Return to Joy
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Return to Joy is a compelling and potent invitation to the reader to consider that joy is the ultimate nature of reality and that its absence lies at the root of the current, unprecedented global crisis. In this book, Andrew and Carolyn mine the mystical wisdom of the ages that places joy at the core of our existence and purpose as a species, moving forward to consider in depth the myriad enemies of joy in our time. Looming large among these is the personal and collective shadow which must be confronted directly if we are to reclaim our birthright of vibrant living in a spiritually and emotionally anesthetized culture. Confronting the shadow launches a journey which invariably leads to an insatiable desire to cultivate joy in every aspect of our lives. As we tend the fires of joy, we celebrate its Seven Flames and nurture its ubiquitous presence, whether in the background or the foreground of our lives. As we state in the book’s Afterword: In order to reclaim joy as the ultimate nature of reality and the fundamental birthright of our humanity, a price must be paid, and that price is nothing less than the total renunciation of the heart-numbing, soul-murdering vapidity of a flatline existence as we embrace the heart-throbbing, love-laden passion of unimaginable joy.
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About the Book
Return to Joy is a compelling and potent invitation to the reader to consider that joy is the ultimate nature of reality and that its absence lies at the root of the current, unprecedented global crisis. In this book, Andrew and Carolyn mine the mystical wisdom of the ages that places joy at the core of our existence and purpose as a species, moving forward to consider in depth the myriad enemies of joy in our time. As we tend the fires of joy, we celebrate its seven flames and nurture its ubiquitous presence whether in the background or the foreground of our lives.
About the Author
Andrew Harvey is the founder and director of the Institute of Sacred Activism, an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective, and practical agents of institutional and systemic change in order to create peace and sustainability. Sacred activism is a transforming force of compassion in action that is born of a fusion of deep spiritual knowledge, courage, love, and passion, with wise radical action in the world. The large-scale practice of sacred activism can become an essential force for preserving and healing the planet and its inhabitants. His work can be explored in depth at www.andrewharvey.net. Carolyn Baker is the author of Love in the Age of Ecological Apocalypse: The Relationships We Need to Thrive (2015) as well as Collapsing Consciously: Transformative Truths for Turbulent Times (2013). Her previous books are and Navigating the Coming Chaos: A Handbook for Inner Transition (2011) and Sacred Demise: Walking the Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization’s Collapse (2009). With Guy McPherson, Carolyn coauthored Extinction Dialogs: How to Live with Death in Mind (2014) and published Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and the Global Crisis (2016). She lives and writes in Boulder, Colorado, and manages her website, www.carolynbaker.net. A former psychotherapist and professor of psychology and history, Carolyn is a life coach and consultant for people who want to live more resiliently in the present as they prepare for the future. Her podcast, the New Lifeboat Hour, airs weekly online.