The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Oriah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

In The Invitation, visionary writer and teacher Oriah Mountain Dreamer wrote about what we long for. In The Dance, she explored how to live this longing to the fullest. Now, in The Call, she completes the trilogy, showing us why we are here and why we must each undertake that journey from longing to living fully and deeply in the world. Each of us has our own call, our own way to discover and live fully our true selves and our heart's desires. But the call cannot be found in the expectations of others or in the outside world; it can only be found within ourselves. And heeding it is not a matter of doing, but of accepting, "not doing."

With her trademark practical style, Oriah gently guides us through her journey to find and heed her own call. What she discovered is that to be fully human is consciously to be who we truly are. By joining Oriah on this path, we may find the way to live awake to our distinct essence. The key is to give up striving to become who we think we should be and to embrace our true self, imperfections and all.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author, a workshop and retreat leader, follows up her two earlier bestsellers (The Invitation and The Dance) with the spiritual search that is at the center of all our lives. On a 40-day vision quest that ended abruptly when she became ill, Mountain Dreamer heeded an inner voice that instructed her to go home; once there, she continued her contemplative retreat, and through meditative practices (which she shares here), she comes to acknowledge the difficulty she has with overcoming ego demands, such as her strong drive to achieve. Although Mountain Dreamer is sincere in her wish to be of help to others, her writing lacks clarity and a strong structure. She recounts how she came to a decision to turn down an opportunity to study shamanism in the Amazon. When she prayed for guidance, she understood that, although she might make the trip someday, what she needed to learn then was to live in the moment. And that moment was one of flux, when she moved to a new home with her husband and did not see her grown sons as frequently. She digresses here on the fact that change is ongoing in every life, and on her discovery that the word at the center of her particular existence is "rest." The author's message is delivered by way of her deep spiritual convictions and New Age orientation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

“Fiercely, corageously, honestly, The Call reaches down to the tender heart of what it means to be human.” (Roger Housden, author of 10 Poems to Change Your Life and 10 Poems to Open Your Heart )

“This book will answer many prayers and cure our absence of light.” (Daniel Ladinsky, best-selling author of The Gift: Poems by Hafiz )

“The Call is a gift of healing and renewal. Enjoy it!” (John O'Donohue, author of international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• ISBN-10: 0060011947
• ASIN: B000EGEYSO
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,749,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Oriah is the author of the inspirational prose poem and international bestselling book The Invitation as well as the bestsellers The Dance and The Call. Her writing sets forth in detail how we can follow the thread of our heart's longing into a life of meaning and purpose. Her latest book, What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul, explores creativity as a way of accessing and cultivating a spiritually rich life. Oriah is the mother of two grown sons. She lives with her husband, Jeff, several hours north of Toronto in a home surrounded by forest stillness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Call to be at peace, September 7, 2004

By 

Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here (Hardcover)

I have read two of Oriah's earlier books, the invitation and the dance, and the third in the trilogy i like even better than the other two. Oriah speaks to the reader with absolute honesty - on her relationships, her family, work, fears and hopes of everyday life - and how she deals with it. I particularly liked what she said about finding your 'word' or the one word around which inner dynamics evolve. And her clarity/differentiation between ego and essence is incredible, a noteworthy approach to practical spirituality needed for modern times.
This is definitely not for the average self help person or someone who just wants to 'make it work' with ten points on how-to- it is more for those of us who struggle with finding inner peace and authenticity in all that we do. Also the author has a very verbose style of writing that may not appeal to many - particularly those who are not very word-oriented and that might be something to watch for.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here, May 21, 2004

By 

Gwendolyn (Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here (Hardcover)

Stunned by two negative reviews, I feel compelled to add my thoughts about this book--a book which I have heavily highligthted and found to be thoroughly honest. The author deals with the not-so-easy aspects of the spiritual journey with a direct 21st century awareness, using her own life as example. Anyone on a genuine spiritual journey of their own will understand what she means when she writes: "Create a gap in your story and sit within the gap, sit in the emptiness of not knowing who or what you are until an awareness of your essential nature fills you." This is one more book to add to my library of hundreds of volumes of spiritual literature, many of which I gathered while in seminary working towards a master's degree in Spritual Direction. Along with The Cloud of Unknowing, works by the Desert Fathers, Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Evelyn Underhill, Joseph Campbell and others I add Oriah Mountain Dreamer for speaking bravely to our time and, more specifically, to my life.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Workbook, November 6, 2003

By 

Peter Marmorek (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here (Hardcover)

Even more than its two excellent predecessors ("The Invitation" and "The Dance") the third book of Oriah's trilogy is a handbook on how to live. While influences of both the Sufis and Lao-Tze (Taoist) are present, the voice is clearly unique and powerfully original. Grounding her teachings in stories from her life, Oriah marshalls a persuasive argument that the core issue in our lives and our relation to Spirit is not that we need to do more, but that we need to accept who we are. The meditations offer clear and practical steps towards accomplishing that.

This is a practical book, that can be enjoyed whatever the reader's religious views are. Highly recommended!