The Seeker's Guide (previously published as The New American Spirituality) by Elizabeth Lesser Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.20 You Save: $6.75 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $9.18 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Seeker's Guide (previously published as The New American Spirituality)
Book Review: An intelligent and tender exploration of the seekers' path
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been to many "new age" workshops and have read tons of the books available on self-help and spirtuality. Some of it was great, but often I felt as if something was missing. I wondered what relevance the spirtual journey had to my psycholigical growth and I worried that my concerns with psychology were too self-absorbing. Lesser captures the essence of this tension in her book. She looks at how the spiritual and psychological path can intersect in a way that anyone can understand - and she does it so well that I found myself actually saying "ah ha!" as I read along. She also speaks in a frank, candid way about the "new age" movement, and that is really refreshing. It sounds like she has met absolutely everybody in the field and talks about them all as human beings instead of big stars. What a relief!I also really liked her own story, because it made me see how much we are all seekers on a path. The way she talks about her ups and downs makes the rest of what she says seem even more real. You can tell that she has a great feeling for anyone who is out there trying to figure things out in their own way. It was encouraging. She wrote one part about a poem she and her husband return to whenever they have to make a dificult decision because it has a message that they learn from again and again. I was really struck by the simplicity of doing that and I thought, "wow, I could do that!" There were a bunch of those stories -she talked about things she did to keep herself on track that were simple, but took some thought, and reading them inspired me.
I guess that is really the bottom line. If anyone is on a path or thinking about learning more about different ways of exploring spirituality and self growth, this book is a real inspiration. It is also packed with a lot of information, as she quotes so many other teachers and writes about a lot of different traditions. I was impressed by how much she packed into it.
She also writes about the Omega, which I had never heard of. It sounds like a fasinating place so I was glad to find out about it.
Bottom line is, I recommend it - especially if you are one of those people who is yearning for some kind of spiritual connection or a more peaceful place inside yourself and you just don't know where to get started. It was really good.
I noticed I was the only one in the review area - anybody else out there read it?
Book Review: !
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been to Omega a few times, but this book really convinced me that spirituality is something people should explore and embrace. Our culture is obsessed with all the wrong things. Lesser explores a world in which we co-exist and live completely. Interesting and inspriational.Book Review: The right book at the right time
Summary: 5 Stars
Cross cultural awareness, an appreciation of the common truths underpinning various religious traditions practiced in America today, and an integrative grasp of the relationship between human psychology and spirituality -- all are present in Lesser's inspirational work. She combines practical spiritual advise, with wisdom, gained while meeting the challenges of her own personal spiritual journey. Her insights, into the withering effects of a predominately patriarchal work environment on the souls of working women, are particularly enlightening and validating. "The New American Spirituality" is definitely a keeper -- a "must read" for the modern American spiritual seeker.Book Review: A very transformational work of great genius!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very comprehensive guide to spiritual transformation. Where most authors write about spirituality and exclude the body, Elizabeth brilliantly includes it as part of the spiritual puzzle of who we are--Del Millers, author, Dancing with God.Book Review: An excellent book on modern spirituality
Summary: 5 Stars
There is great intelligence and wisdom in this book, but I find it very accessible. I think this is because the author writes simply and clearly, and advocates a spirituality which is personal to each of us, but excludes nobody. It's certainly not just for Americans.
She does not preach a particular belief system, but urges us to make the effort to meditate to discover inner truth, peace, happiness or whatever. In conjunction with this, she employs ideas from psychoanalysis which could help us to understand some of the difficulties we are likely to encounter.
Most importantly, though, the book seems to ooze compassion, and this seems a great advert for the spirituality the author advocates.
She knows we are only human and very honestly admits some of the difficulties she has experienced in her life.
I love this book.