Embodying Spirit: Coming Alive with Meaning and Purpose

by Jacquelyn Small

Book Overview

New from the bestselling author of Transformers and Becoming Naturally Therapeutic comes a passionate call to all spiritual seekers to awaken their senses, explore their shadows, and unite the powerful forces of body and soul to find true spiritual fulfillment.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062552783
• ISBN13: 9780062552785
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Spiritual Journey: Explore Yourself - Explore the World

Jacquelyn Small writes with knowledge and experience ... I heard her at a workshop entitled "Embodying Spirit: Coming Alive with Meaning & Purpose" held in Orlando, FL . It was sponsored by Ms Small, who along with well-known psychologists and authors, Ram Dass, Thomas Moore, Joan Halifax & ohters, presented many of the ideas & concepts synthesized in this book. In essence, the book is about "self-discovery" from a Jungian, Christian and Buddhist perspective. She discusses concepts such as "Divine Discontent" (seeking a greater identity) , "the Law of Transcendence" (rising above problems/climbing to a higher plane of consciousness), "the Law of Antimony" (how to harmonize complementary opposites), "the Paradigm Shift" (recognizing we are cocreators of reality/our observation changes it). She helps us see conflicts as ways to sharpen our understanding of reality and consciousness. This should decrease our suffering and deepen our understanding of life. "Facing the Shadow" means opening up to see parts of ourselves we deny, bringing forth the unconsious aspects into awareness. We build our future by "harvesting the good from the past" and learning how we experiece archetypes. She explains that 'holding the divine tension' between being human and identifying with the divine we build our identities and fulfill our destinies. She describes stages of the "path of return" which means discovering we are "spiritual beings who are embodied". However, do not feel there is "final destination". The "path of return" is the journey of our lives on which we constantly use "spiritual discernment" as our guide. When problems arise which we resist the task is to be aware of the spiritual self, keep it awake, do not shut out feelings and avoid the tasks at hand. Simple? No. A true spiritual path never is ... the destination is "growth" and "awareness". We learn the physicist, John Hitchcock, defined spirituality as, "an internal shaping force". Jaqueline Small states, "Spirit and matter have merged." The journey is about awakening to our true identities. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Stop running away from yourself, you're okay!

I am sad to see that this book is out of print. If you find a copy, I highly recommend it. Jacquelyn Small presents information in a down-to-earth yet profound way. She talks a lot about the shadow self and how behaviors or feelings are on a continum from one extreme to another. Rather than labeling some behaviors or feelings as bad and others as good, Small encourages us to embrace and acknowledge all of them. She states that if we don't embrace our shadow side it will only become more powerful and eventually sneak out and embarass us. I've had enough of these incidences to believe what she says. I realized from reading her book that accepting the shadowy parts is not the same as acting on them. In fact, accepting them makes it less likely that you'll need to act on them. After reading this book I had to courage to make some necessary changes in my life. This book is really about self-acceptance and the concept of a whole self. We are more than our behavior. We are more than our past. We are more than the silly labels we pin on ourselves. Thank you Jacquelyn for sharing yourself with us.