Blue Mountain: A Spiritual Anthology: A Spiritual Anthology Celebrating the Earth

"Is this book for you?" editor F. Lynne Bachleda asks the reader. For example, do you ever "Sit on the step at sun's rise and drink your coffee. Circuit the backyard, the far pasture, or the beach to see night's offerings.... Sit by the campfire and merge into dreamtime." In other words, those who find their way back to spirit through nature will feel right at home within this anthology of quotes, poems, and brief essays that praise the earth.

Some passages are deeply reverent, such as Rachel Carson's quote from The Sense of Wonder: "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that endure as long as life lasts." Others spring from sheer rapture, such as Angela Morgan's question, "God, when you thought of a pine tree/How did you think of a star?"

Fortunately, Bachleda is playful enough to also dabble in irreverent moments, such as Woody Allen's quote, "Of all the wonders of nature a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing 'Embraceable You' in spats." Readers will find the delicious words from the likes of Alice Walker, Walt Whitman, Luther Standing Bear, Barbara Kingsolver, Barry Lopez, Linda Hogan, and Gary Snyder. It's easy to imagine this anthology resting in the outside pocket of a backpack or beneath the arm of a wanderer in the woods--a timeless field guide to the divine. --Gail Hudson