Soul Stories
Author: Gary Zukav
List Price: $14.00
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ISBN: 0743206371
Publisher: Free Press (26 December, 2000)
Sales Rank: 60,866
Average Customer Rating: 3.68 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Understanding the Mysterious Workings of Spirit
SOUL STORIES are a collection of 52 short stories which author Gary Zukav requests readers to contemplate as slowly as we wish -- even as slowly as one story per week. Each tale takes the reader one step further on a journey of introspective self-actualization in which relationships with one's ego and spirit are explored a little bit at a time. The book is deceptively simple to read, yet contains great depth which is ideal fodder for meditation. Zukav's SOUL STORIES are memorable tales of love, loss, and renewal in which the mysterious ways that spirit acts in our lives become just a bit more clear. Zukav does not preach any particular religion as he advocates that we aspire to reach our highest spiritual potential. In addition to the dozens of emotionally moving stories, Zukav gives advice such as "Spiritual partners look inside themselves -- and not at each other -- when they get angry, frightened, or sad." I could feel my heart breaking open with love and inspiration as I read each of these stories. These stories touch the heart and soul, and give us much to contemplate long after we've finished the last page.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Authentic Empowerment.....
Gary Zukav has found a better medium for explaining his beliefs. Stories have been the best way to explain every idea since the beginning of time. I have also reviewed Gary Zukav's The Seat of the Soul in detail and reading that review may be helpful in understanding the premise behind Soul Stories. In The Seat of the Soul he explains his basic beliefs and goes into detail about authentic empowerment and how to reach beyond our five senses to become a multisensory person. Throughout Soul Stories, he also promotes the belief that the Universe is alive. To me, this is the presence of God in our lives.
Gary discusses intuition, forms of reasoning, the earth school, emotional awareness, responsible choice, harmony, cooperation, sharing, reverence for life, forgiveness, love, trust, marriage, children, kindness and inner richness. It is not surprising that he also includes some health advice, our souls do live in our bodies, so why not create a perfect environment for the soul? We are individual souls sent to earth to fulfill a task or to learn a lesson, which will benefit us in the next life.
Yes, I agree that you make your own future through making daily choices and when you have an "intention" you can create a good or bad experience. This book is a blending of Eastern religions with a generous helping of real experiences and a pinch of Christianity. I recommend that if you purchase this book and take this soul journey that you turn on your intuition, logic and perception. Be aware that although there are many truths in many religions, the ultimate truth comes from God. To know truth you must first know God.
Gary has done an excellent job in raising awareness of the need to nurture our souls, however he has combined many religions into one book. It is up to us to find our own way on this journey. God created our souls; and therefore he can lead us on the path to Truth. If you are searching to find out what Gary Zukav believes, then this book is very enlightening in that regard.
I think his best idea is to view life as a school and that we are here to learn. I also appreciate his encouragement to make the best decision in each moment of our lives. He has changed my life in that regard! I hope you will continue to find truth and meaning in your own life.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Some good spiritual advice
In Soul Stories, Gary Zukav (author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters and Seat of the Soul) guides the reader on a spiritual journey towards greater openess and a feeling of connection with the world and one another. The stories range from personal experiences to parables. While all of them teach valuable lessons, I was not always comfortable with the way he tells them. As another reviewer pointed out, Zukav often writes as though his audience were young children. It's one thing to put a message simply and concisely, but to put things too simply can seem condescending to the reader. For example, in the section about how "new" men and women differ from "old," he goes on at great length describing how men have traditionally been protectors and providers and women have been concerned with raising children and taking care of the home. I think most people in their teens or older are aware of this and are also aware that these roles have been changing. In one story, there is a confrontation between an "old" style man and a "new" style woman (I put these in quotes partly because I'm skeptical of such neat categories); the woman wants to go back to school and pursue a more independent lifestyle, while her husband cannot understand this. This would have seemed more dramatic thirty or forty years ago than today, though there are people who still adhere to traditional roles. Zukav also describes emotionally charged workshops where people share and explore their various feelings and relationships. His style is very much in the spirit of such human potential workshops where the goal is to evolve or expand. I am somewhat skeptical of this approach, as it can give people a certain conceit about their spirituality compared to supposedly less evolved people (e.g. the comparison between old and new style men and women). I have been mainly criticizing the book, but I also found enough in it to recommend it to anyone interested in...yes, evolving and expanding their consciousness. For example, I liked a story about a man struggling through a barren desert until he finally finds a lush land with abundant food and water. A simple parable, but effective and well told. Gary Zukav writes with quite a bit of optimism about how quickly people are changing. Looking at the world, it often seems as though we aren't changing quickly enough, but I hope he is right. And following the advice in books such as this can only help. Similar Products
The Heart of the Soul : Emotional Awareness
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