Every Branch in Me: Essays on the Meaning of Man is a collection of articles by leading perennialist authors that are unified by a single theme: nothing that is properly human can be separated from the intrinsically spiritual nature of man. The subject matter of this book, therefore, may be termed "spiritual anthropology." The specific topics are diverse, touching upon many important aspects of human experience, including the meaning of work, the role of laughter in spiritual life, relying upon God during a time of illness, the spiritual significance of clothing and the importance of seeking a spiritual guide. All of these essays, however, affirm with a single voice that man may only truly exist in relation to God's Being, and that at his center man possesses a nature which is "theomorphic" (that is, in the 'image of God').

The contents of this book offer a genuinely spiritual antidote to the impasses of despair and nihilism which are the final outcomes of the secular and relativist ideologies of our time. This book is a fountain of light and a window into the wisdom of the saints. On the whole, this book professes a rigorously sacred world-view which links the meaning of man to the Reality of God, forming one of the most compelling restorations of serious metaphysical thought in the last one hundred years.

Barry McDonald’s authoritative voice on the world’s religions has been formed by a combination of academic study and first hand contact with various sacred traditions throughout the world. He received his undergraduate education at Goddard College and his graduate degree at Indiana University. The six months that he spent in the Middle East in 1973 began a series of life long contacts with authentic representatives of most of the world’s great religions, including travels to the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, Europe and the American West. Thomas Yellowtail, the venerable Crow medicine man and Sun Dance chief, adopted McDonald into the Crow tribe.

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