Kathleen Jenks

This volume presents a short review study of the potential relationships between cognitive neuroscience and educational science. Conducted by order of the Dutch Programme Council for Educational Research of the Netherlands Organization for Scienti c Research (NWO; cf. the American NSF), the review aims to identify: (1) how educational principles, mechanisms, and theories could be extended or re ned based on ndings from cognitive neuroscience, and (2) which neuroscience prin- ples, mechanisms, or theories may have implications for educational research and could lead to new interdisciplinary research ventures. The contents should be seen as the outcome of the ‘Explorations in Learning and the Brain’ project. In this project, we started with a ‘quick scan’ of the lite- ture that formed the input for an expert workshop that was held in Amsterdam on March 10–11,2008. This expert workshopidenti ed additional relevant themesand issues that helped us to update the ‘quick scan’ into this nal document. In this way the input from the participants of the expert workshop (listed in Appendix A) has greatly in uenced the present text. We are therefore grateful to the participants for their scholarly and enthusiastic contributions. The content of the current volume, however, is the full responsibility of the authors.

The Green World Oracle focuses on trees and plants as primal symbols of life. Each has an oracular voice, as do the nature spirits, devas, and deities associated with them. Trees speak to us of living in balance with all of life. People often refer to their "roots," the "fruits" of their labor, trees of wisdom, and trees of good and evil. Abused women in Greek mythology are rescued by being turned into trees; children are born from them; gods like Osiris are entombed in them; sacred fire is struck from them; the voice of Moses’ deity came from one. We plant a tree to celebrate a wedding, a birth, or to mourn a death. Humankind has always sensed the presence of spirits, or "otherness," around trees. This oracle gives voice to their rich, caring insights. A beautifully designed deck of thirty-three cards offers access to these mysterious realms.Includes cards and book.