Sacred Demise is a powerful, fascinating, and very important book that provides a deep, holistic analysis of the present situation. Carolyn Baker surveys the ecological and economic disasters in the making, and concludes that, without any doubt, modern civilization is coming down. There is no longer anything we can do to prevent this; our choice at this point is either to deny the inevitable and try (futilely) to prop up the existing system, or to fully accept the enormity of this historical shift with all the uncertainty, stress, and even horror that it will entail.
Baker's central point is that the death of our cultural identity can be a spiritual opening for us, an opportunity to cast off our egocentric way of living (we are a "culture of two-year-olds," she says) and reclaim the ecocentric awareness of our indigenous heritage--a life in harmony with the pulsating vitality of the earth. This is the only way of living that has intrinsic meaning and purpose, that is spiritually and existentially nourishing, and the time has come to reconnect with it.
As with all major transitions in life, this "quantum shift" in consciousness will be psychologically difficult; the loss of "much of what we have held dear in civilization" will engender disorientation, distress, and deep grief. Sacred Demise is essentially an invitation to surrender to this emotional upheaval, to learn from it and allow it to deepen and mature us. Baker describes personal and communal practices we can use to turn cultural disintegration into a collective rite of passage, through which the limitations and mistakes of our immature worldview may be purged and transformed.
Sacred Demise draws on the wisdom of deep thinkers from various traditions; Carl Jung's insights inform much of her discussion, as do the indigenous African teachings of Malidoma Somé, the research of Jared Diamond and the spirituality of Thomas Moore and Eckhart Tolle, among others. Baker brings in many relevant and moving poems, and suggests a series of exercises for self-reflection. Weaving these elements with her own insights, Baker has given us a beautiful vision of humanity reconnecting with our ancient roots and with the Earth, finding spiritual resources to endure the coming apocalypse. For Baker, collapse opens possibilities for transformation.
I brought many urgent questions and anxieties to my reading of Sacred Demise, and Baker addresses them with uncanny directness. She writes with an extraordinary empathy for her readers, acknowledging that these are frightening times and modeling the courage and clarity of vision we will need to get through them. While the book is fortified with relevant quotes, references, and serious intellectual discussion, it remains throughout a personal conversation between a wise, deeply engaged elder and those of us who are seeking to grasp the enormity of the impending cultural transformation. Even though Baker unflinchingly discusses the most difficult and disturbing topics--massive social upheaval and the possible extinction of humanity--the book reads comfortably, like gentle advice from a caring friend.
