"Our original sin / Is not the seizing of forbidden fruit, / But failing to see / The infinite in the finite, / The luminous, sacred essence / Of the garden," writes Chris Glaser in one of the poetic meditations in this beautifully designed volume. Startling and sensuous photographs from the National Geographic Image Collection accompany these spiritual musings about the four elements of water, air, earth, and fire.

Chris Glaser, the author of six books published by Westminster John Knox Press, defines the communion of life as "the way in which we realize our connectedness with one another, with the universe, with the sacred." These meditations for the new millenium salute practices that should be part of every devotional path — wonder, play, reverence, imagination, and transformation. Let these poems and beautiful images nurture within your soul a fresh appreciation for the love and the grace that is afoot in the universe.