The Birds Who Flew Beyond Time * Anne Baring, Thetis Blacker (Illustrator)

When an endangered Earth issues a desperate cry for survival, a brave hoopoe rouses the birds of the world to embark on an epic, dimension-crossing flight through seven treacherous valleys to seek help from the Great Being.

The Story: Written by prominent Jungian analyst and scholar Anne Baring, with magnificent batik illustrations by celebrated artist Thetis Blacker, this 1993 volume transforms a monumental piece of global spirituality into a highly striking visual fable. The narrative completely looks past shallow, low-friction environmental fables or simple children's bedtime stories. Instead, Baring delivers a substantial, atmospheric adaptation of Mantiq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds), the legendary 12th-century Persian Sufi masterpiece by Farid ud-Din Attar, demonstrating that preserving our world relies on a collective spiritual awakening and discovering the hidden divine spark within our own hearts.

The book takes readers on a deep internal odyssey across its 40 large-format, heavily illustrated pages. The layout tracks the global flock as they rise to defend the Earth and fly toward the deep-sea dwelling place of the Great Being. The narrative unpeels their grueling progress across seven mystical valleys, each guarded by an invisible monster, such as greed, pride, and fear, whose dark spells threaten to strip the traveler of their will. As many birds succumb to their illusions and are left behind, the remaining seekers push through the hundred thousand veils to reach the House of the Treasure, discovering an incredible cosmic unity where they realize they are both themselves and one with the Great Being.

Rather than reading like a dry or abstract religious textbook, this volume functions as an exceptionally comforting, mind-expanding companion for seekers of all generations. Baring balances the ancient allegory with an urgent ecological message, while Blacker’s brilliant, dreamlike artwork fills the pages with vibrant color and mythic presence. Published as a rare, highly collectible trade hardcover by Shambhala Publications / Barefoot Books, this timeless masterpiece remains an essential cornerstone for folklore, philosophy, and illustrated classic shelves.

Perfect For: Fans of ancient spiritual retellings, Jungian psychology, and high-art allegories; readers looking for an uncomplicated yet profoundly detailed narrative to introduce younger minds to Persian mysticism; and book collectors securing a rare, visually breathtaking first-edition Barefoot Books classic.

Published 1993 by Shambhala Publications Barefoot Books.

Spiritual Allegories / Mythic Retellings / Sufi Wisdom Sagas / Visionary Picture Books / Fables for All Ages