Jim Robbins is a frequent contributor to the science section of the
New York Times. He has written for
Smithsonian,
Audubon,
Vanity Fair,
The Sunday Times,
Scientific American, the
New York Times Magazine,
Discover,
Psychology Today,
Gourmet, and
Condé Nast Traveler. He lives in Helena, Montana.
His new book is
The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet.
Recently I asked Robbins what he was reading. His reply:
I’ve been reading a tiny book, just 128 pages, called The Creation of Consciousness, by Dr. Edward Edinger, who was a leading Jungian until his death in 1998. In spite of its 
pint size it’s endlessly fascinating and I keep picking it up and re-reading parts of it. This book talks about how the real crisis these days is in human awareness – essentially that we are cut off from our true source of spirituality, our larger selves, and operating instead based solely on our ego. When we heal this split, and become aware of our true selves, things will change for the better. It might sound a little woo-woo, but Edinger approaches it with the rigor of a scientist. He believes an expansion of consciousness is now under way, whether we want to experience it or not. I hope he’s right – I think an increase in consciousness is the only thing that can rescue us from our folly, though an involuntary expansion of conscious will not be easy.
Visit
Jim Robbins's website.
--Marshal Zeringue
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