A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, and the Human Soul

This book is a treasure of insight, intuition (which all of us possess but are largely out of touch.), revelation, and compelling facts woven into an eloquent and interesting tale. The spirituality of the people of our earth is thankfully changing - in that there is growing awareness of our connectedness to the earth and to all living creation. Until this harmony is restored and is an integral aspect of our pursuit of God - the realization of highest self and of our Divine destiny, are well beyond our reach. I applaud the courage of J. Phillip Newell who has the verve and the nerve to bend the fixed curve and to butter the wrong side of the bread!!! Highly recommended!!!

John Philip Newell is an author that I have only recently, and thankfully, discovered. No better words describe this book than the author's own, "Harmony of Spiritual Traditions." Newell makes a strong case for unity, and he sites and integrates many other important writers in the spiritual realm such as C. G. Jung, de Chardin, Berry, Meister Eckhart, D. Bohm, and Hildegard of Bingen and others.I especially appreciated Newell's insights on the value of dreams and dreamwork in order to touch deeply our own spiritual selves.Newell clearly sees God in all things and all of creation and invites the reader to come to a deep understanding the Harmony of all creation. Through the reading of this book, I was introduced to the prayers and chants that Newell has written, and they are beautiful.

In "A New Harmony" J. Phillip Newell accomplishes an important task - creating a new synthesis of God's immanent presence in the world. By situating revelation within the human person and creation, Newell provides a much needed corrective to traditional Western theology that emphasizes God's transcendence. Newell writes personally, making the links between his theology and his experience in a way that is engaging and meaningful. I'm on my second read of the book, have bought it for a friend, and intend to internalize his message - a message that for years I felt within my own heart but did not have the language to express. Buy this book. It is a blessing.

I started reading Newell as a contingent of my Celtic Christian studies. Christ of the Celts and Listening For The Heartbeat of God made Newell my favorite living author. While I prefer the celtic elements of his writing and philosophy, I still greatly enjoyed this book and what it has to offer. I enjoy the reiteration and duplicative writing style he uses, because with my schedule I can rarely just read a book straight through. I am able to place the book down when something arises, and when I come back to it I am able to get right back in without skimming back a few paragraphs or feeling lost in a new train of thought.

Our knowledge of Christianity comes mostly from the events in the early 4th century. What was going on before that? As the apostles and others moved away from Palestine, what did they teach? In the Middle East, Asia, Egypt, and Europe? This book will help you learn what Christians thought in an area where Rome did not dictate the rules, at least not until some centuries later. I found it enriching to my own spiritual thinking and feeling.

Wonderful book!

A most readable and profound reflection on the healing needed in a broken world seen through the eyes of a deeply spiritual man whose life experience and dreams have led him on a similar journey so that he speaks from his own experience.

John Philip Newell seems to have spent his entire life trying to achieve what he considers the "perfect" spiritual life:1. Becoming a minister;2. Residing in an inner city among the poor;3. Traveling to India;4. Retreating to spiritual meccas--an island off the coast of Scotland, a small town in Indiana, the New Mexico desert;5. Borrowing "selectively" from Eastern thinking to refashion his Christian faith to make it more personally acceptable and meaningful;6. Analyzing his dreams to guide his life;7. Identifying with spiritual "giants" who act as mentors;8. Accumulating along the way a glitter of spiritual experiences and insights to share.After all that, what possibly has the author been missing, or what should he be discarding? Should readers be be putting him on a pedestal or not? What would he say?

Excellent

Love it! A must buy for those interested in God's Creation.

An excellent book. Very well written

Stimulating, a good book by an interesting person, covers a sweep of fields and their problems.

a n inspiring book written by a man with great spirituall awareness of places and people which points way to the future. As a basis for group consideration will bring out new truths