Nature and the Human Soul Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World

by Plotkin, Bill

• ISBN13: 9781577315513
• ISBN10: 1577315510
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-28
• Publisher: New World Library

Summary

Addressing the pervasive longing for meaning and fulfillment in this time of world crisis, Nature and the Human Soul introduces an innovative developmental psychology that shows how fully and creatively we can mature when we allow soul and nature to guide us. Bill Plotkin presents a model for a human lifespan rooted in the patterns and rhythms of nature, a template for individual development that ultimately yields a strategy for cultural transformation. It describes how to raise children who are in love with life and learning, how to help teenagers develop personalities that are both authentic and socially engaging, how to grow into a fulfilled, soulful adult contributing unique gifts to the greater world, and how to mature into a genuine elderhood of wisdom and cultural leadership. Psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin guides every reader, stage-by-stage, on the journey toward wholeness and active, contributing engagement with the world. He goes on to describe the archetypes and the 8 corresponding stages, which are: Innocent (infancy, early childhood), Explorer (middle and late childhood),Societal Entrepreneur & Wanderer (early adolescence, late adolescence), Soul Apprentice and Artisan (early and late adulthood), and Master and Sage (early and late elderhood). Based on the 15% of Western people who exhibit exemplary development, these descriptions offer insight into discovering your potential. They help explain conflict and confusion in our society and point the way to assisting children and adults move through the phases for better lives and a better world.

Author Biography

Bill Plotkin, PhD, is the founder of the Animas Valley Institute and the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche. Visit him online at www.natureandthehumansoul.com.

Table of Contents

Circle and Arc: The Wheel of Life and the Great Turning	p. 1
The Power of Place	p. 29
Overview of the Wheel of Life	p. 49
The Innocent in the Nest: Early Childhood (Stage 1)	p. 75
The Explorer in the Garden: Middle Childhood (Stage 2)	p. 111
The Thespian at the Oasis: Early Adolescence (Stage 3)	p. 165
The Wanderer in the Cocoon: Late Adolescence (Stage 4)	p. 231
The Soul Apprentice at the Wellspring: Early Adulthood (Stage 5)	p. 301
The Artisan in the Wild Orchard: Late Adulthood (Stage 6)	p. 347
The Master in the Grove of Elders: Early Elderhood (Stage 7)	p. 383
The Sage in the Mountain Cave: Late Elderhood (Stage 8)	p. 411
Coda: The Eyes of the Future	p. 443
Summary of Eco-Soulcentric Development	p. 459
Acknowledgments	p. 463
Notes	p. 467
Resources for Parents, Teachers, Teenagers, and Visionaries	p. 489
Permission Acknowledgments	p. 495
Index	p. 499
About the Author	p. 516
Animas Valley Institute	p. 517
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.