Book excerpt: After a career as one of the nation's top environmental lawyers, James Thornton spent several years on retreat, culminating in a meeting with the Dalai Lama, who asked him to teach a path of integration and wholeness. In A Field Guide to the Soul, Thornton leads us through a series of contemplative exercises designed to clarify the body, mind, and heart, and make a deep connection with the wisdom encoded in the natural world. His nature writing is joyously lyrical; the book as a whole is immensely practical, drawing on Jungian psychology, and Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian teachings, to give us the tools to work for the benefit of all living beings. At a time when people are desperate to make some sense of their lives, Thornton shows us how to embark on our own hero's journey. Only by taking full responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, and actions can we bring about the revolution in consciousness that is so vital today. In order to discover how to care for the Earth and all its inhabitants, we must first learn how to care for ourselves. Here is a practical manual that shows us the way.