Seasons of the Sacred
Reconnecting to the Wisdom within Nature and the Soul
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this timely third book in his "Spiritual Ecology" series, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee continues his exploration of the many facets of interconnection between humanity and the Earth. Deeply spiritual but not religious, "Seasons of the Sacred" weaves together narratives, poems, and images from various sources to illuminate the hope, beauty, abundance, and darkness of the Earth's cycles and humanity's place therein.
Likening Spring to falling in love, Summer with abundance and spiritual awakening, Fall with fruition and wisdom, and Winter with contraction and emptiness, the collected wisdom reflects the profound resonance of humanity within nature and emphasizes the deep alignment between the Earth and human soul. Ultimately, Vaughan-Lee tells a story of connection and synchronization, illustrating how humanity and the Earth are journeying together in both obvious and mysterious ways, mutually sharing, adapting, and learning. While Vaughan-Lee is a Sufi teacher, the book offers nature-based wisdom from Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and literary traditions from across the ages.
Vaughan-Lee adeptly connects the reader to the deepest envisioning of contemporary challenges. Climate catastrophe, refugees, cultural degradation, and political divisiveness are all contextualized within natural cycles of birth, loss, and transition, and the reader is guided to listen through the fear and anxiety of our age to the deeper ground of belonging that calls from even the most destitute inner and outer landscapes.
Never more relevant than now, the chapter on Winter points the reader to what is most essential even as the temporal is stripped away like autumn leaves, providing some assurance that there is meaning and even peace amidst the devastation of our present time. As with other books in this series, Vaughan-Lee places the human story within the story of the Earth and compels the examination of attitudes, beliefs, and habits in relation to the ongoing desecration, ecological devastation—and potential restoration—of our sacred home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sufi teacher Vaughan-Lee (Alchemy of Light) encourages reconnecting with the earth in this heartfelt compilation of essays, poems, and illustrations. Asking readers to remember a time when "the soul and the seasons of nature moved together," Vaughan-Lee advocates for a return to a relationship of sacredness with the earth. To do so, one should pay attention to the changing of seasons and be aware of opportunities to participate in the "rhythms of life." Spring represents rebirth, love, joy, and childhood; summer is full of abundance, art, power, and energy; autumn represents fruition, maturity, and wisdom gained over time; and winter culminates with barrenness, the ending of a natural cycle, completion, and letting go. To connect to these rhythms, she recommends readers practice a "spiritual ecology" that champions viewing elements of the natural world not as resources but as sacred objects. Vaughan-Lee's thoughts are studded by poems from a wide range of writers, among them E.E. Cummings, Rumi, and Lao Tsu. Tranquil woodcut illustrations and engravings of each season round things out. Suitable for readers of all spiritual persuasions, Vaughan's soothing observations will inspire a more mindful contemplation of Earth's rhythms.
