#title We Live In The Orbit Of Beings Greater Than Us – book review #author Julian Langer #LISTtitle We Live In The Orbit Of Beings Greater Than Us – book review #date July 3, 2020 #source https://ecorevoltblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/03/we-live-in-the-orbit-of-beings-greater-than-us-book-review/ #lang en #pubdate 2025-07-19T11:13:49 #authors Julian Langer #topics book review, paganism, ecology, We Live In The Orbit Of Beings Greater Than Us, by Patrick Farnsworth, is one of those books that I find I read with a certain intention. It is not a book you read to read the writer or to read the book, but, like a massive coffee table book on galaxies or impressionist paintings, this book has the feel of a book you would read to discover what is inside and find what interests you. Most of the text is comprised of segments from interviews Farnsworth has published through his podcast Last Born In The Wilderness (I’ll link below). So you end up reading a great deal that is not Farnsworth. As someone who enjoys reading a beautiful writer and thinker, there is a degree to which this disappointed me. However, what is gained through this is you encounter a diverse range of thinkers and ways of thinking. What bits of Farnsworth’s own thoughts are wonderful to read, as honest reflections on the ecological situation we find ourselves immersed within. His message of “… we can still, I think, retrieve something of what was lost, even if it won’t “save” us” and “(t)o reiterate, this isn’t about finding hope in the sense of “winning”, but rather orienting ourselves by our sacred responsibilities” embody a sort of eco-absurdism that is very similar to my outlook. What I found when reading this collection of conversations with specialist interests regarding ecological matters, and Farnsworth’s own thoughts, was what seems to be an attempt in two modes of perceptual-attack and psychic-warfare that I have described in a yet to be published book as aesthetic-terrorism and pan-eroticism (this concept being one I have stolen from Feral Faun). When Farnsworth states “(w)e will not win. Our civilisation is dying, and maybe it should” it is immediately apparent that the intention here is to insight the type of feeling of existential dread that terrorism inspires, on an aesthetic level. Likewise, when Farnsworth states “(r)regardless of what is coming, we must demonstrate our love for the Earth, in all the forms it comes in. Our love is not an abstract, it’s tangible and as real as the air we breathe and the soil beneath our feet” it is immediately apparent that the intention is to inspire feelings of affirmation and care for life as we know it as Extensions of Earth. The book that this most reminded me of is the collection published by The Dark Mountain Project titled Walking on Lava, though there is a definite pagan quality to Farnsworth’s project that isn’t in the other. Please don’t be put off by the idea that there is a religious quality to the book, as, actually, Farnsworth’s expression of his faith is far more enjoyable than most religious writers, as there is no pushing of myth or dogma – I write this as a fundamentalist agnostic, who is drawn to acosmic-nihilism. This isn’t like reading Buddhistic-anarchists, where you have to jump on board with a whole bunch of concepts like karma to engage with what you are reading, or voodoo-Shaman egoist-communists, where 90% of what you are reading is basically wet fart; Farnsworth’s paganism is more like garnishing for a great meal, when reading this book. What I appreciate most about We Live In The Orbit Of Beings Greater Than Us is this quality of warm-darkness that I found in reflections Farnsworth makes, like this – “(t)he pain will get greater. And really, what can we do?” As promised, here is the link – https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/orbit