I have a book coming out at the end of October, though it was actually written last year. It's called Earth is a School and presents the case for the material world being a spiritual school specifically designed to develop consciousness and bring the human soul to an understanding of its own divine nature. The idea is that this world, though corrupted by evil, is still the perfect environment for the job it was originally intended to do which was to develop infant humanity into mature sons and daughters of God to the point that they could become co-creators with him. This, however, is an entirely voluntary process. There is no coercion. That having been said, the book suggests that the present time is a time of real decision, foretold in the New Testament, when the souls of all human beings are examined to determine their future path. Professor J.M. Smith of the Orthosphere and Bruce Charlton were kind enough to provide endorsements, and I would like to express my thanks to them here.
It's listed on Amazon UK here and Amazon US here and you can read excerpts there, but it should be available in the proverbial "all good bookshops".
Here are the front and back covers.
Congratulations, William. I will definitely check this out when it becomes available. What are the chances of this Canadian obtaining a signed copy? :)
ReplyDeleteYou haven't seen my writing!
ReplyDeleteI'd be very happy to do that but am not sure of the logistics involved if you're in Canada and I'm in England. I could ask the publisher how these things work.
Congratulations. Lovely cover, too. I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI must say, in my own life of some 6 decades, considering this experience of life on earth as a kind of school has been the most useful, powerful and altogether steadying way to grapple with both disappointments and successes (and the ying-yang nature of it all).
On a separate note, I notice that Jonathan M Smith provided a blurb for your new book. If it is not too impertinent a question coming from an anonymous commenter, how you know him? The subject of his research is quite interesting to me. Also, is there a specific work of his that you might recommend or that you have found influential for your own work?
A.
Thanks A. I only know Professor Smith from the Orthosphere. He wrote a kind appreciation of one of my earlier books there and I always enjoy his posts so I thought I might ask him if he could say something about this book and he very generously did.
ReplyDelete(Another) Striking cover photo - I feel as if I recognize it, but I can't place it...?
ReplyDeleteIt's St Catherine's Chapel at Abbotsbury in Dorset. All the covers for my books show places near where I have lived and from 1985 to 1988 I lived in Bridport and worked in Dorchester which are nearby. I always loved this little 14th century chapel on a hilltop which I visited several times during those years..
ReplyDeletehttps://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/abbotsbury-st-catherines-chapel/
It's possible I may have seen it when visiting Lyme Regis and environs during teen years - it was a frequent place for school trips for sailing, geography and biology studies.
ReplyDeleteOne of the other pictures I was thinking of showed the chapel at night with the Milky Way right over it. A very striking photo but too dark for a book cover.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. I look forward to reading it when available in late October. The cover is very classy as well, evoking contemplative cheerfulness.
ReplyDeleteThanks Magnus. The chapel is like a little hermitage on top of the world and in the context of this book represents the encounter with God at the summit of the mountain up which we climb in life. Or something like that!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply.
ReplyDeleteKind regards,
A.