Damanhur and Damanhurians: Here is a guide to the Federation of Communities and its many aspects: spirituality, research, art, sustainability, politics and solidarity, which have characterized this unique experience in the world for 40 years. With practical information for a visit, a course or a period of regeneration on this magical land.

Ecotourism, spa retreats, and spiritual travel are more popular than ever, catering to increasing numbers of travelers who want to learn and grow while vacationing. Damanhur, Italy’s famous center for art, culture, peace studies, and community building, is poised to become a major destination for such tourists. The Traveler’s Guide to Damanhur is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different aspect of visiting Damanhur and its renowned Temples of Humankind. Part one covers practical information on Damanhur and the essentials of traveling in the surrounding Piedmont region of Italy, including details on transportation, lodgings, places to visit, restaurants and wineries, shopping; classes, workshops, festivals, and other public events; and recommended spa treatments and massage therapists. In part two, the history of the Damanhurian community is given a fun treatment in a comic book insert that puts it in a mythic context, linked to Earth and the Galaxy.

"A large format book of photographs of the art and architecture--temples filled with murals, sculpture, mosaic, and stained glass--built by devoted members of the Alps communal village of Damanhur. Text describes the development of a contemporary utopian society practicing spirituality inclusive of all world cultures"--Provided by publisher.

"A great introduction to some extremely remarkable people." -- Ken Campbell, writer, actor. The Temple of Mankind at Damanhur is the home of a fascinating spiritual and artistic community. Hidden inside a mountain in the Italian Alps, it is renowned for its exceptional artistry and breathtaking mix of marble, mosaic and stained glass. It is one of the most extraordinary buildings on Earth, and equally extraordinary is the story of how it was built, and became the center for a utopian community of like-minded people.

In a world of dwindling natural resources and mounting environmental crisis, who is devising ways of living that will work for the long haul? And how can we, as individuals, make a difference? To answer these fundamental questions, Professor Karen Litfin embarked upon a journey to many of the world’s ecovillagesÑintentional communities at the cutting-edge of sustainable living. From rural to urban, high tech to low tech, spiritual to secular, she discovered an under-the-radar global movement making positive and radical changes from the ground up. In this inspiring and insightful book, Karen Litfin shares her unique experience of these experiments in sustainable living through four broad windows - ecology, economics, community, and consciousness - or E2C2. Whether we live in an ecovillage or a city, she contends, we must incorporate these four key elements if we wish to harmonize our lives with our home planet. Not only is another world possible, it is already being born in small pockets the world over. These micro-societies, however, are small and time is short. Fortunately - as Litfin persuasively argues - their successes can be applied to existing social structures, from the local to the global scale, providing sustainable ways of living for generations to come. You can learn more about Karen's experiences on the Ecovillages website: http://ecovillagebook.org/

A fascinating and mysterious discipline, “Selfica” creates objects made of metal, inks and colors that can interact with the environment in a positive way. Selfic structures enhance personal well-being, sensitivity, and mental and physical balance. Be it jewelry, metal structures or paintings, Selfic devices also help their users to learn more about themselves and get in touch with energetic dimensions and information fields different from those in which we are normally immersed. Selfica, developed through the research and teaching of Oberto “Falco” Airaudi, founder of Damanhur, Federation of Communities, is actually an ancient art-science, already known and used by many peoples of the past. This book recounts the experiments of many researchers and enthusiasts as well as those of the author, who has personally participated in many exciting experiences. It is a journey into a new dimension where time, space, emotions and memory respond to laws which are very different from those we are used to...

"The Chest of Memories" and "Checkmate to Time!" are the exciting and fascinating accounts of a veritable modern epic: the birth of a civilisation and the subsequent construction of the Temples of Humankind. It is an exciting and a bit magical story, how a common dream can become reality.

Utopian Dreams offers one writer's attempt to retreat from the 'real world' - which is making him emptier and angrier by the day - and seek out the alternatives to modern manners and morality. Instead of cynicism, loneliness and depression, is it possible to be idealistic, to find belonging and companionship with others who share your sadness, or even, perhaps, your happiness? With his wife and baby in tow, Jones spends a year with spritualists, time-travellers, reformed drug addicts and Quakers, producing a fascinating exploration of the meaning of community.

A visual and anecdotal exploration of the curious worlds hidden beneath our feet, including ancient cities, salt mine cathedrals, underground amusement parks, and more. From bone-filled catacombs to sculpted salt churches to hand-carved cave complexes large enough to house 20,000 people, Underground Worlds is packed with more than 50 unusual destinations that take some digging to find. Award-winning travel writer David Farley revels in the unexpected, whether it is a cave city in China which houses one of the world's largest collections of Buddhist art or an old salt mine converted into a theme park in Romania. Stunning photos help readers see places they could not even imagine, such as a three-story underground train station in Taiwan that is home to the a 4,500-panel "Dome of Light" that is the largest glasswork on Earth, as well as secret spaces, such as an ornate temple built beneath a suburban home in Italy. Throughout the fascinating text are themed entries of underground systems such as the 2,500-year-old water tunnels of Kish Qanat in Iran or engineering marvels like the New York City steam tunnels.