From Publishers Weekly
Roads, a "naturist," literally talks to nature. He shouts to the trees and to the nearby river, and they answer him, at least in his mind. He tells stories of reasoning with predators in his native Australia, of asking them not to ruin his pasture grass. And miraculously they comply. According to the author, his gift for communicating with nature derives from the fact that in a previous life he was a gifted botanist who was ridiculed and died because of his gift for communicating with the birds and the bees. He questions many things: Why do people talk with pets but not with the trees on their front lawn? Why do people kill wild animals, which have an equal right to live on earth? This story can be read on many levels, and few will question the author's sincerity.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Talking With Nature is an insightful journey into nature. In the same spirit as the Findhorn experience, author Michael Roads travels throughout the experience of touching into and communicating with nature. He experiences the River, a Heron, the Silence and a whole flock of birds. What makes this book valuable is Roads' questioning of every experience. He thinks he's crazy at times. But the philosophy and ideas presented by his nature friends are profound. The River says, Let go and fall into the river. Let the river of life sweep you beyond all aid from old and worn concepts. I will support you, as you swim from an old consciousness, into a new stream of consciousness. A wonderful adventure in becoming one with Nature. Recommended! --
Body Mind Spirit, November/December 1987Australian naturalist Roads has crafted a poetic autobiographical account of his attuning with the energies and spirit voices of the plant, animal and mineral kingdoms. The text, which reads like a synthesis of Walden and
The Secret Life of Plants, fluidly crosses the membrane separating the material from the intangible. In a monthly chronicle, Roads recounts the fusing of different aspects of his self with the clarity of nature, as he directly comes to know that deep kinship - humanity as nature. The devas of wind and water lead him into a new dimension of intelligence and communion where he achieves what the Bamboo Spirit calls the birth of wholeness nurturing in your heart, a potent energy field which in turn nourishes all of nature. --
East West Journal, March 1988Australian writer and organic farmer Michael Roads was initially disturbed when Nature began speaking to him through such outlets as a river, a heron, and a herd of cattle. He learned, however, to treasure his experiences, and today regularly communes with the souls of plants, animals, and rocks. This simple, hopeful, and optimistic book explains how all people can reconnect to the spiritual essence of the universe. --
Yoga Journal, November/December, 1988
