Pantheist Reading List - Universal Pantheist Society

Annotated Pantheist Reading List

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The following list presents suggested reading for general insight into issues relating to Pantheism and its application in daily life. These are organized mostly by topic and relevance, not alphabetically or chronolgically. Note that often the oldest-listed books are the most valuable to understanding and especially for applying Pantheism to your daily life!

Printable PDF - Download a PDF version of this Reading List in print-ready format - 17 pages.

In addition to the essays and articles on this website, you will want to go to your local library or bookstore to learn more about Pantheism. We regularly feature book reviews in our quarterly, Pantheist Vision.

For the most comprehensive information about books related to Pantheism, see our Library Catalog on librarything.com!

Our late Board Member Emeritus, Gary Suttle, has this to say about the "Holy Books of Pantheism":

"Many religions have sacred texts, like the Koran, the Torah, and the Bible. What about Pantheism?

Pantheists believe Nature and deity are one in the same. So the more we learn about Nature, the more we know about god. Informative writings on Nature may be considered holy texts because they illuminate our concept of divinity. Such books are also ‘inspired’ (by the unbounded inspiration of Nature).

Unlike religions with a single holy text, Pantheists have hundreds of them, many beautifully illustrated! The books may or may not be written by Pantheists themselves, but they further a pantheistic outlook. Volumes by naturalist John Muir, ecologist Aldo Leopold, poet Gary Snyder, scientist Carl Sagan, photographer Ansel Adams, and the works of countless other individuals, enhance communion with Nature.

Every Pantheist has a bookshelf that reflects his or her special interests; my favorite titles include the natural history field guides. These books open our eyes to the marvels of Nature as they draw us nearer to the Earth (animal, plant, and mineral guides), to the sky (weather guides), and to the universe (star guides). Taken together, I think of them as ‘field guides to God,’ to the sacred reality all around us.

I felt a real, if diffused, sense of sacredness in Nature before consulting field guides. But the books gave breadth and depth to my religious feelings by bringing me incloser touch with myriad manifestations of the divine. Now more aware of mysurroundings than ever before, I live in constant amazement at the wonder of it all."

We provide below an annotated bibliography for recommended books related to the world-view of Pantheism, organized by category. Even when not expressly promoting Pantheism, these books feature some of the best, and most important works on the pantheist world view. We have organized this into categories of Experience, Pantheist Ethics, Pantheist Lifestyles, Pantheist Philosophy, Pantheist History, Pantheist Ethics, Pantheist Temples, and Comparative Religions.

Disclaimer: All the books listed here cover topics of interest to Pantheists, but it is safe to say that not every Pantheist may agree or endorse all the ideas contained in these books. The titles listed in these pages illustrate a variety of perspectives of interest to modern Pantheists. Mention here does not constitute an endorsement by the Universal Pantheist Society.
The books described here are offered for stimulus, inspiration, and discussion.

Books by Members

Over the years, we have reviewed or noted many Books by Members, which are not always explicitly about Pantheism but show compatible ideas and the diversity of our members.

Books by Members (2023)- Vol. 40, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring, 2023

Books by Members (2014) - Vol. 31, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring, 2014)
Compilation summaries originally linked to a now-defunct website (see now https://www.pantheist.net/books-by-members.html) , featuring books by various members, including: Connie Barlow, Fay Campbell, Michael J. Cohen, James Gronvold, Chris Highland, JD Stillwater, Gary Suttle, Sandra Gail Teichmann, Compiled by Editor - Vol. 31, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring, 2014

Books by Members, on Librarything.

Fiction for Pantheists

In 1989, we began compiling an extremely preliminary listing of fiction which might be seen as either biocentric or at least of interest to Pantheists in expressing some of our values. This resulted in a 5 1/2 page listing with annotations and descriptions, and other half page of book titles in need of explication of how they might be relevant for Pantheists. We are looking for a volunteer to help update, revise, and add to this list of Fiction for Pantheists.

Fiction for Pantheists - Summer, 1989 (PDF on our Box file sharing site).

The We Are Wildness Book Club, powered by bookshop.org - suggests 8 fiction books about Nature, and are soliciting suggestions for additions to the list:
https://bookshop.org/lists/fiction-books-about-nature?

The Overstory by Richard Powers (2018), the winner of the 2019 Pultizer Prize in Fiction, is a book that can help you shift your perspective away from the limitations of the humantime frame, to expand the timeframe of trees - about 400 or 500 years. Noted novelist Barbara Kingsolver says: "It’s a magnificent accomplishment for a writer to achieve. Reading it changes your understanding of your position in the world and think more about the value of all the lives on this planet." Ostensibly about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests, the seemingly unrelated stories eventually intermingle as the author combines scientific inquiry with poetic and dramatic language to reach its dramatic ending.

Books Reviewed in Pantheist Vision

Since its inception in 1980, our quarterly journal Pantheist Vision has frequently incorporated reviews of books which are of interest to Pantheists. The books reviewed are often the most current and relevant books for Pantheists; This list does not include the short lists of "Further Reading" that is not infrequently included at the end of one of our philosophical articles, profiles of historical pantheists, ideas for celebrations, or "advocacy" pieces. Subscribe to Pantheist Vision to keep up to date on the latest books of interest to Pantheists. The following list is in no particular order. We welcome submissions of additional book reviews; please see our Writer’s Guidelines if you would like to contribute a review.

We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration by Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol. 41, No.1, Pantheist Vision, Spring, 2024

A Reluctant Pantheism: Discovering the Divine in Nature by Walt McLaughlin, Reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 37, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn, 2020

Quiet Desperation, Savage Delight: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crisis by David Gessner, Book Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 39, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn, 2022

Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Review by Margie Gibson - Vol. 41, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn, 2024 Gibson,

The Sacred Depths of Nature, 2nd Edition by Ursula Goodenough – Book Review by Harold Wood, excerpted from Pantheist Vision, Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring. 2023. (PDF from box.com). (This book was previously reviewed in Vol. 20, No. 2, Pantheist Vision, Summer Solstice, 1999, but the 2023 review is more comprehensive).

Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence, by James Bridle, Review by Mary Fitzpatrick - Vol. 40, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn, 2023

A God That Could be Real: Spirituality, Science and the Future of our Planet by Nancy Ellen Abrams, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol. 34, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Fall, 2017
A New Universalism for a New Century by A.J. Mattill, Jr. by Harold Wood - Vol. 11, No. 2, June, 1990

All Mighty: Study of the God Complex in Western Man by Horst-Eberhard Richter (Hunter House, 1984), Reviewed by Irv Thomas - Vol. 7., No. 3, September, 1986.

Animate Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia, by Stephan Harding, Reviewed By Bill Cahalan - Vol. 25, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Autumn, 2008

Earth Prayers (From Around the World, 365 Prayers, Poems and Invocations for Honoring the Earth), ed. by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 12, No. 3, September, 1991

Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth/Healing the Mind, edited by Theodore Roszak, Mary E.Gomes, and Ellen D. Kanner, Reviewed by Harold W . Wood, Jr. - Vol. 17, No. 2, Pantheist Vision, Summer Solstice, 1996
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Review by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 16, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Vernal Equinox, 1995

Natural High by John P. Wiley, Jr., Review by Harold W. Wood, Jr., - Vol 16, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn Equinox, 1995

Raising Wild: Dispatches from a Home in the Wilderness, by Michael P. Branch, Review by Editor (adapted from book summation) - Vol. 33, No. 2, Pantheist Vision, Summer,
2016

Religious Experience and Ecological Responsibility, edited by Donald A. Crosby and Charley D. Harwick, Reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 17, No. 3 (misnumbered as No. 2 on print cover) Pantheist Vision, (Autumn Equinox, mis-identified as Summer Solstice,
1996

God: A Human History, by Reza Aslan, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol., 35, No. 2, Pantheist Vision, Summer, 2018

The Earthsteward’s Handbook: The Sevenfold Path of Peace by Dana Parry and Lila Forest, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol, 12, No. 2, Pantheist Vision, June, 1991

The Integral Urban House, by the Farrallones Institute, Sierra Club Books, 1979. Reviewed by Harold Wood, - Vol. 2, No. 1, Pantheist Vision January-February, 1981

The Pleasure Prescription by Paul Pearsall (1996), Review by Gary Suttle - Vol. 20, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Winter Solstice, 1999

There’s a Hair in My Dirt! by Gary Larson, reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 19, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumn Equinox, 1998

Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess, Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 9, No. 3, August 1988

Voyage of the Basset by James C. Christensen, review by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 20, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Autumnal Equinox, 1999

Whatever Happened to Ecology by Stephanie Mills, by Harold Wood - Vol. 10, No. 4, December, 1989

When God is Gone, Everything is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist, by Chat Raymo, Review by Harold Wood - Vol., 35, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Winter, 2018

World Book Encyclopedia and Columbia Concise Encyclopedia - Entries on Pantheism, reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 19, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Summer Solstice, 1998

Revolutionaries by Carter Phipps, Reviewed by J.D. Stillwater - Vol. 29, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, November, 2012

The Contemplative John Muir: Spiritual Quotations from the Great American Naturalist, by Stephen K. Hatch, Review by Editor - Vol. 29, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, November, 2012

The Wisdom of John Muir: 100+ Selections from the Letters, Journals, and Essays of the Great Naturalist, Compiled by Ann Rowthorn, Review by Editor - Vol. 29, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, November, 2012

Meditations of John Muir, edited by Chris Highland, Review by Editor - Vol. 29, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, November, 2012

The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True, by Richard Dawkins and Dave McKean, Reviewed by Michael Dowd - Vol. 29, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, November, 2012

Making the World by Douglas Wood, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol. 20, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring Equinox, 1999

I’m In Charge of Celebrations, by Byrd Baylor, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol. 20, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring Equinox, 1999

Listening to Nature: How to Deepen Your Awareness of Nature by Joseph Cornell, Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 9, No. 4, December 1988

How Nature Works: Regenerating Kinship with Planet Earth by Michael J.Cohen, Reviewed by Harold Wood - Vol. 9, No. 4, December 1988

Nature’s Temple: Daily Wisdom from John Muir, compiled by Chris Highland, Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 21, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Winter Solstice, 2000

With Beauty Before Me: An Inspirational Guide for Nature Walks, compiled by Joseph Cornell, Review by Harold Wood - Vol. 21, No. 4, Pantheist Vision, Winter Solstice, 2000

Seeking Awareness in American Nature Writing: Henry Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, by Scott Slovic (1992), Reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 14, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, September, 1993

Pilgrims to the Wild: Everett Ruess, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Clarence King, Mary Austin by John P. O’Grady (1993), Reviewed by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - Vol. 14, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, September, 1993

Dreaming Bears, A Gwich’in Indian Storyteller, a Southern Doctor, a Wild Corner of Alaska, by J. Michael Holloway, in Books by Our Members, Summarized and Reviewed by Editor - Vol. 31, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Fall 2014

Natural Self Discovery: A Creative Journey to Sanity in an Increasingly Insane World , by Pamela Hoke, in Books by our Members, Reviewed by Editor - Vol. 31, No. 3, Pantheist Vision, Fall 2014

Special Issue: Reading for Pantheists: 10 Books Summarized, Vol. 20, No. 2, Pantheist Vision Summer Solstice, 1999.
Summaries of ten recent books of some of the more recent books that we think modem Pantheists will enjoy reading. Includes summaries for:

Green Space, Green Time by Connie Barlow
The Sacred Earth by Jason Gardner, Editor
The Sacred Depths of Nature, by Ursula Goodenough
Elements of Pantheism, by Paul Harrison
The World of John Burroughs by Edward Kanze
Pantheism Michael Levine
A Walk Through Time, Sidney Liebes; et al.
Songs for Earthlings, ed. by Julie Middleton .
Skeptics and True Believers by Chet Raymo
The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki

Pantheist Experiences
Pantheists have "religious experiences" which are contained in the "Way of Celebration." This will include the deep passion we can feel when scanning the stars of the night sky, or watching a squirrel run through the forest, or a stream cascading down a mountain, or a sunset, or gazing into the eyes of a Great Horned Owl. It can also include deliberate "celebrations" or recognitions of significant events - Pantheist Holidays - recognizing historical occurances or stages of life in yourself or your family.

The Sacred Depths of Nature, 2nd Edition by Ursula Goodenough – Book Review by Harold Wood, excerpted from Pantheist Vision. Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring. 2023. (PDF from box.com). This reviews the second edition of the masterwork by Ursula Goodenough In our review of the first edition in 1998, we wrote: "An articulate biology professor strives to "reconcile the modern scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity." The author examines evolution, emotions, sexuality, death and other topics through the lens of science and then focuses on religious emotions elicited by the findings of science. Goddenough describes herself as a"religious naturalist," yet she observes that God may be apprehended "as a pantheistic-inherent in all things." Click on the link for our updated review.

Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future by Bron Taylor. University of California Press, 2009. In this innovative and deeply felt work, Bron Taylor examines the evolution of "green religions" in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have in many cases replaced traditional religions.

The Epic of Evolution by Cathy McGowan Russell.

The Soul Unearthed, Celebrating Wildness & Personal Renewal Through Nature, Editor Cass Adams, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. Over 60 stories, poems, and essays examine how wilderness affects us spiritually. The anthology approaches wilderness as a place of worship.

Cosmic Consciousness by Richard M. Bucke, rev.ed. Dutton, 1959.
Interesting proposal that historical religious leaders, and certain individuals such as Whitman and Emerson, experienced "cosmic consciousness," and that their teachings should be understood in that light.

The Sacred Balance, Rediscovering Our Place in Nature. by David Suzuki with Amanda McConell.  New York: Prometheus Books, 1998.
An acclaimed geneticist artfully explains the diverse web of life, our kinship with other species, and declares "Nature is the ultimate source of our inspiration, of our sense of belonging, of our hope that life will survive long after we are gone. In order to realize this hope, we must learn to regard the planet as sacred."

A Walk Through Time, From Stardust to Us, The Evolution of Life on Earth. by Sidney Liebees, Elisabet Sahtouris, & Brian Swimme. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998.
A richly illustrated account of evolution within the immensity of geologic time. Author Liebes asks "Is it possible that a sense of awe, wonder and humility, of origins, place, possibilities, and recovery of a belief in the sacredness of nature, can, and perhaps must, become operational imperatives in guiding humanity into the future?"

This Sacred Earth, Religion, Nature, Environment. edited by Rodger Gottlieb, New York: Routledge, 1996.
The 75 selections from historical and contemporary writers, naturalists, theologians, and others examine relations between ecology, religion, and society. The book is described as "an introduction to the theory and practice of religious environmentalism."

Earth Festivals by Dolores LaChappelle, Finn Hill, Silverton, 1977.
A compilation of seasonal celebrations, especially for children, drawn from various cultures but primarily Amerindian.

Earth Wisdom by Dolores LaChappelle, Finn Hill, Silverton, 1977.
Fascinating appraisal of the failure of Civilization, with a solid analysis of the benefits of primal cultures and paleolithic religious views.

The Sacred Earth: Writers on Nature & Spirit, Editor, Jason Gardener, Novato, California: New World Library, 1998.
A splendid collection of excerpts and quotations from more than 60 mostly contemporary writers which aims "to rediscover and reconnect our spirituality with the natural world." With a forward by David Brower.

Cosmic Humanism and World Unity by Oliver L. Reiser.
A discussion of what the author calls "cosmic humanism" but defines as a pantheist theology, resting heavily upon a scientifically consistent view of the universe.

The Beginning and the End, and Other Poems by Robinson Jeffers, Random House, 1963.
Poems by one of the few twentieth-century poets to celebrate the entire biotic community - yet, unlike the romantic poets, for Jeffers, Nature is the center of value, not merely an illustrious backdrop for sentimental Man. His earlier philosophy of "Inhumanism" later evolved into a scientific pantheism.

The Earth Speaks Ed. by Steve Van Matre & Bill Weiler, 1983.
A collection of inspirational poems, essays, and drawings on the topics of "Earth Magic", "Earth Wisdom", and "Earth Spirit," by well-known authors.

Green Space, Green Time, The Way of Science by Connie Barlow New York: Copernicus, 1997.
The author, a member of the Universal Pantheist Society, describes how some of today's leading scientists and philosophers are working to reunite knowledge of the world with a sense of the sacred. Barlow states "the ecoreligious revolution is unfolding along five distinct-but not mutually exclusive-paths." These paths include the greening of traditional beliefs, retrieving ancient faiths, meditation, mysticism, and science. Science can "nurture reverence for the natural world...and promote beautiful acts of a decidedly green hue."

The Pantheist World View , Universal Pantheist Society, Big Pine,, 1979.
This booklet describes for the general reader the philosophy and, more importantly, the life-style of modern Pantheism.

Elemental Birthdays by John and Heather Cleland-Host, 2014. Elemental Birthdays lets anyone celebrate birthdays while having fun with science. All the elements of the universe have an atomic number (Z). Elemental Birthdays matches that number with a birthday. The first element (Hydrogen) is the first birthday. Helium (Z=2) is the second birthday, and so on. The book uses this simple idea to incorporate the elements into fun, easy party themes, and it provides a step-by-step guide to games and activities. The result: a party where kids and adults have fun learning science!

For Small Creatures such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan. A beautiful exploration of how science can inform our celebrations and how we mark the passage of time, inspired in part by the work of her parents, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.

Foundational Nature Reading

As one of our earliest members, Nancy Rerucha, wrote in one of our earliest publications in 1977, our foundational religious texts are not human but are from Nature: "Words can be bent, twisted, molded, to be used to fit one’s own perspectives, to repudiate another’s. But a fiery sunset, an awesome snow-capped peak, a circling hawk, a flower glittered with dew, these have all said more to me than a million of mankind’s words ever have or ever will.” The following section lists books that are nearly-essential foundational reading for understanding, appreciating, and getting better connected with wild nature.

A Sand County Almanac (and Sketches Here and There)  by Aldo Leopold, 1949.
No other single book of American nature writing – with the exception of Walden – has achieved such lasting stature as A Sand County Almanac. An established classic in the field, revealing the intricacies of ecology for the general public, this book is mandatory reading for anyone wanting to understand the natural world and our place in it. Included is Aldo Leopold’s seminal essay “The Land Ethic” is widely recognized as a significant turning point in conservation philosophy and a guide for the future.

This is the American Earth by Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall, Sierra Club, 1960.
The First of the Celebrated “Exhibit Format” Books
In 1955, the Sierra Club mounted an exhibit entitled This Is the American Earth at the LeConte Memorial Lodge (now the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center) in Yosemite Valley that represented a watershed in the annals of conservation advocacy. This book was the work of recognized pantheists  Ansel Adams and David Brower, with pantheistic writings by Nancy Newhall. This book was instrumental in spawning the modern “environmental movement."
About the Original 1955 Exhibit and 1960 Book, by Harold W. Wood, Jr. -

Desert Solitaire  by Edward Abbey, 1968, 1998.
An absolute must read about the Southwest, containing poetic essays mixed with angry but humorous polemics in defense of the American West. The 20th anniversary edition by University of Arizona Press (1988) is the definitive version, but there are many reprints and second-hand copies available.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants  by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013).
Drawing on her life as a professional scientist, and as a Native American woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices.

Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature byJon Young, Ellen Haas, Evan McGown (2016)
This 500 page manual is a guide to discovering a real connection with animals and plants, and a sense of belonging through knowing our place on the planet. More than a field guide, the book provides methodology for learning more about the Book of Nature, and an understanding of the natural cycle of learning and enhancing awareness. Organized in two parts, the first part is a “Mentor’s Manual,”preparing mentors, educators, and parents to lead people new to nature study to learn more about nature in ways that fit their ecosystems. Part Two is an “Activity Guide” offering dozens of activities, stories, songs, and games.

Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History
By Dan Flores (2016)
A highly readable account of the incredible survival story of the coyote. As soon as European immigrants began ranching and herding in the Western USA, they began working to destroy the coyote. Despite campaigns of annihilation well into the 20th century, coyotes didn’t just survive, they thrived, expanding across the continent, thriving wherever we thrive, and finally are earning our respect, as we finally recognize their free “pest” control services by controlling the rodent population.

Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling  by Wild Wonder Foundation (2023)
This fun and powerful practice helps you slow down, pay attention, notice more, and get curious about the wonder and beauty around you. Keeping a nature journal is one way to help restore the kind of connection with the natural world that is so necessary if we are to find the beauty that improves our lives. Free downloadable booklet from https://www.wildwonder.org/

Nature Journaling for a Wild Life by Roseann Beggy Hanson (Tucson: Natural Selection Press, 2020) 
How nature journaling nurtures deeper understanding, appreciation, and love of nature, helping us to practice mindfulness by learning the art of seeing instead of just looking. This book is a guided private workshop, incorporating an 8 week guided course to learn about nature journaling, with tips, illustrations, weekly assignments, and blank pages. Also include 5 appendices to help you put together your nature journaling kit.

Nocturnalia: Nature in the Western Night  by Charles Hood and José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca (2023)
As most of us are here during long winter nights, this guide will help you learn about and explore the evolutionary adaptations of owls, bats, and other nightlife animals; the natural history of nighttime plants; and the celestial patterns that regulate this after-dark kingdom.

The Sky at Night: Easy Enjoyment from Your Backyard  by Tim Hunter (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2023)
We are so lucky to be able to see a myriad of stars that are unavailable to others; 99% of the people in the United States do not have regular access to appreciate this beauty. This book will enable you to explore space right at home with short easy-to-digest chapters. Emphasis is on naked-eye viewing with an occasional reference to using a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, encouraging beginners to explore the skies while giving them a solid understanding of what they see. Building on his writings for the long-running “Sky Spy” column in the Arizona Daily Star, Tim Hunter will help you understand and experience the wonders of the universe.

Pantheist Holidays
The Pantheist “Way of Celebration” can include deliberate "celebrations" or recognitions of significant events - Pantheist Holidays - recognizing the cycles of the seasons, historical occurrences, special people, or stages of life in yourself or your family.

I’m In Charge of Celebrations, by Byrd Taylor, The author shares her own private celebrations from walking the desert pathways: The Time of Falling Stars, in the middle of August, when "every time a streak of light goes shooting through the darkness, we “feel our heart shoot out of me”; and Rainbow Celebration Day, marking the time she and a jackrabbit stood together watching a triple-rainbow over a canyon; and the real New Years' Day, the day spring begins.
Reviewed by Harold Wood in Vol. 20, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring Equinox, 1999

Earth Festivals by Dolores LaChappelle, Finn Hill, Silverton, 1977.
A compilation of seasonal celebrations, especially for children, drawn from various cultures but primarily Amerindian.

For Small Creatures such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan.
A beautiful exploration of how science can inform our celebrations and how we mark the passage of time, inspired in part by the work of her parents, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.

2014 Pantheist Holidays by Universal Pantheist Society. (ebook)
While the Society is working to compile an updated and more “universal” almanac of special days of celebration, the 2014 edition of our book on Pantheist Holidays provides a good starting point. We have identified over 100 special events neglected by regular calendars, including the solstices and equinoxes, commemorations of natural events, international celebrations, and an extensive listing of "Pantheist Prophets" ranging from Spinoza to Wordsworth to Thoreau to Muir. These major events, often inspirational, but sometimes tragic, go beyond the typical anthropocentric world-view of ordinary calendars. Find out the difference between the solstice and the thermstice, the equinox and the equitherm. Find out why Ansel Adams was a pantheist, and what Joseph Wood Krutch had in common with Henry David Thoreau and William Wordsworth.

Relax, You’re Already Home: Everyday Taoist Habits for a Richer Life, by Raymond Barnett (Penguin Books, 2004)
Ways of implementing nature-oriented ideas from Taoism and Shintoism into life in the Western world, both in everyday life and in seasonal or special holidays that you create for yourself. Don’t miss the chapter treating the relationship between Taoism and modern biological science that was omitted by the publisher but which Dr. Barnett feels is essential: The "Forbidden Chapter" from Relax, You're Already Home or https://www.raymondbarnett.com/relax__you_re_already_home__everyday_taoist_habits_for_a_richer_life_99090.htm

Elemental Birthdays by John and Heather Cleland-Host, 2014. Elemental Birthdays lets anyone celebrate birthdays while having fun with science. All the elements of the universe have an atomic number (Z). Elemental Birthdays matches that number with a birthday. The first element (Hydrogen) is the first birthday. Helium (Z=2) is the second birthday, and so on. The book uses this simple idea to incorporate the elements into fun, easy party themes, and it provides a step-by-step guide to games and activities. The result: a party where kids and adults have fun learning science!

Living With Wildlife

As Pantheists, we strive to live our lives in harmony with Nature, so these books provide helpful guides for doing that.

There’s a Bobcat in My Backyard! Living with and Enjoying Urban Wildlife, An Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Guide,  by Jonathan Hanson (2004).
Maybe you’re not completely comfortable when confronted by the wild desert creatures. But have no fear - please! Not only do these critters mean you no harm, they can also be a source of e of immense delight. Generously laced with humor and brimming with helpful information, this book can turn you from a mere bystander into an active participant in an environment in which we all - people and wildlife - must coexist.

Bringing Birds Home: Protect and Conserve Birds Through Creating and Enhancing Habitat in Urban Areas  by Tucson Audubon Society
By using intentional design, urban landscapes can offer quality habitat for birds and pollinators.
Very helpful, specific to our Sonoran Desert, this 53 page booklet is a guide to not just providing homes for birds, but also for beautiful and useful native plants, butterflies, lizards, bats, native bees, and protecting the night sky.

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard,  by Douglas W. Tallamy (2020).
This book addresses a vision for a new grassroots approach to address the biodiversity crisis by adding native plants and removing invasive ones where we live. Because native plants are so primary and essential here, this book provides great inspiration. Make your backyard a water-wise and wildlife-friendly one! See our book review of this book "Support Biodiversity at Home: Gardening for Your Ecosystem, by Margie Gibson, in Vol. 38, No. 1, Pantheist Vision, Spring, 2021 (PDF on Box).

Get on the Map: Homegrown National Park.  How to join the movement where homeowners everywhere turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats for native flora and fauna.  Available free from: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/

Pantheist Lifestyles
For the Pantheist, the "Way of Works" is a valid form of religious expression.

The Little Green Book: A guide to Self-Reliant Living in the 80's by John Lobell, Shambhala Books, 1981.
This book is a useful guide for consciously ordering your everyday life to minimize impact on the biosphere. Topics covered include food and diet, healing, education, housing, energy, gardening, consuming, and more.

The Greening of Faith, God, the Environment, and the Good Life. edited by John E. Carrrol, et al., Hanover: University Press of New England, 1997.
An anthology by writers of various faiths call on us "to awaken from our benumbed and bewitched state" which allows such rampant environmental degradation. "A profound sense of sacredness throughout nature" can help us recognize our responsibility to protect biodiversity.

How to be a Survivor by Paul Ehrlich & Richard Harriman, Ballantine, 1971.
A doomsday approach is scary and arguably not persuasive (and certainly not inspirational), but this book nonetheless describes the kind of changes of thinking and behavior which are necessary on the part of both individuals and society if we are to survive the ecological crisis.

Diet for a Small Planet 10th Anniversary ed. by Frances Moore Lappe,Ballantine, 1981.
The classic has been updated, containing the author's prognosis of the world hunger situation and the continuing need for eating "lower on the food chain"; the recipes have been made easier, more varied, and tastier.

The Integral Urban House by Helga Olkowski, Sierra Club Books, 1979.
A description of how even urban living can be made compatible with ecological realities.

The Rights of Nature, A History of Environmental Ethics by Roderick Nash, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.
An overview of philosophical and religious beliefs regarding Nature. An informative chapter detailing "the greening of religion," makes a specific reference to the Universal Pantheist Society.

Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, Bantam Books, 1982.
Explores the psychological, spiritual, and ecological arguments for a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity. Not a "how to" book; but a "why to."

Pantheist Philosophy
Two currents of modern thought merge to form modern Pantheism: the theological arguments denying personality to Deity, and the stream of modern environmental philosophy.

Deep Pantheism: Toward a New Transcendentalism by Robert S. Corrington. (2016)
Corrington, a professor of Philosophical Theology at Drew University, explores a form of religious naturalism he calls “Deep Pantheism,” which has roots in American Transcendentalism, but also in phenomenology and Asian thought. He promotes a form of “ecstatic naturalism,” which accepts nature as “all there is” while avoiding reductionism of many versions of naturalism. The religious impulse Corrington brings to light goes beyond the surface manifestations of splendor and beauty in the outward face of nature, plumbing nature’s depths of ongoing creation and destruction, and finding within these depths a transformative power of universal value.
Elements of Pantheism: A Spirituality of Nature and the Universe by Paul A. Harrison, (3rd Ed,. 2013).
This book offers a clear explanation, beyond theism and atheism, of Pantheism's joyful approach to life and its caring concern for all life on this earth, particularly from a scientific world view.

Accepting the Universe by John Burroughs, Houghton Mifflin, 1920.
An excellent discussion by one of America's foremost naturalists of the reality of Nature and man's place in it; Burroughs forthrightly identifies Pantheism as the best solution to the problem of having a religion based on truth not superstition.

The Riddle of the Universe by Ernst Haeckel, (translated from the German by Joseph McCabe) Harper & Brothers, New York, 1900.
An excellent analysis by the scientist who coined the term "ecology", who advocated modern Pantheism as a religious form consistent with science but rejecting the dualistic world-view which separates Deity from Nature. While Haeckel had pseudo-scientific views about race which were and are clearly incorrect, his ideas on how to embrace a pantheistic substitution for traditional religion remains valuable.

"The Universe and Me" by D.H. Lawrence in Phoenix: The Posthumous Papers of D.H. Lawrence , Viking Press, 1964.
This is only a lengthy paragraph, but succinctly encompasses the meaning of modern Pantheism in poetic prose.

"The Death of Pan," by D.H. Lawrence, Ibid.
This essay describes the religious problem of modern America and Europe as being the feeling that Pan is dead; Lawrence advocates a return to Pantheism.

"If You Don't Mind My Saying So..." by Joseph Wood Krutch, in American Scholar Spring, 1970.
A well-known essayist and naturalist writes on "Trust in Wildness" as the faith needed in the twentieth century, and expressly recognizes this as a form of Pantheism; but carefully distinguishes it from the Romantic fallacies of the 18th and 19th centuries.

God & Belief: The Pantheist Alternative by Irv Thomas, Universal Pantheist Society, 1986.
This booklet describes the often-neglected pantheist alternative to both atheism and theism, with special attention to the problems of both the nihilism of atheism and the fallacy of an anthropomorphic masculine deity.
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An Ecological and Evolutionary Ethic by Daniel G. Kozlovsky, Prentice Hall, 1974.
Provocative application of ecological science and philosophy to the problems of ethics and spirituality in a series of brief, one-or two page capsule essays.

Environmental Philosophy from Animal Rights to Radical Ecology, Second Edition. by Michael E. Zimmerman et al., New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
A rich collection, edited by leading environmental philosophers, includes sections on environmental ethics, deep ecology, ecofeminism, and political ecology.

The Lost Gospel of the Earth. by Tom Hayden, San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1996.
A longtime activist, environmentalist, and politician argues that the displacement of tribal religions by monotheism contributed to the environmental crisis. Hayden explores ways people can again live in kinship with a sacred natural world.
Deep Ecology: Living as If Nature Mattered by Bill Devall and George Sessions, Peregrine Smith, 1985.
An exhaustive description of the various ideas and people who best posit the idea that more than mere environmentalism, what humankind needs is a radical re-thinking of Man - Nature relationships.

The Universe is a Green Dragon by Briane Swimme, Bear & Co., Santa Fe, 1985.
A parable explaining the 'New cosmic creation story' - a poetic celebration of basic scientific and spiritual principles. Useful for introducing non-Pantheists to a new world view compatible with that of modern Pantheism.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
A parable wherein a captive lowland gorilla explains the lie that has held people of our culture captive. The lie is what Pantheists know as anthropocentrism. The solution begins with understanding why our culture has fallen into that lie.

Pantheist History
These books illustrate that Pantheism is not a strictly modern phenomenon, but is a philosophy which has enjoyed a long history, and several modern resurgence.

Pantheism: Its Story and Significance by James Picton, Constable, 1905
Rather old-fashioned account of the history of Pantheism; nonetheless valuable for its description of the variety of sources contributing to a Pantheist world-view. UPS publishes Picton's chart on the Evolution of Religions, showing Pantheism as the ultimate and enlightened completion of what began as mere animism.

General Sketch of the History of Pantheism by Constance Plumptre, 1878.
Another old-fashioned work, valuable only for its historical perspective.

Ethics by Benedict de Spinoza, E.P. Dutton, 1910.
Formidible reading; but no list of Pantheist thought can be complete without the leading publication by the founder of western Pantheism.

The Idea of Wilderness from Prehistory to the Age of Ecology by Max Oelschlaeger, New Haven: Yale University Press,1991.
A sweeping scholarly account of our relationship with Nature which includes many direct and indirect references to pantheism, particularly in the examination of Paleolithic religion and in the discussion of Muir and Jeffers.

Pantheism and the Value of Life by William Urquhart, Epworth Press, 1919.
Another thick old book, useful to gain a view of Pantheism as deeply imbedded in western philosophy.

Pantheist Ethics
No formalized Code of Ethics is available for Pantheists, but these books may help each of us to formulate our own.

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.
Written in the 1940's, a classic by one of the first persons to write popularly on the ecological perspective. His essay on "The Land Ethic" provides the foundation for most modern environmental philosophy.

The Invisible Pyramid by Loren Eisely,Scribners & Sons, 1970.
Poetic, magical prose showing what man has lost by forgetting natural values.

Between Animal and Man by Michael W. Fox.
A veterinarian and humane society activist, Dr.Fox describes the scientific and philosophical reasons of why man needs to have a better relationship with other animals.

Exploring New Ethics for Survival by Garrett Hardin, Viking Press, 1972.
A disturbing, thought-provoking book; often funny yet scary; you may not agree with everything Hardin says but you cannot ignore his facts.

Replenish the Earth by G. Tyler Miller, Wadsworth, 1972.
Describes several alternative approaches to an environmental ethic; Miller points out the derivation of environmental ethics is not as important as getting on with the business of actually developing that ethic.

Pantheist Temples
Pantheists don't build church-houses; Nature is our church.

The Place No One Knew ed. by David Brower, Sierra Club, 1963.
Eliot Porter photography combined with quotations about the value of wilderness: see especially the second part of the book, "The Idea".

The Desert Year by Joseph Wood Krutch, William Morrow & Co, 1952.
Essays about the desert illustrate the meaning a Pantheist derives from nature.

Baja California & The Geography of Hope by Joseph Wood Krutch, Sierra Club, 1967.
More Eliot Porter photographs, with excerpts from Krutch's many books, offering perhaps the best anthology of Krutch's pantheistic religious views on the meaning of man and nature.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, Ballantine Books, 1968.
A modern classic; Abbey describes himself as "not an atheist but an eartheist."

John of the Mountains ed by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, Houghton Mifflin, 1966.
All of John Muir's writings are infused with Pantheism; this collection from his journals represent his most "religious" writing.

Temple Wilderness, A Collection of Thoughts and Images On Our Spiritual Bond with the Earth. eited by Tom Petrie, et al., Willow Creek Press, 1996.
Nature photography and quotations of past and present writers, poets, theologians, and others from around the world. The compilation contains a number of pantheistic passages and strives for "a higher understanding of the spiritual connection between humankind and the Earth."

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by James Lovelock, Oxford Univ. Press, 1979.
This increasingly influential book advocates a view of the Earth as a single, self-regulating organism, with the non-living environment being described as intimately related to and even regulated by the living biosophere.

Comparative Religion
An examination of what other world religions have to offer toward harmonizing relationships between the human and non-human world.

Religion Without Revelation by Julian Huxley, New American Library, 1957.
The author, usually thought of as an atheist, affirms that religion is necessary to mankind, but that it need not be based upon superstition but upon intelligence and can be made compatible with the scientific method.

Original Blessing by Matthew Fox, Inst. for Creation Spirituality, 1984.
This ex-Dominican theologian argues for a Christian spirituality which celebrates passion, playfulness, and ourselves as part of the earth process. He contrasts this "Creation spirituality" with the historically predominant "Fall/Redemption spirituality."

The Upanishads: The Breath of the Eternal ed. by Swami Prabhavananda & Frederick Manchester, New American Library, 1957.
The original texts of Hinduism translated from the Sanskrit, meditate on the unity of self and the All.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, translated by R.B. Blakney, New American Library, 1955.
The basic text of Taoism, filled with wisdom of the awareness of the Universe of the ancient Chinese.

The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess by Starhawk, Harper & Row, 1979.
A book about Wicca, or Witchcraft ( not Satanism), the pre-Christian form of paganism practiced by agricultural people of Europe, currently regaining popularity especially in feminist circles.

The Book of the Vision Quest by Steven Foster, Island Press, 1980.
Not merely insights, but "personal transformation" to be achieved in the Wilderness, derived from the fundamentals of Amerindian religion.

Last Updated: December, 2024

The titles listed in these pages illustrate a variety of perspectives of interest to modern Pantheists. Mention here does not constitute an endorsement by the Universal Pantheist Society.