Locally based book explores AI, ancient wisdom, climate challenges, healing and more

“We’re all in this together; the healing of our communities and our shared planet earth begins with our own internal healing.”

That’s Aaron William Perry’s main message in his new book: “Viriditas: The Great Healing Is Within Our Power.”

The visionary eco-thriller opens in New York City, where the main character, Brigitte Sophia, is being chased through Central Park by sinister, paramilitary men who are hell-bent on getting their hands on the code Brigitte has just cracked, regarding deep artificial intelligence. She’s forced to flee to Colorado, ditching all her technology so she can’t be tracked. Along the way, she must rely on a strange, enigmatic friend of a friend, who she initially doesn’t like (but you know how love stories go). He takes her to local regenerative farms, wilderness areas and eventually to Sustainable Settings Ranch, where she’s exposed to new concepts, including permaculture, biodynamics, esoterica and indigenous and ancient wisdom.

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“All of this is just the set up for the reader, leading into the third and final part of the story, in which a massive, transformational and hopeful revelation is shared with humanity about these perilous times we’re all living in together,” Perry said.

Initially, Brigitte resists slowing down and listening to anything that “isn’t scientific,” but gradually, she begins to break down and wake up, becoming the “reader’s guide to understanding what might be possible in all this unfolding we’re participating in on the planet,” Perry said on a podcast with Brook LeVan, co-founder of Sustainable Settings.

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“She’s like a lot of us, disconnected from traditional wisdom,” he said, adding that throughout her journey, she “drops out of urban consciousness and her head into her body, into her heart.”

With the survival of the species at stake, Brigitte is on an urgent mission to restore the environment, as the book moves from science fiction/technology thriller into a visionary statement about healing the planet.

“Achieving a future of stewardship, regeneration and sustainability is not a mere question of technological, biological and fintech fixes but is a matter of the heart and of culture and of human consciousness — i.e., our psycho-spiritual wellbeing,” Perry said about the message of the book. “The main theme, ultimately, is healing … and love.”

The book blends esoteric, spiritual and indigenous wisdom with real places and people, like LeVan (a fictionalized character in the book), who are working on sustainable solutions. It also exposes readers to regenerative, advanced food production techniques.

“There are people working on these alternative solutions, but they are very small, and they are marginal,” LeVan said on the podcast, adding that Perry “brings us into these other possibilities that are active.”

“While friends say, this is like science fiction, I say, ‘It’s kind of like science fiction, but it’s more like science reality,’” Perry said on the podcast. “The science is actually indeed starting to catch up with the esoteric and spiritual traditions that have been around for years and years.”

Perry views his book as “the culmination of a lifetime of devotion to restoring our planet Earth while doing the hard work to heal and grow personally and the joyful work of creating more resilience within our communities.” His background includes sustainable agriculture, energy, finance, business development and immersion in global history and indigenous cultures.

He’s also the co-founder of Viriditas Society, a new body within the Y on Earth Community’s Ambassador Framework, that brings together a global network of “earth-tenders,” or healers, land stewards, community activists and more. Medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen coined the term “Viriditas,” meaning “the green healing life force of the Divine that flows through the plant kingdom.” The society “is grounded in humble action, spiritual science, ceremonial practice and the potency of gathering and celebrating in the fellowship of community,” Perry said.

Saturday’s book launch includes a sound healing ceremony, following the tradition of how “nearly all of our indigenous ancestors understood and worked, prayed, played and experienced ceremony with music,” Perry said.

Caressa Ayres, who practices sound healing and the Japanese healing-touch art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, will lead the ceremony.

“Her voice is angelic, and, along with the many magical instruments she plays (crystal bowls, drums, chimes, tuning forks, etc.), Caressa provides an immersive experience for people who often report dream-like states, visions and other extraordinary happenings,” Perry said.

The event will also include a biodynamic soil and water activation ceremony and will talk about how structuring water, ceremony and vibratory influences enhance soil, as well as how patterns of conscious life pervade all reality.

“Whatever the answers are to the mysteries of life, Perry is a visionary futurist who has vast knowledge and real personal experience in promoting personal and social change,” wrote Robert Cloninger, medical doctor and author of “Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being,” in praise of Perry’s book. “His vivid and captivating novel turns the path of self-transcendence into an exciting journey filled with many dangerous and unexpected encounters.”