The Voice of the Infinite in the Small : Re-Visioning the Insect-Human Connection

Rating:
Summary: Overly vague book stops short
Review: I actually stopped reading this book after the first several chapters. I very seldom will stop reading books until giving them a fair shake, but I was so unimpressed with this book that I had to move on.

The book spent alot of time examining the roots of why insects have been looked down upon for years. And they were interesting, except that the reasoning often used such cliches as "many native tribes believe..." Which native tribes? How do you define many? Then, at about the point the book seemed about to follow up the debunking of theories with proof, it would stop short with something like "the reasons why the fly is good are beyond the scope of this book, suffice it to say that...". I wanted proof and logic, not just 'believe me because I said so and overgeneralized in the process.'

Rating:
Summary: Overly vague book stops short
Review: I agree with the premise of this book; that we should reconnect with insects. However, Lauck seems to need connections that include telepathy with ants, Jungian synchronicity, spiders that warn people of danger, and an out-of-body experience as a butterfly. She seems willing to accept these individual antidotal accounts, but does not accept, or seek a deeper understanding of ecological thinking. The book works best at discussing insect mythology and she covers a wide variety of cultures. Kritsky and Cherry's "Insect Mythology" is also a useful source of these myths. The stories promote enthusiastic awareness and compassion, and avoiding thinking of individual insects as adversaries. She off-hand dismissed the "male dominated Judea-Christian tradition", but I think a deeper reading of the Bible (e.g. Noah's Arc, and "Consider the Ant), would help people of that tradition to connect also.

She rejects some preventative health advice, and I think it is irresponsible to advocate "sharing your blood" with mosquitoes in this day of West Nile virus. I think it is possible to connect with insects by trying to understand them on their own terms, and as part of the ecosystem, rather than as a human centered signpost. Sue Hubbells' "Broadsides from the other orders", promote a connection with insects without the sensationalism. My own studies in dragonfly migration, promote my connection to insects, and I think readers would do well to study insects directly. The scientific references are often vague, and "Discover" magazine seems to be her main scientific reference.

Rating:
Summary: Insects need a voice, but perhaps not this one.
Review: I agree with the premise of this book; that we should reconnect with insects. However, Lauck seems to need connections that include telepathy with ants, Jungian synchronicity, spiders that warn people of danger, and an out-of-body experience as a butterfly. She seems willing to accept these individual antidotal accounts, but does not accept, or seek a deeper understanding of ecological thinking. The book works best at discussing insect mythology and she covers a wide variety of cultures. Kritsky and Cherry's "Insect Mythology" is also a useful source of these myths. The stories promote enthusiastic awareness and compassion, and avoiding thinking of individual insects as adversaries. She off-hand dismissed the "male dominated Judea-Christian tradition", but I think a deeper reading of the Bible (e.g. Noah's Arc, and "Consider the Ant), would help people of that tradition to connect also.

She rejects some preventative health advice, and I think it is irresponsible to advocate "sharing your blood" with mosquitoes in this day of West Nile virus. I think it is possible to connect with insects by trying to understand them on their own terms, and as part of the ecosystem, rather than as a human centered signpost. Sue Hubbells' "Broadsides from the other orders", promote a connection with insects without the sensationalism. My own studies in dragonfly migration, promote my connection to insects, and I think readers would do well to study insects directly. The scientific references are often vague, and "Discover" magazine seems to be her main scientific reference.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and much-needed new perspective
Review: I am going to buy this book for every animal lover on my Christmas list! It changes your mind and heart about insects and spiders without preaching or giving you a bunch of boring scientific facts. It could have been called "Insect Angels" like the Animal Animals book since its major theme of insects as messengers weaves through all the chapters. My favorite chapter was on insects in dreams because the author explains how even frightening dreams can have a positive message that can help you. I'll never look at an insect in the same way after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: A book for animal lovers
Review: I am going to buy this book for every animal lover on my Christmas list! It changes your mind and heart about insects and spiders without preaching or giving you a bunch of boring scientific facts. It could have been called "Insect Angels" like the Animal Animals book since its major theme of insects as messengers weaves through all the chapters. My favorite chapter was on insects in dreams because the author explains how even frightening dreams can have a positive message that can help you. I'll never look at an insect in the same way after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Highly unusual approach to these creatures
Review: The Voice of the Infinite in the Small is a psychological and spiritual look at one of the most broken relationships we have with nature, namely our relationship to insects and related creatures. Turning the spotlight on people, instead of on the insects, Lauck reveals a blind spot in the culture, our fear-based hatred of what is different and our cherished and unexamined perceptions which in essence deny the creature. Lauck is a layperson and a storyteller-not a scientist or entomologist-and is clear about her motives for writing this unusual book-to raise awareness about our projections that have made these creatures our enemies and to return them to the role of messenger, both in the environment and in the human psyche. The connections she makes to the spiritual traditions are wise and illuminating and the writing eloquent. The cover is a bit misleading as it looks like a traditional resource book on insects. In fact it looks like a book by an entomologist and that is unfortunate. Those drawn to looking at insects as specimens and who believe entomologists are the only ones who should write about these kinds of creatures are not going to like her approach at all. I loved it though and so will anyone who accepts that life is not random but is driven by an unseen world and spiritual forces that are ultimately benevolent. I would highly recommend this book. It is truly one of a kind.

Rating:
Summary: Little snippets of wisdom, and insightful metaphors
Review: The Voice Of The Infinite In The Small: Re-Visioning The Insect-Human Connection by writer and environmental educator Joanne Elizabeth Lauck is an inspirational collection of thoughts about what people can learn from observing some of the smallest of Earth's creatures -- the insects. Personal anecdotes, little snippets of wisdom, and insightful metaphors for fate of humankind abound throughout the pages of this meaningful and very highly recommended philosophical examination of nature and the natural environment.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and much-needed new perspective
Review: Thomas Berry, the famed theologian and cultural historian who wrote the introduction to this book, makes a perfect statement: "The time has come for humans and insects to turn toward each other. Such is our way to wisdom, the source of our healing, our guidance into the twenty-first century." Joanne Lauck has made a wonderful contribution to those of us seeking to transform ourselves as we travel our spiritual pathways. This book (herein referred to as The Voice) is not a study of insects, it's not a scientific book and it doesn't pretend to be. It's more than that. The Voice offers a new perspective to life, to all that is beautiful and wonderful on this planet; it opens the doorway for us to consider insects in all their splendor and beauty and as necessary beings for the balance of all life. The many stories and myths, woven into facts about insects, make for fascinating reading. For me, reading The Voice brought to my attention the dusty corners of my mind, those places that held prejudices I didn't even know existed. Not just against certain insects--I was forced to look beyond them. Reading The Voice proved to be exciting, educational, rewarding, eye-opening and, finally, a critical step on my spiritual journey. Since then, I've gifted others with the book. An acquaintance named Robert, who reads The Voice while sitting with the insects, tells me time and time again that he looks at the world differently now; his vision is much larger than it was before he began establishing a relationship with insects. The insects welcome him. The bees especially have been offering their friendship--they walk back and forth along the top of his glasses in greeting, then explore the gentleness of Robert's hands. Robert is in the healing profession, and he admits that as he is changing, so also is his work changing. Such is the impact of Ms. Lauck's book. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and much-needed new perspective
Review: Thomas Berry, the famed theologian and cultural historian who wrote the introduction to this book, makes a perfect statement: "The time has come for humans and insects to turn toward each other. Such is our way to wisdom, the source of our healing, our guidance into the twenty-first century." Joanne Lauck has made a wonderful contribution to those of us seeking to transform ourselves as we travel our spiritual pathways. This book (herein referred to as The Voice) is not a study of insects, it's not a scientific book and it doesn't pretend to be. It's more than that. The Voice offers a new perspective to life, to all that is beautiful and wonderful on this planet; it opens the doorway for us to consider insects in all their splendor and beauty and as necessary beings for the balance of all life. The many stories and myths, woven into facts about insects, make for fascinating reading. For me, reading The Voice brought to my attention the dusty corners of my mind, those places that held prejudices I didn't even know existed. Not just against certain insects--I was forced to look beyond them. Reading The Voice proved to be exciting, educational, rewarding, eye-opening and, finally, a critical step on my spiritual journey. Since then, I've gifted others with the book. An acquaintance named Robert, who reads The Voice while sitting with the insects, tells me time and time again that he looks at the world differently now; his vision is much larger than it was before he began establishing a relationship with insects. The insects welcome him. The bees especially have been offering their friendship--they walk back and forth along the top of his glasses in greeting, then explore the gentleness of Robert's hands. Robert is in the healing profession, and he admits that as he is changing, so also is his work changing. Such is the impact of Ms. Lauck's book. I highly recommend it!