Roll around heaven : an all-true accidental spiritual adventure

Format:

Book

Title:

Roll around heaven : an all-true accidental spiritual adventure

Author:

Maxwell, Jessica, 1955-

ISBN:

9781582702360

Edition:

1st Atria books/Beyond Words hardcover ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Atria Books ; Hillsboro, Or. : Beyond Words, 2009.

Physical Description:

xiv, 274 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Holy pig farmer -- Flowering bay -- My lunch with Deepak -- Dharma object lesson -- Midnight talks with the Daughters of Islam.

Summary:

An all-true accidental spiritual adventure, "Roll Around Heaven" is filled with polished prose and travel-writer Maxwell's eye-opening and often humorous experiences. Her work will resonate with seekers and cynics, nature lovers and travel enthusiasts alike.

Personal Subject:

Maxwell, Jessica, 1955-

Maxwell, Jessica, 1955- (OCoLC)fst00385133

Subject(s):

Spiritual biography.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Jefferson Public Library	204 MAXWELL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	204.092 Maxwell	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Willamina Public Library	204 MAXWELL	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Chronicling nearly two decades of Jessica Maxwell's all-true accidental spiritual adventure and fillled with astonishing stories, witty insights, and breathtaking revelations, Roll Around Heaven will surely inspire each reader to embrace the power of the divine in his or her own life.

An adventure writer by trade, Jessica had never given God a second thought until, as she describes it, "He/She/It grabbed me by the ear, marched me into the divine principal's office, and told me to quit goofing off and start paying attention." On her amazing journey, Jessica travels the globe on magazine sporting assignments, only to end up talking about God with Islamic women in Dubai, chasing away evil spirits in a Himalayan hotel, and receiving Celtic revelations on the holy isle of Iona.

Jessica soon learns that her earthbound goals are mere day hikes compared to her soaring ascent to heaven on earth. Spiced with humor, rich with original insight, tart with irreverence, and sweetened with compassion for the modern pilgrim, Roll Around Heaven offers readers a perfect recipe for spiritual success in a chronically baffling world.

Author Notes

Jessica Maxwell, formerly a columnist for "Audubon" magazine, writes regularly for "Esquire", "Natural History", "Forbes", & "Travel & Leisure". She is the author of "I Don't Know Why I Swallowed a Fly" & "Femme D'Adventure: Travel Tales from Inner Montana to Outer Mongolia". She lives on Oregon's McKenzie River.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Successful magazine travel writer Maxwell didn't intend to write a book about spirituality. The author of books on golf, fishing and other nature adventures claimed an "allergy to religion," yet spirituality seemed to find her anyway. After stumbling upon a lovable pig farmer/spiritual teacher, the self-proclaimed spiritual klutz finds herself wading through adventures with auras, demons, psychics and Jesus. In this book, Maxwell catalogues 16 years of spiritual experiences. The reader is taken through her quest for peace and understanding as she discovers that, regardless of the path, all religions call for loving others. Maxwell draws on religious symbolism from all world religions and quotes everyone from C.S. Lewis to Ramakrishna; the book is essentially spiritual and syncretistic. Readers who find Maxwell more superstitious than authentic should still appreciate her distinctive writing style. Her training as a nature writer allows her to see an experience from the outside in a way inward-looking spiritual writers often cannot. Her cheeky-to-chaste style is both conversational and controlled. Readers will enjoy watching this "former spiritual dodo-brain" discover beauty beyond nature. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Seasoned travel and adventure writer Maxwell has penned an irresistible combination memoir, travelogue, and soul-searching odyssey. Initially inspired by a vision of her recently deceased father's face in the sky and spurred on by a spiritual mentor who moonlights as a pig farmer, this self-described nonbeliever embarks upon an unconventional pilgrimage that spans nearly two decades and crosses several continents. Her explorations culminate in a bevy of semi-mystical experiences that include, among others, lunching with Deepak Chopra, dancing with Stephen Hawkins, seeing Celtic visions on the isle of Iona, and trading midnight confidences and theories with the daughters of Islam. Readers who enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love (2007) will hop aboard and enjoy every minute of this rollicking spiritual ride. An inspirational feast for the faithful and enlightening food for thought for the more cynical.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2009 Booklist

An Invitation	p. ix
Part I Holy Pig Farmer
1 The Face in the Sky	p. 3
2 Holy Pig Farmer	p. 11
3 The Last Supper	p. 15
4 Everybody's Secret	p. 17
5 The Knife Man Cometh	p. 21
6 Hibiscus Swami	p. 27
7 Rabbi Eye Movement	p. 37
8 That's Him	p. 41
9 The Auras of Big League Pitchers	p. 43
10 Mud and Water	p. 51
Part II Flowering Bay
11 Little House in the Big Woods	p. 57
12 God Speed	p. 63
13 Evil Furniture	p. 67
14 Flowering Bay	p. 73
15 Let Him Go	p. 79
Part III My Lunch with Deepak
16 The Church of Greg	p. 83
17 Casting Out Demons	p. 93
18 My Lunch with Deepak	p. 97
19 The Blue Light	p. 109
20 The Color Red	p. 115
21 Three Kings and the Pendulum Swings	p. 119
Part IV Dharma Object Lessons
22 The Central Angel	p. 129
23 Dharma Object Lessons	p. 137
24 Val Speaks	p. 143
25 The Elephant God	p. 149
26 Dancing with Stephen Hawking	p. 153
27 Hill gaya re apun	p. 165
28 Avatar of the Heart	p. 171
29 Milk Teeth Miracle	p. 175
30 The Christmas Soldier	p. 181
31 Heart Cloud	p. 185
32 Blessed Assurance	p. 187
Part V Midnight Talks with the Daughters of Islam
33 The Squirrel and Yogananda	p. 193
34 And the Angels Sang	p. 197
35 In the Hall of the Spirit Bear	p. 201
36 Of Microscopes and Jellyfish	p. 209
37 Squids and Chaos Makers	p. 213
38 Airport Enlightenment	p. 219
39 Midnight Talks with the Daughters of Islam	p. 223
40 Nuns for a Week!	p. 233
41 Return of the Two Prophets	p. 241
Epilogue: What on Earth Does All This Mean For You?	p. 245
Benediction	p. 269
Acknowledgments	p. 271

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents