"Of Water and the Spirit"
by Malidoma Patrice Somé
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN-10: 0140194967
ISBN-13: 978-0140194968
Maliodoma Patrice Some was born in a Dagara Village, however he was soon to be abducted to a Jesuit school, where he remained for the next fifteen years, being harshly indoctrinated into european ways of thought and worship. The story tells of his return to his people, his hard initiation back into those people, which lead to his desire to convey their knowledge to the world. Of Water and the Spirit is the result of that desire; it is a sharing of living African traditions, offered in compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of the spirit.
In Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening, Andrew Cohen redefines spirituality for our contemporary world – a world characterized by exponential change and an ever-expanding appreciation for the processes of evolution. Anddrew Cohen has synthesized an original path, practice, and philosophy focused entirely on aligning yourself with what he calls "the evolutionary impulse." His message is simple, yet profound: Life is evolution, and enlightenment is about waking up to this fundamentally creative impulse as your own deepest, most authentic self – so that you can play an active role in creating the future.
For
everybody who wants to know more about, how far one can go with the
realisation for the world and its development, I suggest the following
book.
"Living
Enlightenment"
by Andrew Cohen
Publisher: Moksha
Press
ISBN 1-883929-30-5
"... If you
want enlightenment, if you want to wake up, if you are capable of
standing in the very middle of a raging fire that will melt your
heart and open it to eternity, then you have come to the right place..."
from
the Foreword
by Ken Wilber
Living Enlightenment illuminates the simple yet profound understanding
that the spiritual evolution of each one of us is not separate from
the evolution of humanity as a whole. Infused with the wisdom of
the ages yet expressing a wholly contemporary vision, this groundbreaking
book redefines the very purpose of spiritual life for the modern
Western seeker.
"Andrew Cohen has arrived at an insight that is crucial for our historical
situation. Enlightenment is not a movement out of the everyday world but is instead
a profound entrance into deep participation with the evolution of the universe.
Rarely have I encountered such simple, searing wisdom connecting religious ideas
about enlightenment with the scientific understanding of an evolutionary cosmos."
Brian
Swimme
"Shaping
Globalisation"
Civil Society Cultural Power and Threefolding
by Nicanor Perlas
Description:
This book explains in all details the different kinds of societies, in
history, now and in the future, with many examples. It is a very
realistic book, for people who want to find a solution for the globalisation
issue. It is not sentimental and not negative, it is rather scientific.
It struck me immediately, how clear that vision can be, and it hit
my experiences as an activist very well.
This book is the
result of a long term struggle in the Phillippines. The book sais:
because we live in a society which is dominated mainly by business
corporations, and secondly by government, there is one part missing,
which is civil society (or culture). This third part is striving
to have more influence through many NGO's and other groups of people.
Even the anti globalisation movement is part of it, but it also concludes,
that each of the three parts should be equally strong, and then we
can realise a positive
globalisation, which is nessassary in our time. The important thing is
only, that each of these parts should act in its area, and be concious
about the effects they have on the other two areas. Then a corporation
would not dictate anymore, for example through advertising, which culture
people should have or follow, but the coulture would come out of the
society itself.
I think it is a
very important topic for our time, because this whole
process needs to become concious in civil society, in busines corporations
and in governments.
You can orer it
at:
CADI
Center for Alternative Development Initiatives
110 Scout Rallos Street
Timog
Quezon City
1103 Phillippines
If someone wants to read more about the reality of civil war in Africa, caused by interests from western countries, can read the following book.
"a long way gone,
the true story of a child soldier"
from Ishmael Beah
Publisher Harper Perennial
ISBN 978-0-00-724709-7
Introduction
This is the story of Ishmael Beah's childhood - how, aged just 12, he fled from rebels attacking his village to wander a violent land, before being conscripted into the army - where he learnt that he too was capable of terrible acts. Once he emerged, he decided to tell his story, a story of a loss of innocence and the power of redemption.
This is the first first-hand account of how wars are now fought: by children, on drugs, with AK-47s. In more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, there are an estimated 300.000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah was one of them.
