A New Covenant with Nature – Notes on the End of Civilization and the Renewal of Culture
- Has modern civilization really improved human lives?
- Is money evil?
- Is government necessary?
- What can we each do to renew our connection with all that is wild, and generative, and free?
In this radical and thought-provoking book, ecophilosopher Richard Heinberg explores these questions with wit, perception, and refreshing insight. Each culture, Heinberg shows, makes a covenant or agreement with nature. Our culture’s agreement is obviously crumbling. If we are to create a new covenant, we must begin by rethinking the givens of society from the ground up – or even, quietly desert the existing social system and help birth a better one.
From Part III – ‘The Great Purification’ (p. 163):
” To speak of wilderness is to speak of wholeness. Human beings came out of that wholeness, and to consider the possibility of reactivating membership in the Assembly of All Beings is in no way regressive. “ – Gary Snyder.
Celebrate the Solstice – Honoring the Earth’s Seasonal Rhythms through Festival and Ceremony
By Richard Heinberg, Foreword by Dolores LaChapelle.
199 Pages | A Quest Original 1993 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835606937.
Rejoice in the Seasonal Festivals of the Earth . . .
Seasonal festivals are not cultural relics. They are joyous, fun, mischievous, profound, life-affirming events that connect us deeply with the Earth, the heavens, and the wellspring of being within us. This engaging book tells the history and meaning of the Solstices, encourages the practice of full-bodied, ecstatic rituals of seasonal renewal, and gives practical suggestions for how to celebrate them in contemporary times.
- Discover the ancient roots of Christmas-tide customs.
- Honor the Goddess in all of her Names by celebrating the June Solstice as a Festival of the Divine Feminine.
- Learn how cultures around the world honored their connectedness with the Earth rhythms.
- Create life-affirming celebrations of the Solstices – alone, with friends or family, in the wilderness, or in the city.
From Chapter 3 – ‘The First Solstice Festivals’ (p.27):
” Each year, for about a week before and after the winter solstice, light from the rising Sun passes through a boxed slot above the doorway of Newgrange and shine the entire length of the corridor to the far wall of the central chamber (a distance of over eighty feet), illuminating a stone basin positioned below a series of intricate carvings of interlocked spirals, eye shapes, and rayed solar discs. For about seventeen minutes the inner sanctuaryis softly lit; then the finger of sunlight slowly creeps back across the stone floor, and darkness returns. The effect is stunning, and the effort spent to obtain it must have been enormous. “
Memories And Visions Of Paradise
By Richard Heinberg.
308 Pages | Originally published in 1989, First Quest Edition 1995 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 083560716X.
‘Exploring the Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age’.
Nearly every culture has been nourished by tales of a lost Golden Age, in which people lived in a peaceful harmony with nature and cosmos. Is the persistent image of an earthly Paradise merely the product of a perennial nostalgia for ‘good old days’ that never really existed? Or could it be a memory of a simpler time, before organized agriculture and industry enticed us away from the Garden?
In this revised and updated edition of his classic cross-cultural study of mythology, psychology and history, Richard Heinberg traces the roots and branches of human longing for Paradise lost, and with candor and hope, points the way toward its possible return.
From Chapter 3 – ‘In Search of Eden’:
” The first Age was Golden. In it faith and righteousness were cherished by men of their own free will without judges or laws. Penalties and fears there were non, nor were threatening words inscribed on unchanging bronze; nor did the suppliant crowd fear the words of its judge, but they were safe without protectors. Not yet did the pine cut from its mountain tops descend into the flowing waters to visit foreign lands, nor did deep trenches gird the town, nor were there straight trumpets, nor horns of twisted brass, nor helmets, nor swords. Without the use of soldiers the peoples in safety enjoyed their sweet repose. Earth herself, unburdened and untouched by the hoe and unwounded by the ploughshare, gave all things freely . . . Spring was eternal . . . untilled the earth bore its fruits and the unploughed field grew hoary with heavy ears of wheat. “
Cloning the Buddha – The Moral Impact of Biotechnology
265 Pages | First Quest Edition 1999 | Hardcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835607720.
Is Cloning a wonderful opportunity for the human race or a dangerous attempt to play God?
With penetrating common sense, eco-philosopher and journalist Richard Heinberg tackles some of the thorniest ethical questions we face. Fascinating examples from plant and animal research; interviews with scientific, political, and religious leaders; and a clear overview of the helpful and harmful effects of biotech on our food supply, reproductive choices, and environment give thinking readers ample evidence for making up their minds.
From Chapter 8 – ‘Cloning the Buddha’ (p. 230):
” Ultimately, if we as society wish to employ some form of genetic technology for truly beneficial purposes we must begin, not with the technology itself, but with an ethical reappraisal and reform of our collective institutions and priorities. “
Are humans playing God when they manipulate natural processes to achieve the results they want? Now that scientists can manipulate genetic materials, won’t someone eventually use such technology to create a “perfect race”? Would it be desirable to “clone the Buddha,” to use biotechnology to create compassionate people? Heinberg (A New Covenant with Nature) examines these and other questions in his survey of morality and biotechnology. He argues that science and morality often have little to do with each other simply because scientists very often lack a spiritual perspective. “The intuition, perception, or belief that other beings have a self and interior experience comparable to one’s own is the basis for ethics,” the author writes. Heinberg asserts that this inner self is purposeful and an end in itself, and he compares this definition of the inner self to the core experience of the sacred. Moreover, he contends, this inner self is caught in a web of life with other selves whose lives and well-being are dependent on one another. Such interdependence, he says, regards “nature as the ultimate model of economy, cooperation, simplicity, beauty, and purpose.” Given such a view of nature, biotechnology is not an avenue for producing a society filled with cooperative and compassionate people. Rather, he says, we can create such a society by “working diligently on our own personal moral refinement, collectively confronting power and its abuses, and creating a nurturing context for our children and grandchildren.” For the most part, Heinberg doesn’t stray far from ground already covered in conversations about science, morality and religion.