Beyond the Doors of Perception into the Dreaming of Earth

I bought this book because of the good reviews. I was disappointed. The writer is engrossed in lengthy sublime grammatical language. It was hard to grasp the mission of the book after the first two chapters.I never read so many referenced metaphors in my life. If you're new at the scientific and spiritual comprehension of plant intelligence and can get through the academic jargon and endure this method of writing - you might comprehend some of it. I couldn't help but wonder if the writer was so in love with his own voice that he forgot who the audience was.

Example of the writer's style: "The Pre-attentional parts of the self use a complicated analytic process to determine relevance. They weigh a large variety of factors to gauge relevance; this includes such things as the intensity of the sensory inflow, its novelty, the degree of contrast between a sensory stimulus and its sensory background, and its rarity. When it comes to novelty, the pre-attentional parts of the self look for patterns of similarity, that is...how similar is this new sensory input to ones that have gone before?" Or..."I am speaking of and, too, into your experience came the sound of my voice and the feelings that accompany the meanings that these words have inside them. You were until I woke you from it, engaged in a form of dreaming."

The entire book is like this.Who's his audience? I went from somnolent to angry trying to comprehend what the hell his was talking about. Maybe he has followers who adore the style. I just wanted to learn from the book without having to scale a secret egotistic mountain to get to the information. My professor who has in Ph.D. in language states, "people who write like this are not in the business of educating the lay person. It's about showing off."

Personal message to the writer: " Stephen, Who is your editor?" Come back from the trip you're on. The audience here is in the third dimension."

The author rambles all over the place, tossing around various bits of information about the natural world.He gives too many quotes from various writers, overloading the brain. The author has a schoolmaster tone, telling us what to think and do.There are too many words. Words imprison us; we have to go beyond them. What the author is getting at, deeper experience of life, you would get quicker reading some Zen poems. Better still, get outdoors and contemplate nature as much as possible.

I just finished reading this book and I am already missing its company. Reading this book was like going on a journey, a journey deep inside myself and into the heart of the Earth. Honestly, I don't remember the last time a book captivated me like this one did. While reading it I felt like I was transported into another world, a world full of mystery and wonder, a world that seemed so far away from the mundane everyday-happenings around me and yet I knew that all this was taking part around me at this very moment. The book fills you with a sense of awe of being alive on this beautiful planet, it makes you feel like a child again, fascinated by the world and wanting to engage with it and explore it.
Even though I have enjoyed this book immensely, I can't say that I agree with all of Stephen Buhner's opinions. At one point he states that the current state of the earth, the environmental destruction etc. is simply a "season" of the earth, part of a cycle. It is, according to him, "autumn" now and earth is decomposing and decaying, but spring will come again and all will be well again. Hm. I don't know, maybe I need to expand my mind, but to me, the environmental crisis that the earth is in at the moment isn't "natural" or "meant to be".
Despite this, I would recommend this book without hesitation. It isn't for everyone though - if you are someone who believes that humans are "above" every other being on Earth and unwilling to change your thinking, this book will probably just upset you. You are, as Buhner sais, probably better off reading Dawkins.
But for all those with an open heart and mind who feel a deep connection with the Earth and who know that we humans are only a small part of a much bigger story: Get this book and enjoy the journey!

Another excellent piece of work by Buhner, who is becoming one of my favorite reads. His argument deserves to be read and debated widely. This is thought that we need to grapple with seriously, and soon.

I support other the negative reviews. He says the same thing too many times, too many quotes, reads like an egotistic trip under influence. I could not read it to the end. Too much unpleasant effort, taking too much of my time. Very disappointed because the subjects (plant intelligence-which is hardly touched- and doors of perception) fascinate me.

Absolutely the best book in quite some time for me. Buhner expands our consciousness by relating the latest discoveries of bacteria and plant physiology leading to the acceptance of intelligence at all levels including the Earth herself which asks us then to step up and act intelligent also in this connected interplay called life.

I read his books like other folks read the bible. Buhner is a bracing wind from the high wild mountains demanding that we stop seeing the earth as an inanimate thing to be dominated and exploited. I have worked in the woods for the better part of my life and know my local flora as friends and teachers. Thank you Mr Buhner for validation and sharing your knowledge.

This book is absolutely profound and deeply moving. I made it last as long as I could and now must get additional copies to share with loved ones. A piercing unification of metaphysical themes and cutting edge scientific inquiry...especially in biology and neuroscience. A daunting subject matter that Mr Buhner handles with grace and awe. I really cannot say enough here. I will read it again. It is long and quite deep...at times one has to be nimble to simply hang on to his postulations but so worth it. You will be talking about this book like a great movie just seen and your both driving home in the car discussing avidly. if there was a poster for this book cover I would buy it in a minute. The cover alone will move you.