"The sacred energies that smolder in us are a 'throng of invisibles,' as psychologist James Hillman refers to them — powers that reveal themselves in our experience of the depth dimension, the holiness of the world. To experience them we need a capacious imagination, intense commitment to living as creatively as possible, and deep attention to the inner qualities of our lives," writes Phil Cousineau in the introduction to this companion volume to The Soul of the World (1993). Here 56 passages about the yearning of the creative spirit within us are set alongside a series of enchanting color photographs by Eric Lawton.

Modeled on the medieval Book of Hours, Cousineau calls this "a pocket cathedral" designed to stir the soul. Here is Mirabai, an ancient poetess, musing on the hidden treasures of the body. A contemporary writer, Alice O. Howell, challenges us to look at life "through the magnifying glass of wonder." Helen Maybell Anglin reminds us that "soul is whatever rings our bell."

Not a bad image to describe what the mischievous Cousineau and Lawton are up to in this subversive work. They want to bring imagination out of exile. They want to restore this ignored faculty to its rightful place of honor. The Soul Aflame is a playful book that celebrates inner space exploration.