Hoop and the Tree: A Compass for Finding a Deeper Relationship with All Life

By Chris Hoffman

Book Overview

The "tree" is the vertical dimension of aspiration, individual growth, and intellectual and spiritual development. The "hoop" is the circular representation of our relationship with humanity and the earth. Using examples from Native American and other ancient traditions, Chris Hoffman shows readers how to develop both parts of the whole to help people lead a more contented, complete existence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157178098X
• ISBN13: 9781571780980
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Council Oak Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Draws from world mythology and scared traditions

The Hoop & The Tree: A Compass For Finding A Deeper Relationship With All Life is a ground breaking treatise offer the reader a practical integration of psychology, spirituality, and ecology. Chris Hoffman draws from world mythology and scared traditions that include elements of Native American teachings, Taoism, Kabbalism, Sufism, Druidism, Buddhism, and contemporary psychology. Highly recommended reading for students of metaphysics, spirituality, psychology, and personal growth, The Hoop And The Tree makes clear that there is a direct relationship between human psychology and environmental ecology, and that the mature self is necessarily ecological in nature.

An Eloquent Compass

Chris Hoffman takes a poet's care with language and a scholar's care with information. The Hoop and the Tree is indeed a compass, pointing toward powerful truths of human experience and growth. For the seasoned practitioner of a spiritual life this book is a wonderful reminder of the universality of our need to connect and to stretch. For someone who is just beginning to explore a deeper meaning in life, this book will be a wonderful way to get started. The stories and examples balance out the ideas nicely.

A New Structure for Myth, Culture and Living Life

Joe Campbell taught us the "journey" underlies most myths. Chris Hoffman is teaching us that not only stories but whole cultures are spun on one of two images. Students in my seminars say "It's a unified field! We can hang everything on this structure." They also find hope for themselves and the future in the book, with comments like "It's not about duality. We're not forced to make a choice between, for example, hierarchy and community, or ambition and friendship, or a life of action or one of contemplation. It's both Hoop and Tree." The payback for reading this book - an easy read compared to Campbell - is a simple structure for organizing immense amounts of information, and for living your life.

A Powerful, Poetic Model for Spiritual Growth

I tend to be put off by organized religions because each faith generally claims a monopoly on "the truth" while ignoring the wisdom of other traditions. In The Hoop and the Tree, Chris Hoffman reveals a remarkable commonality in major world religions. Using Black Elk's sacred hoop and tree as a takeoff point, Chris shows how our natural desires for community, connection with nature, and personal growth can lead to an enduring and inclusive spirituality. If you liked the Dalai Lama's Ethics for the New Millennium, I think you'll love The Hoop and the Tree.

A Pattern for Healing

Chris Hoffman's eloquent book makes the case that the model of the Hoop and the Tree, an image that can be found throughout the world's wisdom traditions, could well be the key that opens our lives to the deepest spiritual possibilities. Hoffman's book is beautifully written and well grounded in scholarship, but its greatest value lies in its accessibility and the many examples Hoffman gives of how he has used the healing pattern of the Hoop and Tree in his own counseling practice. This is a book that could change your life.