The Blue Sapphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology

by Douglas E. Christie

"There are no unsacred places," the poet Wendell Berry has written. "There are only sacred places and desecrated places."

What might it mean to behold the world with such depth and feeling that it is no longer possible to imagine it as something separate from ourselves, or to live without regard for its well-being? To understand the work of seeing things as an utterly involving moral and spiritual act? Such questions have long occupied the center of contemplative spiritual traditions. In The Blue Sapphire of the Mind, Douglas E. Christie proposes a distinctively contemplative approach to ecological thought and practice that can help restore our sense of the earth as a sacred place. Drawing on the insights of the early Christian monastics as well as the ecological writings of Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Annie Dillard, and many others, Christie argues that, at the most basic level, it is the quality of our attention to the natural world that must change if we are to learn how to live in a sustainable relationship with other living organisms and with one another. He notes that in this uniquely challenging historical moment, there is a deep and pervasive hunger for a less fragmented and more integrated way of apprehending and inhabiting the living world--and for a way of responding to the ecological crisis that expresses our deepest moral and spiritual values. Christie explores how the wisdom of ancient and modern contemplative traditions can inspire both an honest reckoning with the destructive patterns of thought and behavior that have contributed so much to our current crisis, and a greater sense of care and responsibility for all living beings. These traditions can help us cultivate the simple, spacious awareness of the enduring beauty and wholeness of the natural world that will be necessary if we are to live with greater purpose and meaning, and with less harm, to our planet.

Genres: Spirituality, Theology, Ecology, Nature, Christianity, Philosophy, Nonfiction

488 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times, Christie's writing is so dense with quotations and thoughts from others, it is easy to get lost. Instead, stop, circle round again, skip ahead, return. He's contemplating loving and losing the gift of this earth and inviting you the reader to that intense focus. Best read with lots of time to pause, to touch the earth wherever you are, and to ask others about their journeys and share your own.

[Leah Rampy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's written by an academic and thoroughly footnoted - and yet Christie writes with great heart and hope. From the desert fathers and mothers to present day authors, Christie traces a trajectory of hope for today's broken world.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A contemplative spirituality that embraces oneness with all of nature, holding dearly the precious remaining beauty while grieving all that has been lost. A book to be read slowly, over and over, until it embeds itself in you, and you are in it.

[Garbanzo Beans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of odd at parts. Some really good thoughts at parts that I hope to develop more myself without the inaccuracies of the monastic tradition. It did inspire me to read more of the desert fathers, but I believe so far that they would have thought some parts of this book outside of their own tradition. The sections on Darwin and Eros were very odd.

[Eleanor Wigdahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

sooooooo good but some chapters got a little long i fear

[Cyndie Tozzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this beautiful book. ...it becomes possible to imagine a profound and lasting intimacy with the living world, with our own embodied selves, and with the Spirit who lives and breathes among us.
Because of this book I now have a list of maybe 60 more books to read, including all of Thomas Merton's journals, Thoreau's journals and Books by John Muir. As a spiritual hermit that also journals about nature this book was glorious. Take your time with it. my only regret is that I did not read it while in a cool and lovely forest.

[Laura Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and challenging (so important for our current crisis) read. Each sentence can easily be a source for lectio. I am giving a retreat based on this book November 19th

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get past the first 90 pages. Unreadable.

[Elijah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am become christian monk, redeemer of ecologies.

Contemplative is king.

[Caleb]

A gift from God.

[Amos Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful book! I am so thankful to have discovered it. I often find myself reading and re-reading passages. Christie is a deep thinker who puts words to longings on the tip of my tongue. He embodies a rare combination of love and wonder of the natural world and a great appreciation for Christian Contemplative Tradition. Christie understands that healing the torn fabric of our souls is related to healing desecrated places. He understands, like few others, that the profound ecological crisis that we face today is primarily a spiritual crisis. If we connect to the depths of our own beings we can transform our relationship to the natural world.
-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)

[Sarah Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dense book, and long - and worth every bit of it. Unfortunately, as a result, I haven't finished it, and I need to return it to the library. What I've read so far, however, is fabulous. I wish my local library would get a copy (I don't feel right overusing interlibrary loan).; perhaps I will request it. For the moment, I will keep it on my currently-reading list, as I do hope to check it out again.