Rivers of Green Wisdom: Exploring Christian and Yogic Earth-Centred Spirituality

By Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston)

In ‘Rivers of Green Wisdom’ the author shares personal reflections on Christian, Yogic and Earth-centred wisdom and key stages encountered on his own spiritual journey. This book unveils central teachings about the sacredness of Earth and Nature, covers both past and present understanding about our interdependent relationship with the natural world, and how various teachers have looked for East-West fusions for deeper and more responsible living.

There are important insights within the five detailed chapters, along with informative passages about contemporary prophets and mystics who have been influential in promoting relevant wisdom for our times.

Overall, ‘Rivers of Green Wisdom’ highlights essential challenges we need to embrace in order to move forward skilfully and build a harmonious and sustainable Earth community that compassionately cares about the diversity of life our Earth-Mother has sought to celebrate.

CONTENTS: Preface, Introduction, 1. Pursuing Meaning and Purpose, 2. Opening to Greater Awareness, 3. Deeper Encounters, 4. Embracing our Earth Mother and Responding to Her Call, 5. Mending the Broken Pieces, Bibliography, About the Author.

REVIEWS:
“Overall, this is a heart-warming book where I learnt a good deal about Earth based spirituality through the lens of different traditions. I felt that my spirituality is not some made-up modern quirk but something that is deeply rooted in, and belongs to, the ongoing spiritual evolution of our collective human journey.”
~ Ian Mowll, Interfaith Foundation Minister and the coordinator of GreenSpirit.

“From his many years of deep immersion in the Yogic, Christian and Earth-based traditions, Santoshan skilfully expresses in this book, the feeling tone of each of these three spiritual movements. He explains how they blend, how they relate to each other and how they share a common thread of love and the sanctity of all life. Seldom do you find such practised clarity in revealing the wisdom of Spirit.”
~ Sky McCain, Vedantist and author of ‘Planet as Self: An Earthen Spirituality.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston) studied world religions at King’s College London, is a OneSpirit Interfaith minister, a member of GreenSpirit’s publications team, and an author, coauthor and editor of over a dozen books, including ‘Spirituality Unveiled’ and ‘Realms of Wondrous Gifts’.

THE GREENSPIRIT EBOOK SERIES:
GreenSpirit is a registered charity based in the UK. The main contents/written material, editing, design and promotional work for its ebooks is done on a purely voluntary basis, or given freely by contributors who share SpiritSpirit members’ passion for Gaia centred spirituality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GreenSpirit Ebooks
• Release date: Mar 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9780955215780

Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston)

Stephen Wollaston was given the name Santoshan (contentment) by an English swami in the mid-90s and is a OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation minister. He holds a degree in religious studies and a postgraduate certificate in religious education from King’s College London. He also trained in psychosynthesis counselling at the Psychosynthesis Trust, and in typographic design at the London College of Printing. In the late 70s he was the principal bass guitarist of one of London’s first punk rock bands, The Wasps. He is the current Chair of GreenSpirit's Publications Committee, has been a trustee of GreenSpirit for many years, is the main typographic designer of GreenSpirit magazine and the GreenSpirit Book Series, and has edited and contributed to titles in the Series. In all, he has authored, coauthored and edited over a dozen books, including "Spirituality Unveiled: Awakening to Creative Life", "Rivers of Green Wisdom: Exploring Christian and Yogic Earth-Centred Spirituality", and "Realms of Wondrous Gifts: Psychic, Mediumistic and Miraculous Powers in the Great Mystical and Wisdom Traditions". Recently, a collection of eleven articles by him was released, "From Punk Rock to Green Spirituality".

Book preview

Published by GreenSpirit at Smashwords

www.greenspirit.org.uk

Copyright 2014 Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston)

ISBN: 978-0-9552157-8-0

Cover design: Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston)

Front cover and title page image by PixxlTeufel/Pixabay.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

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Reviews

Overall, this is a heart-warming book where I learnt a good deal about Earth based spirituality through the lens of different traditions. I felt that my spirituality is not some made-up modern quirk but something that is deeply rooted in, and belongs to, the ongoing spiritual evolution of our collective human journey.

– Ian Mowll, Interfaith Foundation Minister and the coordinator of GreenSpirit.

From his many years of deep immersion in the Yogic, Christian and Earth-based traditions, Santoshan skilfully expresses in this book, the feeling tone of each of these three spiritual movements. He explains how they blend, how they relate to each other and how they share a common thread of love and the sanctity of all life. Seldom do you find such practised clarity in revealing the wisdom of Spirit.

– Sky McCain, Vedantist and author of Planet as Self: An Earthen Spirituality.

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Other titles by the author

Awakening to Earth-Centred Consciousness

Multi-authored, co-edited with Ian Mowll

Dark Nights of the Green Soul

Multi-authored, co-edited with Ian Mowll

From Punk Rock to Green Spirituality

GreenSpirit Reflections

Multi-authored, compiled by Santoshan

Pathways of Green Wisdom

Multi-authored, compiled and edited by Santoshan

Spirituality Unveiled

Realms of Wondrous Gifts

The House of Wisdom

Co-authored with Swami Dharmananda

Spirit Gems

Co-authored with Glyn Edwards

The Spirit World in Plain English

Co-authored with Glyn Edwards

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CONTENTS

Publisher’s Preface

Introduction

1. Pursuing Meaning and Purpose

2. Opening to Greater Awareness

3. Deeper Encounters

4. Embracing our Earth Mother and Responding to Her Call

5. Mending the Broken Pieces

Bibliography

About the Author

Other Titles in the GreenSpirit Book Series

Dedication

To all who have sought a more caring and compassionate Earth-life.

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Special Thanks

To Marian Van Eyk McCain for assisting with the proof reading and to Ian Mowll for helping to clarify some matters of Christian belief. But it goes without saying that any errors that might remain are entirely my own.

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PUBLISHER’S PREFACE

This is the first of two especially linked ebooks planned for GreenSpirit’s ebook series. For this title the author, at our request, has drawn on specific passages from two of his key works that touched on Yogic, Christian and Nature-centred spiritualities, The House of Wisdom (co-authored) and Spirituality Unveiled, and added further reflections and personal experiences encountered while exploring these enriching traditions. The second title, Pathways of Green Wisdom, which has been edited and compiled by Santoshan/Stephen, brings together numerous reflective, insightful and informative pieces by contributors to our magazine spanning a period of 11 years, along with especially written new material.

The GreenSpirit ebook series is a low-cost series sold at production price only. Rivers of Green Wisdom is the fourth title in this collection. Other titles will look at the application of green spiritual principles to different aspects of life and culture such as ecology, education, personal spiritual practice, and ritual.

GreenSpirit is a registered charity based in the UK. The main contents/written material, editing, design and promotional work for our ebooks is done on a purely voluntary basis, or given freely by contributors who share our passion for Gaia-centred spirituality.

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INTRODUCTION

If we learn to love the earth, we will find labyrinths, gardens, fountains, and precious jewels! A whole new world will open itself to us. We will discover what it means to be truly alive.

– TERESA OF AVILA.

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the opening line mentions how, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. Although written some 150 years ago, these words seem to ring just as true for our current era. With the touch of a button we have the world’s past and present scientific knowledge and spiritual insights at our finger tips. Never before has there been a time when we have been so informed about global issues and ways in which we are linked to the creativity of the universe and all life on Earth. Yet with all this knowledge there is a lack of wisdom