The spiritual traditions of the world describe paradise as both a state of mind and a harmonious garden of plenitude. Though we think of these stories as metaphors, our health and happiness and the health of the planet are not separate, unrelated states of being. Wisdom and grace lie within the sacred matrix of nature of which we are a part. The world’s spiritual traditions also describe a time of environmental destruction, social unrest, and moral bankruptcy. Does it suggest how we might return to paradise? How can we restore peace and harmony in both the inner and outer worlds? Faculty of Himalayan Institute; Contributing editor of Yoga International magazine; co-author of the award-winning book, Yoga: Mastering the Basics; worked throughout the American West as an environmental groundwater geologist. |