilitator and welcomes community building across language and cultural borders. She is a translator of Italian, English, and German who lives in Germany. She has translated books by Roberto Assagioli and Tom Yeomans. Monika has authored several articles about psychosynthesis, creativity, translating and energetic aspects. Connect with Monika through email, Monikakuiter@web.de

IAHIP 2023 - INSIDE OUT 99 - Spring 2023