cover image Time Shifting

Time Shifting

Stephan Rechtschaffen. Doubleday Books, $22.95 (238pp) ISBN 978-0-385-47849-6

Citing applications ranging from the intensely private to the comprehensively social, Rechtschaffen, a founder of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York State, advocates a refocusing of our attention on the present. Describing the rushed and future-focused schedules characteristic of modern life as a condition of ""time poverty,"" he suggests that active time awareness (""not time management"") offers a path into a richer experience of daily life. From a philosophical position that owes much to Buddhism, the author offers concrete steps to taking back the power we have given to clocks and calendars. ""Time shifting"" requires two steps: becoming aware of the present and practicing ""entrainment""-tuning in to the rhythm and flow of the moment. Rechtschaffen cites ritual as a powerful means of shifting rhythm, and suggests ways to incorporate time-shifting rituals into everyday existence. Nuggets of wisdom and of practical advice add texture to this overview, which concludes with a vision of a political ""time movement"" based on the ideas of such thinkers as Jeremy Rifkin, Joanna Macy and physician Larry Dossey. A valuable bibliography is included. First serial to New Woman; Literary Guild selection; foreign rights sold to 10 countries; author tour. (June)