Acedia: the Darkness Within

(And the Darkness of Climate Change)

There are many books written on the need to change consciousness but rarely does anyone explore the depths of humanitys refusal to do so, even under threat of the approaching cataclysm in our refusal to deal with climate change. Dave MacQuarrie has written such a book. In it, he explains both why it is so difficult for us to change and what all of us can do to become more aware and more free of the darkness within. It is a superb book. Jim Garrison, President and CEO of Ubiquity University, and author of Civilization and the Transformation of Power. Acedia is a well-informed and inspired book about the historical and psychological origins of a centuries old affliction. Acedia masterfully connects the dots between personal psychological traumas and looming environmental collapse. Dr. MacQuarrie pulls no punches, yet offers a ray of hope that we just might save our future. Christian de Quincey, PhD, Professor of Philosophy and Consciousness Studies, John F. Kennedy University, and author of Radical Nature: The Soul of Matter. This is a wise, searching book by an authentic scholar and seeker. It helps us enter into the darker waters of our crisis, and find their treasures of dark wisdom and endurance. Andrew Harvey, poet, mystical scholar, Founder/Director of the Institute of Sacred Activism, and author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism. Dr. MacQuarrie has lifted the ancient monastic curse of acedia out of its medieval tomb and applied it aptly to the dis-ease of the contemporary world. His interpretation of the human resistance is perceptive and provides important insights into our present inclination to repudiate changes that demand action on our part. A serious and sensitive work. Father John-Julian, an Episcopal priest and contemplative monk, translator of Julian of Norwichs Revelations of Divine Love.