Paul Harrison (1) (1945–)

Nature is my church

This has been my religion for a while, though I never called it such. I dabbled in Wicca and Buddhism, but they never seemed like a perfect fit. I would describe my belief system as pantheism, with some pagan and Buddhist practices.

This book is the only modern general survey in print of the history, theory and practice of pantheism.

Two historical chapters: The first covers the development of pantheism in the Eastern and Classical worlds, from the Bhagavad Gita, Taoism and Zen Buddhism, to Heraclitus, the Stoics and Plotinus. The second covers pantheism in the post-classical West, from the pantheistic strands in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, through Giordano Bruno and Spinoza, to the great romantic poets and show more philosophers of the 19th century, and Einstein and D.H. Lawrence in the 20th.

The theory chapters ground the divinity and unity of the universe and of nature in philosophy and modern science, and explain why the universe can be seen as self-originated and self-organized. They examine our intimate links with nature, the Gaia theory, nature therapy and ecopsychology.

The book explores pantheist ethics, especially in relation to environmental ethics, human rights and animal rights. The ceremony chapter provides a pantheist calendar, and explains the meaning of the solstices and equinoxes. It also offers pantheistic forms of meditation, heightened perception and bodily awareness. show less

Inside the Third World: An Anatomy of Poverty

Developing countries > Economic conditions