Things to read

[Agaliha]

Okay, I didn't know if I should make a new thread or not...?

I just wanted to share because it appears interesting (from my flipping through). I got a book from the library called:
Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist (Amazon)

Here's the Google preview

It's a biography/memoir I guess, but from what I've seen it talks a lot about Pantheism, various philosophers and other things of interest.

I'm going to give it a read.

[Windsmith]

I'd like to add my tiny voice to the proceedings. How about Barry Lopez? I truly love "Desert Notes/Reflections in the Eye of a Raven." It's very short but dense. I'm also passionate about "The Beak of the Finch/A Story of Evolution in Our Time." Neither are pantheism per se but their language and message is so rich and exciting. I think the trick here is to pick something rather small like poetry or short essays. I'd love to see what people have to say... but it looks like this is basically a dead thread.

Nah, threads around here are never dead, RavenStars - they're just resting. They're pining for the fjords.

These sound interesting; I'll definitely look into them once I'm done with all the boring reading I'm doing for school.

[RavenStars]

I'd like to add my tiny voice to the proceedings. How about Barry Lopez? I truly love "Desert Notes/Reflections in the Eye of a Raven." It's very short but dense. I'm also passionate about "The Beak of the Finch/A Story of Evolution in Our Time." Neither are pantheism per se but their language and message is so rich and exciting. I think the trick here is to pick something rather small like poetry or short essays. I'd love to see what people have to say... but it looks like this is basically a dead thread.

[ravenscape]

Glenys Livingstone posted a link to her most recent essay on another board where I moderate. I really enjoyed reading her take on the Beltane/Samhain balance, which I suppose is more evident to an Antipodean, since so much of the pagan press is Northern hemisphere-centric.

here's the link: http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM07/pagaian.htm

I find her naturalist approach to the Wheel of the Year resonates for me.

[Birdy]

Awhile ago I bought a biology book called Endless Forms Most Beautiful so I'm gonna read that.

[cheddarsox]

Peggyelizabeth,

Exactly!

You're the fourth person on the Pantheism board who is artistically inclined, and the third I know of who is performance inclined... I wonder how many more of us are...

Theater definitely makes it harder to have time to read... heh.

Peace

I was just thinking the same thing yesterday and today, we certainly are a creative bunch! I feel honored to know y'all.

and really, it is a good thing to be living our own lives and paths...and not sitting around reading about others lives and paths all the time. I value books...they have their place, but it is not front and center.


Here is a user friendly option for all us busy types...we read a book chapter by chapter, or essay by essay...or even an article or poem. Something short...and we take our time discussing it. No need to rush through in a day or two, or a week or two, or even a month or two.

It can be "play as we go"...start a thread for each little piece and folks jump in if and when they can. For those who are too busy or poor to do the reading now...they can still benefit from the discussion, and decide if they want to spend their limited fund of time and cash on the subject at hand...based on what they see.

I have a book of earth prayers, and a UU service book here, full of short thought provoking readings. I'm sure folks know of online articles they'd like to discuss with friends.

This is a good way to acknowledge and honor the What Is in our lives.

Wish I could see all your performances...I love live theatre.
My husband teaches at a college and I get free entry to all the drama and music performances. It is an incredible perk.

[Windsmith]

Personally, I'm more in the mood to read a book that is not specifically about pantheism, spirituality, etc...and discuss how our own beliefs, spirituality respond to it.

How far afield are we talking here? Are you talking about something like (just as an example, honest - definitely not what I'd want to read as a group!) Silent Spring, which isn't technically pantheist but has a similar world-view? Or do you mean a book that has nothing to do with pantheism - Stephen King? Jane Austen? Tom Robbins? and see what connections and conclusions our mysterious brains can come up with?

[Eleisawolf]

Peggyelizabeth,

Exactly!

You're the fourth person on the Pantheism board who is artistically inclined, and the third I know of who is performance inclined... I wonder how many more of us are...

Theater definitely makes it harder to have time to read... heh.

Peace

[peggyelizabeth]

Honestly, I'm so wrapped up in Sound of Music rehearsals right now (and Terry Pratchett for release), I don't really have time to read anything yet.

I can relate to that! I'm in South Pacific rehearsals. My whole body hurts from learning choreography and I'm the costume designer, so that adds a whole other level of no time to read.

[Eleisawolf]

Personally, I'm more in the mood to read a book that is not specifically about pantheism, spirituality, etc...and discuss how our own beliefs, spirituality respond to it.

I don't want to be led through someone else's path/journey.

That's where I am these days.

I'm more into discovering where I am, than hearing about where someone else is.

If one more person recommends some atheist's take on God to me...I'll scream!

sorry, I'm fragile at the moment

cheddar

I think that's certainly something to consider.

Honestly, I'm so wrapped up in Sound of Music rehearsals right now (and Terry Pratchett for release), I don't really have time to read anything yet.

Maybe we should all take some time and think about books that might lend themselves to this group. Then we can reconnect in a couple of weeks and see what folks have come up with.

How does that sound?

I do have to agree about the whole atheist thing. We're barely a fine line away, but still on this side of deity/spirituality/relationship... we walk that fine line, don't we?

Peace

[cheddarsox]

Personally, I'm more in the mood to read a book that is not specifically about pantheism, spirituality, etc...and discuss how our own beliefs, spirituality respond to it.

I don't want to be led through someone else's path/journey.

That's where I am these days.

I'm more into discovering where I am, than hearing about where someone else is.

If one more person recommends some atheist's take on God to me...I'll scream!

sorry, I'm fragile at the moment

cheddar

[equinox2]

Exactly what kind of book are you looking for? Glenys' book is good, and is an in depth look at Pagaian Cosmology, with a lot of academic/researched support. However, I'm not sure that's what you are looking for.

I've pasted below a list of some books that I recently put together. You may look at that. For starters, I'd recommend Aurelius' Meditations - it's short, and very good. Wright's "non-zero" gives a good view of the long term vision of life on earth, nicely providing purpose to our universe and spirituality, which is so often called "purposeless". Wrights "the moral animal" is a must read book for understanding how our minds work. Oh, and Wilson's "evolution in everyday life" sounds good, but I haven't read it yet.

Here's the list, may you enjoy this day as the priceless treasure that it is-

Equinox



******************************


Books of Spiritual Significance to Jon on February 18th, 2007

I’ve read these books, or in a few cases, parts of them. Sure, there are a few things in many of them that I don’t agree with, but by and large, they’re great. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some great books – especially those on my list to read next, like David Sloan Wilson’s “Evolution in everyday life”, which isn’t published yet. Also of course, this is just a snapshot – our lists change over time. * = especially recommended

Biology
Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas
Evolution by Carl Zimmer
The Ghosts of Evolution by Connie Barlow

A Long Term Worldview
*Thank God for Evolution by Michael Dowd This book is written especially for a Christian perspective. However, I highly recommend it whether you are Christian or not.
*Non-Zero by Robert Wright
Evolution’s Arrow by John Stewart

Freethought:
Cec’s Credo
*Bible Stories Your Parents Never Taught You by Michael Scott Earle (available at www.reasonworks.com)
How we Believe by Michael Shermer
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine
Science and Unreason by Radner & Radner

The Bible/Christianity
Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Dr. Erhman (& other scholarly work on the historical Jesus)
*Audiocourses from www.teach12.com by Dr. Erhman about the history of Christianity, Competing early forms of Christianity, the making of the Bible, the historical Jesus, etc. There are also plenty of other sources of information on the Historical Jesus – all sources should be compared critically since they disagree.

Evolutionary Psychology
*The Moral Animal by Robert Wright
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

Pagan/Earth/Universe-Centered Spirituality
*In Nature’s Honor by Patricia Montley
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
*Cosmos TV series by on DVD (by Carl Sagan)
The Sacred Depths of Nature by Ursula Goodenough
*Kyle’s Credo
Neolithic Europe by Dr. Adams, Audiocourse from www.teach12.com

For kids (these aren’t necessarily profound, just great for kids)
The Universe Story books by Jennifer Morgan:
• Born with a Bang
• *From Lava to Life
• Mammals that Morph
*Our Family Tree by Lisa Westburg Peters
Evo - boardgame
Pocahontas, Brother Bear – Disney DVDs

[ravenscape]

Heh. I'm nuts for trying to start another book right now. We're poised on the precipice of a kitchen remodel -- starting over from the bare walls. I'm guessing it will probably start in about 2 weeks.

And besides, I've got 5 books started at the moment, and am making slow progress with them.

If this is a bad time for others, maybe we could delay for a few weeks and see how things look.

[Windsmith]

I'm not sure it's final yet. I want to read both of these books anyway, so I figure I'll line them up in the queue this weekend.

It may take another day or so for folks to chime in with yea, nay, or "how 'bout something else".

Alas, I have to sit out this round. I'm getting ready to move at the end of May, plus the end of my school semester is fast encroaching...I barely have time to read my mail, let alone a book. But I will be watching the discussion with great interest.

[ravenscape]

This is a great idea!

So, the first readings are Pagaian Cosmology and Immense Journey?

I'm not sure it's final yet. I want to read both of these books anyway, so I figure I'll line them up in the queue this weekend.

It may take another day or so for folks to chime in with yea, nay, or "how 'bout something else".