Handbook for the Soul

October 1, 1995
In the midst of a chaotic and often empty-seeming world, more and more people are searching for ways to rekindle the power of the soul, since the soul has always been understood to connect us to an immaterial realm characterized by peace. The contributors to this little handbook, some of the most popular contemporary spiritual writers, address the role of the soul in everyday life, lessons of the soul, soul communion, and the return to the soul. On the one hand, this book contains little that is genuinely new in the contemporary search for the soul. On the other hand, where else can you find the accumulated spiritual wisdom of gurus like Matthew Fox, Lynn Andrews, and Robert Fulghum between the covers of one book? Buy where demand warrants.

September 1, 1995
Carlson and Shield began their collaboration with "For the Love of God" (1990). Here they've joined forces and invited a number of spiritually inclined (and quite a few best-selling) authors to contribute essays about the nourishment of the soul. In their introduction, Carlson and Shield discuss the fact that everyone craves spiritual sustenance no matter what their religious orientation may be. Indeed, the very concept of soul means different things to different people, and this diversity is reflected in the volume's assortment of viewpoints and experiences. Authors such as Lynn Andrews, Wayne Dyer, Robert Fulghum, Bernie Siegel, Marianne Williamson, and Ram Dass offer suggestions and observations about nourishing the soul through meditation, prayer, and the contemplation of nature. Many writers offer glimpses into their own daily routines and explain, briefly, how they manage to maintain an enthusiasm for life and a vital sense of that mysterious, timeless part of ourselves that we call the soul. ((Reviewed Sept. 1, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)