SOULUTION

Subtitled 'The Holistic Manifesto', William's book is an ambitious attempt to set out holism as an integrated world-view that promises to be an adequate cultural response to the challenges of our time. William's long experience of the holistic movement, for instance as the founding Director of Alternatives at St. James's Piccadilly and as a trustee of the Findhorn Foundation, makes him eminently qualified to undertake this task. Given that holism has many variations, I am hesitant about the definite article in the subtitle - 'A Holistic Manifesto' might have been better - but the book does achieve an internal consistency that justifies the use of the word manifesto.

The book covers the major themes of a holistic outlook, where a new kind of spirituality is at the core, one that is based on spiritual experience rather than doctrine. William's starting point, which most readers of this review would accept, is that an approach based on secularism and a narrow interpretation of traditional religion is not up to the mark. This wider sense of spirituality is characterised as a feeling of connection to the universe, a desire to explain and deepen this sense of connection, a general enquiry into the deepest questions of life, and an instinct to reach beyond the boundaries of the ego and to love others. Early in the book, William raises objections commonly voiced against holism - that it has no spiritual depth and no morality (all about self-indulgence) and devotes a later chapter to examining and refuting these charges.

Does he succeed in this? For the most part, I believe he does, both in theory and practice. Such criticisms are levelled by adherents of traditional faiths on the one hand, and by secularists on the other. William takes on the traditional faiths as having an authoritarian and rigid approach, while judiciously warning against the emergence of holistic dogmatism. He shows that holists have a much more inclusive approach but makes it clear that this does not imply the cultural relativism that anything goes. Secularists often fail to distinguish between fundamentalism (also rejected by holists) and the more mystical approaches based on experience and practice. They are less concerned with spirituality than analytical rigour, labelling holists as irrational or woolly-minded. William is neither in this book, advocating what he calls an open heart and a generous mind.

In his chapter on ethics, William summarises the main ethical tenets of major religious traditions. He then reminds the reader that holism is explicitly spiritual and its spirituality is based on the relationship and interdependence of creation. Added to this are the observations that life is emergent and seeks to fulfil its potential, so that ethical behaviour is what supports this process of growth within the unfolding hierarchy of needs. There is also an environmental aspect to morality based on love and respect of nature.

The next chapter outlines William's core spiritual practice of self-reflection, addressing the charge of superficiality. The purposes of such a practice are moral, developmental and connective. It tries to go beyond polarities to the witness consciousness, thus leading to enhanced mindfulness and self-awareness. Beginning with the physical body, the practice also implies looking after one's health, including emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It can lead to metaphysical understanding of other levels of existence. The practical implications of holism are explored in the next chapter, especially relationships and money, about which William wrote in an earlier book.

The final chapter pulls all the threads together and sets out what William defines as the Holistic Manifesto. He makes it clear that the Manifesto is the beginning of a conversation rather than a diktat from on high. The keys are open-heartedness and open-mindedness, celebration of diversity and mystery, realisation of the interconnectedness of life, an ethic of loving, supporting and protecting all beings, and action dedicated to social justice, world peace, environmental harmony, development, prosperity and fulfilment for all.

Will Holism become the major spiritual approach on the planet, as William projects? Its basis in some of the principles of modern science and the prevalence of cultural creatives in different parts of the world makes is highly likely that such an approach will become more widespread, but, like the Gnostics in the early Christian era, it does not by definition have a centralised hierarchy and institutional grounding. This means that it does not have a power base, nor does it have more than minimal financial resources. It corresponds to and is spread by the technology of the Internet, but has grave reservations about other technological developments that are being driven by those with commercial and financial clout. And until it achieves a political critical mass, it is unlikely to become more widely influential. Much depends on the nature of the future that we collectively choose.

In any event, William has written an important book that could help begin the conversation, as he puts it, and get holism on the map. Readers can log onto www.holism.info for more information on how he plans to raise the profile and representation of holism in the community - aiming to get it onto the 2010 UK census form is a good strategic aim. The contents of the book are well set out, making for easy reading with appropriate bullet points and summary paragraphs plus an excellent selection of inspiring quotations at the end of the subsections; however, I have to say that I found the smudged-style subheadings off-putting - they look as if they were typed on an ancient machine with a worn-out ribbon and do not enhance the appearance of a serious book that deserves a wide readership.