Psalms of Exile and Return: A journey in search of inner healing and unity

In 587 BCE, King Zedekiah of Judah led his people in rebellion against Babylonian rule. Nebuchadnezzar responded mercilessly. His army sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and deported thousands to Babylon. These psalms are written from the perspective of one of those exiles. They express his growing unhappiness with life as a slave, his despairing cries for help to his Lord, and his eventual escape into the wilderness. After much struggle he is reunited with his lost beloved, and together they find their way back to Jerusalem. Inspired by the passionate writings of the ancient Jewish prophets and poets, and in harmony with the Jewish healing tradition of tikkun olam, these poems recount the spiritual journey seekers make as they strive to transcend everyday life, enter their own hurt heart, heal its pain, and experience the wisdom that exists there. It is the story of exiles who, lost and despairing, rediscover themselves in joy.

Keith Hill is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker. His debut feature film, This Is Not A Love Story, won Best Screenplay at Los Angeles' DancesWith Films Festival. Three of his non-fiction books, Striving To Be Human (2006), The God Revolution (2011) and Practical Spirituality (2013), have won New Zealand's Ashton Wylie Award for writing in the genre of mind, body and spirit. His poetry includes Psalms of Exile and Return and versions of Mirabai, Kabir and The Bhagavad Gita.