A wellspring of natural inspiration: Collected nature writings offer welcome sustenance for the soul. Charles Brandt, the first man to be ordained a hermit-priest, who leads a life of simplicity on Vancouver Island, has compiled a beautiful and diverse array of thoughts and essays from many cultures. The writers he has drawn from include Thomas Merton, Chief Seattle, Henry David Thoreau, Black Elk, Chang Tsai, Linda Gupta and Barry Lopez. These writings inspire, provoke and define the transforming connection with the natural world, a constant source of spirituality and wholeness for so many. Here is a vibrant spectrum of philosophical and religious beliefs that articulate the search for the soul in nature's vast and awesome landscape and make us thoughtful of our place and role within it.