A Gathering of "Old Friends" Opening New Windows in Our Search for God

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	• FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Handbook for the Spirit RICHARD and SHIELD,BENJAMIN CARLSON New World Library, 1999 average customer review:based on 10 reviews
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highly recommended

A Gathering of "Old Friends" Opening New Windows in Our Search for God

Joseph Campbell said it well - and says it again in this new collection: "An intense experience of mystery is what one has to regard as the ultimate religious experience."

If that's where you are in your own spiritual journey - then this book is for you.

"Handbook for the Spirit" is a Who's Who of "old friends" in the spiritual field - too many names to list here. But the co-editors Dr. Richard Carlson and Dr. Benjamin Shield are old hands at sharing insights into the healing and happiness that can surprise us in our spiritual journeys. They've collected here some new, and some old, thoughts specifically about a person's relationship to the divine - to God or to other higher realms of spiritual truth.

What I love about this particular collection is that, while it does share some speculative approaches to spirituality, the community of voices here also is rooted in traditional faiths as well.

So, for example, we've got a great piece here by Sue Bender, author of the memoir, "Plain and Simple," about life among the Amish. Writing with her characteristic clarity, she gives us an 8-page reflection on what she's learned from the Amish -- and from her experience of writing about the Amish.

Rabbi Harold Kushner appears in this collection, too. For so many readers, his voice is like an old friend returning to share a few thoughts. As in most of these inspirational pieces, there's nothing here that's stunningly new to longtime readers. But it's like coming to a family reunion in which Kushner leans back and reminds us of various things, including the importance of Martin Buber's teachings.

And, every now and then, there's a flash of awareness, for example: I enjoyed finding, toward the end of Kushner's chapter, this little gem: "When people ask me, `Where is God?' I tell them I would rather rephrase the question to, `When is God?'" Now, truth be told, I've heard this great question from a number of rabbis through the years. It's a brilliant reframing of our windows toward God. Nevertheless, as I finished Kushner's chapter, seeing the question afresh in that context - was like a little ray of light.

That's how the very best "readers" in this genre are supposed to work. A huge "Bravo!" to Shield and Carlson and the whole circle of old friends who assembled this wonderful little gift.

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A Relationship With God

Wonderful book for understanding well-known people's relationship with God. It is also a good source for figuring out how to develop one's own relationship with a higher power.
The contributors discuss what their childhood religious background was like, how it "evolved" and how it has changed.
The book brought up the question-Does it take a tragedy to bring a person closer to God?- and others to contemplate about "human nature." Meditation,prayer and contemplation are the most often suggested methods for developing a relationship with God.
Our "retreat" will be using this as our basic text. I think that the way it is "organized" can lead to many interesting, spiritual discussions.

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A great collection of spiritual essays!

I really liked how this book was done. It's a collection of spiritual essays from people as diverse as The Dalai Lama, Wayne Dyer, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Father William McNamara, Thich Nhat Hanh, Mother Teresa and many more.

The purpose of the anthology is to show the common denominator of all religious teachings, which is an individual's personal relationship with God.

I was really moved by the messages from the authors. To give you a feel for the book, here are a few quotes from some of the essays:

--The Dalai Lama: "The essence of all religions is love, compassion, and tolerance. Kindness is my true religion."

--Wayne Dyer: "Gandhi was asked to describe in twenty-five words or less what his life mission was. He said, "I could do it in three: 'Renounce and enjoy." You renounce all worldly attachment to everything and enjoy what God gives you."

--Rev. Michael Beckwith: "We don't really have a personal life apart from God."

--A.H. Almaas: "To truly find God, truth needs to be found independently from the opinions of others. The truth has to be found in our hearts."

--Barbara Marx Hubbard: "The way to becoming a cocreator is, first, to meditate in silence at least once a day. Have a journal present. In the deepest silence and relaxation of your being, ask for anything to come forward - any information from God on any question you have."

...and there were many more great quotes I could have chosen from. This is a very special book. Though it's less than 200 pages, it provides great insights and inspiration from some very spiritual people. I highly recommend this book.

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Lotus Guide Magazine Review

Handbook for the Spirit (3rd edition)
Edited by Richard Carlson, PhD, and Benjamin Shield, PhD

Spiritual leaders from every tradition clearly point to a new direction in the human understanding of our relationship to our divine source of being in the Handbook for the Spirit. In today's complex world, the message remains as simple as ever: "The way back to ourselves is to understand, through compassion, that we were never separate." Only through the harmony of our minds and hearts will we ever be able to embrace our differences, which is the key to tolerance. An excellent confirmation of the common ground of all religions.

Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide Magazine ([...])

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Handbook for the Spirit

In a world that seems so terribly fixated on our differences, it is nice to be reminder of the truly important things that we share. Handbook for the Spirit brings together some of the most well known people in the world (The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Thick Nhat Hanh, Brooke Medicine Eagle, and Wayne Dyer just to name a few) to share their view and experiences about spirituality. It doesn't seem to matter if they refer to God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, or the universe, nature, or the I Am. The foundation is the same, that something connects us all as one.

There's something deeply touching about Handbook for the Spirit. As I read, I was reminded about the really important aspects of my life. Suddenly, all my petty cares and anxieties didn't seem so all consuming. I felt empowered. In that moment, I knew that interconnection that the author's spoke about and was renewed in my life purpose.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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