Of the Land and the Spirit: The Essential Lord Northbourne on Ecology and Religion (The Library of Perennial Philosophy)

Twenty-five years before Rachel Carson published her famous work Silent Spring, Lord Northbourne coined the phrase organic farming and helped to promote the importance of a holistic approach to the environment. His work, linking spirituality and ecology, has inspired a generation of writings from Wendell Berry to HRH Prince Charles.This book not only features Northbourne's previously unpublished writings, but also his private correspondence with Thomas Merton, highlighting the spiritual depth of his writings. CONTENTS 6 FOREWORD BY WENDELL BERRY 8 PREFACE BY JOSEPH A. FITZGERALD 14 INTRODUCTION BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES 18 I. FARMING: AN ECOLOGY IN PRACTICE 28 1 Soil and Growth 30 2 Health and Food 36 3 Farms and Farmers 48 4 Look to the Land: Sustainability 56 5 Agriculture and Human Destiny 66 6 Compassion in World Farming 84 II. ON THE VALUE OF TRADITION 88 7 Religion and Tradition 90 8 Looking Back on Progress 98 9 Decadence and Idolatry 116 10 Intellectual Freedom 124 11 Change in the Churches 138 III. METAPHYSICAL PRINCIPLES 148 12 “With God All Things Are Possible” 150 13 What Am I? 162 14 On Truth, Goodness, and Beauty 168 IV. ART AND SYMBOLISM 176 15 Art Ancient and Modern 178 16 The Beauty of Flowers 190 17 A Cross Awry 208 18 A Reflection on Christmas 216 V. LESSONS FROM LIFE 220 19 Old Age 222 20 The Problem of Pain 228 21 The Ineluctable Alternative: A Letter to My Descendants 232 Appendix: Corresondence to Thomas Merton 256 Index 272 Biographical Notes 276 1933316616,9781933316611 World Wisdom,2008 Lord Northbourne (1896-1982) was a Renaissance man: a farmer, painter, Olympic rower, translator, and a widely respected author on both ecology and religion. His first book coined the term “organic farming”, and he worked with E. F. Schumacher to bring greater awareness to ecological concerns. His subsequent writings include his concern for ecology along with an exploration of the nature of religion in the modern world. The present anthology is intended to illustrate the uncommon breadth and depth that characterize Lord Northbourne's writings. It includes selections from the fascinating correspondence between Lord Northbourne and Thomas Merton. Twenty-five years before Rachel Carson published her famous work "Silent Spring", the author coined the phrase organic farming and helped to promote the importance of a holistic approach to the environment. This book features his previously unpublished writings and his private correspondence with Thomas Merton.