Brave New Prayers: Rascally rhetoric to fan the flames of oneness

In this collection of bohemian prayers and poetic invocations, God is both terrorist and tech support, head master and masseuse--a "delightfully deranged lover" who brings redemption to even the darkest corners of the psyche. In a world that looks more and more like a psychotropic house party, where "even the spiritual rock stars are slouching in their sofas," Reynolds calls on a God whose compassion doesn't stay in the churches and monasteries, orphanages and soup kitchens, but permeates the whole of creation, inviting an acceptance that extends into dungeons and disasters, private shames and public failings. Nothing is off limits in this little hymnal of the nondual. Corporate greed, sex, terrorists, pollution, death - they're all seen as wily invitations to stop letting thought and emotion tell us who we are and to sense what lies behind all the darkness and drama: a storyless presence in the throes of waking up to itself.

Hunter Reynolds is an astrological counselor, teacher, writer and dharma poet. Born in Chicago and raised in an intentional community based on the teachings of 17th century mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg, he has since been deeply influenced by Advaita and Buddhist thought. Hunter weaves the meditative insights of the east with the psychological insights of western astrology, creating a unique form of counseling called "Astrodharma" in which the astrological archetypes are understood as styles of awakening. In addition to offering professional phone and in-person consultations worldwide, he has a passion for teaching students how to practice astrology as a path of awakening via his intensive, 3-month archetypal literacy course entitled "The Styles of Awakening Training." His books include the poetry collection "Fukushima Fortune Cookies" and "12 Wheels of Karma: Astrology as a tool for meditation and self-inquiry." His website is www.astrodharma.org.