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Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche Paperback – August 29, 2003
by
Bill Plotkin
(Author),
Thomas Berry
(Foreword)
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Bill Plotkin
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Print length320 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherNew World Library
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Publication dateAugust 29, 2003
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Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
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ISBN-101577314220
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ISBN-13978-1577314226
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Here is an abundantly wise and carefully crafted survival guide for the wild soul currently dozing (or dying) at the heart of your civilized life. Plotkin has wandered again and again into the nourishing darkness, and has returned with this earthly bundle of insights and images talismanic tools for awakening to the outrageous depths both within us and all around us. He has bound them into a book that is immensely practical, alive with ritual intelligence, thick with useful tools from a host of courageous comrades."
David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous
"As we enter a future where humans and the natural world are more intimate with each other, we will surely be powerfully influenced by this new guide into the mysteries of nature and psyche. In Soulcraft, Bill Plotkin gives us an authentic masterwork. In the substance of what he has written, in the clarity of his presentation, and in the historical urgency of the subject, he has guided us far into the new world that is opening up before us. We will not soon again receive a work of this significance."
from the foreword by Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth and The Great Work
"The fundamental worldview of industrial society is that Earth is like a gravel pit or a lumberyard just a resource for human use. We live disconnected from the evolving earth community, but our deepest allurement is a rich, intimate participation in nature and the ongoing adventure of the Universe. In this stunningly original and inspiring guide book, Bill Plotkin shows us how to reconnect with the sacred powers of life, of nature, of soul, and the ways that each one of us can reinvent ourselves and discover our unique way to flower forth."
Brian Swimme, cosmologist and author of The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos, The Universe is a Green Dragon, and coauthor with Thomas Berry of The Universe Story
David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous
"As we enter a future where humans and the natural world are more intimate with each other, we will surely be powerfully influenced by this new guide into the mysteries of nature and psyche. In Soulcraft, Bill Plotkin gives us an authentic masterwork. In the substance of what he has written, in the clarity of his presentation, and in the historical urgency of the subject, he has guided us far into the new world that is opening up before us. We will not soon again receive a work of this significance."
from the foreword by Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth and The Great Work
"The fundamental worldview of industrial society is that Earth is like a gravel pit or a lumberyard just a resource for human use. We live disconnected from the evolving earth community, but our deepest allurement is a rich, intimate participation in nature and the ongoing adventure of the Universe. In this stunningly original and inspiring guide book, Bill Plotkin shows us how to reconnect with the sacred powers of life, of nature, of soul, and the ways that each one of us can reinvent ourselves and discover our unique way to flower forth."
Brian Swimme, cosmologist and author of The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos, The Universe is a Green Dragon, and coauthor with Thomas Berry of The Universe Story
About the Author
Bill Plotkin, PhD, founder of Animas Valley Institute, describes himself as a psychologist gone wild.” A cultural visionary, author, and guide to the entwined mysteries of wilderness and psyche, he’s been blazing new trails for decades. His ecocentric re-visioning of psychology invites us into a conscious and embodied relationship with soul and with the more-than-human world. His other books are Wild Mind and Nature and the Human Soul. He lives in southwestern Colorado.
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Product details
- Publisher : New World Library; 9.10.2003 edition (August 29, 2003)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1577314220
- ISBN-13 : 978-1577314226
- Item Weight : 1.06 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#51,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #80 in Philosophy Metaphysics
- #89 in Nature Writing & Essays
- #121 in New Age Mysticism (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
252 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2018
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As a fellow author, I wish I would have read this book years ago. I came across this magical gem of a book at a yoga retreat this summer. It has really provided some valuable insight into the path of finding one’s true self. It has also really helped me understand my son’s depression in a different light. Valuable, different, thought provoking! I’m sharing this one with my friends.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2018
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I am possessed with "contemplative soul resuscitation ". After decades of spiritual journeying, nature grabbed my heart and pulled me in. Then came the transfer of silent wisdom. How does this happen? Bill Plotkin unlocked the gate of understanding and helped me to back burner my stifling intellectual process so that a brilliant hurricane of revelation could come forward. This book was a change agent. I'm grateful for the liberation from old ways. For me, a masterpiece.
10 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2013
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I’m just returning from a five-day Soulcraft intensive led by Bill Plotkin of Animas Valley Institute. The event took place up in the Rocky Mountains of Northern New Mexico at a retreat center called Vallecitos Mountain Ranch - nestled in a valley at 8,800 feet.
BACKGROUND
Soulcraft is the artistry and practice of courting and embodying our souls. By Bill’s definition, ego is the attribute in humans that allows us to interact with the world - it’s our personality, and our physical form. Soul is purpose. Yet few people ever embody soul nowadays. And it takes both ego and soul to be human.
Soul is what makes us unique. Spirit is what is shared, universal. A balanced spiritual tradition involves both spirit [ascending] and soul [descending].
Soul is most often encountered alone in nature.
Bill is in his sixties, and has written three books about this work: “Soulcraft” [2003], “Nature and the Human Soul” [2008], and “Wild Mind” [2013]. I’ve read the first two.
LOCATION
The Ranch was beautiful. It was surprisingly “flat” for my perceptions of the Rockies. I covered a lot of milage, and everything was within 1,000 feet of elevation of everything else [moving up from base camp to almost 10,000].
Although the climate is relatively dry, it was wetter than what I’m used to in the Boulder, CO area. There was a surprising amount of green.
Forest was aspens and ponderosa pines, with mountain cottonwoods by the water - sparse compared to Northeast standards. Higher up things shifted to spruce and fir.
There was a river running through the valley, and it was full of brook trout. It was cool, but not freezing.
There was one nearby “peak” big enough to get a name on the map. It was called Quartzite Peak, and I hiked it.
EXPERIENC
All together there were thirty-three of us, with Bill, three guides, a few apprentices, and the rest of us participants. The group was almost all people in their fifties and sixties. Some of us were in our twenties, thirties, and seventies.
Most of my time was spent out in nature alone. As a large group in the lodge immediately after breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner, we were given tasks to work with alone in nature. We also met in smaller “clans” each day in order to discuss at length our experiences out in nature.
Some people had some really big personal breakthroughs or “breakdowns” during the event - what we were going through. I didn’t experience any of these in very apparent ways, but did really appreciate the depth of the experience.
There are four primary soulcraft practices that we worked with:
Completing unfinished business from the first three stages [out of eight] of ecosoulcentric human maturation
Wholing - becoming more balanced and present in the Four Facets of the Self
Self-healing - of the subpersonalities
Facilitation of soul encounters
TERMS
The Four Facets of Self are:
East - Innocent, Sage, Sacred Fool, Trickster
South - Wild Indigenous One
West - Muse, Inner Beloved, Anima/Animus, Guide to Soul
North - Nurturing Generative Adult
The Subpersonalities are:
East - Escapists and Addicts
South - Wounded Children (including Outcasts)
West - The Shaw and Shadow Selves
North - Loyal Soldiers: Lion Tamers, Inner Critics, Inner Flatterers
If you’re interested in learning more about this specifics of all this terminology, read the book, go on a course with Animas, or get in touch and we can have a conversation.
CONCLUSION
My experience with Animas was awesome! Highly recommended for anyone looking for deeper ways to engage with themselves and the world.
BACKGROUND
Soulcraft is the artistry and practice of courting and embodying our souls. By Bill’s definition, ego is the attribute in humans that allows us to interact with the world - it’s our personality, and our physical form. Soul is purpose. Yet few people ever embody soul nowadays. And it takes both ego and soul to be human.
Soul is what makes us unique. Spirit is what is shared, universal. A balanced spiritual tradition involves both spirit [ascending] and soul [descending].
Soul is most often encountered alone in nature.
Bill is in his sixties, and has written three books about this work: “Soulcraft” [2003], “Nature and the Human Soul” [2008], and “Wild Mind” [2013]. I’ve read the first two.
LOCATION
The Ranch was beautiful. It was surprisingly “flat” for my perceptions of the Rockies. I covered a lot of milage, and everything was within 1,000 feet of elevation of everything else [moving up from base camp to almost 10,000].
Although the climate is relatively dry, it was wetter than what I’m used to in the Boulder, CO area. There was a surprising amount of green.
Forest was aspens and ponderosa pines, with mountain cottonwoods by the water - sparse compared to Northeast standards. Higher up things shifted to spruce and fir.
There was a river running through the valley, and it was full of brook trout. It was cool, but not freezing.
There was one nearby “peak” big enough to get a name on the map. It was called Quartzite Peak, and I hiked it.
EXPERIENC
All together there were thirty-three of us, with Bill, three guides, a few apprentices, and the rest of us participants. The group was almost all people in their fifties and sixties. Some of us were in our twenties, thirties, and seventies.
Most of my time was spent out in nature alone. As a large group in the lodge immediately after breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner, we were given tasks to work with alone in nature. We also met in smaller “clans” each day in order to discuss at length our experiences out in nature.
Some people had some really big personal breakthroughs or “breakdowns” during the event - what we were going through. I didn’t experience any of these in very apparent ways, but did really appreciate the depth of the experience.
There are four primary soulcraft practices that we worked with:
Completing unfinished business from the first three stages [out of eight] of ecosoulcentric human maturation
Wholing - becoming more balanced and present in the Four Facets of the Self
Self-healing - of the subpersonalities
Facilitation of soul encounters
TERMS
The Four Facets of Self are:
East - Innocent, Sage, Sacred Fool, Trickster
South - Wild Indigenous One
West - Muse, Inner Beloved, Anima/Animus, Guide to Soul
North - Nurturing Generative Adult
The Subpersonalities are:
East - Escapists and Addicts
South - Wounded Children (including Outcasts)
West - The Shaw and Shadow Selves
North - Loyal Soldiers: Lion Tamers, Inner Critics, Inner Flatterers
If you’re interested in learning more about this specifics of all this terminology, read the book, go on a course with Animas, or get in touch and we can have a conversation.
CONCLUSION
My experience with Animas was awesome! Highly recommended for anyone looking for deeper ways to engage with themselves and the world.
26 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
If you find that you are unhappy, sad, or feeling lost, Soulcraft is your lifeline. If, like me, your child has ascended and your soul with them, you can find your lost soul and learn to live IN the loss. This book is for all spiritual and religious beliefs and practices. Spirit is not held prisoner by just one.
Bowing and many Blessings!
Bowing and many Blessings!
14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Plotkin provides a great gift by organizing and articulating so many diverse aspects of human development and promoting human potential. Few are able to connect the dots from such diverse traditions as Buddhism, greek mythology, wilderness studies, modern psychology, etc. etc. etc. It was a challenge not to highlight the entire book!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
I'm nearly finished reading Soulcraft and I can already see that it will become my bible, at least for the foreseeable future. It's full of profound wisdom. Plotkin translates deep, complex, ancient truths into accessible and relatable concepts. He opens a door to a life that many of us, deep down, have sensed is possible but haven't been able to imagine or put into words. Plotkin finds those words and illuminates the path.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
Truly fantastic. I've read dozens of books on spirituality and meditation and personal growth, and this one really impressed me. A perfect compliment to an interest in Buddhism and meditation, he talks about hugely important things that are mostly left out of modern Buddhist teachings.
This will probably become one of the books I recommend most highly to spiritual seekers, along with Touching Enlightenment by Reggie Ray to get a deep and practical Buddhist perspective.
This will probably become one of the books I recommend most highly to spiritual seekers, along with Touching Enlightenment by Reggie Ray to get a deep and practical Buddhist perspective.
14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
The book, however, was not new. As you can see, the photo shows underlining and crumbs in the crease. I've passed the return date, but buyer beware
I don't know how to complain about the book and not give the book a bad review.
Verified Purchase
The author is fabulously insightful. I'm enjoying it immensely.
The book, however, was not new. As you can see, the photo shows underlining and crumbs in the crease. I've passed the return date, but buyer beware
I don't know how to complain about the book and not give the book a bad review.
The book, however, was not new. As you can see, the photo shows underlining and crumbs in the crease. I've passed the return date, but buyer beware
I don't know how to complain about the book and not give the book a bad review.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book; Amazon Sold New & Sent Used Book
By JEVH on February 4, 2020
The author is fabulously insightful. I'm enjoying it immensely.By JEVH on February 4, 2020
The book, however, was not new. As you can see, the photo shows underlining and crumbs in the crease. I've passed the return date, but buyer beware
I don't know how to complain about the book and not give the book a bad review.
Images in this review
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
UK book worm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and deeply moving book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2019Verified Purchase
Its rare that I am so deeply engaged with a book like Soulcraft. Bill Plotkin is a gifted author...he writes with credible wise insight into the human condition, our relationship with nature and the mystery of soul. He is knowledgeable and visionary as he describes contemporary issues which are threatening our wild and beautiful planet. So much of my life (seen and unseen, the visible and invisible) makes more sense. Im so grateful for his willingness to dedicate himself to the task of writing such a gem of a book. If you are trying to make sense of your life and the world around you or maybe searching for deeper understanding and self awareness....this book will certainly provide tools, reflections and thought provoking information/stories and resources. I feel sad to have finished the book which despite its size was easy and light to read (despite its richness). If you read one good book this year or next please try this one! I shall be reading it for many years to come.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and deeply moving book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2019
Its rare that I am so deeply engaged with a book like Soulcraft. Bill Plotkin is a gifted author...he writes with credible wise insight into the human condition, our relationship with nature and the mystery of soul. He is knowledgeable and visionary as he describes contemporary issues which are threatening our wild and beautiful planet. So much of my life (seen and unseen, the visible and invisible) makes more sense. Im so grateful for his willingness to dedicate himself to the task of writing such a gem of a book. If you are trying to make sense of your life and the world around you or maybe searching for deeper understanding and self awareness....this book will certainly provide tools, reflections and thought provoking information/stories and resources. I feel sad to have finished the book which despite its size was easy and light to read (despite its richness). If you read one good book this year or next please try this one! I shall be reading it for many years to come.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2019
Images in this review
7 people found this helpful
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Celebrating wildness
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2017Verified Purchase
Beautifully and clearly written, such rich and deep penetrating language. A pleasure to read. Great theories, experiences and stories. Love this writing and topic and will be reading more by this author, for sure. Might be lucky enough to do a quest of my own one day
2 people found this helpful
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Andrew Hurst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book, recommended it to everyone.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2017Verified Purchase
Absolutely loved this book, it gave me so much inspiration, well worth reading if you find yourself on a journey to self discovery and realise you're a bit lost.
2 people found this helpful
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Jade
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I've ever read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2017Verified Purchase
Honestly one of the best books I've ever read! Definitely a must read if you are interested in self-discovery. It was a little bigger than I expected, but I couldn't put it down once I started reading.
7 people found this helpful
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Kevin Holloway
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2018Verified Purchase
Excellent, especially for anyone conscious of the overlaps between the natural environment and their spirituallity
One person found this helpful
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