Books
Living More With Less
Book description
In 1980, before living simply and green; became trendy and popular, Doris Janzen Longacre, author of the enormously popular More-with-Less Cookbook (over 900,000 sold), wrote Living More with Less, a practical guide for living in simple, sustainable, and healthy ways--ways that keep the future of the planet, and the plight of poor people, in mind. Thirty years later, Living More with Less 30th Anniversary Edition is being released as a way to celebrate and honor Longacre's foresight and vision, and to pass on her vision for simple and sustainable living to a new generation. Revised and updated by Valerie Weaver-Zercher, this 30th anniversary edition is true to Doris Janzen Longacre's spirit of living in ways that keeps poor people, God's creation and each other in mind--and is loaded with new and practical tips in areas such as money, travel, clothing, housing, celebrations and recreation.
By Doris Janzen Longacre. 252 pages. Herald Press. 2010.
In 1980, before living simply and green; became trendy and popular, Doris Janzen Longacre, author of the enormously popular More-with-Less Cookbook (over 900,000 sold), wrote Living More with Less, a practical guide for living in simple, sustainable, and healthy ways--ways that keep the future of the planet, and the plight of poor people, in mind. Thirty years later, Living More with Less 30th Anniversary Edition is being released as a way to celebrate and honor Longacre's foresight and vision, and to pass on her vision for simple and sustainable living to a new generation. Revised and updated by Valerie Weaver-Zercher, this 30th anniversary edition is true to Doris Janzen Longacre's spirit of living in ways that keeps poor people, God's creation and each other in mind--and is loaded with new and practical tips in areas such as money, travel, clothing, housing, celebrations and recreation.
By Doris Janzen Longacre. 252 pages. Herald Press. 2010.
The Simple Living Guide
Book description
Whether you are looking at small solutions for cutting down the stress in your life or taking the big leap toward the simpler life, this book can be your guide. Janet Luhrs, the nationally recognized founder and editor of the Simple Living Journal, brings together strategies, inspiration, resources, and real-life profiles of people who have slowed down, overcome obstacles, and created richer lives.
As Janet Luhrs says, "Simple living is about living deliberately. Simple living is not about austerity, or frugality, or income level. It's about being fully aware of why you are living your particular life, and knowing that life is one you have chosen thoughtfully. Simple living is about designing our lives to coincide with our ideals." In The Simple Living Guide Janet Luhrs demonstrates how to live a deliberate, simpler life--and savor it.
Chapter titles
1. Time; 2. Money; 3. Inner Simplicity; 4. Work; 5. Simple Pleasures and Romance; 6. Virtues; 7. Families; 8. Holidays; 9. Cooking and Nutrition; 10. Health and Exercise; 11. Housing; 12. Clutter; 13. Gardening; 14. Travel
By Janet Luhrs. 444 pages. Broadway Books. 1997. www.simplicityjourney.com.
Whether you are looking at small solutions for cutting down the stress in your life or taking the big leap toward the simpler life, this book can be your guide. Janet Luhrs, the nationally recognized founder and editor of the Simple Living Journal, brings together strategies, inspiration, resources, and real-life profiles of people who have slowed down, overcome obstacles, and created richer lives.
As Janet Luhrs says, "Simple living is about living deliberately. Simple living is not about austerity, or frugality, or income level. It's about being fully aware of why you are living your particular life, and knowing that life is one you have chosen thoughtfully. Simple living is about designing our lives to coincide with our ideals." In The Simple Living Guide Janet Luhrs demonstrates how to live a deliberate, simpler life--and savor it.
Chapter titles
1. Time; 2. Money; 3. Inner Simplicity; 4. Work; 5. Simple Pleasures and Romance; 6. Virtues; 7. Families; 8. Holidays; 9. Cooking and Nutrition; 10. Health and Exercise; 11. Housing; 12. Clutter; 13. Gardening; 14. Travel
By Janet Luhrs. 444 pages. Broadway Books. 1997. www.simplicityjourney.com.
Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity
Book description
Most of us living in this complex and time-pressured era have moments when we wish we were living simpler, more meaningful lives. Sometimes these wishes are fleeting desires, but for many today the search for a life of greater simplicity and meaning has developed into a deep longing.
There are many routes to simplicity. This book focuses on and provides direction to the gimmick-free spiritual path followed by Quakers.
For over three centuries Quakers have been living out of a spiritual center in a way of life they call "plain living." Their accumulated experiences and distilled wisdom have much to offer anyone seeking greater simplicity today.
Plain Living is not about sacrifice. It's about choosing the life you really want, a form of inward simplicity that leads us to listen for the "still, small voice" of God.
This book goes beyond the merely trendy to make the by now well-worn Quaker path to plain living accessible to everyone.
Chapter titles
1. Keeping to Plainness by Choosing (Simple Living; Plain Living); 2. Beginning with Ourselves and Our (Work; Time; Integrity; Plain Speech; Money and Resources); 3. Plain Living Day by Day in (Committed Relationships; Parenting and Mentoring; Aging; Humor, Joy and Gratitude); 4. Unexpected Songs for Times of (Fear; Suffering; Despair; Death; Grief; Hope); 5. Opening Our Hearts Through (Longing; Seeking; God; Faith; Prayer; Scripture); 6. Discovering a Spiritual Path to Plain Living Through (Contemplative Listening; Everyday Mysticism; Leadings; Discernment); 7. Growing Together in (Community; Decision-Making; Struggle and Conflict Resolutions; Reconciliation and Forgiveness); 8. Let us See What Love Can Do in (Practicing Nonviolence; Seeking Equality for All; Listening to the Earth; Spirit-Led Service)
By Catherine Whitmire. 192 pages. Sorin Books. 2001.
Most of us living in this complex and time-pressured era have moments when we wish we were living simpler, more meaningful lives. Sometimes these wishes are fleeting desires, but for many today the search for a life of greater simplicity and meaning has developed into a deep longing.
There are many routes to simplicity. This book focuses on and provides direction to the gimmick-free spiritual path followed by Quakers.
For over three centuries Quakers have been living out of a spiritual center in a way of life they call "plain living." Their accumulated experiences and distilled wisdom have much to offer anyone seeking greater simplicity today.
Plain Living is not about sacrifice. It's about choosing the life you really want, a form of inward simplicity that leads us to listen for the "still, small voice" of God.
This book goes beyond the merely trendy to make the by now well-worn Quaker path to plain living accessible to everyone.
Chapter titles
1. Keeping to Plainness by Choosing (Simple Living; Plain Living); 2. Beginning with Ourselves and Our (Work; Time; Integrity; Plain Speech; Money and Resources); 3. Plain Living Day by Day in (Committed Relationships; Parenting and Mentoring; Aging; Humor, Joy and Gratitude); 4. Unexpected Songs for Times of (Fear; Suffering; Despair; Death; Grief; Hope); 5. Opening Our Hearts Through (Longing; Seeking; God; Faith; Prayer; Scripture); 6. Discovering a Spiritual Path to Plain Living Through (Contemplative Listening; Everyday Mysticism; Leadings; Discernment); 7. Growing Together in (Community; Decision-Making; Struggle and Conflict Resolutions; Reconciliation and Forgiveness); 8. Let us See What Love Can Do in (Practicing Nonviolence; Seeking Equality for All; Listening to the Earth; Spirit-Led Service)
By Catherine Whitmire. 192 pages. Sorin Books. 2001.
Less Is More: The Art of Voluntary Poverty: An Anthology of Ancient and Modern Voices Raised in Praise of Simplicity
Book description
This timely anthology brings together thought-provoking maxims on the art of conscious living, inspired by the ancient tradition of the Golden Mean and the natural laws of economy and conservation. Less Is More draws us into the company of men and women from many eras and cultures whose writings explore the virtues of simplicity and moderation in living.
Confucius, Patanjali, Ovid, St. Matthew, Milarepa, Rumi, Eckhart, da Vinci, St. Teresa of Avila, Basho, Thoreau, Tagore, Suzuki, Illich, and many others share profound thoughts on our wants and needs, lifestyles and lifeworks. Here is a book to be savored in quiet moments when we reflect on our hectic pace of life; when we wonder if the race to riches is worth the struggle; or when we wonder if the earth can sustain our greed for many more generations.
Edited by Goldian Vandenbroeck. 316 pages. Inner Traditions Intl. 1996.
This timely anthology brings together thought-provoking maxims on the art of conscious living, inspired by the ancient tradition of the Golden Mean and the natural laws of economy and conservation. Less Is More draws us into the company of men and women from many eras and cultures whose writings explore the virtues of simplicity and moderation in living.
Confucius, Patanjali, Ovid, St. Matthew, Milarepa, Rumi, Eckhart, da Vinci, St. Teresa of Avila, Basho, Thoreau, Tagore, Suzuki, Illich, and many others share profound thoughts on our wants and needs, lifestyles and lifeworks. Here is a book to be savored in quiet moments when we reflect on our hectic pace of life; when we wonder if the race to riches is worth the struggle; or when we wonder if the earth can sustain our greed for many more generations.
Edited by Goldian Vandenbroeck. 316 pages. Inner Traditions Intl. 1996.
Living Simply With Children
Book description
Raising children ranks as one of life’s most rewarding adventures. Yet between Mom and Dad working full-time jobs, endless carpooling of overscheduled youngsters, and the never-ending pressures to buy and consume, family life can be incredibly—needlessly—complex. What if you could find a way to spend more time with your children, replace unnecessary activities with meaningful ones, and teach your children an invaluable life lesson in the process? Living Simply with Children offers a realistic blueprint for zeroing in on the pleasures of family life:
• How (and why) to live simply and find more time to be with your children
• Activities and rituals that bring out the best in every family member
• Realistic ways to reclaim your children from corporate America
• Helping children of any age deal with peer pressure
• Raising kids who care about people and the planet
• How to focus on the “good stuff” . . . with less stuff
Including sections on limiting television, environmentally friendly practices, celebrating the holidays, and tapping into the growing community of families who embrace simplicity, this inspiring guide will show you how to raise children according to your own values—and not those of the consumer culture—as you enjoy both quality and quantity time with your family.
By Marie Sherlock. 304 pages. Three Rivers Press. 2003.
Raising children ranks as one of life’s most rewarding adventures. Yet between Mom and Dad working full-time jobs, endless carpooling of overscheduled youngsters, and the never-ending pressures to buy and consume, family life can be incredibly—needlessly—complex. What if you could find a way to spend more time with your children, replace unnecessary activities with meaningful ones, and teach your children an invaluable life lesson in the process? Living Simply with Children offers a realistic blueprint for zeroing in on the pleasures of family life:
• How (and why) to live simply and find more time to be with your children
• Activities and rituals that bring out the best in every family member
• Realistic ways to reclaim your children from corporate America
• Helping children of any age deal with peer pressure
• Raising kids who care about people and the planet
• How to focus on the “good stuff” . . . with less stuff
Including sections on limiting television, environmentally friendly practices, celebrating the holidays, and tapping into the growing community of families who embrace simplicity, this inspiring guide will show you how to raise children according to your own values—and not those of the consumer culture—as you enjoy both quality and quantity time with your family.
By Marie Sherlock. 304 pages. Three Rivers Press. 2003.
Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions
Book description
Have you ever dreamed of simpler celebrations that leave you exhilarated rather than exhausted? Overjoyed instead of overwhelmed? If so, stop dreaming and start reading. This book is for you. Emphasizing on low cost but high value, Celebrate Simply illustrates easy yet effective strategies to help you:
* Give meaningful gifts that are within your means
* Add spiritual significance to your celebrations
* Extend hospitality without the stress of trying to impress guests
* Give one of the most precious gifts ever—the gift of your time
Can celebrations be simple, yet significant? Certainly! And Celebrate Simply shows you how.
Chapter titles
1. Meaningful Gift Giving; 2. Simplifying the Christmas Celebration; 3. Saint Valentine's Day Simplified; 4. A Simpler Easter Celebration; 5. A Simpler Approach to Mother's Day and Father's Day; 6. Simplifying the Wedding Celebration; 7. Halloween Scaled Down; 8. Keeping the Thanksgiving Celebration Simple; 9. Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries Simply; 10. Conclusion; 11. Resources
By Nancy Twigg. 224 pages. Kregel Publications. 2006.
Have you ever dreamed of simpler celebrations that leave you exhilarated rather than exhausted? Overjoyed instead of overwhelmed? If so, stop dreaming and start reading. This book is for you. Emphasizing on low cost but high value, Celebrate Simply illustrates easy yet effective strategies to help you:
* Give meaningful gifts that are within your means
* Add spiritual significance to your celebrations
* Extend hospitality without the stress of trying to impress guests
* Give one of the most precious gifts ever—the gift of your time
Can celebrations be simple, yet significant? Certainly! And Celebrate Simply shows you how.
Chapter titles
1. Meaningful Gift Giving; 2. Simplifying the Christmas Celebration; 3. Saint Valentine's Day Simplified; 4. A Simpler Easter Celebration; 5. A Simpler Approach to Mother's Day and Father's Day; 6. Simplifying the Wedding Celebration; 7. Halloween Scaled Down; 8. Keeping the Thanksgiving Celebration Simple; 9. Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries Simply; 10. Conclusion; 11. Resources
By Nancy Twigg. 224 pages. Kregel Publications. 2006.
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess
Jen Hatmaker
American life can be excessive, to say the least. That’s what Jen Hatmaker had to admit after taking in hurricane victims who commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle class home. She once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called “rich” by an undeniably poor child, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual was born.
7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence.
Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence. (Amazon)
Jen Hatmaker
American life can be excessive, to say the least. That’s what Jen Hatmaker had to admit after taking in hurricane victims who commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle class home. She once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called “rich” by an undeniably poor child, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual was born.
7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence.
Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence. (Amazon)
Simple Living: The Path to Joy and Freedom
Book description
Simple living is not only a philosophy, but the story of the life of Native American and Franciscan sister José Hobday. Simple living is a way of life—an inner stance, an attitude, a disposition. It is a discernment about priorities in one’s life. It is not just about material possessions but about freedom: freedom from and freedom for, freedom for what you love and want to do and how you can keep on doing it.
Chapter titles
1. Freedoms of Simplicity; 2. The Problem; 3. Simplicity: Getting What You Really Want; 4. A Sense of Space; 5. A Hungry Spirit; 6. Discipline; 7. Food; 8. Clothing; 9. Housing; 10. Work; 11. Transportation; 12. Recreation; 13. Inventory; 14. A Light Heart; 15. Discernment; 16. Integrated Prayer; 17. The Adventure of Faith; 18. Inner Power and the Spirit of Adventure; 19. Prudence; 20. Bodily Spirituality; 21. Conclusion: Worship
by Sister Jose Hobday. 92 pages. Continuum Publishing Company. 1998
Simple living is not only a philosophy, but the story of the life of Native American and Franciscan sister José Hobday. Simple living is a way of life—an inner stance, an attitude, a disposition. It is a discernment about priorities in one’s life. It is not just about material possessions but about freedom: freedom from and freedom for, freedom for what you love and want to do and how you can keep on doing it.
Chapter titles
1. Freedoms of Simplicity; 2. The Problem; 3. Simplicity: Getting What You Really Want; 4. A Sense of Space; 5. A Hungry Spirit; 6. Discipline; 7. Food; 8. Clothing; 9. Housing; 10. Work; 11. Transportation; 12. Recreation; 13. Inventory; 14. A Light Heart; 15. Discernment; 16. Integrated Prayer; 17. The Adventure of Faith; 18. Inner Power and the Spirit of Adventure; 19. Prudence; 20. Bodily Spirituality; 21. Conclusion: Worship
by Sister Jose Hobday. 92 pages. Continuum Publishing Company. 1998
Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World
Book description
Finally, here is a groundbreaking work that goes beyond the books that tell you why to simplify and how to simplify your life. This is the book that tells all-what has really happened in the lives of real people who have done it. How does simplicity translate in our modern day-to-day world? Can people who embrace this lifestyle sustain it over time? What are the downsides? Is it worth it? Do they miss the "old way?"
These are just a few of the questions explored by Linda Breen Pierce in Choosing Simplicity. And she should know. Pierce spent three years studying people who have simplified their lives-over 200 people from 40 states and eight countries. She found people living simply in the country, in large cities, and everywhere in between.
Interwoven throughout the stories are the author's insights and lessons to guide those who want to explore simplicity and to sustain those who have already embarked on this journey. The book also includes a 16-page Resource Guide with summary reviews of 42 books on simplicity, information on related web sites, organizations, simplicity study circles, workshops, newsletters and magazines.
Chapter titles
1. Why Simplicity? 2. My Story: True Confessions of a Yuppie Lawyer; 3. Turning Points: What Motivates Us to Start the Journey? 4. A Parent’s Choice: Savoring Life With Our Children; 5. Urban Or Rural Simplicity: Choosing a Natural Milieu; 6. Work We Can Live With: A Balancing Act; 7. On the Road to Simplicity: Travelers in Transition; 8. Long Timers: People Who Have Always Lived Simply; 9. Starting Out Simply: Generation X Takes a U-Turn; 10. Having Enough: Living Simply with Financial Freedom; 11. Living Well on Very Little: Amazing Stories of Courageous People; 12. Community: Are We Brothers’ Keepers? 13. Environmental Champions: A Passionate Love For the Earth; 14. The Pierce Simplicity Study: Reflections and Inspiration; Appendix: Text of Simplicity Survey; Resource Guide
By Linda Breen Pierce and Vicki Robin. 348 pages. Gallagher Press. 2000.
Finally, here is a groundbreaking work that goes beyond the books that tell you why to simplify and how to simplify your life. This is the book that tells all-what has really happened in the lives of real people who have done it. How does simplicity translate in our modern day-to-day world? Can people who embrace this lifestyle sustain it over time? What are the downsides? Is it worth it? Do they miss the "old way?"
These are just a few of the questions explored by Linda Breen Pierce in Choosing Simplicity. And she should know. Pierce spent three years studying people who have simplified their lives-over 200 people from 40 states and eight countries. She found people living simply in the country, in large cities, and everywhere in between.
Interwoven throughout the stories are the author's insights and lessons to guide those who want to explore simplicity and to sustain those who have already embarked on this journey. The book also includes a 16-page Resource Guide with summary reviews of 42 books on simplicity, information on related web sites, organizations, simplicity study circles, workshops, newsletters and magazines.
Chapter titles
1. Why Simplicity? 2. My Story: True Confessions of a Yuppie Lawyer; 3. Turning Points: What Motivates Us to Start the Journey? 4. A Parent’s Choice: Savoring Life With Our Children; 5. Urban Or Rural Simplicity: Choosing a Natural Milieu; 6. Work We Can Live With: A Balancing Act; 7. On the Road to Simplicity: Travelers in Transition; 8. Long Timers: People Who Have Always Lived Simply; 9. Starting Out Simply: Generation X Takes a U-Turn; 10. Having Enough: Living Simply with Financial Freedom; 11. Living Well on Very Little: Amazing Stories of Courageous People; 12. Community: Are We Brothers’ Keepers? 13. Environmental Champions: A Passionate Love For the Earth; 14. The Pierce Simplicity Study: Reflections and Inspiration; Appendix: Text of Simplicity Survey; Resource Guide
By Linda Breen Pierce and Vicki Robin. 348 pages. Gallagher Press. 2000.
Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich
Book description
When Voluntary Simplicity was first published in 1981, it quickly became recognized as a powerful and visionary work in the emerging dialogue over sustainable ways of living. Now, more than ten years later and with many of the planet's environmental stresses having become more urgent than ever, Duane Elgin has revised and updated his revolutionary book.
Voluntary Simplicity is not a book about living in poverty; it is a book about living with balance. It illuminates the pattern of changes that an increasing number of Americans are making in their everyday lives -- adjustments in day-to-day living that are an active, positive response to the complex dilemmas of our time. By embracing, either partially or totally, the tenets of voluntary simplicity -- frugal consumption, ecological awareness, and personal growth -- people can change their lives. And in the process, they have the power to change the world. First published in 1981, Voluntary Simplicity was instantly recognized as a visionary work. The New York Times called it "seminal"; the Wall Street Journal noted that it was "considered the movement's Bible." Revised in 1993 to address the trend toward downshifting, this pertinent book helps us to adjust our thoughts, habits, and goals and embrace the key elements of simplicity: frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth.
Chapter titles
1. Voluntary Simplicity and the New Global Challenge; 2. People Living the Simple Life; 3. Appreciating Life; 4. Living More Voluntarily; 5. Living More Simply; 6. Civilizations In Transition; 7. Civilization Revitalization; Appendix: The Simplicity Survey
By Duane Elgin. 240 pages. Quill. 1993.
When Voluntary Simplicity was first published in 1981, it quickly became recognized as a powerful and visionary work in the emerging dialogue over sustainable ways of living. Now, more than ten years later and with many of the planet's environmental stresses having become more urgent than ever, Duane Elgin has revised and updated his revolutionary book.
Voluntary Simplicity is not a book about living in poverty; it is a book about living with balance. It illuminates the pattern of changes that an increasing number of Americans are making in their everyday lives -- adjustments in day-to-day living that are an active, positive response to the complex dilemmas of our time. By embracing, either partially or totally, the tenets of voluntary simplicity -- frugal consumption, ecological awareness, and personal growth -- people can change their lives. And in the process, they have the power to change the world. First published in 1981, Voluntary Simplicity was instantly recognized as a visionary work. The New York Times called it "seminal"; the Wall Street Journal noted that it was "considered the movement's Bible." Revised in 1993 to address the trend toward downshifting, this pertinent book helps us to adjust our thoughts, habits, and goals and embrace the key elements of simplicity: frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth.
Chapter titles
1. Voluntary Simplicity and the New Global Challenge; 2. People Living the Simple Life; 3. Appreciating Life; 4. Living More Voluntarily; 5. Living More Simply; 6. Civilizations In Transition; 7. Civilization Revitalization; Appendix: The Simplicity Survey
By Duane Elgin. 240 pages. Quill. 1993.
Simplicity Lessons: A 12-Step Guide to Living Simply
Book description
Simplicity Lessons is a practical guide for those who long for a slower pace of life with more time for joyful relationships, fulfilling work, and living one's dreams. Working on your own or as part of a simplicity study group, you will explore the major areas of your life: material possessions, money, time, work, housing, transportation, relationships, inner simplicity, health, community, and environmental sustainability. For each category, you will complete written exercises to determine how best to improve the quality of your life.
Chapter titles
1. Why simplify? 2. Do you own your stuff or does it own you? 3. Making friends with money; 4. Home is where the heart lives; 5. Where did all the time go? 6. Working with Passion; 7. Moving about at home and abroad; 8. Awakening the spirit within you; 9. Minding your health and well-being; 10. Finding joy in friends and family; 11. Embracing community; 12. Caring for our home, the Earth
By Linda Breen Pierce. 240 pages. Gallagher Press. 2003.
Simplicity Lessons is a practical guide for those who long for a slower pace of life with more time for joyful relationships, fulfilling work, and living one's dreams. Working on your own or as part of a simplicity study group, you will explore the major areas of your life: material possessions, money, time, work, housing, transportation, relationships, inner simplicity, health, community, and environmental sustainability. For each category, you will complete written exercises to determine how best to improve the quality of your life.
Chapter titles
1. Why simplify? 2. Do you own your stuff or does it own you? 3. Making friends with money; 4. Home is where the heart lives; 5. Where did all the time go? 6. Working with Passion; 7. Moving about at home and abroad; 8. Awakening the spirit within you; 9. Minding your health and well-being; 10. Finding joy in friends and family; 11. Embracing community; 12. Caring for our home, the Earth
By Linda Breen Pierce. 240 pages. Gallagher Press. 2003.
The Circle of Simplicity
Book description
For a growing number of people, simplicity has been a path to experience the joy in life, to cherish its richness and vitality. It strips away the burdens of our daily lives so that we are left with exhilaration, spirit and fullness. These people are finding that less -- less work, less rushing, less debt -- is more -- more time with family and friends, more time with community, more time with nature, and more time to develop a meaningful and compelling spirituality.
In The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life, author Cecile Andrews helps you discover and create the good life for yourself. She is renowned for her workshops on voluntary simplicity and her seminars on creating simplicity circles, where people explore their own life stories and share information and knowledge, helping one another develop lives of simplicity and satisfaction. The circles do not only give people the tools to change, but they also fill unmet needs for community and intimacy and the desire to search for truth in the company of kindred spirits.
Chapter titles
1. The American Dream; 2. The American Nightmare; 3. Saving Our Souls; 4. Seeing Clearly; 5. Clearing Space; 6. Getting Clear; 7. The Authentic Life; 8. Finding and Loving Your Passion; 9. Finding Meaning; 10. Understanding Community; 11. Building Community; 12. Living In Community with the Earth; 13. Rethinking Spirituality; 14. Spirituality and Nature; 15. The Spirituality of Everyday Life; 16. What’s Wrong With Wealth; 17. Structural Changes; 18. Transforming Work; 19. Defining Study Circles; 20. Why Study Circles? 21. The How of Study Circles
By Cecile Andrews. 288 pages. HarperCollins. 1998.
For a growing number of people, simplicity has been a path to experience the joy in life, to cherish its richness and vitality. It strips away the burdens of our daily lives so that we are left with exhilaration, spirit and fullness. These people are finding that less -- less work, less rushing, less debt -- is more -- more time with family and friends, more time with community, more time with nature, and more time to develop a meaningful and compelling spirituality.
In The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life, author Cecile Andrews helps you discover and create the good life for yourself. She is renowned for her workshops on voluntary simplicity and her seminars on creating simplicity circles, where people explore their own life stories and share information and knowledge, helping one another develop lives of simplicity and satisfaction. The circles do not only give people the tools to change, but they also fill unmet needs for community and intimacy and the desire to search for truth in the company of kindred spirits.
Chapter titles
1. The American Dream; 2. The American Nightmare; 3. Saving Our Souls; 4. Seeing Clearly; 5. Clearing Space; 6. Getting Clear; 7. The Authentic Life; 8. Finding and Loving Your Passion; 9. Finding Meaning; 10. Understanding Community; 11. Building Community; 12. Living In Community with the Earth; 13. Rethinking Spirituality; 14. Spirituality and Nature; 15. The Spirituality of Everyday Life; 16. What’s Wrong With Wealth; 17. Structural Changes; 18. Transforming Work; 19. Defining Study Circles; 20. Why Study Circles? 21. The How of Study Circles
By Cecile Andrews. 288 pages. HarperCollins. 1998.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living
Book descrition
Don't give up your simple dreams just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living shows you easy -- not extreme -- ways to nix the unnecessary so you can enjoy the really important stuff.
You'll get:
By Georgene Lockwood. 352 pages. Alpha Books. 2000.
Don't give up your simple dreams just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living shows you easy -- not extreme -- ways to nix the unnecessary so you can enjoy the really important stuff.
You'll get:
- Questions and answers to help you prioritize, then minimize
- Career advice to help you earn a life, not just a living
- Wise ways to "opt out" of certain lifestyle habits -- without "dropping out" altogether
- Suggestions for extending your simple values to relationships, child-rearing and more
By Georgene Lockwood. 352 pages. Alpha Books. 2000.
Small Group Programs
Additional books can be found in the Small Group Programs section.