Like many people, I dive into books for very different reasons. Intellectual challenge. Vicarious adventure. Human interest. Facts and fiction – and sometimes I’m not sure which is which. But there is one category of book that I don’t so much ‘dive’ into but rather slowly and carefully lower myself into until I am fully submerged. I’m referring to books on spirituality. And within this category, I prefer to swim around in the river that feeds the various lagoons of traditional religion and myth, rather than the lagoons themselves.
I have always been fascinated by myth and was profoundly moved by Joseph Campbell’s amazing book: The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he presents his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero that is shared by all world mythologies. He called it the monomyth. The creator of the Star Wars epic George Lucas names this book as the major influence on his work.
Anyway, back to the river. At the moment I’m reading a book that is much smaller but just as thought-provoking. It’s one of those books where you have to savour each page and let it sit with you. It’s beautifully crafted. The book opens with a quote from Joseph Campbell: All the gods, all the heavens, all the world, are within us. The book is called Finding Heraan and is written by Tim Muirhead. The first chapter, Sophia’s Gift, begins with these words: Ours was a kingdom where magic and wonder were still known, but only to those who chose to see.
The only word I can use to describe this book is delicious.
So, during this period of important isolation, when I suspect many books are being devoured, write and tell us about a book you have read or are reading, and what it means to you. I have no doubt that many of us would love to know about the journey a book is taking you on.
Best wishes and happy reading
David
