General-Order

Of the reviewers posted here, I think I am probably the only one who read Radical Hospitality, the other book by these authors, before reading Benedict's Way. I like Radical Hospitality better if only because it spoke to me about how I need to make some changes in my life. Benedict's Way is a great book for anyone who wants to go a little deeper into benedictine spirituality but isn't much into serious scholarship. My brother is a Benedictine monk and he showed me a review of the book that came out recently. It talked about how this book is written in a simple and direct style but there is an evident scholarship lurking in the backgrounds of the authors. They just don't seem to be showy about it. Which is very good news for the reader who wants depth without pretentiousness. Even if you do read Radical Hospitality first, you'll love this book.

Benedict's Way guides the reader easily into understanding God's intentions of our time here on earth. We have created a fast paced lifestyle that is self serving causing much anxiety. This is evident by the ever increaing need for lifestyle managing drugs. Our current society with all its technology and materialism has the highest rates of divorce, depression, sucide, etc., in history. It seems that all this financial wealth has done little to make us truly happy. Is it possible that God in is infinite wisdom understood this and inspired spiritual teachers like Buddha, Mother Terresa, and St. Benedict to teach us how to live?

Pratt and Homan have challenged the reader to look at their own life and reflect on it. For me personally this book has opened my eyes to my own self serving ways. Each chapter is thought provoking and one of my favorites Balance and Celebration caused me to pause and look at how I approach my family time, work time, personal time, spritual time, etc.

The format makes this an easy read with each chapter ending in a reflective prayer. Another great aspect of the book is the suggested reading section that includes web-sites to visit.

This book is a must read for anyone serious about living a simplier spirit filled life.

I'm new to Benedictine spirituality but am learning to value the simple things. I thought that made this book a good place to start my Benedictine journey. The book challenged my long-held ideas about spirituality and the nature of the universe and I came away feeling good about myself believing that maybe the universe is a good place after all. It helped me. I think that's what I really needed from a book rather than advice on Benedictine spirituality although I'm confident that is also a strength for this book. We all want balance and this really does help.

In 1892, Henry Salt published the book Animals' Rights. While it was not totally ignored, it took nearly another century for the modern "Animal Rights" movement to begin, after the appearance of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation in 1975.

When reading An Unnatural Order it will be difficult to not get the impression that Jim Mason is a visionary, on par with Henry Salt. We are privileged to have Mason as a contemporary. Years from now people could easily look back on him as the spark that helped reverse the course of destruction humans were on at the end of the 20th Century. Unfortunately, as with the ideas in it-and like Salt's work-An Unnatural Order has been largely ignored. Like a great movie that no one has seen, the fault for this must lay with lack of promotion. This review is appearing several years after the book's publication. This is unfortunate. An Unnatural Order is an important book.

"This book is written in hope and celebration. My hope is that we have the strength to rid ourselves of the destructive strands in Western culture," Mason begins. These destructive strands manifest themselves in the "Nature Question." Grossly simplified, the Nature Question is the intellectual belief that somewhere in our evolutionary past our ancestors broke their bonds with the living earth and put Homo sapiens above all other life on the planet, resulting in our species having no sense of kinship with other life nor any sense of belonging. The earth is beneath us; we are alienated from nature.

Mason continues "It is now time to bring this question into popular discussion, and I hope this book is a start." The roots of our alienation are deep-and deeply explored. Thirty pages are devoted to identifying dominionism. A picture of the world before agriculture-the seed of dominionism-is painted. Using current research and extensive references, a vivid portrait results that is as believable as any anthropologist's.

An all-things-are-connected web is spun, touching animal-human history and relationships; the crossover to agriculture; misogyny and misothery (the author's invention for "an attitude of hatred and contempt for animals and nature"); racism, colonialism, and dominionism. The breadth of his discussion is extensive and not every reader will agree with all of Mason's personal viewpoints. It irrelevant. In the long run one will feel certain that the book hits the mark of verity.

The final chapter brings it all together and offers Mason's broad outline for what needs to be done to turn dominionism around. He shows how the awareness of our social and environmental problems is widely known, citing the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, quoting political leaders and scholars, and referencing a who's who list of environmental writers, who he concludes all have the same message: "Humanity needs fundamental changes in its relationship with nature."

Supplying the missing piece, Mason states: "All having laid down such strong rhetoric, however, the movers and shakers, with rare exceptions, stop dead in their tracks when they approach the Animal Question. The Animal Question is regarded as illegitimate, silly, peripheral." To address the Animal Question reduces ones credibility. Driving home the point, Mason ponders how Christopher Stone's landmark 1972 article "Should Trees Have Standing?" would have been received had he written "Should Chimpanzees Have Standing?" He concludes that the Animal Question "is the very heart" of the Nature Question. The two cannot be separated. In order to make any progress toward healing our dominionist worldview, this gap must be bridged.

In the last few years some headway seems to have been made in this area. For too long the wedge that existed between "animal" and "environmental" groups has done all harm and no good. Since An Unnatural Order's publicatiom, there has been a call for unity as well as a more serious acceptance of the "Animal Question." Peter Singer's 1993 book and continued efforts with The Great Ape Project; the publication of When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Masson and Susan McCarthy; and E magazine, which, beginning with its September/October 1995 issue, published a three-part series "to promote a dialogue between these two disparate communities," are just a few. Hopefully this is the start of serious progress.

In 1993, Jim Mason's An Unnatural Order appeared. While not totally ignored, there may never be a "modern dominionism" movement. If the message in his book is even remotely accurate, our culture cannot wait 80 years for some as-yet-unborn author to rediscover An Unnatural Order's message.

Joseph Connelly

Why are we the most violent and destructive species on this planet? In "An Unnatural Order", Jim Mason tells us. He opens with a clarification of the philosophy of 'dominionism' as expounded in most religions, and declares it as the principle at the root of human violence and warfare. He presents the case that there was a time when humans got along rather well with each other and the rest of nature. It was the time of the forager, mistakenly called the time of the hunter/gatherer by those looking through the filter of western philosophy and religion. For many thousands of years, Homo sapiens did not do much meat-eating or hunting, until widespread, organized hunting appears some 20,000 years ago. When foragers became hunters, and hunters became herdsmen, their view of nature changed from one of provider to one of enemy, and the notion of human supremacy was born. The non human animals, once seen as ancestors, neighbors, teachers and kin, began to be thought of as inferior, dangerous and evil, or simply commodities. With the advent of agriculture, and especially animal agriculture, ideas about a hierarchy of being, ownership of property, patriarchy, domination and exploitation begin to take over human culture. The idea of a male god, with man just below, and women, 'primitive' people and the other animals, below men, became the mindset of the "northern tribes." It was eventually sanctified by western religions and remains the dominant worldview today. Mason takes us on a journey through human history, unfettered by human ego, thoroughly explaining our dissociation from nature and animals, and the resulting losses, both pyschologically and spiritually. He probes deep, and finds the origins of warfare, racism, sexism, religionism and colonialism. He challenges the idea that agriculture was a great human achievement, arguing that it gave us repeating cycles of increased production and growth only at the expense of the environment and the animals that we enslaved. The result has not been success for all humans, but actually an increase in human starvation and suffering, caused by the human population explosion and the misuse of resources. Enslavement of non humans and then humans, followed by the introduction of organized warfare, are the results of the hunter / herder mentality that replaced the original cooperative, egalitarian nature of human culture. Mason, does not simply chronicle our mistakes, he seeks out causes, and offers solutions. He does not blame farmers for the disasters of agriculture, nor does he call for an end to religion. Instead he calls for a new approach to farming, and the return to the family farm, by the re-introduction of sustainable, humane farming methods. Likewise, he calls for a re-discovery of the suppressed voices of progressive theologians who have spoken out against dominionism for centuries. He asks us to re-evaluate our ideas of human supremacy and accept our proper role as a part of nature, not something above it. His approach is unique among most writers -- the preservationists, environmentalists or even the deep ecologists -- as he dares to ask "the animal question." When will we admit to the psychological lives of the other animals, and take this into consideration in our dealings with them? Do they exist just for us? Or are they part of our family, deserving every bit as much consideration as those of "our own kind."

Joe Gaziano from Chicago, Illinois , November 24, 1998 An excellent book that explains human/animal relations Unnatural Order establishes Jim Mason as one of the important intellectuals of the Animal Rights Movement. Mason provides a thoughtful and readable analysis of the relationship of people to animals throughout history. In this book Mason demonstrates how the changes in animal/people relationships have, over time, dramatically altered human existence. In much of the early history of humanity people lived in harmony with animals. Nature was viewed as containing fellow creatures with many of the same characteristics as people. Animals were revered and respeced. The move to an agricultural society where increasing numbers of animals became food resulted in a shift of consciousness. The culture became one in which humans were seen as dominant over and superior to animals. Humans increasingly separated themselves from nature and the animals, often denying their own animal nature. The result is a human culture divorced from nature and suffering from all the ill effects that such a society produces. Mason's book should be read by every vegetarian and animal rights advocate. It is sure to be a classic in the field.

Finally a book that approaches science scientifically! I hated biology when I was a kid because it always presupposed evolution into every single facet of biological studies. Then when we learned evolution I learned it was just a theory, and a very sketchy theory at best. As a result, science lost a lot of credibility with me. I hated the subject because it was bias, tainted with sketchy presuppositions, and ruthlessly demanding that we all believe it or else.

Ian has done a very fair and balanced study of evolution in this book and using true scientific approaches.I finally learned some science, 33 years later than I was supposed too, but hey maybe we can get an education in America after all!

This was truly a delight to read. It was Insightful and well reasoned throughout. An excellent creationist apologetic that asks the right questions about history and humanity thereby setting the right course for the objective viewing of the subjects involved. I really enjoyed the depth and quantity of insightful information the author used to draw out his conclusions. He was addressing questions that not everyone would think to ask. Also, it had the feel of a historical expose with its bits and pieces so tightly knit together into a singular focus, defining the issue and arriving at the Truth.

Used in a class I took on origins, this book is an excellent foundational book to present the creationist side of the evolution-creation debate. It outlines the history of thought relating to evolution starting before Darwin and continuing to present day with speculation on future implications. Intertwined with the history of evolution is a history of ideas which contridict evolution, and various scientific facts and discoveries along those lines. Some generally little known facts about deceptions and misrepresentations by various early evolutionists, and shifts in evolutionary thought since Darwin's time are also mentioned. Many of the typical evolutionary arguments are discussed in detail, including the origin and problem of the arguments.

The book itself is very well organized, with a detailed table of contents which includes chapter titles and subheadings. Subheadings are in italics in the text, and chapter headings appear at the top of the right hand pages. Notes and a bibliography appear at the end, as well as a detailed index. Illustrations and poitraits appear throughout the book. I have found the organization of the book handy for looking up facts I have wanted to refresh my memory on.

This book is well written and well organized. I highly recommend it for both evolutionists and creationists, as it will provide good reference material for those in either camp of the evolution-creation debate. Even those who find they disagree with the author's premise will find many points to ponder.

Excellent. No doubt already on the shelves of those interested in this Medieval Catholic military lay religious order.
For the uninitiated reader, first read the Introduction, Primitive Rule, and Appendix. Then, the rest. To a reader for whom the Templars are "knights who fought in the crusades,"
the Rule will seem most unexpectedly profuse in dwelling upon internal monastic disciplines, religious guidelines, and personal observances. Regulations addressing military issues and a Knight's behavior in the field are present.
An appendix, coordinated with references to the Rule, treats some of the military aspect, especially in regards to the use of armed mounted force and the order's rankings.
If unfamiliar with the Military Orders, it will be an eye-opener as to what the Catholic Church proposed for its monks.
If doing extended reading elsewhere, a reader will be startled at the surprise ending of that now supressed Order. I would alert those who do followup, not to confuse "Templar," as properly used for this group, with some current appropriators of that name, used for purposes of having mystique of lore & legend.

This book has a lot of valuable information for anyone interested in the Templars. It has historical information in the preface and appendix and its content has every single rule the Knights of the Temple followed. It has every single battle rule and the everyday life activities of templars. The sins and the penitence, how to be admitted and the admittance ritual. How to get a counsil toghether, everything they were supposed to do. I suggest that if you are interested either in Templars or in the Dark Ages, you ought to buy this book.

This English translation of the French "Rule" of the Templars is an essential reference for all students of the Templars, and of the history of "related" organizations such as Freemasonry. The "Reception" ritual will be of special interest to Freemason's, as parts of it are hauntingly familiar.

The Standard Code is a better parliamentary authority then Robert's. It simplifies and modernizes parliamentary authority, making it more accessible to more people. Dump your RONR and get this work.

If you've always feared having to pull out the ol' Robert's Rules of Order because it was too detailed and complex for the casual social organizations in which you participated, help is here. Someone has realized that, because a group might need parliamentary procedures, it does not need the granularity required by The Parliament of England.

The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure is understandable, comprehensive, logical, refined, and efficient. As it should, it covers all the formal business of holding a productive and respectful meeting. But it also includes procedures that facilitate business for the less formal organization or club.

Necessary jargon is defined in a glossary. The "Often-Asked Questions" section covers many common situations and eliminates the need to look through the chapters for most answers. The book is up-to-date, addressing contemporary and often-encountered situations such as holding meetings and elections via the telephone or Internet.

As a bonus, it serves as a resource to those trying to form an organization. There are chapters to help you prepare documents (like bylaws and financial records) that won't be in conflict with legal and parliamentary procedures down the line. It explains the hierarchy of documents that govern an organization. There's even a section that helps explain some of the arcane procedures in Robert's Rules!

I'm grateful to have found this gem. It deals with all the situations that my clubs have encountered.

One of the best modernised book on the parliamentary procedures.

1st published in 1950, this 3rd edition is revised by the American Institute of Parliamentarians in 1988.Since this publication, many organisations have changed their bylaws to designate it as their parliamentary authority, among them are: American Medical Association and the American Dental Association.

It is the second most popular parliamentary authority after Robert's Rules of Order.

WHAT GROUPS MUST FOLLOW PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE? 'All organizations, such as business, cultural, religious, social, fraternal, professional, educational, labor, civil, scientific, medical, and governmental, are subject to the principles and rules of common parliamentary law. All profit and non-profit corporations and associations and the boards, counsels, commissions, and committees of government, must observe its rules.' Sturgis, p. 3.

This book is undoubtedly one of the best and comprehensive works. There is also a chapter which intended especially to aid persons unfamiliar with parliamentary procedure.

To quote Dr. Floyd M. Riddick, Parliamentarian Emeritius US Senate: 'It is understandable vocabulary makes it usable by anyone, not just experts in the field. All students of parliamentary procedure should have a copy in their library.'

This book presented an interesting concept regarding religous zealots. The point that this takes place within the Catholic church vs other religous sects, provides an interesting background that most people have a general understanding of.

The characters are well developed. It was hard to put this book down.

God bless William Heffernan, who shows how it is that the greatest religious scandals always result from cover-up, seldom from the scandal, per se. Two contemporary issues, secrecy about gays in the Roman Catholic priesthood and the secrecy that shrouds the operation of "Opus Christi" (no points for guessing what outfit he's sending up here), provide the framework for this well-paced novel.

Heffernan also gets right the self-importance of people attached to the powerful. His rendering of the Cardinal's aide-de-camp, the numeraries in Opus Christi, and their nemesis (a humorously drawn Jesuit priest and professor at Fordham) demonstrate the bad, the ugly, and the sterling good that play out in Church politics.

Ultimately, it is hard to say all that is praiseworthy about this novel without repeatedly reassuring potential readers that it does not bog down, that it never becomes polemic in its well-wrought moral points. Still, Heffernan cleverly threads throughout the plot the silliness and even wickedness of categorizing people by their bedroom activities. He reminds parents that not even the daughter of a police inspector is immune from making a stupid mistake with a stranger. The goodness of cleverness and intelligence prevailing at last over plodding intransigence and the self-interest that leads to evil is an over-arching theme, as well.

Sweeping aside the ample food for thought, this is a fast-paced, zig-zagging novel that riveted my attention from the first page through the last.

One of the really funny aspects of John Grisham's novel The Firm to me was the idea that a law firm could be a Mafia front. In Unholy Order William Heffernan presents an even more diabolic relationship between a secretive Catholic order and a Columbia drug cartel.

Heffernan's novel falls short only by failing to fully exploit the oppotunities the cultish criminal enterprise offers. As he draws near the end of his tale, the focus becomes concentrated on one member of Opus Dei, rather than the order itself.

While this enables him to wrap up his novel, the reader wants more. In a sense Grisham had the same problem and reached for the same quick solution in The Firm with the "mail fraud" prosecution. But this book is, if anything, more artfully presented than Grisham's classic, and such a facile solution is a bigger loss to the reader.

Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the work you are doing. Your website and writings are fabulous. I have never felt so at peace. For most of my life I have walked around with a void in me, a hole I was unable to fill. I did not know what this was, just an emptiness inside and no matter what I did, I was unable to feel fulfilled. Someone I do not know very well sent me the link to The Book of Life (it most certainly was divinely guided to me to read now). I have not been the same since. Instead of a void, I now feel a FULLNESS. Things are different, clearer... It was everything I believed, laid out for me in a way that made sense, put to order my random thoughts about life. It just made me feel so good!

Found so much important and timely information in this book. It was easy to read and so informative. I am a big James Twyman, Neale Walsch, Gregg Braden fan and this book is definitely up there with them!

Michael has done a billiant job of giving a perspective of a world that is quickly increasing its vibration to light and love. If you are a seasoned new age reader or just a newbie and want an insightful rational read....this book is for you.

Any of her books are definitely keepers. Collect them - loan them - but definitely read them again!

Do not pass up the story of Tucker and Lucas and their trials and their finding and sharing love.

You will get a real sense of life on a wagon train and the dangers that follow these people.

And I enjoyed the way all of the stories were tied together at the end so we have a feeling of completeness of these characters lives.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- add to your library.

Each and every character compliments the entire story. There is not a wasted word or unnecessary character in this entire book! I'd have to say this story is as close to perfect as possible!

The three romances that form during the wagon train are spicy, sweet, and intriguing! Tucker and Lucas just set off firecrackers and sparks with every meeting. Buck and Laura are sweet and endearing... a beautiful tale of a blind woman and a rough trail man. Rafe and Marie were intriguing and mysteriously delicious. Amazing to read about a woman of that strength and knowledge... although Ms. Garlock doesn't seem to write about weak women. But of all things, the way the women managed to bond together and survive the hardships of a wagon trail, was endearing and very enjoyable to read. Ms. Garlock is a genius, and it's hard to believe she wasn't actually there during the era she writes about, as the detail and the path she makes to your own imagination are superb.

I am a huge Dorothy Garlock fan. I have read at least 20 of her books. In my opinion, "The Searching Hearts" was the best of all her books!

Chic and Tabatha Cicero have given the occult world quite a present with this text, as it is informative, insightful and a glimpse at some of their own personal work. The "meat and potatoes" of this book, if you will, is as it says the creation of ritual implements. Within is contained a step-by-step guide which starts with finding the materials and ends with consecrating the tool. The tome is further supported with several color images of some of the author's very own creations. The aspiring Hermetic Magus would do well to purchase a copy of this book as even those inept at wood-carving would be able to follow its easy instructions. Kudos to the Cicero's for this excellent piece of work.

The path of western Hermetic magic is a path full of symbolism and a staggering amount of paraphernalia that has the intention of sending symbolic messages to the mind of the practitioner, a western mind that usually craves for lots of information in the form of colour, shapes, aromas... This wonderful book gives detailed instructions on building all of the implements of the elemental grades, the Portal grade, the Adeptus Minor grade, and also how to furnish your Outer Order Temple, a Crypt of the Adepts and the Adept's personal Temple. Not only does it give detailed and easy-to-follow instructions on building these implements, but includes explanations on the instrument's symbolism, and profound meditations to help you get attunded with the instrument's power and meaning. At the end of the book, several non-traditional, but useful instruments are included. I have made several of these myself, and can assure you they work very well. If you follow the Golden Dawn magical tradition either in a group or by yourself, you should have this book. Even more if by chance of destiny you have become the elder or leader or founder of a Ceremonial Hermetic Magical group, and you steer quite an amount of your magical peers' education, training, and inner work.

This thick and oversized volume eplains crafting and rituals, necessary information for the formation of a temple. Most of it over my head. An inset with color pictures of tablets and tools, a description of the appropriate energies associated and especially the description of the vault of the adeptii taken straight from the "The Golden Dawn" written by the late Mr. Israel Regardie. This book unlocks secrets for "outer" students and explains all those tools pictured in the tarot. Some rituals ar4e given to help understand the pack. Gives you a real grasp of the things required for the basic entry into the temple and also new directions to further your studies or a brief look at things that just aren't for you.

HOW BUILDINGS WORK is just a great book, even more interesting than Macaulay's THE WAY THINGS WORK. Buildings are everywhere, and most everyone uses buildings of various kinds for various purposes. Yet how a building works is often a mystery. In this way, I think buildings are much like computers; most people who use them have no clue about the inner workings of them.

Edward Allen takes us through the functions of a building without going into traditional architectural theory. This book is more concerned with the needs that buildings must fulfill, and how we can fulfull them. He discusses water, waste, heat, ventilation, lighting, accoustics, energy, structure, and more, first by explaining each particular concept, and then by examining how problems can be solved with the knowledge of those concepts.

While this isn't a book on theory, neither is it a wholly practical book. That is, it won't equip you with the skills to go and build a house. But it will open your eyes to the various elements of buildings and building construction and you may think "Aha!" the next time you look at a building and observe a strange structural or design detail. You don't have to be an architecture freak to enjoy the book either. You just need to be curious.

I practice and teach architecture. This is the best book I have ever found for communicating material essential for the study of building science and architecture. The presentation style is frendly and informative. The knowledge of the subject displayed by Edward Allen is superb. I am a unashamed book-a-holic, if I could only take one book to the proverbial desert island - How Buildings Work would be it.

A practical overview of the natural order of architecture. Explains what building do (i.e. Effects of outdoor environment, human environment and the concept of shelter). Explains how a building works (i.e. Various practical functions, providing water, removing wastes, thermal comfort, HVAC, acoustics, form, structural support, fire control, building expansion, etc.).

This book sticks to the basics of what a building is all about. This is not a book about design princples and concepts (old or modern); the book stresses the practical nature of building construction/design and the interface with human beings and the environment.

Excellent book for students, architecture professors, practicing architects, builders and people just wanting to know more about the principles of architecture.