Summoned by the Earth
Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Easton Studio Press
Published:2nd May '24
Should be back in stock very soon
The most pressing question in these uncertain times may well be, How can we bring healing and protection to the Earth? It was this very question that Cynthia Jurs carried with her in 1990 as she climbed a path high in the Himalayas, to meet an “old wise man in a cave”—a venerated lama from Nepal. In response to her question, the old lama gave her a formidable assignment based on an ancient practice from Tibet: she must procure earth treasure vases made of clay and potent medicines, fill them with prayers and symbolic offerings, and bury them around the world where healing is called for.
Thus begins the journey of a lifetime—sometimes harrowing, but always shining with beauty at the threshold between urgency and the timelessness of the sacred. In Summoned by the Earth we accompany this passionate and creative Buddhist teacher, as she attempts to fulfill the daunting task. Ultimately, the path from the wise man’s mountain cave winds around the world, bringing Cynthia into relationship with elders, activists, diverse ecosystems and communities. One by one, as the humble clay pots are planted in the Earth, the power of an ancient technology of the sacred comes alive and a global community grows to protect the Earth and learn how to become vessels of healing.
Along the way, we come face to face with the troubles burdening our communities everywhere while encountering some of the people leading the way to unexpected solutions and surprising new visions. We meet survivors of the Liberian civil war, and an ex-combatant who puts down his AK47 to take up mindfulness practice in order to create lasting peace. There’s the Hero Women in Congo, who are resisting femicide and defending the sanctity of their bodies and the world’s second largest rainforest. And there’s the indigenous elders everywhere, from the outback of Aboriginal Australia to the Native pueblos of northern New Mexico, who, in keeping their lifeways alive, are stewarding their sacred lands and regenerating ecosystems vital to our collective survival.
Through all these cultures and communities, the path leads us to a cave above the Los Alamos National Laboratory, back to the cave in Nepal where it all began, and finally, to another cave high on...
"This is the story of a remarkable adventure that is underway in our time, beginning with one woman's question. The question had ripened within her for a decade, since our times together facing nuclear weapons and the challenge they represent to all life on Earth. The response she receives ignites an adventure which, thanks to her courage, moves out across the planet, engaging countless people from all backgrounds. As I took part and watched it unfold, my initial incredulity turned to awe, my inner cynic silenced by tears. Whatever power the Earth Treasure Vases possess to heal our broken world, the real miracle for me is what they awaken and inspire in virtually everyone who accepts the call to fill them with prayer and place them within our larger body, the sacred living body of Earth."
—Joanna Macy, eco-philosopher and author of World as Lover, World as Self
"Buddhism, feminism, and earth spirituality converge in this highly engaging and moving memoir. Tales of courage, healing, and redemption demonstrate the power of Cynthia's path of ceremony, showing the way toward a more intimately sacred relationship between humanity and Earth."—Charles Eisenstein, author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible, Climate: A New Story, and Sacred Economics.
“Cynthia Jurs is, to me—and clearly to thousands of others—the embodiment of feminine wisdom. The particular wisdom stream that flows through her is precisely the water we need to save and sustain life on Earth. Her book tells a magnificent story in fresh, accessible prose—not simply as one woman’s chronicles of her spiritual adventures, but as a light to guide our own steps as we stand up and speak out on behalf of this beautiful, broken world.”— Mirabai Starr, author ofWild Mercy and God of Love
“Cynthia Jurs’ subtle brave nakedly written impassioned book Summoned by the Earth challenges us all to listen to the Earth crying and act urgently. Cynthia’s exploration of her own quest, inspired by an old Lama in Nepal, to place Earth Treasure Vases in sacred sites all over the world is original, poignant and profoundly inspiring. Seekers and sacred activists of all kinds will learn a great deal from this humble master of truth and from how she worked to honor her own unique assignment against extreme odds. Buy this book and give it to everyone you know.” —Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope; A Guide to Sacred Activism and with Carolyn Baker, Radical Regeneration
ISBN: 9781632261328
Dimensions: 152mm x 228mm x 25mm
Weight: unknown
320 pages