Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour in Hewett Centre, and our Library Team offers related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service featuring Rev. Shawn Gauthier on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at 11 a.m. All welcome in Hewett Centre after Sunday service to check out some books and to have coffee and conversation.
VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:
1. Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1836 [Accessible here, Emerson writes: “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society…. If a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. … One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. … The stars awake a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible. ……Standing on bare ground,- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, – all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Bring circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.”].
2. Emerson As Spiritual Guide: A Companion to Emerson’s Essays for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion, by Barry M. Andrews, 2003, 814.3 AND [From LibraryThing: “Though we may debate whether Ralph Waldo Emerson is primarily a poet, an essayist or a philosopher, for Barry Andrews, he is above all a spiritual teacher. His fiery genius ignited not only Thoreau but also Whitman, Fuller and many others. Andrews’ commentary shows a new generation of Americans how Emerson’s spiritual journey joined an open heart with a critical mind. This will appeal to readers who consider themselves spiritual though not necessarily religious. Andrews guides readers through the spiritual writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Includes an introduction to the life and thought of Emerson, as well as questions and resources for further study and reflection. …”].
3. Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World, by Karen Armstrong, 2023, 202 ARM [From LibraryThing: “A profound exploration of the spiritual power of nature–and an urgent call to reclaim that power in everyday life. Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear, to awe, to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. … In this short but deeply powerful book, the best-selling historian of religion Karen Armstrong re-sacralizes nature for modern times.”].
4. Season and Solstice: A Unitarian Interpretation of the Midwinter Festival, by Phillip Hewett, 394 HEW.
5. The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice, by Carolyn McVickar Edwards, 2005, 398.33 EDW [From LibraryThing: “… Celebrations honoring the winter solstice as a moment of transition and renewal date back thousands of years and occur among many peoples on every continent. “The Return of the Light” makes an ideal companion for everyone who carries on this tradition, no matter what their faith. Storyteller Carolyn McVickar Edwards retells twelve traditional tales — from North America, China, Scandinavia, India, Africa, South America, Europe, and Polynesia — that honor this magical moment. These are stories that will renew our wonder of the miracle of rebirth and the power of transition from darkness into light.”].
6. The Way of the Earth: Encounters With Nature in Ancient and Contemporary Thought, by T. C. McLuhan, 1994, 113.09 McL [From LibraryThing, about what’s on the book jacket: “This book draws upon both ancient and contemporary sources to examine the significance of the earth from the perspective of six different cultures and how these spiritual traditions have valued, perceived, and understood the earth. At first glance the peoples of aboriginal Australia, Japan, Greece, Africa, South America, and Native North America couldn’t be more different. But by taking a closer look, the author shows that there are many more similarities than differences- all revere mountains as a source of inspiration and holiness, all feel a spiritual connection to the soil itself, all create art and literature to celebrate their connection to the land, and all see themselves as inextricable from the land they call home. This unique volume explores how human beings across the planet and across time have felt about the earth and nature, and how they have understood it, related to it, and celebrated it in their literature, mythology, religion, and art. It demonstrates that no matter where on the planet we exist, and no matter what time period we live, we all have a profound connection to the earth.”].
7. Perfection of the Morning: An Apprenticeship in Nature, by Sharon Butala, 1995, 921 BUT [Sharon Butala writes that “… driving home from some errand in Regina, late at night on a deserted and lonely highway, I often looked out my side window and saw above the hills a few white stars, points of light in boundless darkness. Once, as I gazed up at them, my heart, a live thing in my chest, leaped, cracked, and then hung there, aching. At that moment it seemed a thing apart from the me I knew, and it yearned with an intensity that was deeply sorrowful to go back to the immensity from which it declared itself to have come.” From LibraryThing: “… At once a meditation on the world of nature and a personal and spiritual exploration of the roots of creativity, The Perfection of the Morning is Sharon Butala’s search for a connection with the prairie that encompassed and often overwhelmed her. …”].