A Stone's Throw: The Enduring Nature of Myth

by Ross A. Laird

A Stone’s Throw begins as Ross Laird hikes with his father up a remote mountain in British Columbia, searching for a mythic stone. He finds it in an icy river, packs it home, and spends a year sculpting it in his shop. As he works, Laird discovers why stones have always been viewed as foundations of community, symbols of the self, and embodiments of sacred wisdom. He examines the persistence of this powerful symbolism as his hands shape the stone. And he discovers that despite our general ignorance of mythological history, the fables of our ancestors are still imbued with great power. Recounting archaic myths and tales from his own family, linking together the essential religions of the West — all with stones at their core — Laird illuminates the deep unity among spiritual traditions that are, in the contemporary world, perpetually at war.

A Stone’s Throw is about the weaving together of stories by which we construct our lives, individually and collectively. Laird explore the forces that lead both Jews and Muslims to revere the foundation stone of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Taliban to destroy stone carvings of Buddha, terrorists to attack the World Trade Center. As he crafts a volcanic rock into a piece of sculpture, Laird peels back the facade of the present to reveal the contemporary world as a place where the past is forever working out its unfinished dreams.

A Stone’s Throw has been lauded for its thought-provoking nature and deft weaving of mythologies. “Laird’s knowledge of ancient mythologies is both wide-ranging and impressive,” says the Globe and Mail, “and he makes a compelling case for how such myths have crept unbeknownst into our consciousness.” Writing in The Toronto Star, Robert Wiersema says “it is useful to be reminded that there is another manner in which to live, a life more in tune with the rhythms of nature and the people around us, and yet responsive to the oldest of songs…” Quill and Quire praised A Stone’s Throw as both “technically accurate and beautifully poetic.”

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2003

About the author

Ross Laird is an author and consultant to organizations on themes of personal development, professional mentorship, and whole-person learning. He works with a diverse range of clients across North America, from social service providers to educational institutions to corporations. He has worked extensively in the fields of addiction, interpersonal conflict, trauma, creativity, and healing. He has also taught at over a dozen post-secondary institutions and was the founder and lead developer of the Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Dr. Laird holds a Ph.D. degree in Interdisciplinary Creative Process from The Union Institute and is a recipient of Union's Sussman Award for Academic Excellence. He also holds a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology from Antioch University and is a recipient of the Communications Award from the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. As an author, he has been a finalist for Canada's Governor General's Award and the BC Book Prize. As an educator, he is a recipient of the Dean's of Arts Award for Teaching Excellence at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Dr. Laird is also a noted craftsman in wood and stone, and a persistent advocate for purposeful and personal learning.