Waubonsee Community College

Nature and the human soul, cultivating wholeness and community in a fragmented world, Bill Plotkin

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 467-493) and index

index present

non fiction

Nature and the human soul

dictionariesbibliography

777595977

Bill Plotkin

cultivating wholeness and community in a fragmented world

Addressing the pervasive longing for meaning and fulfillment in this time of crisis, Nature and the Human Soul introduces a visionary ecopsychology of human development that reveals how fully and creatively we can mature when soul and wild nature guide us. Depth psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin presents a model for a human life span rooted in the cycles and qualities of the natural world, a blueprint for individual development that ultimately yields a strategy for cultural transformation. If it is true, as Plotkin and others observe, that we live in a culture dominated by adolescent habits and desires, then the enduring societal changes we so desperately need won?t happen until we individually and collectively evolve into an engaged, authentic adulthood. With evocative language and personal stories, including those of elders Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy, this book defines eight stages of human life? Innocent, Explorer, Thespian, Wanderer, Soul Apprentice, Artisan, Master, and Sage? and describes the challenges and benefits of each. Plotkin offers a way of progressing from our current egocentric, aggressively competitive, consumer society to an ecocentric, soul-based one that is sustainable, cooperative, and compassionate. At once a primer on human development and a manifesto for change, Nature and the Human Soul fashions a template for a more mature, fulfilling, and purposeful life? and a better world

Circle and arc : the wheel of life and the great turning -- The power of place -- Overview of the wheel of life -- The innocent in the nest : early childhood (stage 1) -- The explorer in the garden : middle childhood (stage 2) -- The thespian at the oasis : early adolescence (stage 3) -- The wanderer in the cocoon : late adolescence (stage 4) -- The soul apprentice at the wellspring : early adulthood (stage 5) -- The artisan in the wild orchard : late adulthood (stage 6) -- The master in the grove of elders : early elderhood (stage 7) -- The sage in the mountain cave : late elderhood (stage 8) -- Coda : the eyes of the future