Landscapes of the Soul: A Spirituality of Place

by Robert M. Hamma

In this wide-ranging discussion, Robert Hamma draws upon scripture, psychology, and theology to lay out the framework for a spirituality of place. He explores what is involved in developing a 'sense of place' and reminds readers how the places of childhood become so important. After an exploration of the ancient Hebrews' tradition of 'the land' and Jesus' own sense of place, he leads readers to discover those places that have impacted them most, in particular home. Readers will find that they suddenly see with new eyes the places-past and present-that have shaped their spiritual journeys and recognize them as doorways to the sacred.

Genres: Spirituality

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jodie Pine]

An interesting look at the Spirituality of Place, from a variety of angles.

"A universal awareness of God's presence forces us to look for God in the places we'd rather not see and in the places where we may be fearful to go--places of poverty, places of violence, places of illness. And an awareness of God in a particular place calls us to look deeply and contemplatively at the places that reveal God to us."

"Certainly the significant places in our lives will be the places where we have experienced God in some dramatic way. But over the long haul, the most significant places may be the ones where God comes quietly--the office, the kitchen, the bedroom, the driveway, even the car."

[Margie Dorn]

This was a book I needed to read right now, and plan to read again soon. As many of us have memories of distant places, yet are confined to our present personal space, Hamma reminds us that we are all part of the larger whole, regardless of our current landscapes. Hamma is a graduate of Notre Dame, and writes knowledgeably and accessibly, including ideas of well-knowns such as Matthew Fox and Teilhard de Chardin. It's really too bad that the book is out of print and has never been digitalized. It deserves to be more widely read and used.

[Carole Thompson]

Robert Hamma discusses how place influences how we relate to each other and how place also influences how we see the universe and God's role in all places. He discusses the importance of place and how place is important in the Bible. He also discusses how important place is as children and how we develop into adulthood. Earth is our home and we are a part of the universe, which is our home also. Which came first God or the universe? I'll leave that for you to decide before or after reading Landscapes of the Soul.

[Carol]

A well written, thought provoking book. Having previously read his wonderful book, EARTH'S ECHOES, I hoped to find a similar poetic, metaphoric experience. This book is different, more that of a teacher, a philosopher, a scientist, an environmentalist. But it is from this mind that EARTH' S ECHOES came. I have much to ponder.

[Steve Penner]

The book started off well talking about the geography of spirituality and asking the question "Where" is the soul at home. But the book ended poorly with an environmentalist take on preserving our temporal home at all costs and then a cosmic Christ spirituality that made absolutely no sense. Definitely not one I would recommend.

[Verna Humphrey]

too much theology and very boring