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The Fifth Sacred Thing (Maya Greenwood Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 867 ratings

An epic tale of freedom and slavery, love and war, and the potential futures of humankind tells of a twenty-first century California clan caught between two clashing worlds, one based on tolerance, the other on repression.

Declaration of the Four Sacred Things

The earth is a living, conscious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things as sacred: air, fire, water, and earth.

Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain life, we know that nothing can live without them.

To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves became the standards by which our acts, our economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. no one has the right to appropriate them or profit from them at the expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy.

All people, all living things, are part of the earth life, and so are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in its full diversity.

To honor the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment, sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom, and beauty can thrive. To honor the sacred is to make love possible.

To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our silences, and our voices. To this we dedicate our lives.

Praise for The Fifth Sacred Thing

“This is wisdom wrapped in drama.”—Tom Hayden, California state senator

“Starhawk makes the jump to fiction quite smoothly with this memorable first novel.”
Locus

“Totally captivating . . . a vision of the paradigm shift that is essential for our very survival as a species on this planet.”
—Elinor Gadon, author of The Once and Future Goddess

“This strong debut fits well against feminist futuristic, utopic, and dystopic works by the likes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ursula LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood.”
Library Journal

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her sometimes clumsy but compelling first novel, the author of The Spiral Dance (a central work in the women's spirituality movement) considers two possible futures for America. In ecologically devastated mid-21st-century California, San Francisco is a precariously maintained oasis, its society based on egalitarianism and environmentalism, its deeply spiritual populace possessed of psychic and mystical powers. Drought-plagued southern California suffers under an oppressive, militaristic, technocratic regime that spouts a perverted Christian ideology. After 20 years of uneasy peace, the south's armies mass to invade the north, whose militantly nonviolent denizens must decide how to defend themselves without compromising their pacifism. Starhawk delivers her message with a heavy hand and several cliches: her besieged utopia echoes the liberal politics and ecofeminism of her nonfiction; her dystopia features the overused SF bugbear of Christian fanaticism. However, she creates memorable characters--a young midwife, a broken musician, an old Witch-Woman--and skillfully conveys their emotions in gripping, sometimes harrowing scenes set against vivid backdrops. Though the resolution is somewhat pat--and an obvious plug for Starhawk's philosophy--the story is moving and absorbing.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Known for her works in women's spirituality and ecofeminism, Starhawk has conjured a visionary tale of a multicultural community of witches where poverty, prejudice, hunger, and thirst do not prevail. The surrounding world, set in present-day San Francisco, manifests every 20th-century nightmare: ozone depletion, deadly pollution, a fundamentalist religion-based government, and food and water shortages. The central question haunting a community of well-cast characters is how to resist invading Southern forces without resorting to violence. This strong debut fits well among feminist futuristic, utopic, and dystopic works by the likes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ursula LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood. Starhawk is the author of The Spiral Dance ( LJ 11/1/79), Dreaming the Dark ( LJ 9/15/82), and Truth or Dare (HarperSanFrancisco, 1989). Recomended for literary collections.
- Faye A. Chadwell, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003EJDGLE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (August 10, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 970 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 867 ratings

About the author

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Starhawk
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Starhawk is one of the most respected voices in modern Goddess religion and earth-based spirituality. She is the author or coauthor of twelve books, including the classics The Spiral Dance and The Fifth Sacred Thing. Her latest is The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups, forthcoming in November 2011.

Her web site is http://starhawk.org, her blog "Dirt Worship is at http://starhawksblog.org, and her Facebook page is http://facebook.com/pages/Starhawk/165408987031?v=wall.

She is a cofounder of Reclaiming, an influential branch of modern Pagan religion http://reclaiming.org.

Starhawk is a veteran of progressive movements, and deeply committed to bringing the techniques and creative power of spirituality to political activism. She travels internationally teaching magic, the tools of ritual, and the skills of activism. She directs and teaches Earth Activist Trainings, http://earthactivisttraining.org, which combine a permaculture design certificate course with a grounding in spirit and a focus on organizing and activism.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
867 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as a good story with interesting characters and settings. The author's writing style is described as amazing and prophetic. The book covers environmental concerns and interactions with the environment, which customers appreciate.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

77 customers mention "Readability"77 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, charming, and enjoyable. They describe it as a relevant read that appeals to all age groups. The book is well-written with fully developed characters.

"...Starhawk gets it right. It's a charming book that shocks you and then comforts you and then abandons you...." Read more

"...This book is amazing in that it was written over 20 years ago in 1993...." Read more

"...I recommend to you a great read, An extraordinary literary vision of a possible future, including:..." Read more

"...A really fun book to read, hummm,,, for some people...." Read more

61 customers mention "Thought provoking"61 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and inspirational. It teaches a lesson in humanity and unity. Readers say it sprouts hope in their hearts while delving into the dark. The book offers new ideas and perspectives.

"...It's a well crafted story that takes you from human paradise to human hell and then back again...." Read more

"...It's filled with permaculture principles, magick, natural healing, and the tension between totalitarian dystopia and a power-from-within ecotopia..." Read more

"...The reason this book is so remarkable is that it deals with a human truth so fundamental as to often be missed: You can't change society until you..." Read more

"...faces in the coming decades, and Starhawk does a lovely job of considering some options, while telling a most compelling story...." Read more

54 customers mention "Story quality"54 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it compelling, human, and magical. The book takes them on an adventure with varied human interactions in 2048 A.D. Readers appreciate the view of the future presented in the fantasy setting. They also mention that the book offers a rich blend of permaculture principles, magic, natural healing, and apocalyptic events.

"...It's a well crafted story that takes you from human paradise to human hell and then back again...." Read more

"...It's filled with permaculture principles, magick, natural healing, and the tension between totalitarian dystopia and a power-from-within ecotopia..." Read more

"...Though a bit more epic than completely necessary, the storytelling is wonderful, beautiful, mostly believable, and singular." Read more

"...I am so glad I did. This is a magical book, and it was never more timely than now...." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters engaging and praise the heroes as well.

"...writing of Margaret Atwood (handmaids tale), Starhawks characters are infinitely more likable and the story leaves you feeling hopeful and provides..." Read more

"...of that conflict and the resolution for some of the main characters is really inspiring...." Read more

"...I think Madrone and Bird are both great heros. Maya too. (I have the prequel to this book that describes Maya's early life.)..." Read more

"This is a well written book with fully developed characters and a truly believable story...." Read more

9 customers mention "Writer"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing style and find the text prophetic. They also enjoy the message and narration of the book.

"...I found Starhawk's text incredibly prophetic, even when I thought it was written in 2005...." Read more

"I love this book! The author writes so well I can see my beautiful San Francisco in the state she describes and the whole of California for that..." Read more

"Beautifully written, wonderful story. This book gives you hope that someday the world might be at peace...." Read more

"Starhawk is an amazing writer...." Read more

3 customers mention "Environmental impact"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of environmental concerns and interactions with the environment. They find the author's work for the environment wonderful.

"Excellent book overall. Covers environmental concerns as well as the fact that we are all sacred individuals...." Read more

"...so many great ways of thinking about the world and our interactions with the environment...." Read more

"...appeal to people interested in earth spirituality, and also to environmentalists. It is imaginative, exciting and confronting." Read more

Sent Used instead of New as I paid for!
1 out of 5 stars
Sent Used instead of New as I paid for!
I paid for a brand new book and instead I get a very used copy. The cover is torn and there is obvious marks where the cover had stuck to something else.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2002
    This is one of my all-time favorite books. I recently read it again for the third time. The line I remember the most is: "All war is first waged in the imagination. "
    In this book, the Fifth Sacred Thing is Spirit, or more precisely Human Spirit. While that statement is broad in its ramifications and very debatable, I think the message and brilliance of the novel is more than evident when you read it. It's a well crafted story that takes you from human paradise to human hell and then back again. Very few dare do this, and of those that try, very few get it right. Starhawk gets it right.
    It's a charming book that shocks you and then comforts you and then abandons you. It leaves you alone, in the wasted, twisted remains of a bombed out L.A. which is now called Angel City. Only English is allowed to be spoken. You are left struggling for breath, any breath, all breath, as the world around you burns. A young child is raped and then killed. Violent murder is done at your innocuous request, by pale beautiful genetic eunuchs. You feel empty... used up... worthless...
    You are rescued from this hell and cast into another: drifting out to sea and too tired to swim ashore. You are rescued again. You return home, only to find one of your worst nightmares to have become a reality.
    What do you do?? How does it end??
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2016
    This was the first novel written by Starhawk; however, I strongly encourage you to FIRST real her prequel to this: Walking to Mercury. That book sets up the characters and story line for this. However, The Fifth Sacred Thing stands on its own if you have not or choose not to read the other. This book is amazing in that it was written over 20 years ago in 1993. At that time, it was viewed almost as a work of science fiction because of the outlandish premise that corporations would rule the world, genetic testing would evolve into human breeding, and water would become so scarce that wars would be fought over it. However, today, this novel is right at the point of totally becoming true.

    I warn sensitive readers that in the second half of the book, the graphic details of how humans are treated at the hands of the corporate 1%ers is so awful that you will have trouble sleeping, not because it is so awful, but because it is so current and not just possible be already being done in our world right now. It would only take a little push by the super wealthy for our world to totally devolve into the story Starhawk presents here in The Fifth Sacred Thing.

    You will have to read to see how it all ends, and how our current world may soon be. Then, dive right into her third novel - just published - The City of Refuge - where the same characters and story line continues.

    But I can say, that even though I have finished reading The Fifth Sacred Thing, I still get nightmares, especially after hearing a news item....
    39 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2013
    A local friend suggested I read "The Fifth Sacred Thing," so that some of us could form a book discussion group about the ideas and vision of this novel. Although it took me awhile to get into the characters, I quickly saw why my friend has read this book three times and counting. It's filled with permaculture principles, magick, natural healing, and the tension between totalitarian dystopia and a power-from-within ecotopia based upon respect, not control.

    I found Starhawk's text incredibly prophetic, even when I thought it was written in 2005. My admiration tripled when I noticed a publication date of 1993! In 2013, as we face nuclear and toxic poisoning of the Pacific Ocean, a no longer hidden Police State, genetic manipulation, a transhumanist agenda, biological warfare, and increasingly intense weather events -both natural and human-aggravated -- the setting of this novel in 2048 feels rather optimistic.

    Once I managed to get a handle on the characters, I found the book difficult to put down. As the narrative continued, I realized that the initial ambiguities and confusion about gender, age and physical markers, actually contribute to and underscore the tale. As readers, we quickly find ourselves overwhelmed in and by a post-collapse world, unsure exactly which collapse triggered which events, but gradually recognizing the effects of long-term trauma and difficult life. Things the 20th and early 21st centuries took for granted have not been available for at least a generation, and the ripple effects of such deprivations reach much further than minor or anticipated inconvenience.

    At the same time, we find that some things in this future society function much more harmoniously than in our current one. In the absence of cars, trucks and planes, this culture has compensated for its isolation by cultivating the individual gifts of each member of the community -- art, music, healing, science, cooking, dreaming and psychic defense. Everyone gardens and participates in seasonal rituals, and the society bases itself around the premise that the Four Sacred Things (fire, water, air, earth) are so sacred that they cannot be privately owned. "May you never hunger; may you never thirst" is a phrase used in real-life pagan gatherings, but in "The Fifth Sacred Thing," this concept forms the basis of an entire political system! No one goes hungry, and no one goes without water.

    As the plot rolls on, we see just how innovative and special this city's solutions are. Contrast via epic journeys to the Southlands shows us that -- despite the obvious challenges up North in 2048 -- things could be (and are) much worse elsewhere. The characters face horrific trials that force them to question not only their own morals and philosophies, but also the very essence of what it means to be human. Readers with rigid ideas about sexuality, self-defense, magick, religion, medicine, technology, and the occult will likely find themselves extremely challenged as they journey with the characters. Author Starhawk practices the Reclaiming Tradition, which combines one's spirituality with non-violent political activism. Throughout her novel, we witness the effectiveness of non-violent resistance, as well as its limitations. The characters' reactions and struggles force us to evaluate our own fixed ideals, hypocrisy, privilege and irresponsibility. We see on every level how each small action affects the whole of Creation, often in dramatic and unforeseen ways.

    I particularly enjoyed all the manifested visualizations, herbal and energetic healing, as well as the key roles played by bees and crystals. Since I have personally made a decision to use magickal self-defense rather than violence should the SHTF, I enjoyed reading about various techniques -- many of which I recognized as real, not fiction. In the acknowledgments, Starhawk confirms how thoroughly she researched this book, including Native teachings, along with actual songs, chants, techniques and rituals.

    If you've ever wondered, "What would I do if society collapsed on multiple levels at once? Does it need to be `every man for himself,' or can (must) we find ways to work together in community? Would we really be stronger together than apart? What does magick have to do with a fully functioning human, and how do I access multi-generational healing?" then "The Fifth Sacred Thing" deserves a place on your bookshelf. You will want to read it again and again, tracking your own growth as you face its challenges. If, on the other hand, you prefer to rest in the hazy halls of denial and wish to cling to the patriarchal status quo, then drop this book like a hot potato! You cannot engage "The Fifth Sacred Thing" and remain unchanged.
    25 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • D
    5.0 out of 5 stars My most gifted book
    Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2024
    I love to pass this book on to others, and I am always recommending it.
  • Cleona Wallace
    5.0 out of 5 stars The book I wish everyone on earth would read
    Reviewed in Italy on November 9, 2021
    Oh my, I just finished this book and my heart is bursting with emotion...optimism, fear, grief, joy.

    I've always loved Starhawk's writing (Spiral Dance was one of the first books I read after discovering paganism more than twenty years ago), but this is an amazing novel in its own right, maybe even better (grounded in an ultimate positive spirituality) than Margaret Atwood's amazing Oryx and Crake trilogy.

    This book was written back in 1993, but it's the book we need now. It talks of all the issues we face today...infectious epidemics, climate change and ecological breakdowns, recover and regeneration, solarpunk and spirituality, and most of all the age old choice between violence and non violence. It's not always easy at times... it shows us where we could be three decades from now, depending on the choices we make today. And it shows us how hard it may be to resist those who would choose the path of violence. But ultimately, it gives me hope.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gift!
    Reviewed in Australia on September 1, 2024
    My sister has been looking for this book for ages, so I was very happy to find it on Amazon. It arrived next day in perfect condition. My sister will be thrilled.
  • Pere
    5.0 out of 5 stars In love
    Reviewed in Spain on May 11, 2016
    Totally in love. I am actually already reading it and I cannot stop reading a chapter or two beafore betime every damn day!
    Do not hesitate and give it a try. Worth it!

    P.S. Have in mind that there are three volumnes and this is the first. The second is "Walking to Mercury" and the last one is "City of Refuge". Enjoy!
  • Karina Ramirez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Klassiker
    Reviewed in Germany on September 2, 2013
    Nachdem ich das Buch vor vielen Jahren bereits 2 mal gelesen hatte, habe ich mir "The fifth sacred thing" in der englischen Originalfassung gegönnt und bin wieder genauso fasziniert wie damals. Starhawks Buch hat nichts von seiner Aktualität verloren, ist spannend und enthält viel anwendbares Hexenwissen.

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