Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World [Paperback]

Addressing the pervasive longing for meaning and fulfillment in this time of crisis,Nature and the Human Soulintroduces a visionary ecopsychology of human development that reveals how fully and creatively we can mature when soul and wild nature guide us. Depth psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin presents a model for a human life span rooted in the cycles and qualities of the natural world, a blueprint for individual development that ultimately yields a strategy for cultural transformation.

With evocative language and personal stories, including those of elders Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy, this book defines eight stages of human life - Innocent, Explorer, Thespian, Wanderer, Soul Apprentice, Artisan, Master, and Sage - and describes the challenges and benefits of each. Plotkin offers a way of progressing from our currentegocentric, aggressively competitive, consumer society to anecocentric, soul-based one that is sustainable, cooperative, and compassionate. At once a primer on human development and a manifesto for change,Nature and the Human Soulfashions a template for a more mature, fulfilling, and purposeful life - and a better world.CABill 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 areSoulcraftandWild Mind. He lives in southwestern Colorado.
WithNature and the Human Soul, Bill Plotkin once again works miracles. This vital book provides a road map to help us remember how to be human - which means how to be a human being in relationship to the natural world, to our home. We owe Bill Plotkin a deep debt of gratitude for this import