Ardea

By Freya Mathews

Book Description

In this thought-provoking philosophical exploration, Freya Mathews examines one of humanity's most enduring questions: what constitutes the soul, and what happens when we lose it? Drawing upon Goethe's legendary Faust as a lens for understanding our modern predicament, Mathews investigates how the archetypal deal with the devil has evolved in our contemporary world.

Unlike Goethe's original Faust, who yearned for worldly pleasures and knowledge, today's spiritual seeker already possesses material abundance, information access, and personal freedoms. Yet something essential remains missing. Mathews suggests that in our pursuit of external achievements, we may have forfeited the very thing that makes us whole: our connection to soul itself.

The author introduces a compelling counterpoint through Sarah Orne Jewett's "White Heron," presenting an alternative spiritual contract with the natural world. This pact offers a different path entirely, one that promises healing for the destructive patterns that have shaped modern consciousness and our relationship with the earth.

Through this unique pairing of literary archetypes, Mathews invites readers to consider what a contemporary spiritual seeker truly desires when stripped of material distractions. She explores whether soul can be reclaimed, and if so, from what source such restoration might emerge. This philosophical inquiry offers fresh perspectives on ancient questions about meaning, purpose, and our fundamental connection to life itself.