The Journey Beyond

by Erik Stensland, Janna Nyswander (Editor), Jerry Dorris (Designed by)

Overview

Winner of IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards' 2022 Gold Medal (Inspirational) and Silver Medal (Gift) 

 

Learning to Live Beautifully in a Troubled World

Experience a breath of fresh air with The Journey Beyond, a gorgeous hardcover book filled with stunning color photos of the natural world and writing that will both challenge and inspire you.

The Journey Beyond invites us to take a fresh look at ourselves and our society, to move beyond the aggressive and polarized culture that keeps us trapped in a stalemate of hate and division. The deep-rooted challenges that we collectively face cannot be solved through partisan politics. To move forward, we must engage with each other outside the blinding and confining boundaries of party, recognizing the humanity of one another and identifying together the direction of our common health. This is not a simple self-contained action that we do; rather, it is part of our lifelong journey of becoming whole. This book is an invitation to journey beyond the propaganda, beyond the easy solutions, and beyond our own self-interest, where there is another way of being that we and our society desperately need.

This is the second book in the WHISPERS series. In these books, professional photographer and award-winning author Erik Stensland explores what it means to pursue goodness, wholeness, and meaning, following the voice that whispers deep within all of us. He has written these books in the form of easy-to read daily reflections that look at life from a different perspective. Each of these readings is paired with one of his stunning photographs of the natural world, chosen to emphasize the message of the day.

If you are ready to open yourself, to take an honest look within, and to pursue the way of goodness, you will find this book to be a delightful and encouraging companion on that journey to personal and societal wholeness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781970099997
Publisher:	Rocky Trail Press
Publication date:	05/01/2021
Series:	Whispers , #2
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

Erik Stensland was born in Minnesota in 1968 but moved many times before he was 18. His first real memories are from the mountains outside of Helena, Montana, where at ages 5 and 6 he would spend his days hiking through the forest, exploring miles of mountain terrain around his house. Everywhere he moved he was drawn to the natural world, spending his days creating his own secret trails up to the top of nearby hills or climbing a tree to get a better view. His junior high and high school years were spent cycling throughout the countryside where he could enjoy quiet and beautiful views. Throughout Erik’s life, the beauty of nature has called to him.

After college Erik moved overseas, living in Austria, Bulgaria, Albania, and Kosovo. He met his wife, Joanna, in Austria and they spent over a decade working with the Albanian people, doing everything from creating an ecotourism program, teaching English, assisting local artists, starting a refugee agency, helping local churches meet the needs of their society, and many other projects.

After suffering severe burnout, Erik and Joanna moved to Colorado in 2004. Erik became a landscape photographer in the hope that this might be a way to get paid to hike, as the silence of the wilderness is where he is renewed. While it has involved more office work than he ever imagined, he’s still managed to explore nearly every corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, hiking every trail, most of them more times than he can count.

In 2007 Erik opened his gallery in Estes Park. Since then Erik has become one of the primary photographers focusing on Rocky Mountain National Park. He’s published numerous books, opened other gallery and display locations, and contributes to various local and national publications.

Erik tends to avoid the spotlight and can most often be found heading in the opposite direction of the crowds, looking for quiet trails that lead into places of beauty and silence.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 10

On the Path . . . . . . . . . . 15

What Is this Journey? . . . .16

Underneath it All . . . . . 19

Mirror . . . . . . . . . . 20

Honest Vulnerability . . . . . 23

Desert Humility . . . . . . 24

Reality Check . . . . . . . 27

Unexpected Guides . . . . 28

Rocks and Flowers . . . . . . 31

Aspire to Gentleness . . . 32

The Struggle . . . . . . . 34

Joyful Fragrance . . . . . 37

Eyes of Possibility . . . . . 39

Morning Dance . . . . . . 40

Unearned . . . . . . . . . 43

Both . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Here . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Your Life Is Now . . . . . . . . 48

A Life of Joy . . . . . . . 51

Dip Below . . . . . . . . 53

Old Ponderosa . . . . . . 54

The Pass . . . . . . . . . 58

Work to Do . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Why Goodness? . . . . . 63

Recognizing Goodness . . . 64

Bringing Goodness . . . . . 66

To Live Beautifully . . . . . 69

The Way of Peace . . . . . 71

Flammable Indignation . . . . 75

Fog of Hate . . . . . . . . 76

Division . . . . . . . . . . 79

Turbulence . . . . . . . . 81

The Hard Path . . . . . . . 82

Stones . . . . . . . . . . 85

Unhealed Wounds . . . . . 87

Tears . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Celebration of Color . . . . 91

Through Another’s Eyes . . 93

A Safe Place . . . . . . . . . . 94

Interconnected . . . . . . . . 97

Community Health . . . . . . 98

Pointing Fingers . . . . . . 101

The Grace of Aspen . . . . 103

Many Ways . . . . . . . . 104

Pragmatism . . . . . . . . 108

Never Forget . . . . . . . . 111

Truth and Fear . . . . . . . 112

Step With Caution . . . . . 115

Beyond the Crowd . . . . . 116

Frenzy . . . . . . . . . . .118

Effective Resistance . . . . 121

High Alert . . . . . . . . . 123

Waters of Life . . . . . . . . . . 125

Avoiding Stillness . . . . . 126

Beyond the Spotlight . . . 129

Meaningful Trickle . . . . . 130

Small Things . . . . . . . 133

Overcoming . . . . . . . 135

Creating Space . . . . . . 138

Wild Lessons . . . . . . . 141

Here in the Woods . . . . . . .143

You Belong Here . . . . . . . .144

Reconnecting . . . . . . . . . . 147

Air . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Bend Low . . . . . . . . .151

What Is Valuable? . . . . 152

Wind in the Trees . . . . . 155

Two Hands . . . . . . . . 157

Walk Quietly . . . . . . . 158

Crisis at Sea . . . . . . . . . . 161

Not My Problem . . . . . . . . 162

First We Must Love . . . . 164

Spring Is a Process . . . . . . 167

Walk . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Moonlight . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Looking Back . . . . . . . . . . 175

Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

About the Author . . . . . . . 179

About the Images . . . . . . 180

Preface

INTRODUCTION

If you are anything like me, you have this deep yearning within to live a meaningful life, a life that in some way makes this world a better place. I think we all have that longing, though for some it may be dulled or hidden by years of struggle and pain. I hope I can encourage you to reconnect with that quiet voice within that calls us to a life of beauty and meaning.

This book continues the journey that was started in the first book in this series, Whispers in the Wilderness. We still follow the trail toward wholeness, but now it leads us beyond ourselves and out into our troubled world. Here we are challenged to step outside the dominant paradigms that keep our world trapped in unhealthy patterns of self-destruction. Along this path, we encounter deeper ways of seeing and healthier ways of engaging with our society and our planet. As these ways become part of our lives, we not only find freedom for ourselves, we also become agents of healing in the world around us.

This path to wholeness is never easy. It seems to always head into places we would rather not go. In some ways, it reminds me of the path to healing offered by physical therapists. Those areas where we are stiff and sore are always the ones they work on. They don’t do it to cause us pain, but to bring strength and health back to those places in our body. I think you will find this trail to be much the same.

This book is in part an attempt to help us take a fresh look at American society and to move beyond the aggressive, polarized culture that keeps us locked in a cycle of hate and division. Our nation is facing deep-rooted challenges that cannot be solved at the level of politics. My hope is that this book will help us to become people who can envision the way to a better future.

I've chosen to reflect this part of our journey through the photos I’ve selected. I’ve included photos not only from my beloved Rocky Mountain National Park but also from the harsh Desert Southwest, the sweeping vistas of Scotland, the primeval landscape of Iceland, the lush rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, the rugged coasts of England, the gentle waters of the Adriatic, and the towering peaks of the European Alps. These images reflect the diversity of challenges and beauty we encounter along the way.

Like Whispers in the Wilderness, this is not a simple narrative or "how to" approach but rather a series of individual reflections designed to help us ponder and listen to that voice within. As you make your way through this book, I encourage you to read only a page or two at a time. I suggest taking time after reading each page to rephrase it in your own words. Then listen in the silence and see if you can hear what that gentle Whisper within is asking of you.

While Whispers in the Wilderness was more of a devotional type of book, this one is a little different in that it has been written to help us think more deeply about how our internal world should relate to the outer world. It will require some additional work on your part to apply it to your situation. I hope you will make that effort and not shrink back. Also, be aware that from time to time I will touch on the same issue over several different pages, but each time from a slightly different perspective. In doing so, I hope to clarify the issue so that we might see it more clearly and engage with it more fully. I find in my own life that it often takes a bit of repetition for some thoughts to sink in and begin to take hold.

While I cannot promise that the journey ahead will always be an easy one, I can promise you it's one that you will not regret. The path to wholeness is not only the path to personal transformation but also to the healing of the world itself. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Editorial Reviews

The Journey Beyond is a passionate ode to the beauty and truth of nature—human and otherwise.

Independent Book Review

"I encourage you to give attention to this unusual book. By drawing our attention to the natural world, the author leads us on a journey of realignment with ourselves, each other and this world we inhabit."

Richard Rohr

"The modern world has assigned Nature to the realm of reductionist science. Our knowledge has greatly increased, but along the way we've lost a sense of wonder and beauty, as well as the wisdom that guided so many or our ancestors who lived closer to the earth. In the tradition of John Muir, Erik Stensland rediscovers that trove of wisdom, lighting the way with a collection of stunningly beautiful photographs. Rarely has a book excited so many of my neurons at once."

Philip Yancey

This is a book for our times. Relevant, honest and healing. The photos make the text come alive.

Shelley Hall

I encourage you to give attention to this unusual book. By drawing our attention to the natural world, the author leads us on a journey of realignment with ourselves, each other and this world we inhabit.

Richard Rohr (CAC)

Erik's deep love and reverence for the natural world comes through powerfully in his new book, The Journey Beyond. Through his photographs and writing, he reminds us of all the lessons we can learn from slowing down and observing nature's quiet wisdom. This is a book that inspires us to be more thoughtful, appreciative, and understanding of one another and the many species we share this world with.

Eric Bennett (Bennett Films)

Nature photographer and author Erik Stensland masterfully examines the issues that trouble us and our world today, from media manipulation to politics to racism to climate change and provides tangible steps we can take to live more peaceably and peacefully. It is the perfect read for anyone who feels weighed down by the goings-on in the world, by anyone who yearns for more meaning in life, and really for anyone who is breathing.

Jennifer Klein Salyer

Breathtaking photography and thoughtful words transport you into a safe and calming space beyond the noise and challenges of our divided society. This is the book that our world needs today. I wish every citizen and politician across the globe had a copy.

Melissa Serdinsky (Thin Air Collective)