Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness

Duane Elgin has compiled a fairly complete and comprehensive outline of the evolution of human consciousness and the direction we are headed and therefore, the drastic and immediate changes humans need to make to insure survival of life on our beautiful, but vulnerable planet Earth. I'll borrow a simple, but profound Ancient Chinese Proverb Elgin included in his book: "Voluntary Simplicity" to emphasize the need for humans to realize the slippery slope to disaster we are on and the need to alter course: "If we don't change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed"- Indeed! Elgin doesn't just dwell on the negative without proffering ideas, means and ways to clean up our collective human act, rather, most all of his energy is poured into answers and ideas for human lifestyle changes that are sustainable and healthy. All of his publications are guidelines to sane, harmonious living. And this can be seen in another fine, eloquent book of his: "Promise Ahead". "Awakening Earth" outlines the on-going poll seen at his website about what stage of maturation and consciousness is humanity at: "What Life Stage of the Human Family". There are four choices: Toddler, Teenager, Adult or Elder. The poll has maintained it's choice percentages for several years at about 74% for Teenager and about 21% for Toddler- not much left for the Adult or Elder category. After reading Elgin's books, one might be inclined to see him as one of the Elders. The importance in Human Maturation was the focus of a very simple, eloquent, but potent book published in 1947 by H.A. Overstreet: "The Mature Mind" which became an international bestseller and I found it is as profound and timely as Elgin's important work. Also paralleling Elgin's theme here is Thomas Berry's book "The Great Work', a profound message of the dire need for a human alteration of it's accepted norm for compatibility in a more humane and civilized world that acknowledges God's gift of Nature as the basis and guiding force in all of our transactions with life.

the entire book is available on Duane Elgin's website as a free pdf file.

I was happy to have stumbled across this book. Inside its bindings lies a thoughtful look at where the evolution of our speciese has come from and where it is going. Spiritualy, physically, and Meta-fully. Worth reading for purly new ideas.