Nature and the Human Soul 1st entry

I hope this works.....

Circle and Arc

1." True adulthood rooted in Transpersonal experience--a mystic affiliation with nature,experienced as a sacred calling--- that is then embodied in soul infused work and mature responsibilities. The mystical affiliation is the core of maturity"..... I would like to know whose mystic affiliation it is to be my garbage man?

Random Thoughts

He seems very plugged into the indigenous people as saints idea, or is it just me? Not that great things can't be learned from more primitive societies whose contact with nature is more immediate and visceral, but, having acknowledged that, there is something to be said for flush toilets and indoor plumbing in general.:)

On a serious note. There is something also to be said for living closer to nature, We are as a society pretty far removed, for instance, I think if more people took tours of modern factory farms and saw what happens to what they eat, it could drastically impact how people see food. I don't mean go veg or anything like that, I mean buying from small, maybe family owned farms who use more humane and healthy farming practices...remember you are what you eat ;) Thats why I choose skinny people as my snack of choice! just kidding...

The Wheel of life

His model incorporates most major models I ever read about in college, though he puts them together and adds his bit to them in an unique way. His addition of the Nature element to the more traditional developmental one is interesting.

The loss of rites of passage I think has merit.

I feel his idea, that our lack of intimacy with the natural world is in large part what is keeping us, as a society as well as on an individual level, stuck and unable to reach our full maturation, is worth exploring.

At the end of this part he talks about both nature and the soul being unvalued in modern society and my sense of what he is trying to get us to see is the importance of them in combination, working in concert to enlighten the world and make it , us as individuals, and society in general better and sustainable for the future. All my words and understandings of what he said, though I could be way off..

Becoming Fully Human

Seems to be a call to take ecology seriously and be proactive about it. He goes on to use big words for awhile. This is one of the times he beats you with vocabulary!

He addresses how we can become fully human , the big thing it seems, is to get out of the patho-adolescent lifestyle of conspicuous consumption. Some sort of initiatory passage into the "underworld" to uncover a vision ,dream or revelation that will then provide the focus for a persons future... I think.

The Patho-Adolescent Society

He gives his definition of what it is. Could be a definition of anyone in Gov, entertainment, "captains of industry" people in your own environment, you get the pix. I do feel many people get stuck in this stage and never move forward. He gives a good description in the book.

I liked this part and the next, where he talks about the "Hope of Adolescence".

He thinks that "Ego- consciousness is our greatest liability as well as our greatest power". I tend to agree that ego, that essential part of us that allows us self awareness, is the part that can cause us the most trouble for obvious reasons.

I would like to know what "psychospiritual adventure" is.. and what it is supposed to accomplish.Anyway, moving on..

Page 21 Where he talks about the holistic approach to healing, I like the underlying concept but his use of it is different.. a little. His use is much broader and is more focused on the psyche and less on the body systems than a traditional understanding of the word would normally imply, though the foundational premise is the same. To treat as a whole system and not just the separate pieces. He focuses on what you can add to rather than cut out of yourself. I have subscribed to a similar philosophy for a while now, more focus is placed on what positives can you add to your self that will hopefully, displace the negatives aspects you want to resolve. It is a work in progress, but so far has been helpful..

The holistic approach seems to be one of the foundational pylons his theory is based on and is essential to understanding the rest of the message. I feel he sees the universe, our world and everything in it including ourselves as ultimately, one entity and seems key to understanding his idea of wholeness and maturity. That if one system is out of balance then the rest are in jeopardy as well..

Then again I could just be blowing smoke....you tell me:) Cheers!