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The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation

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"Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" is the latest offering from best-selling author Thom Hartmann. It is one of the most intense and disturbing books I have ever read. Yes, the book is highly recommended and was selected from among many other worthy titles, along with "The Prophet's Way", as book of the month because of the potential for far reaching positive effects upon readers' lives. And as Thom Hartmann says in his introduction the "...book is ultimately about hope, and - once we understand how things are and how they got this way - offers concrete solutions for a brighter, and more meaningful future." It's true, the book provides, in the end, an optimistic message. I strongly urge you to read this book, but I'm not going to minimize its initial impact. The first two-thirds are tough going. There's no getting around it. Yet it is a journey of great Purpose, taking you, with your eyes and heart open, into the message of the final third of a book which may be the most important book you can read for our Now and our Future.

The book begins with a striking look at the conditions of our world today. Some of this is going to be familiar reading because of the increasing frequency of published reports of impending ecological disasters and environmental collapse. Yet Thom Hartmann is not simply sounding the alarm or preaching to the choir of environmentalists. He truly gives us a fresh viewpoint of the current state of the planet, and how things got this way.

"It all starts with sunlight". We, and everything else came from it, and all that sustains us is fueled by it. When we as a species were in harmony with nature and consumed our share of the sunlight without destroying and dominating the environment, our resources were renewable and our populations stable. We lived in a state of harmony and cooperation for hundreds of thousands of years. But, as we know, something went wrong in the Garden of Eden. Actually there were several things occurring over tens of ! thousands of years, and Thom Hartmann chronicles 4 pivotal events.

First was the introduction of herding - approx 40,000 years ago - which was our initial departure from hunter-gatherers. Then about 10,000 years ago was the rise of agriculture, and following that the discovery of minerals, mining, and smelting metals. More food production, more energy, and thus more growth in population. This of course is widely known. But what has not been generally known, or at least discussed in depth offered by this book is the change in attitude that also occurred at that time. Thom Hartmann shows us that with so-called civilization and the rise of city/states came the idea that it is our destiny to rule the earth, that it is "...acceptable not just to compete with nature for our food supply, but to bend nature to our will, to destroy competing species and peoples, to dominate nature."

The results of this have been the rise and fall of civilizations across the planet, each time collapsing when the sources of available sunlight became depleted or taken away by the next conquerors. Each collapse, each layer of history, left woundings in the earth, and in the human psyche. And this pattern (the occurrences and reasons for which are explored in depth in the book), continued again and again right up to the present. Still, as bad as they were, the overall planetary destructions of the past were minimal compared to what we have been seeing since the 4th pivotal moment in modern history.

That "moment" was the discovery of sources of Ancient Sunlight that had been stored in the earth for millions of years. Around 900 years ago people began using coal for fuel. This allowed for more forestlands to be converted to croplands, and with the increase in food the world human population doubled (from 500 million to a billion) by 1800. The key is that here is "...when our ancestors started living off our planet's sunlight-savings". In the middle of the last century, the other great source of ancien! t sunlight - oil - began to be used. And since then we have discovered (just look around you) countless uses for this resource in the form of fuels, fabrics, and plastics. We were then, and are now more than ever, living well beyond the means of our daily sunlight income. Our supplies of Ancient Sunlight are vanishing. They may well be gone within our lifetimes, certainly within our children's. Yet rather than use the remaining fossil fuels to create new sources of energy and new ways of living, we just keep consuming, consuming , consuming.

Thom Hartmann calls the people promoting/living in this way members of "Younger Cultures". They/we are called this not just because of their/our relatively recent appearance in history, but more importantly because of their/our immature, and dangerously irresponsible attitudes. Younger Cultures see themselves as separate from the world. Their "mission" is to dominate and conquer. They expend vast amounts of energy to establish ownership and control, and so the harming of others becomes an accepted part of the culture. Of course the lack of regard for others, and the separation from nature is echoed in the ever increasing destruction of the environment.

Here in the West we, with all our comforts and shielded from the devastation growing at alarming rates in other parts of the planet (not to mention the poor and homeless living relatively close by), are generally living in survival by denial. We support a growing variety of addictions, from ingested substances to the much more devastating forms of energetic addictions such as television. And we have become adept at inventing ever more refined methods of treatment, as well as "fixes" for the environmental challenges.

We need to be willing to look deeper into the root causes of these personal and planetary illnessess, into the abyss we call civilization, into the past unveiled for all it was/is in terms of the events and effects and even more importantly in terms of the attitudes that m! ade them possible over and over again. The first two-thirds of "Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" will provide that vision, that first step in personal and planetary healing.

In the part 3 of the book, Thom Hartmann shows us what we can do, beginning now, to restore our planet by transforming ourselves and healing our relationships with each other and all other living things. The model for this can be found in the essence of the Older Cultures. We are blessed with the presence of a few remaining Older Culture peoples such as the San, Kogi, Kayapo, and many of the Native American tribes, and if we listen, really listen, they have much to tell us. In their view we are not separate from the world but part of it. It is not our destiny to dominate, but to cooperate. Their stories of the world, their descriptions of life, are very different from our Younger Culture ones. It's time to change the stories we tell each other and our children about what happens in life, and our reasons for being here.

We can begin to reconnect simply by paying more attention, being more awake, to the here and now. Meditation is the first and most powerful way to do that. When we find our center, that "...quiet place within where *thinking* ends and *consciousness* begins" we then "...find the ability to transform others and ourselves in ways which can and will transform the world." As we transform ourselves, we can create intentional communities, grounded in a new vision of reality that supports all of life. We can take the best of what we have now, and use it in more positive ways for a healthier future.

It took great courage to write this book. And it takes great courage to read it, move through it, and begin to take action. Yet the choices are clear. We can continue to allow the accelerating destruction of the planet while living in denial of our own complicity and fearing the outcome. Or we can choose each day to reconnect to the Sacred and reawaken to our Oneness drawing our strength and energy ! from a truly infinite and renewable source: Love.

Bottom Line -- Consider "Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" as essential as any book or manual you have ever read, and one of the greatest gifts you could give another. Read it, use it, share it and together we'll write a new story and create a healthy future for our beloved planet.

--- Steve L

Thom Hartman has written a very important book, full of insights, ideas and historical perspective on the fate of the human race upon this earth. He caught me right from the beginning with the "in your face" statement about what has happened in the last 24 hours on earth. 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed, 45,000 people starved to death, 130 species have become extinct, the largest mass extinction since the dinosaurs vanished. That hit me like a ton of bricks.

But the book is not just an alarmists call towards conservation. It deals with food supplies, water supplies and population growth. The book explains how the earth's population is stressing the resources. How our advancements have caused different problems. Such as antibiotics and our misuse creating different strains that resist our antibiotics. It discusses religion, meditation, foreign country's ideas, topsoil loss, tribes versus city-states. The importance of trees and the detriments of fertilizer. The effects of global warming. How big business effects government.

The list is endless. The harm is obvious and the ideas to presented could be helpfull. This is a great book that should be read by every adult. Information is the key to survival. This book is full of information.

Thom Hartmann's Last Hours is both highly educational and manages to remain mostly positive. His description of the scope and potential impact of our environmental problems are reminiscient of the fate of Native Americans and for virtually all tribal cultures. Somehow, you just know this picture will end badly. Yet, Hartmann holds out hope that humanity will turn away from its "taker" world view. More than most, this book offers several suggestions that would at least make a start.

Hartmann argues that if people would only free themselves from television, the spread of consumerism might be halted or even reversed. However, the nearly omnipotent power of visual images in the form of commercial "entertainment" and advertising is likely to keep most everyone enthralled and trapped, wanting to see if O.J. did it or if Hillary will publicly slap Bill. As Gil Scott-Heron said in the first American rap song from the 1970s, "The revolution will not be televised." Because with television, there will be no revolution. It is the mass opiate of our times. Therein lies the challenge.

I can't get over how many times, since I've read this book, I've looked at the news, at events in my life, from a different perspective. Thom Hartmann's book is disturbing but it gets us thinking about the effects of our actions and that makes it essential reading. After reading his other incredible book, Prophet's way, and having it change my life, I really didn't think his next book could have such a profound effect on me. But it did, in a more subtle, yet very positive way. Thom Hartmann should run for president. But he's too smart to even think about it.

Thom has been a speaker at the Winter Brain COnference (www.futurehealth.org/2000brain.htm) I organize for the past four years. Each year, though he is not a brain scientist, his lectures draw some of the biggest crowds, because he has a magical way of integrating the newwest research and his own unique eco-spiritual-anthropological approach to looking at the world and the evolution of science and knowledge.

By far one of the most enlightening books I have ever read. This is a book that will show you what the world is really like. At first reading the book I was frightened, but I now realize that the truth is usually uncomfortable. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who feel that there is something not right about our world today. Order this book. Read it, let it change your life. Then have a friend borrow it and let it change their lives.

This is a most intelligently comprehensive reading reflecting the imminent dangers facing our blue planet if humankind does not come to grips with some of its benign appearing but destructive policies or lack of. All of the following reviews for this book are very helpful. Once we realize how historically great civilizations have declined repeating history as brilliantly presented by author Thom Hartmann, and join him in strategies covered throughout the book how we PERSONALLY can contribute and avert this planetary disaster. It was eerie to have been recommended this book by a dear friend this month, to have read it and halfway through to have witnessed the attack on America on September 11, 2001, a tragically fitting symbol of world trade as reflecting the critical mass we are facing. Without doubt, all the world is profoundly affected by this and shall begin to seek answers. If people are non-comprehending this tragedy, this book offers plenty of insight into the heart of the matter. Plus, it offers the means of Hope by offering sound solutions we can readily adopt as well as convince our world leaders to see that this is more than just a fighting matter. It is about assisting other nations to become ecologically and abundantly provided for and much more. It also shows the origins of why certain nations are so bent upon conquest of other people's lands. Without giving much away the content of the book, I stop here and invite you for a gripping exploration of an often overlooked area of civilization that is desperately wanting of our attention before it is too late. A must read book with 5+ stars!

This book is the most thought-provoking books I have read in a long time that sheds a lot of light on the current environmental and social conditions of the world. The first 2/3 of the book is very tough to get thru as the environmental outlook is very dim, however the last 1/3 is very optimistic and really makes you feel like you can make a difference (prayer is a great example).

The book covers topics like the differences between the Older culture (tribal society with much respect and a strong relationship with nature, e.g. plants and animals) and our Younger culture (the dominator city/state mindset that has been pulling the world down for thousands of years and is ultimately destined to fail).

After reading this book, you will have great respect for tribal societies like the Native Americans and the South American tribes and shamans. For example, women are treated as equals in Native American tribes and everyone takes care of everyone else in the tribe. They are spiritually rich, which we are spiritually poor in the so-called "first-world civilized" countries.

Hartmann is a very natural and free-flowing writer and this is one of those books you will read very quickly, it's that interesting and important. He does cite most of his sources for the facts presented in the book as well, which is respectable.

Buy it, read it, let your friends borrow and spread the world before it's too late. Turn off your TV and think more.

Remember the Long Count version of the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 AD. We're running out of time. Do it for the children.

The first thing I did after finishing "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" was turn back to page 1 and read it again! This is an extraordinary, in depth look at the shocking realities associated with living a group consciousness devoid of accurate information beyond the fiscal quarterly statement. Mr. Hartmann does not simply point fingers at corporate excess or the massive unconsciousness lived by most of the world's population. He traces the roots of our growing predicament back 7,000 years and follows its horrifyingly logical path from one inaccurate building block of city/state living to the next. There is no bad guy yet you will likely find yourself nearer to a trembling terror than you've experienced since childhood fantasies gave free reign to demons of darkest motives. With skills uncanny in their focus and accuracy Mr. Hartmann takes us on a journey of discovery into why and how our "ancient sunlight" (fossil fuel) is nearly exhausted yet a world bent on "success" knows nothing of the coming peril. A large mirror is surgically scrubbed for us casting a brilliant reflection of a world moving rapidly toward unparalleled calamite as so many find their consciousness filled to overflow with what looks, from an introspective eye, like the realities a "thinking man" would concern himself with while insidiously the very foundations of biological life crumble away in every direction beyond his laser like tunnel vision.

One of the most shocking arenas for me was learning that some contemporary world leaders make policy and law of global consequences based on their own religious beliefs that Armageddon is coming anyway and we wouldn't want to disappoint god's emissary with a world not fully depleted of all her resources left specifically for our use when He returns. In other words, inhabitancy of the entire planet is being knowingly compromised due to the religious thought forms of individuals raised in a country supposedly founded by people fleeing narrow and harmful religious persecution. Hummmm. As an airline pilot I'm blessed with the unique perspective of associating daily with some of the most highly compensated individuals on the planet with some of the most awesome working conditions imaginable. In over two decades in this profession I have heard from the vast majority of my colleagues how poorly they have it. How they are over worked and underpaid. I listen to them deride public persons in CNN's current spotlight for actions they themselves participate in nearly every night they find themselves in Bangkok, 7000 miles from their loved ones. I only highlight these thoughts and actions to demonstrate the reality of how far "thinking people" of highest formal education have narrowed their perceptions of truth. These thoughts are simply symptoms of a disease spreading rampantly across the population.

My most heartfelt thanks goes to Mr. Hartmann for his nearly hundred page conclusion that there is much the individual can do and great reason for the highest hope for our future if one will simply expand her viewpoint beyond the knowledge base contained in the 5 o'clock evening news. The healing starts within each individual heart and you will find a great wave of vastly expanded consciousness is already in progress. A healing based in compassion has manifest in communities whose numbers swell in every moment. You are shown methods to assist in a return to sustainable life for Earth's population by casting your focus on the much larger picture of reality you will contain after reading this incredible book. You will see choices you can make in your moment by moment life either alone, with a friend or among the many groups forming as the truths around the myths are illuminated in blinding light by this visionary, Thom Hartmann.

The recommandation written by Neale Donald Walsch on the book cover attracted my attention "One of the most important books you will ever read". Decided to buy it. For me this is one of these intuitive decisions that create a shift in one's awareness. This truely is one of the best books I ever read! The book is very well written. The story very clear: modern civilization is speeding towards a massive rock wall with a speed of 150 miles/ p hour. I knew it, read about it and lived my life without doing anything... Like most of us. What for me is the essence of this book is to link spirituality & personal development to sustainable living. Thoughts I had for many years on life and society fall into place. Where else can we find the solution of this global problem than within ourselves?
I now understand how important the work that I and many others do on personal development, training people and raising awareness.

When I first started realising how much more interesting nature is than a concrete jungle it changed my life... and is still changing.
Of course new ways have to be found to solve the problems we stand for. Thom Hartmann gives ideas. Suggests us where to look without being dogmatic. It certainly apeals more to me than just protesting against logging of trees. As an economist I know the power of the capitalist model. The companies that do this are no entities with a soul. They are merely machines fuelled by money and with a goal to make more money. Raising awareness with the people working for all these corporations all over the world can change this behaviour. A change from "I didn't do it" towards "I decided and will do it again if needed". Smart people courageous and visionaries always lead the way. Thom Hartmann is one of them.

This book scared the hell out me. This was a surprise, since i have been reading such material since the early 70's and am used to the predictions being offered. Eg, see Theodore Roszak's Where the Wasteland Ends, c.1972, which describes how we managed to ditch the sacred in favour of the rational, and traces the process back to Aristotle. It also looks at destruction of the environment, militarism and lifestyle.

What scared me was 2 things:

1. Our rulers and corporations are still at it and show no sign of any significant change in direction. All we get are platitudes, promises of doing something, and then they go back to their usual destructiveness.

2. Time is getting very short. We may have 20 plus years of fossil fuel left, but the economic collapse driven by rising fuel prices looks like coming a lot sooner than that.

Despite this Hartman manages to remain hopeful and his appeals for a change in our worldview via meditative practices is entirely appropriate. I go with this, but frankly i think things could really go either way and the next 10 years look like they will be crucial. Quite clearly goverments and trans-national companies are incapable of self-initiated change in this respect. If it comes it will a be a grassroots upswelling on a very large scale. The recent street protests at the WTO conference in Seattle are a hopeful sign. I haven't seen stuff on that scale on our screens since the 70's (except for Indonesia just recently). So maybe it will happen. This book certainly is a major contribution to this change and needs to be absorbed and acted on swiftly.