Honey from Stone: A Naturalist's Search for God

By Chet Raymo

Book Overview

"What is the relevance of traditional religion in the world described by contemporary science? Is scientific knowledge a satisfactory ground for the religious experience? Can the language of traditional religion constitute an appropriately modern language of praise?"
-from Honey from Stone

Framing his meditations as a Book of Hours, scientist Chet Raymo exercises the languages of theology and science to express the majesty of Ireland's remote Dingle Peninsula. As he wanders the land year upon year, Raymo gathers the revelations embedded in the geological and cultural history of this wild and ancient place. "When I called out for the Absolute, I was answered by the wind," Raymo writes. "If it was God's voice in the wind, then I heard it."

In poetic prose grounded in a mind trained to discover fact, Honey from Stone enters the wonder of the material world in search of our deepest nature.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561012351
• ISBN13: 9781561012350
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Cowley Publications
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

passionate, mystical, scientific, intellectual, inspired

Honey From Stone is one of the finest books I have ever read. It engaged me at so many levels such as the ones the title of this review suggests. Raymo is a polymath with a mystical bent. His approach to the universe is one of awe, a response which is passed along to the reader with tremendous success. It makes no pretense at being the kind of mystical babble suggested by authors such as Castenada. Rather, it is a book marked by sharp and passionate involvement with the world in which the author, a scientist by profession, lives. I can't praise it highly enough. I have passed my recommendations and enthusiasm (and copies) of the book to several friends. Their response was one of joy and appreciation at being introduced to Raymo's world. Please buy this book and savor it for all that it has to offer on so many levels.

A beautifully soft merger of science, religion & curiosity.

Raymo provides one more well written and often sought answer that bridges the gap between scientific paradigms, religious beliefs and basic human curiosity. The one talent that underlies all of human evolution's ebbs and flows is curiosity. Curiosity drove the first humans to ask the questions, Why? What? When? Where? and our own creative talents answered those questions with scientific explorations into the natural concrete world as well as with more ineffable, spiritual answers of Religion. However, some time ago, as Raymo explains, religion and science suffered a rift and that rift has grown wide . . . losing the recognition of their common beginning. Raymo moves between the vastness of the universe and the equally vast human need for "God" and ties them together again, promoting an appreciation for the big bang, evolution, creation, the unknown recesses and reaches of the world, and the undeniable miracles of life. A sit down, curl up by the fire, read aloud piece that eases all mundane frustrations!

Hedgehogs and galaxies: gifts from Chet Raymo

Chet Raymo's Honey From Stone is a heart-warming collection of essays. It shares deep and thoughtful ideas with the generous grace of a dear friend. By using the monastic hours as the framework for his essays Raymo gently reminds us of the sacred nature of the universe. By discussing the this universe through the awesome display of its skies he reminds us of the dramatic grandeur we are part of. And he uses the rocky Dingle Peninsula of Ireland to tell us that this awesome splendor, this grandeur and these miracles are right here beneath our feet. In his search for God, Raymo finds it revealed in the stones, the skies and the hedgehogs that delight and inspire his musings. The amount of science that informs his delight is impressive. He teaches geology, astronomy, history, botany and zoology on these rambles as easily as lying on great stones, watching a brilliant meteor shower silently illuminate the skies.

This is a beautifully written book

This book is a beautifully written exploration of the Irish coast, the mystery of the stars and the potential meeting of science and spirituality. After reading this book I always look at the night sky with a greater appreciation of the mystery and wonder of the starry night

Chet Raymo's small book reconciles mysticism and science.

Chet Raymo's book beautifully reconciles the traditions of mysticism and science. In a form which follows the monastic hours, he uses the natural environment of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland to discuss the wonder of the Universe. He makes it clear that the more we understand about how the Universe works, the more mysterious and wonderful it is. The prose is simple and clear.This is a graceful and heartening book. I highly recommend it