The Great Search
In the great tradition of authors who leave church but remain spiritual—such as Barbara Brown Taylor, Rob Bell—the author of Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul forges a new path toward a true spiritual home, embracing a deep connection to the natural world.
The story of Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence in the Garden of Eden is a mythical account of humanity’s broken relationship with the divine, with Earth, and with themselves.
In contrast, Celtic wisdom is built on a strong bond with Earth. In the prophetic figures that Newell draws from, the Garden of Eden represents the inner garden of our souls and the outer garden of Earth, which are seen as essentially one. To live in relation to what is deepest in us is to live in relation to the ground from which we and all things have come. Where are we today, in relation to our true selves and the sacredness of Earth? And how are we to find our way home again?
This life-affirming, nourishing book contemplates these questions at a moment of great spiritual awakening, an era characterized by religious exile on a vast scale. We need a new sense of home spiritually, deeply rooted within ourselves and in our shared journey with each other and Earth.
The Great Search is available now. For more information and to order your copy, click one of the buttons below.
Book Launch Celebrations
In celebration of this new ground-breaking book, Earth & Soul is delighted to announce two book launch celebrations, one in the US and one England.
In the US, The Great Search: Turning to Earth & Soul in the Quest for Healing & Home was officially launched at The Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday evening, October 24th, 2024. This celebration included readings from the book by John Philip and the opportunity for attendees to have their own copy signed. Watch the recording of the livestream below.
The Great Search will have its English launch at The Meditatio Centre, London on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024. John Philip will speak about his book followed by light refreshments together afterwards. Learn more and register online.
The Great Search US Book Launch Celebration
Experience the recording of the livestream of the US Book Launch Celebration for The Great Search below. Special thanks to the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, GA for generously hosting this event.
Endorsements for The Great Search
“If I could introduce you to ten amazing people whose influence could transform your life by energizing your spiritual quest, they would be the nine visionaries featured in The Great Search... plus a tenth, John Philip Newell himself. What a treasure this book is. Enthusiastically recommended!”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of Life After Doom
“A moving and powerful volume. … This book points us in wise directions.”
— Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
“Here is a powerful book of stories of reconciliation with Earth so deeply needed in our time.”
— Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
“John Philip Newell’s The Great Search is a book we need today, and Newell is a prophetic, gentle-voiced teacher we very much need to hear. Upon further reflection, “a book” is not the right phrase. Rather, I want to say The Great Search is the book for spiritually-minded people seeking wisdom and inspiration today.”
— Rob Field, Director of the Center for Spiritual Wisdom
“In The Great Search, John Philip Newell taps into the wisdom of sages spanning time, geography and faiths to quench today’s spiritual thirst. … In a world where we encounter intolerance, prejudice, the primacy of self-interest at both a personal and national level, and, not least, the degradation of our planet, this is a spiritual search which is as timely as it is necessary.”
—Lord Wallace of Tankerness
“This book sings the songs of a loving heart, expressing the yearnings of the divine within. His words feel like touchstones, guiding lights in a time of darkness.”
— Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev, author of The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets
