In Search of Stones: A Pilgrimage of Faith, Reason, and Discovery

Rating:
Summary: NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
Review: "In Search of Stones" is a book to be enjoyed and savored on many levels. First the book is educational. We accompany Dr. Peck and his wife Lily on a three-week trip through the countryside of Wales, England and Scotland in search of the ancient megalith stones erected by prehistoric people between 4,000 and 1,500 BC. But their obsession with stones also acts as a catalyst for Dr. Pecks exploration of topics such as religion, romance, despair, addiction and peace. We learn about George Fox the 17thC Englishman who founded "The Religious Society of Friends" known today as the Quakers. Fox not only inspired thousands to "see the light of Christ" in each other but also to match his bravery in the face of imprisonment, beatings, illness and hardship. Their silent group meetings could only be broken by anyone who was "moved" to speak by their Inner Light. Secondly the book is autobiographical. We learn about Dr. Peck's fears and shortcomings. Although I was saddened to learn about his sexual infidelities, regular recreational use of marijuana, nicotine addiction and about a "strong habituation to alcohol" I also appreciated his honesty. It took courage to shatter his public image of saintly self-control. In revealing the pain and shame of his own inner space Dr. Peck gives us permission to explore our own unconscious mind. Thirdly, the book is thought provoking and inspirational. Dr. Peck discusses the three prevailing beliefs about good and evil: the denial of evil, the denial of goodness, and the acceptance of good and evil. He endorses the latter and believes that evil was defeated when Jesus died on the cross. Redemption is the simple mop-up operation of what remains. Although I believe evil is another mask of God to teach us unconditional love I appreciate his sharing his thoughts, thereby giving us an opportunity to discover where we stand. Dr. Peck believes integrity is more important than inner peace; apathy, not hate, is the opposite of love; life is full of paradox and that salvation is an ongoing process.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly honest and insightful
Review: I first read this book some five years ago. It was my first Scott Peck book. I have since read the entire Road Less Traveled series, and others, and I found In Search of Stones to be his best. Frankly, I am quite surprised at some of the negative reviews appearing on this page. A reviewer suggested that Dr. Peck should feel shamed at his infidelity. It takes a great deal of courage to openly admit our mistakes, as Dr. Peck has done. He made willing changes in his behavior, and therefore deserves forgiveness. Perhaps other couples experiencing similar difficulties could take a lesson from him. His honesty makes the work all the more endearing. The book could easily be considered an authoritative work on the megalithic sites of Great Britain--a facinating subject. The journey through Great Britain and Dr. Peck's observations parallel beautifully with the journey of life. I recommended this book to a friend as she wanted something to read during a two week trip to Turkey--she loved it! The first 20 or so pages sing of ego--but right after he admits his infidelity, the book glides along beautifully.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly honest and insightful
Review: I first read this book some five years ago. It was my first Scott Peck book. I have since read the entire Road Less Traveled series, and others, and I found In Search of Stones to be his best. Frankly, I am quite surprised at some of the negative reviews appearing on this page. A reviewer suggested that Dr. Peck should feel shamed at his infidelity. It takes a great deal of courage to openly admit our mistakes, as Dr. Peck has done. He made willing changes in his behavior, and therefore deserves forgiveness. Perhaps other couples experiencing similar difficulties could take a lesson from him. His honesty makes the work all the more endearing. The book could easily be considered an authoritative work on the megalithic sites of Great Britain--a facinating subject. The journey through Great Britain and Dr. Peck's observations parallel beautifully with the journey of life. I recommended this book to a friend as she wanted something to read during a two week trip to Turkey--she loved it! The first 20 or so pages sing of ego--but right after he admits his infidelity, the book glides along beautifully.

Rating:
Summary: Deep insight, travel & autobiography masterfully blended.
Review: If you're a Scott Peck fan just buy this and read it - it's great. Here Scott Peck blends the story of his and Lily Peck's three week journey through Wales, England and Scotland looking for ancient megalithic stones, with profound insights on life and living and enough stories from his life to make it semi- autobiographical. Each chapter covers a day of their journey (the outward search for meaning and mystery) interwoven with a discussion on various aspects of life (the inward search) after which each chapter is named. These include Reason, Romance, Ageing, Death, Parenthood, Money, and Peace to name but a few (20 in all). For those familiar with Sott Peck, this intimate sharing of his life should prove most rewarding. In fact, with startling honesty and humility Scotty unequivocally removes himself from any pedestal on which many may have placed him. Still he emerges as a gifted man of great insight, his sharing of which, really is a gift to us. I found these triple aspects masterfully blended - a tribute to Scott Peck's considerable talent as a writer. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly educational. Congratulations M. Scott Peck - an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Gentle Exploration of Life
Review: In this book M. Scott Peck explores megalithic structures in the British Isles and the structures of his own life. These pages consist of "Scotty" considering the meaning he mines from his past, triggered by events and experiences on this journey. He invites the reader to observe his inner process, his soul-work against a backdrop of mysterious stones, giant monuments from days gone buy--somehow a fitting metaphor for the monuments of his psyche, which he explores in a way that helped me to see myself in bolder relief.

Not a travelogue. Not a book of archaelogy. A spiritual journal that's not explicitly religious. A sacred quest--challenged not by fiery dragons, but by draconian bits of the author's life. He has the courage to reach this Grail: A Wise Man reflecting on his experiences, making them accessible, along with his wisdom, to those who care to share this road less travelled.

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Rating:
Summary: Extremely disappointed
Review: Never having read "A Road Less Traveled", I, unfortunately, purchased Peck's cassette "In Search Of Stones", with his voice on the tape. The tape was very disappointing to say the least. From the wonderful things I have heard about his other books, he is obviously a man who does not walk the walk, with his infidelity when he was touring and lecturing his book. I felt no remorse from him whatsoever. His voice became grating after a while and I could not finish the tape. It's easy to have a philosophy about life, however, living that philosophy is not so easy. I don't believe I will read any of his books as there are so many good writers now, who I beleive do live their truths.

Rating:
Summary: A road less traveled?
Review: This book is well worth reading, but only to broaden a perspective on past books this Author has written. Although, wrapped in a 3 week trip to Scotland, this is really an auto-biography. The Author's life both fascinating and full of sadness. I have read The Road Less Traveled, People of the Lie and several other books Dr. Peck has written. Piercing books of the human condition.

In my view there is a contrast and ambiguity to his personel life and the main tenets and themes of The Road Less Traveled. It makes one want to re-visit those themes, from a broadened perspective of the Author's own paradigm.

Without question the man is brilliant with pen in hand. Provocative and probing in life's more serious problems.

One difficult observation, is the anger beneath the surface directed towards the man's closest relationships. The relationships seem loving on the surface, but the actions portray a darker side. The serial infidelities, his wife has had to endure. The resentment of his parents. The estrangement of his children. In addition to his own physical self destructive habits of alcohol, and tobacco. Unfortunately, one could take the totality, and conclude, the man really doesn't care for himself or others close to him.

I will continue to buy Peck's books and presently have "Golf and the Spirit" purchased and ready to begin reading.

Rating:
Summary: A road less traveled?
Review: This is the eighth Scott Peck book I have read... and he has yet to bore or disappoint me! In Chapter 13, he calls himself an "evangelist of integration" referring to his interest in bringing together the fields of general science, psychology, and theology in his writings. With this book we may add history, archaeology, and philosophy to the mix. By his own admission, he is a man "driven to integrate everything that is properly interrelated." As the subtitle of In Search Of Stones would suggest, this is exactly what he is attempting to do here in this 21-day journal-like account of a trip through Wales, Scotland and England with his wife Lily in June of 1992. To me, it is truly fascinating how their trip turns into an obsession of locating and studying the megalithic standing-stones that are everywhere scattered along their experience. Each day is a new chapter, respectively focusing on the following topics: Reason, Romance, Addiction, Holiness, Changing, Religion, Aging, Parenthood, Money, Death, Pilgrimage, Gratitude, Peace, Adventure, Consideration, Space, Time, Art, Integration, Despair.

One does not have to always agree on every Peck-point (ie., in ch.10, he rejects the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the body) to yet find him challenging, and yes... inspirational. He shares his thoughts in a way that never comes across ex cathedra, and the reader is never judged, but is rather, allowed to judge. I love his knack for summary statements... for instance, mental health is "an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs." Contemplation is "a lifestyle dedicated to maximum awareness." Salvation is "an ongoing process of becoming increasingly conscious." Of money, he says that "enough of it is not enough, at least not when we are chasing after the illusion of total security." He says that "death is probably the most important fact of life," and that "a grateful heart is one of the prerequisites for being a genuine Christian." He suggests that "laziness" might be the essence of what we call original sin. (Laziness not as physical lethargy, but mental, emotional and spiritual inertia). Peck says that "courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity to go ahead in the very direction of which you are afraid."

I read this book while at a spiritual retreat and found it very inspirational, thought-provoking, and as metaphysically challenging as anything he's written, including his "In Heaven As On Earth." This is as close as he's come so far to an actual autobiography... here we are not on the couch in his office, but we are rattling along with him down bumpy backroads, being disappointed at yet another less-than-3-star accommodation... and peering into every farmer's field for perhaps another serendipitous adventure with the stones. Do whatever you have to do to get your hands on a copy of In Search Of Stones. I cannot possibly believe that it is currently out-of-print.