The Heart of the Soul : Emotional Awareness
Author: Gary Zukav
List Price: $14.00
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ISBN: 0743234960
Publisher: Free Press (06 August, 2002)
Sales Rank: 8,936
Average Customer Rating: 3.53 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 2 out of 5
Repetitive, frustratingly incomplete and possibly dangerous
I'm currently doing extensive research, both professionally and personally, on soul and its implications, especially in a business context. Zukav's book looked interesting and relevant, but turned out to be repetitive and frustratingly incomplete. Its basic theme is a useful rework of the well-known seven-chakras model, linking physical sensation and thoughts to each of the seven centres. There's enormous emphasis, and much advice, on exploring emotional pain, seen from many different angles, such as anger and addiction; but almost nothing about what to do with that pain, and only the most cursory references to exploring the healthy side of one's inner landscape - which is equally important. In that sense, by leading readers into intense emotional space but leaving them dangling without adequate tools or positive models, the book could be downright dangerous. Interesting, and useful in some cases, but not to be recommended.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Awareness is not enough
The basic message is that emotional awareness is a fundamental step on the path to personal power. Our great difficulty lies in the fact that we do not really want to experience our emotions because they are just too hard to take. Zukav and Francis explain how to work with our seven bodily energy centers to identify the source of bodily and emotional pain. While The Heart of the Soul teaches how to do a quick bodily scan so that blocked emotional energy can be more easily perceived, we are not really told how to work with, change, or transcend our emotions. This is a great frustration for the reader. It's sort of like reading a book that tells the virtures of physical fitness but doesn't tell you how to get fit.
That said, Zukav and Francis do a great service by drawing our attention to emotional weakness. They also link emotional maturity to spiritual growth in a way that makes sense. (The Spiritual Reviewer)
Rating: 2 out of 5
The world is not perfect
I have read parts of this book and I am somewhat disappointed. The chapter about perfectinism argues that the world is perfect and that all choices will lead to perfect consequences. The book also argues that the root of emotions doesn't lie in the interaction with other people and the situation. In my opinion, it is true that emotions are caused by our energy system, but there is also a reationship with external factors. The theme of this book is that we can only change ourselves, and not external factors, but this is not the truth. Gary's and Linda's work is nice if seen from a pure spiritual perspective, but it is far from the truth from an earthly perspective. Similar Products
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The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice
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