As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil
by Pierre Rabhi
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pierre RabhiForeword: Yehudi Menuhin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-06-06
ISBN: 1594770816
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Park Street Press
Book Reviews of As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil
Book Review: A powerful parable
Summary: 5 Stars
Pierre Rabhi joins the ranks of great agro-ecologists such as Vandana Shiva, Wendell Barry, or Mansanobu Fukuoka. As an American journalist said on hearing of Rabhi, "An Arab ecologist? Thank God there's at least one!"
In this book, Rabhi tries a fictionalized approach, spinning a folk tale of modern Africa. Perhaps this will catch the world's imagination better than presentations of scientific evidence or documentation of alternative farming projects. A short quote illustrates the obvious dream:
"The village of Mafi fully deserved its reputation. Staring at this swath of greenery and life in the midst of a desert environment, I reflected how little we measure the miracles that can arise from generous intelligence and constructive will. Not only did this green island emanate a palpable sense of well-being, it ennobled the arid country around it. Much of its landscaping followed the principles of antierosion, and many young trees now grew there. This place was a message of hope carved in the very flesh of death. Now I understood better what was meant by the sickness of the earth and how it is possible for humans to transform themselves from destructive parasites to healers." (p. 127)
--Brian Griffith, author of "The Gardens of Their Dreams: Desertification and Culture in World History"
Summary of As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil
The world's leading expert on reversing soil desertification shows how ecology can flourish only when spiritual elements are present. Uses a parable from the African oral tradition to provide a living testimony of what has been lost with the rise of modern technology
. Provides a vital account of the strong relationship between soil and soul and how this relationship can be restored
As in the Heart, So in the Earth is a strong indictment of a civilization that, while seeking domination over the earth, mutilates, tortures, and desacralizes it. For Pierre Rabhi ecology is inseparable from spirituality. He shows how the growing desertification of North Africa is a reflection of the "desert" that is claiming the hearts and souls of the inhabitants of the Western world--how dead soil is mirrored in our deadened souls--and how reconciliation with Mother Earth must be accompanied by relearning our ancestors' reverence for the soil.
Using a traditional African parable grounded in the very wisdom of the earth, Pierre Rabhi seeks to initiate the reader into a time when the people that dwelled on this planet did so harmoniously and could converse easily with the land. Village elder Tyemoro recounts the gradual destruction of his village's culture and all that has sustained it as the miracles promised by modern technology brought more harm than good. This same drama is recurring throughout the world, where indigenous value systems that have endured for millennia are torn apart by contact with modern civilization. Yet Rahbi offers hope--if those in the modern world will stop to hear the words of their ancestors who worked the land, for our destiny is linked irrevocably to that of the earth.
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