Havens in a Hectic World: Finding Sacred Places

The frantic pace of our world leaves little time for reflection, and even less time to nurture our spirits. In Havens in a Hectic World, Star Weiss explores the spiritual geography of the West Coast with individuals from a wide variety of faiths and cultural traditions. In visiting their sacred places, and hearing them share their stories, Weiss raises questions about our contemporary sources of spiritual growth, our evolving ideas of the divine, and the power of place. From mountains to ancient forests to labyrinths, she takes readers on a journey of awe and wonder through both the geographic destinations, and the experiences they make possible.

Star Weiss moved to British Columbia from New York State in 1972. ""Once displaced, I, like the early white settlers to B.C., felt free to start over, discard old notions and come up with a new way of seeing the world and the big questions that come with it,"" she says. Some 36 years later, after living on Quadra Island and at Maple Bay in the Cowichan Valley, Weiss gathered the guidance of a variety of B.C. residents, particularly First Nations people, to visit 44 sites where peace, serenity and renewal have been experienced on the West Coast. Three sites are on Haida Gwai, 33 sites are on Vancouver Island. ""In British Columbia especially, the natural landscape is the reference point many of us use when we reflect on what is sacred,"" writes Weiss in Havens in a Hectic World: Finding Sacred Places.

As Star Weiss-Fuoco she previously published Kitchen Culture: The Lives and Foods of Immigrant Women, a spin-off of a cable TV show, and she contributed to Chicken Soup for the Nature Lover's Soul (Health Communications, Inc. 2004).