Description: Cabeza and the Meaning of Wilderness: An Exploration of Nature, and Mind, By Phil Grant. Published by Desert Peak Press, list price, $18.95; online price, $15.99. Free shipping on US orders. 396 pages text (size: 6x9). 24 pages of color photographs by the author -- see the Photos in Cabeza page https://www.meaningofwilderness.com/photos-in-cabeza/ see also my piano/photo videos at https://www.meaningofwilderness.com/music-of-cabeza/ These are also posted at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLqF6mBzKwOSJycY6Z6kV1A/videos See my website for excerpts. https://www.meaningofwilderness.com/ Book Description: Set primarily in the vast Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge of Southwest Arizona, Cabeza is a different kind of wilderness book. No “conquering” of mighty summits; no dazzling deeds of derring-do. While there is hardly a lack of summits, they are, rather, “caressed,” not conquered. It is a wilderness book where Nature is seen not as foe to be battled, but friend with whom one can just, simply, be. A companion to help one understand that the essence of a human being, “the ground of our being” . . . is profoundly rooted in its Source. It is a book about sitting so still an endangered Sonoran Desert pronghorn . . . walks right up. About spending nights on mountaintops with a view of the Whole thing . . . and a rising orange half-moon to befriend one at 3 a.m. About camping in a secluded, intimate canyon . . . and listening to the poor-will sing its plaintive, haunting, penetrating song . . . all night long. Poor will . . . poor will . . . poor will . . . poor will . . .The interested reader may wish to peruse the three quotations from the dedication page below, the excerpts, and especially the 24 pages of photographs (posted at this site) by the author. Do those photos reveal Something, however ineffable? That is the focus of Cabeza: to convey Something of Keats’ Beauty-Truth and the author’s lifelong quest for the same. A quest to find freedom from Einstein’s “prison” of self; to find the freedom to “embrace all living things and nature in its beauty”; to find the freedom to allow, in Carl Sagan’s words, “the Cosmos to know itself.” With a liberal dusting of wit, a sprinkling of self-deprecation, a sparkling and unexpected wry humor, and a conversational tone that magically engages the reader, Cabeza gently leads us “off trail,” into the wilderness of Nature, and into an ever-deepening understanding of what a human being really is.Dedication page quotes: A human being is part of the Whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us. . . . Our task must be to free ourselves . . . to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. —Albert Einstein We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself. . . . that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring. —Carl Sagan. Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. —John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn."The goal of Cabeza is to embrace the entirety of the human condition. As one Zen "master" put it, “What is truth? I will tell you after you have swallowed all the waters of the West River in one gulp.” It is about what could be termed genuine spirituality. If it has a target audience, it is for intelligent, thoughtful readers with an appreciation of the natural world. Amidst chapters deeply evocative of the sublime beauty and perfection of nature are those discussing evolution (Cholla I and II), meditation (its meaning and profound scientific underpinning), the greatest works of music and art, neuroscience (The Unfree Will), and quantum mechanics and relativity (And the Stars)—presented in a readily accessible and engaging manner—all of which point to the truth of Einstein's words: “A human being is part of the Whole . . .” It could be said that the whole purpose of Cabeza, throughout its perambulations—some lighthearted, others of deepest seriousness—is nothing less than to bring this truth and all its ramifications to the forefront . . . and to keep it foremost in the reader's mind. “Your descriptions of the desert are so vivid. . . . This is no ordinary book. . . rich with stuff . . . a page turner. . . .” D.F., Peekskill, New York Reader’s comments on Cabeza: “The text as well as the photos are nothing less than captivating. . . . It is helping me shape in my mind the dreams I have to occupy the rest of my life . . .” M. V., Montréal, Québec “Your descriptions of the desert are so vivid. . . . This is no ordinary book. . . . In addition to the search for meaning and beauty, Zen, the piano, you have biology and geology, environmentalism, suspense, how-to advice for long hikes in the wilderness. . . rich with stuff . . . a page turner.” D.F., Peekskill, New York “Impressive book . . . enjoying it . . . exquisite photography.” D. H., Saratoga Springs, New York“The writing and the photos are just superb.” J.T., Henrietta, New York “Indispensable for understanding human beings’ place in the universe.” A. L., Nunda, New York Comments on the photography in Cabeza: “Amazing,” S. B., Victor, New York “Fantastic,” M. D., Garden City, Long Island “Fabulous,” A.D., State College, Pennsylvania I have now made recordings of most of Bach's Art of the Fugue and the two Ricercari from the Musical Offering, Schubert's Sonatas in B-flat, D. 960, C minor, D.958, and Beethoven's Sonata No.30, Opus 109, and 31, Op.110, and 32, Op.111, and Scott Joplin's greatest rags which are my favorite music since Schubert.. Thanks to having a stunning virtual piano and software that gives me unlimited editing abilities, I can say my renditions please me far more than any performances I have heard. The above works and those also listed at the Music of Cabeza page have done nothing less than guided my entire life and as I have written, I don’t know where I’d be, if I’d be, without them. I said to my wife after I finished Cabeza: " You know who wrote my book? Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert wrote my book."
Price: 15.99 USD
Location: Dalton, New York
End Time: 2024-12-23T21:00:29.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Signed By: Phil Grant
Book Title: Cabeza and the Meaning of Wilderness:
Signed: Yes
Ex Libris: No
Narrative Type: Nonfiction
Publisher: Desert Peak Press
Original Language: English
Item Length: 6 in
Intended Audience: Adults
Edition: First Edition
Publication Year: 2008
Format: Trade Paperback
Literary Movement: Genuine Spirituality
Language: English
Item Height: 9 in
Author: Phil Grant
Features: 25 Color Photos
Genre: Philosophy, Travel, Adventure, Art & Culture, Environment, Nature & Earth, Mind, Body & Spirit, Mysticism, Photography, Religious & Spiritual, Spirituality
Topic: Exploration, Mind, Nature, Wilderness
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Unit Quantity: in
Item Width: 1.25
Item Weight: 19 oz
Number of Pages: 396
