Earth and All the Stars: Reconnecting With Nature Through Hymns, Stories, Poems, and Prayers from the World's Great Religions and Cultures

Rating:
Summary: An excellent anthology of religious celebration.
Review: Anne Rowthorn edits Earth And All The Stars (106-X, $15.95), which gathers writings on reconnecting to nature through stories, hymns and prayers from world religions. This draws from a range of religious disciplines to consider these prayers, litanies and songs from ancient to modern times, providing an excellent anthology of celebration.

Rating:
Summary: Worship and Engagement to Save The Earth!
Review: This book is a treasury of creation stories, prayers, poems, blessings and rituals. I found it beneficial in two main ways. First, it allows the reader to experience creation from the perspectives of diverse cultures. The breadth of the author's research is evident here, particularly in the inclusion of a significant amount of Asian material which is unknown to most of us in the West. Additionally, her brief notes at the end of each piece help to contextualize the material. But by far my favorite part of the anthology is the second half which contains many rituals celebrating nature. These can be used in personal prayer or communal worship. The author's own Creation Creed and Agape Liturgy are beautiful and easily incorporated into Christian worship. Last but not least, I was very impressed by the introduction to the book which sets what proceeds in the context of ecological activism. The book enables readers to deepen their love for our Earth and thus to sustain activism to save our planet-home for all species and ourselves.