In this dramatic combination of New Science and esoteric religious and philosophical wisdom, Tompkins draws from the recorded accounts of the visions of clairvoyants and shamans dating from the ancient mysteries, passed on through Hindus, Persians, Chaldeans, Pythagoreans, Pharaonic Egyptians, Gnostics, neo-Platonists, Kabbalists, and Rosicrucians down to the theosophists and anthroposophists of today. To these are added recent studies by naturalists and scientists that support the view that nature spirits are, in fact, not only real, but crucial transformers and manipulators of primordial energy within the natural world. A century ago theosophists using yogic powers accurately described the subatomic composition of all the known chemical elements (and several as yet undiscovered by science) down to the level of quarks and beyond, descriptions since validated by nuclear physicists. Why not, argues Tompkins, give credence to the minute descriptions of the world of nature spirits provided by the same theosophists and anthropologists down to details of their habits and essential functions, and upward through the spiritual hierarchies from which they derive? "Walking through the woods I do not see spirits, but I sense them all around". According to Tompkins, they develop the growth in plants, assist in the rhythms of nature, and are intermediaries between humans and the world we live in. Assuming that the actions of these beings are fundamental to natural laws, Tompkins says it should be possible to "integrate (our) efforts with theirs and to lead this planet back to its proper state as a Garden of Eden, thriving and healthy". But time, he reminds us, is running out - the loss of natural ecosystems and the extinction of plant and animal species around the world is approaching catastrophic levels. Concerned ultimately with both the condition of the planet and the state of the human soul, Tompkins prescribes a cure: to develop our innate perceptions, become conscious of these spirits, and cooperate with them to heal the earth, restore nature, and rediscover ourselves.