Soul Stories

Rating:
Summary: Recommendations for Gary, Oprah, and the Rest of Us
Review: 1. Maybe you liked Soul Stories, or part of it like I did. The first 132 pages were a great quick review of our soul's life journey, tailored for the metaphysically challenged like me. But I much prefer Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements, Alan Cohen's I Had It All The Time, or Wayne Dyer's Your Sacred Self. 2. Maybe you didn't like Soul Stories, or part of it like I didn't. The rest of the book on Spiritual Partnerships seemed forced, grim, and sophomoric in its writing style. Gary makes it sound like a spiritual partnership is a grueling climb up Mt. Everest roped to your partner. Doesn't sound like much fun. I think a spiritual partnership can be fun, don't you? Gary should read Stewart Wilde's Life Was Not Meant To Be A Struggle, Alan Cohen's Joy Is My Compass, or Ariel and Shya Kane's Working On Yourself Doesn't Work. 3. Maybe you wondered how someone could write two books on spiritual partnerships and never discuss the magnificent spiritual role and awsome spiritual power of the divine gift of sacred sex in an intimate relationship. Maybe you would want to know why Gary only briefly mentions sex three times in Seat of the Soul, and only as an example of the bad addiction he had and you may have. Or only one time in Soul Stories, and only in the context of sexual promiscuity. Maybe Gary should read Dr. Victoria Lee's Soulful Sex, Margo Anand's The Art Of Everyday Ecstasy, or Charles and Caroline Muir's Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving before he gives us any more advice about how to empower each other in spiritual partnerships. No wonder Gary's descriptions of the work of spiritual partnerships sound so grim: he never includes fun and sex!

Rating:
Summary: Authentic Empowerment.....
Review: 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:
Summary: Some good spiritual advice
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Books Can Be Catalysts
Review: It's that time of the year when I tend to look at the last year and think about what I'd like in the New Year. I picked up a copy of Gary Zukav's "SOUL STORIES" and I'm well on my way. It's a light collection of stories and thoughts about living your life from your heart. Zukav talks about the "Old Male" (old-fashioned and traditional) and the "New Male" (uses his intuition and recognizes a new order to things) -- I saw pieces of myself in both of these! I particularly enjoyed the chapter in which Zukav meets Oprah Winfrey -- it's a beautiful demonstration of how easily cooperation happens and how you never know all the ways in which your dreams and goals will be expressed.

In my wanderings through book reviews, I came upon another excellent book that supports people in living from their truth -- "WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK" by best-selling authors Ariel and Shya Kane. A real catalyst to help light your fire. If you're looking to use the New Year as an opportunity to step more fully into your life, I highly recommend Zukav's and the Kanes' book.

Rating:
Summary: Understanding the Mysterious Workings of Spirit
Review: 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.