A New Harmony

In a world that seems increasingly fragmented, John Philip Newell calls us to a vision of life’s essential oneness. He invites us to be part of a new harmony. In his previous book, Christ of the Celts, Newell freshly expressed the ancient Celtic vision of creation’s sacredness and unity. In that poetic treatment of the wisdom of Celtic spirituality, he pointed the way to a Christianity more integrated with the earth and with the rest of humanity. A New Harmony takes the next step forward by articulating a vision and a pathway toward transformation in our lives and world. A New Harmony communicates across the boundaries of religion and race that have separated us and honors our distinct inheritances by serving what is deeper still–the oneness of our origins and the oneness of earth’s destiny.

Newell explores the ancient harmony that is deep in the matter of the universe, the essential interconnectedness of all things. Everything, whether the expanding light of distant galaxies or humanity’s inner light of mind and consciousness, carries within itself the life of the universe’s shared beginning. With keen insight and sensitivity, he confronts the brokenness of our harmony, as individuals and families and as nations and species. Only by knowing and naming the extent and depth of our disharmony will we find the way forward. Confronting our brokenness, individually and together, is integral to the hope for healing.

Throughout the book, Newell leads us on a pathway of discovery toward transforming the way we understand ourselves. He challenges us to consider the possibilities of a new harmony in our lives–as individuals, as communities, and as nations–by asking “What is the cost, both personal and collective, of releasing life’s essential oneness in radically new and transformative ways?”

Praise for A New Harmony

“This book represents what is becoming a new and abundant source for theology, although it is the oldest source of all–creation itself! How could we have missed what John Philip Newell now makes so obvious and so exciting?” –RICHARD ROHR, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation

“John Philip Newell possesses three gifts of the Spirit … He is able to see the divine wholeness in our clearly fractured reality. He is able to articulate that wholeness so that we can see it too. Finally, he is able to connect his vision to action so that we are able to follow him into the new harmony he describes so com-pellingly–and all without a shred of sentimentality.” –Barbara Brown Taylor, author, An Altar in the World

“In these pages Celtic consciousness and scholarship once again awaken the heart and mind to … the everyday beauty and sacredness of things. Simply, but not simplistically, written, the author moves from dreams and everyday encounters to teachings from creation-centered mystics and today’s scientific cosmology. … He provides a radical challenge to the boredom that institutional religion so often elicits. With a book like this, religious history looks less bleak and spirituality much closer to home.” –Matthew Fox, author, Original Blessing

“A gift with a catch to it! A New Harmony is another little gem of spiritual wisdom. … Often autobiographical, always engaging … these reflections invite us into a hope for the renewal of an ancient harmony.”–Wendy Farley, author, Tragic Vision: A Contemporary Theodicy