Beyond the Human Species
The Life of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
Georges Van Vrekhem

“Beyond the Human Species contains many pages that send one’s heart soaring with inspiration. It provided me with one of the richest reading experiences I have ever had on divine transformation of the species in general, and the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in particular. Those who want to embark on and participate in the greatest spiritual adventure of all time will find a lot that rewards in this solidly researched and inspiringly written work.”–Attunement, A Journal of Sound, Vibration, and Divine Transformation, Jan/Feb. 1999

“...I have been reading the book, and have been struck by the readability of this occult account. By the time the reader has read the first half of Van Vrekhem’s book...he or she will be getting into the even more fascinating, at times incredible denouement, its gathering momentum, its climax, and the sequel that shows us humanity as if poised on the crest of a giant wave.... A top quality of Georges Van Vrekhems’ book is truly its clarity. The story it tells is so easy to follow it flows without any block to the reader’s understanding.”–Claire Walker, Ph.D., The Journal of Religion and Psychical Research

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Blessed Unrest
How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
by Paul Hawken (Author)

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The profusion of good causes and the nonprofit groups that advance them can seem laughably overwhelming, but without altruistic grass-roots efforts, the world would be a far less merciful place. Environmentalist Hawken believes that we are in the midst of a world-changing rise of activist groups, all "working toward ecological sustainability and social justice." Rather than an ideological or centralized movement, this coalescence is a spontaneous and organic response to the recognition that environmental problems are social-justice problems. Writing with zest, clarity, and a touch of wonder, Hawken compares this gathering of forces to the human immune system. Just as antibodies rally when the body is under threat, people are joining together to defend life on Earth. Hawken offers a fascinating history of our perception of nature and human rights and assesses the role indigenous cultures are playing in the quest for ecological responsibility and economic fairness. Hawken also presents an unprecedented map to this new "social landscape" that includes a classification system defining astonishingly diverse concerns, ranging from farming to child welfare, ocean preservation, and beyond. Fresh and informative, Hawken's inspired overview charts much that is right in the world. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
 

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Developing Ecological Consciousness
Path to a Sustainable World
by Christopher Uhl

Addressing the question, What do students need to know to become more environmentally literate and ecologically conscious?, Christopher Uhl offers an ecological, wonder-filled initiation to the universe and the planet Earth. He examines the ways in which people are damaging the earth and, in the process, their own bodies and spirits, then presents the essential tools necessary for both planetary and personal transformation.

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The Divine Milieu
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Author), Sion Cowell (Author)

The essential companion to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's The Phenomenom of Man, The Divine Milieu expands on the spiritual message so basic to his thought. He shows how man's spiritual life can become a participation in the destiny of the universe.

Teilhard de Chardin -- geologist, priest, and major voice in twentieth-century Christianity -- probes the ultimate meaning of all physical exploration and the fruit of his own inner life. The Divine Milieu is a spiritual treasure for every religion bookshelf.

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The Dream of the Earth
by Thomas Berry
 
From Publishers Weekly
This first volume in a new series, the Sierra Club Nature and Natural Philosophy Library, explores human-earth relations and seeks a new, non-anthropocentric approach to the natural world. According to cultural historian Berry, our immediate danger is not nuclear war but industrial plundering; our entire society, he argues, is trapped in a closed cycle of production and consumption. Berry points out that our perception of the earth is the product of cultural conditioning, and that most of us fail to think of ourselves as a species but rather as national, ethnic, religious or economic groups. Describing education as "a process of cultural coding somewhat parallel to genetic coding," he proposes a curriculum based on awareness of the earth. He discusses "patriarchy" as a new interpretation of Western historical development, naming four patriachies that have controlled Western history, becoming progressively destructive: the classical empires, the ecclesiastical establishment, the nation-state and the modern corporation. We must reject partial solutions and embrace profound changes toward a "biocracy" that will heal the earth, urges the author who defines problems and causes with eloquence.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title

h Florida at St. Petersburg Lib. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information
 

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Ecological Literacy
Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World
By David Orr

"David Orr's Ecological Literacy outlines brillianly and succinctly the changes that must occur in our educational systems if we are to avoid ecological disasters."

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The Great Work
Our Way into the Future
By Thomas Berry

The future can exist only if humans understand how to commune with the natural world rather than exploit it, explains author and renowned ecologist Thomas Berry (The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story). "Already the planet is so damaged and the future is so challenged by its rising human population that the terms of survival will be severe beyond anything we have known in the past."

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The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
by Brian Swimme

From the Publisher
What does it mean to be human, to live on planet Earth, in the universe as it is now understood? In The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos best-selling author and mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme takes us on a journey through the cosmos in search of the "new story" that is developing in answer to this age-old question. The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos opens up not only the exhilarating truths that science reveals of the birth of the universe, but how these truths can transform our lives. In such a view the cosmos appears as awesome and meaningful, its dynamics revelatory, and in this revelation can be found the wisdom humanity needs to face and overcome its present crises, particularly the soul-numbing consumerism that threatens to overwhelm not only individuals, families or societies, but the Earth itself. The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos helps us to grasp the larger significance of the human enterprise in this evolving university. Upon meeting that challenge rests much of the vitality of Earth community, and the future quality of life, for ourselves and our children.
 

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The Home Planet
by Kevin W. Kelley (Editor)

From Library Journal
This is an oversized browsing book filled with magnificent pictures taken from space. As can be guessed from its title, most of the photographs are of portions of the earth's surface. The concise text consists of short quotations from astronauts and cosmonauts describing the emotional impact of being in space. Naturally, the comments are predominantly from Americans and Soviets, but among the 18 nations represented are France, Germany, Syria, and India. Each commentary is given in the speaker's native language with an English translation. A truly beautiful book. Harold D. Shane. Baruch Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Humanity's Environmental Future
Making Sense in a Troubled World
by William Ross McCluney

“We Are Taking Apart the Life-support System of Planet Earth!” So writes Dr. Ross McCluney in his new book published this year, Humanity’s Environmental Future. “Without a major change in direction, we may be the first species to extinguish itself,” he says.

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Nature of Design
Ecology, Culture, and Human Intention
By David W. Orr

From the Publisher
The environmental movement has often been accused of being overly negative-trying to stop "progress". The Nature of Design, on the other hand, is about starting things, specifically an ecological design revolution that changes how we provide food, shelter, energy, materials, livelihood, and deal with waste. Ecological design is an emerging field aiming to recalibrate what humans do in the world with how the world works as a biophysical system. Design in this sense is a large concept having to do as much with politics and ethics as with buildings and technology. This is a book that combines theory, practicality, and action.

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The Phenomenon of Man
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Author)

Bernard Towers, Blackfriars
"Marks the most significant achievement in synthetic thinking since that of Aquinas."

Abraham J. Heschel
"A most extraordinary book, of far-reaching significance for the understanding of man's place in the universe."

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The Rebirth of Nature
The Greening of Science and God
by Rupert Sheldrake

Publishers Weekly
This frontal assault on conventional science embodies a radical rethinking of humanity's place in the scheme of things.

Book Description
Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's preeminent biologists, has revolutionized scientific thinking with his vision of a living, developing universe. In The Rebirth of Nature Sheldrake transports us to the threshold of a new paradigm in which traditional wisdom, intuitive experience, and scientific insight can co-exist and be mutually enriching.
 

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The Sacred Balance
Rediscovering Our Place in Nature
by David Suzuki

From the Publisher
This powerful, deeply felt book gives concrete suggestions for how we can meet our basic needs and create a way of life that is ecologically sustainable, fulfilling and just. It offers the seeds of a new direction for us all, one in which we can rediscover our place in nature and live in balance with our surroundings.

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The Sacred Depths of Nature
by Ursula Goodenough

From Publishers Weekly
In eloquent prose, Goodenough, a noted molecular biologist, offers a scientist's insight into the dialogue between science and religion. The book's structure is similar to the Daily Devotionals found in some Protestant denominations, but with a decidedly broader approach to the vast ontological questions being pursued. Beginning with an autobiographical sketch, Goodenough moves resolutely through the major questions of being. Her inquiries cut across the boundaries of cosmology, astrophysics, cell biology, evolutionary theory, sexuality and death, moving into the realms of philosophy and theology. The author, while no theist, recognizes the eternal human quest for meaning engendered by the essentially non-quantifiable mystery of consciousness. Displaying open-mindedness to non-scientific approaches in her search for ultimate understanding, she writes with equal respect of Taoism's enigmatic, ironical credo and of 19th-century Transcendentalists' humanistic vision. This spiritual diversity, accompanied by scientific observations drawn from such authorities as Stephen Hawking and Edward O. Wilson, makes for a stirring, enlightening read. In part a reverential memoir by a dedicated scientist, this book provides a meeting place for the revelations of advanced science and technology and the universal, unanswerable questions of humanity. 18 line drawings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition

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Small Wonder
by Barbara Kingsolver (Author)

In this collection of essays, the author of High Tide in Tucson brings to us (out of one of history's darker moments) an extended love song to the world we still have. From its opening parable gleaned from recent news about a lost child saved in an astonishing way, the book moves on to consider a world of surprising and hopeful prospects ranging from an inventive conservation scheme in a remote jungle to the backyard flock of chickens tended by the author's small daughter.

Whether she is contemplating the Grand Canyon, her vegetable garden, motherhood, adolescence, genetic engineering, TV-watching, the history of civil rights, or the future of a nation founded on the best of all human impulses, these essays are grounded in the author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that answers may lie in those places, too. In the voice Kingsolver's readers have come to rely on - sometimes grave, occasionally hilarious, and ultimately persuasive - Small Wonder is a hopeful examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make of ourselves.

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Teilhard in the 21st Century
The Emerging Spirit of Earth
by Arthur Fabel (Editor), Donald P. St. John (Editor)

Almost fifty years after his death the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French Jesuit mystic and scientist continues to shape contemporary work in spirituality, theology, and the interaction of science and religion. These essays, drawn from the best of the first twenty-five years of Teilhard Studies, journal of the American Teilhard Association, show how this giant of the twentieth century sheds light on the most urgent spiritual challenges of our time.

The writers represented are a who’s who of scholars: Thomas Berry offers reflections on Teilhard and ecology. Brian Swimme explores unsuspected depths of natural selection and its meaning for our age. Articles by Ursula King, Donald Gray, and Thomas King offer insights into Teilhard’s friendships with women, the way in which he strove to articulate the unity of knowledge, and his ever-deepening creation spirituality. A brief biography by John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker explores the key moments of Teilhard’s development and offers new readers a superb entrée into his life and thought. Other authors include William Rees, Arthur Fabel, John Haught, Eulalio Balthasar, Eleanor Rae, and Joseph Grau.

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This Sacred Earth
Religion, Nature, Environment
by Roger S. Gottlieb (Editor)

Book Description
This Sacred Earth begins with spiritual reflections by naturalists. Surveying traditional religious myths, creation stories, and conceptions of nature--with extensive selections from Jewish, Christian, Native American, Indian, African, Chinese, and indigenous texts and commentators, the contributors focus on religion in the age of environmental crisis. We see how individuals and institutions are reinterpreting and transforming old traditions, and eco-feminists are challenging patriarchal perspectives.

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Turning to Earth
Stories of Ecological Conversion
by F. Marina Schauffler

From Book News, Inc.
Schauffler, who holds a PhD in ethics from the U. of New Hampshire, has written a thought-provoking work on a new understanding of humans' place in nature, which, she believes, could lead society to achieve a way of living that no longer hurts the environment. Following a description of this spiritual state--the attainment of which she calls "ecological conversion"--Schauffler discusses, in positive terms, the relationship with nature evinced by the writers Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, N. Scott Momaday, Scott Russell Sanders, Alice Walker, and Terry Tempest Williams. Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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The Universe in a Single Atom
The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
by Dalai Lama

From Booklist
Fascinated by science since boyhood, the Dalai Lama, unlike fundamentalists who resist scientific realities, has become convinced that a dialogue between religion and science will advance the wisdom of both disciplines and greatly benefit humankind. He explains why in illuminating explications of how Buddhism and science are both predicated on focused observation, reasoning, and the ability to abandon outmoded ideas in the ongoing search for reality. He compares quantum physics with Buddhist philosophy and reveals how the theory of evolution echoes the Buddhist understanding that all of life is interconnected and in flux, and he writes with deep feeling about the pressing ethical questions raised by advancements in biotechnology. For all the provocative and detailed reasoning found in this soulful and mind-expanding book, what emerges most powerfully is the Dalai Lama's belief that science must embrace Buddhism's mission and work toward increasing compassion and alleviating suffering. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
 

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The Universe Is a Green Dragon
A Cosmic Creation Story
by Brian Swimme

Book Description
A dialogue between a youth and wise elder becomes a fascinating exploration, into the creative force in all matter. This explication of physical forces is both mystical and ecstatic.
 

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The Universe Story
From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era- a Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos
by Brian Swimme

From the Publisher
Grounded in contemporary scientific understanding and inspired by the world's great wisdom traditions, cosmologist Brian Swimme and cultural historian Thomas Berry meld the findings of contemporary science - cosmology, geology, biology, and sociology - with the human search for meaning. The resulting account articulates fifteen billion years of existence with awe, delight, and vision. Swimme and Berry remind us of the importance of story - "story is the only way of providing, in our times, what the mythic stories of the universe provided for tribal peoples and for the earlier classical civilizations in their times." In a richly detailed narrative of epic sweep, they recount the unfolding of the universe, from the "primordial flaring forth" and the formation of galaxies and supernovas to the "human emergence," classical civilizations, and imminent Ecozoic era. The Universe Story compellingly explores humanity's place in the evolving cosmos and our ecological imperative. Crippling the Earth's biodiversity, "we are deciding what species will live or perish, we are determining the chemical structure of the soil and the air and the water, we are mapping out the areas of wilderness that will be allowed to function in their own natural modalities." This, Swimme and Berry remind us, "is filled with risk and presumption," for "the story of the Earth is also the story of the human." Honoring "the special capacity of the human to enable the universe and the planet Earth to reflect on and to celebrate...in our music and our art, our dance and our poetry, and in our religious rituals," Swimme and Berry urge that we honor the knowledge gained by centuries of scientific inquiry with reverence, entrancement, and a commitment to renewal. Such joyous commitment is essential, for "there is eventually only one story, the story of the universe. Every form of being is integral with this comprehensive story. Nothing is itself without everything else."
 

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