BOOK REVIEWS
Julianna Perkins
of
Primal Awareness ......Don Trent Jacobs
In 1983 Don Trent Jacobs embarked on a journey that has changed his life. His adventure occurs in Mexico's Copper Canyon. While kayaking the Rio Urique, a violent rainstorm swept Don into an impassable catacomb of underwater tunnels toward what he believed to be certain death. Instead of fear Don felt a sense of peace and was then incredibly and miraculously spit from the tunnel alive - and the journey begins. Don shares details of his encounters with some remarkable people known as the Raramuri. Their life-style is a direct result of their ability to transcend the physical and stay in touch with aspects of being that most of us have never experienced.
"PRIMAL AWARENESS" tells the story of Don's compelling spiritual quest. He refers to his experience as "primal awareness' ‹ an innate knowledge that exists within us all. Jacobs shows how we can rediscover this primordial mandate that unites all things and helps us to find our own inner strength and harmony. He describes a way to harmonious living which he refers to as the CAT-FAWN connection. This paradigm symbolizes the associations that have patterned the thinking styles of many indigenous people, especially Native Americans. Whoever has maintained this awareness throughout history, regardless of skin color or religious faith, has managed to do a better job of preventing disharmonious relationships from dominating life and its structures.
Proceeds from the book go to help the Raramuri Indians.
November 4, 1998 Reviewer: A reader from Nebraska Times:
"I could not put the book down. Primal Awareness is both uplifting and tragic. I was saddened to tears, other moments I was inspired. This is truly a unique book, combining a remarkable true life story with a more "scholarly" analysis of the thinking processes that differentiate between indigenous thinking and traditional western thinking and how we can all regain our amazing "primal awareness' to help us live a full and balanced life."
Lori Colomeda, Tribal College Journal, Summer 2000
"Primal Awareness is a fantastic tale of unbelievable magnitude. "
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