Product Description

When William Anderson published his study of the image of life known in the West as the "Green Man", he foresaw the environmental movement's identification with his subject but not that the "Green Man" should be embraced as it has been, especially in the States, as an icon of the men's movement: a counterpart to the goddess as a symbol of the women's movement. This new work, inspired by the eastern form of the "Green Man" raises questions about the nature of consciousness, the higher capacities of the human mind - and the act of creativity itself. The "Face of Glory" is an Indian image signifying the creative energy of God and this is the starting point of a survey of myths and images as they respond to the needs of humanity. It is further a study of the reservoir of psychic energy known as the "Great Memory" on which creativity draws and of the liberation of consciousness which is the purpose of creativity. It spans centuries of human thought and endeavour, pitting science against art, exploring the experience of joy which rises out of creativity. Anderson views creativity not as the realization of unconscious forces but as a product of consciousness which is the source of freedom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1409714 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 480 pages

Customer Reviews

This book found me...
This book found me, and how it did so is a strange story to tell. I won't go into it here. All I want to say is that from this book you will gain the most solid foundation from which to understand creativity, the creative process, why and how it's the fundamental concept to our very being human, understanding our relationships to each other and all around us. I was blown away reading this book. In a few years it will be required reading for anyone undertaking a life in creativity - the arts and sciences. And something else struck me when reading it. If you've read "The Alchemist", do you remember the Englishman who seemed stuck in his books, yet someday he would make it? One day he would become an alchemist. William Anderson is this man, I'm certain of it.

Universal Creativity
This is one of the most significant books I have ever read. Anderson takes Creativity out of its normal context as a specialist skill of poets, painters and musicians and shows us that it is a fundemental property of the Universe of which we can all partake, as creators, performers or audience. There is a Divine, universal memory potential and our role is to reflect it in our lives and in our enjoyment as participators. But this is not simply a 'feel good' book; it is built on scholarly understanding and personal experience of the creative process.