Hands Like Roots - by Therese Descamp (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Hands Like Roots: Notes on an Entangled, Contemplative Life draws its subject matter from roots deep in science, spirituality, and a love of life. This liminal work integrates seemingly disparate knowledge-hydrology, cognitive linguistics, climate instability, embodiment-with the inner experience of prayer and meditation, creating an accessible, poetic, heart-opening whole. Authentic, impassioned, intelligent and vulnerable, Hands Like Roots is a real love story about a human heart and the Heart of the Ineffable.

Review Quotes

"When an extraordinarily gifted and skilled writer offers essays on the contemplative dimensions of life, we would all do well to pay attention. This collection evokes St. Francis (of course), Annie Dillard, Richard Rohr, and Thomas Merton, but it also rings with Therese DesCamp's unique voice and wisdom. Highly recommended!" Brian D. McLaren, author of Life After Doom and Faith After Doubt.

"I didn't know I had been thirsting until I discovered I was drinking at your waterfall. Applause!" Joy Kogawa is an internationally award-winning poet and author of Obasan.

"Hands Like Roots is an extraordinary work of hope in a moment that often feels completely bereft of hope. Honest, perceptive, and beautifully written, this book reminds us how important it can be to pay close attention to the minute particulars of our lives. As practiced by Therese DesCamp in this wonderful book, such attention becomes a vital and necessary spiritual practice, capable of returning us to our bodies, the living world, and one another." Douglas E. Christie, Ph.D., author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind: Notes for a Contemplative Ecology.

"This sweet, bruising, and brutally honest tome offers a framework for living in (and growing through)turbulent, troubling times. With deep insight from rooted contemplation, she sings a song of hope for the new world that is beckoning us." Carla A. Grosch-Miller (Revd. Dr..), author of Psalms redux: Poems and Prayers, and Lifelines: Wrestling the Word, Gathering up Grace.

"This is a splendid book -- foundational and funny, poetic and practical -- essential spiritual nourishment for weary hearts. 'Loving or not loving is a choice, ' as DesCamp writes, so if you are among those who have chosen to keep loving this beautiful, aching world, you need this book." Dr. Mardi Tindal is a former Moderator of the United Church of Canada and Circle of Trust facilitator for the Center for Courage and Renewal.

"This book reminds us that being contemplative is not adding 30 minutes of meditation to an already busy schedule. DesCamp offers a view of an entangled contemplative life in which we remember that it's not our job to figure out exactly how humanity will get out of this mess. Rather, we are called to let go of our own need to understand and to control and, instead, to incarnate faithfulness in whatever situation we find ourselves in." Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee, Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of British Columbia.

"Hands Like Roots: Notes on an Entangled Contemplative Life is a beautifully woven meditation on the interconnectedness of spiritual practice, daily living, and the natural world. With depth and lyricism, Therese invites readers into a contemplative, grounded, and expansive way of being, rooting us in presence while opening us to mystery. This book is a profound companion for those seeking to live with greater awareness, wisdom, and grace." Heather Ruce, Family Systems and Trauma Therapist, Wisdom Teacher, Wisdom Spiritual Director, Sacred Movements Guide.

"It would be gift enough for Therese to come alongside with gen- erous attentiveness to share in our mutual intention to 'let life live through us, ' but she has also brought her skill as witness, storyteller, and lyricist to cast a spell and hold my distractible attention to things that matter most in our world right now. Praise be!" Tim Scorer, Canadian spiritual guide and author of Experiencing the Heart of Christianity.