Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings [Paperback]

John Seed (Author), Joanna Macy (Author), Pat Fleming (Author), Arne Naess (Author), Dailan Pugh (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 086571133X | ISBN-13: 978-0865711334 | Publication Date: July 1, 1998

This book of readings, meditations, rituals and workshop notes prepared on three continents helps us remember that environmental defence is nothing less than 'Self' defence. Including magnificent illustrations of Australia's rainforests, 'Thinking Like a Mountain' provides a context for ritual identification with the natural environment. It helps us experience our place in the web of life -- rather than at the apex of some human-centred pyramid. An important deep ecology educational tool for activist, school and religious groups, it can also be used for personal reflection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086571133X
• ISBN-13: 978-0865711334
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book on the sacredness of all beings, June 24, 2000

By 

Brenda Tataryn (Victoria B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings (Paperback)

Deep and thought provoking is how I found this book. Quotes and theories and musings upon how we are all connected and the impacts we have on one another on this green earth. Something in this book warmed my heart. Knowing there are others out there with incredible respect for even the most tiniest and seemingly insignificant creatures was very heartening. Other books that may compare are Machelle Wrights "Behaving as if the God in all life mattered" and any book concerning the spiritual community of Findhorn. I highly recommend this book to those of you who like a thoughtful read on Nature and spirit. Thanks Brenda Tataryn.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Echoes of the Ancient Wisdom of the Earth, August 2, 2004

By 

Elliott C. Maynard (Sedona, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings (Paperback)

"Thinking Like a Mountain" is an elegant tapestry of writings, poems, and observations which plumb the depths of Ecological Philosophy. This little book is a labor of love,crafted skillfully, with fascinating illustrations that convey the harmony, complexity, and uniqueness of the Natural World.

the Reoccurring Theme which is centeral to this book is that in order for Humans to be Balanced and Functional, it is necessary that they open themselves and learn to develop an increased sensitivity to the incredible diversity and richness of Nature. Within this context the Human Self, over time, becomes gradually transformed into the "Ecological Self" in an intricately and infinitely bonded universe within which the boundaries between Humans and their Ecological Selves become merged and indistinguishable from each other.

From the different, yet complementary perspectives of the three authors, the reader will come to realize that "whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of Earth," and that Man himself does not "weave the Web of Life" but instead exists as a mere "strand" within this interactively intricate web.

This is a simplistic, yet profound, book of "Discovery," where we learn that Gaia is becoming increasingly aware of Herself, and the intricate cycles and interactions of her countless Life-Forms within the Global Biosphere. For anyone who loves Nature, and wishes to better comprehend the philosophical interactions between Humans and Natural World, this book will prove to be a rich resource for both Mind and Spirit. Elliott Maynard, Arcos Cielos Research Center.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We are the rocks dancing, December 6, 2007

By 

Dmitry Polyetayev (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings (Paperback)

The book is a collection of unique essays, essays with a single aim in mind - to spark a radical expansion of human consciousness. With a lofty goal as this, how does it fair? How deep is deep ecology? How vital is it, given the current massive environmental decline? Should we be concerned with the earth? These are some of the questions that will be tackled in this volume. To begin with, let us look into the text itself. Midway into the text, the reader is intentionally awed by an imposition of a radically different view of himself: "What are you? What am I? Intersecting cycles of water, earth, air and fire, that's what I am, that's what you are" (John Seed 1988, 41). The best way to characterize the text in a couple of words is - meditations on the earth. However, saying these words invariably undercuts the intricacy of exquisite poetic alliterations, metaphoric presence and a penetrating gaze, that the authors invoke on each page. Their work began in Australia, as a small grass-roots circle that held environmental rituals. They traveled, published, inspired, protested, performed, they traveled again. A journey of commitment to something beyond individual goals, their personal stories and essays seem more unified than a story of one man's life. The resulting book is filled with a sense of unceasing directed education, education that transcends classrooms and all conversation - powerful, meaningful words, cerebrally integral to the human being, penetrate the reader, and it is impossible to remain indifferent to the message.