As Above So Below: Paths to Spiritual Renewal in Daily Life

by Ronald S. Miller, The Editors of New Age Journal

An exploration of spirituality discusses finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, the Western spiritual tradition, transpersonal psychology, shamanism, mythology, feminine spirituality, and more. Original.

Genres: Spirituality

312 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1992

Reviews

[Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The emphasis is on personal consciousness with a strong bent toward ecopsychology, and in that regard this is a worthwhile collection. While it was pulled together mainly by one author along with "the editors of the New Age Journal," I call it a "collection" because it surveys the work of others. I especially liked the chapter on Transpersonal Psychology. There's a number of thoughtfully workshopped bullet lists at the intersection of mindfulness and activism — valuable if you're into imaginative "quadrants," mission statements, community ethos, and so forth. The wide margins contain brief quotations. Each chapter ends with a resource list. The book titles are probably still valid; the cassette tapes, P.O. Boxes, and workshops probably aren't.

What was lacking: It felt like consciousness-raising in a vacuum. All of the talk about harmony with nature, about grounding in the present moment with intention so that we can respond to the crises of our time, seemed as though it should be immediately followed with a specific political call to action — but that wasn't there at all. That can be perceived a good thing insofar as the book isn't tightly bound to any particular place or time and the aphorisms still resonate nearly three decades later. On the other hand, it leaves the reader to their own devices to figure out exactly what to do with their deepening ecopsychological awareness.

Here's one manifestation of this problem. There's a chapter called "Feminine Spirituality" followed by a chapter called "The Men's Movement," but there's nothing about race. Racism is obviously a major cause of alienation from other people and from institutions and systems, so it would be relevant to talk about it at some point in a big book (>300 large pages with small type) that's about alienation, trust, gratitude, healing fractured connections, and tapping into the unconscious. The vast majority of the people quoted in the book are white, plus Lao Tzu and a couple Native Americans (whose relevant expertise here is their spiritual connection to nature, and not, for example, expressing anger about poverty on the reservation). I think that is one of the reasons that the trajectory of this book doesn't go anywhere: it is talking primarily to white people about themselves, not helping them talk to others about the next steps that need to be taken collaboratively. It is pushing readers toward retreat centers so they can do more inner work. It is emphasizing the work of certain contemporary teachers to build their brand. I think that was New Age Journal's interest in putting out this book.

I can take what I need and leave what I don't, and I am happy with that approach here.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A catalog of New Age philosophies. A lot of it doesn't hold up to any scrutiny, but it offers a lens to add some whimsy to your life and world.

My takeaway is the over Cambellian leanings

1.) On the nature of myth
2.) Discovering your purpose in life
3.) On the "call" today
4.) On the hero Quest
5.) The Privization of Mythology
6.) On the need for self-knowledge
7.) Tha anxiety of our age
8.) On the revelatory nature of myth and the mythic imagination

The new hero; humility, community, compassion, love of limits.

Is the Heroine's Journey different?

Lucid Dreaming, Dream Recall, Dream Incubation, Reawakening the Goddess, The New Masculinity, Male Initiation, the Wild Man, The Artist Within/The Artists Way, Deep Ecology, The Long Now, Planetary Survival, Living More Simply. Creative Altruism, the Compassionate Corporation, Embracing/Owning and Drawing Out Shadow.

[Romeo Stardust]

One of the best. Every library should include this book. Yours too :)

[Yvonne Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! what a book, no words to really explain. just offers beautiful philisophical way to live