Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your Everyday Life [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Thomas Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1998

With more than 1 million copies in print, the original edition of Care of the Soul is a remarkable study of the creative opportunities that are available to us in everyday life. Thomas Moore is now a world-renowned writer, psychotherapist, and speaker, and this new, illustrated edition of Care of the Soul brings an edited version of the original text to a new audience.

Care of the Soul: The Illustrated Edition offers a therapeutic program to restore the spiritual life to the human soul. We are given the opportunity to go deeper into our emotional problems and find the sacredness in ordinary, everyday life--with friends, in our conversation with others, in more fulfilling work, and in all the experiences that can touch the heart.

By integrating classical and modern art with the text, this edition offers the reader the opportunity to envision the already very visual nature of Thomas Moore's writing. It contains more than 150 color illustrations of great works of art that make the text come alive--ranging from pieces by Marsilio Ficino, one of the author's favorite artists, to Edward Munch and Pablo Picasso; from vase paintings created in 400 BCE all the way to works by modern artists such as Edwin Romanzo Elmer, Giorgio De Chirico, and William Waterhouse.

Thomas Moore has long worked as an art therapist and has studied religion and music--all of which have come together in this volume to bring us an extraordinary and inspirational guide to the spiritual solutions needed in daily life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"This, I felt, is the best way to consider the soul--to be stopped in almost every page by an intriguing image that sustains the mystery but at the same time reveals something that words cannot express," writes Thomas Moore in the introduction to his illustrated edition of Care of the Soul. To this end, Moore has inarguably succeeded. For example, when discussing Jung's version of the shadow, Moore writes, "The person we choose to be automatically creates a dark double--the person we choose not to be." On the opposite page he places Edvard Munch's painting titled Puberty, showing a stark- eyed, naked girl, covering herself in modesty, as her shadow looms large behind her. Later, when Moore writes, "We can bridge the gap between the sacred church and the secular world by occasionally ritualizing the everyday things we do," he uses Johannes Vermeer van Delft's portrait of The Lacemaker to stitch the two worlds together.

It is Moore's hope that readers recognize their souls in the realm of everyday humanity, rather than distancing themselves with disrespect or lack of awareness. Ironically, he now brings readers closer to their souls through the human and mysterious realm of art--a feat that adds greater meaning and purpose to an already profound and satisfying work. --Gail Hudson

About the Author

Thomas Moore was a monk in a Catholic religious order for twelve years and has degrees in theology, musicology, and philosophy. A former professor of psychology, he is the author of Care of the Soul, Soul Mates, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, The Education of the Heart, The Soul of Sex, and Original Self. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (October 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0067575110
• ISBN-13: 978-0067575116
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas Moore is the author of the bestselling book Care of the Soul and fifteen other books on deepening spirituality and cultivating soul in every aspect of life. He has been a monk, a musician, a university professor, and a psychotherapist, and today he lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and ecology. He lectures frequently in Ireland and has a special love of Irish culture. He has Ph. D. in religion from Syracuse University and has won several awards for his work, including an honorary doctorate from Lesley University and the Humanitarian Award from Einstein Medical School of Yeshiva University. He also writes fiction and music and often works with his wife, artist and yoga instructor, Hari Kirin. He writes regular columns for Resurgence and Spirituality & Health and has recently published A Life at Work and Writing in the Sand. He is a patron of Re-Vision, a London center of spirituality and counseling, and on the board of Turning Point, a bereavement counselors training program in Dublin, Ireland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for reading, not for re-reading, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your Everyday Life (Hardcover)

Moore's first soul book was better, but with Care of... he is starting to water down his message. His relevance runs hot and cold, and he gets a bit pedantic. It would have been a better book if it were half as long.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Treasure! The Soul speaks in pictures..., October 15, 2008

By 

Judith A. Simon "jane girl" (south bend, indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your Everyday Life (Hardcover)

I have my first copy of Care of the Soul but this used library copy intrigued me with the treasured pictures. This is like walking through a Cathedral or an Art Museum. You can just 'stop and look.' For me, it was just a matter of seeing.

I already had my library of Thomas Moore's books. He and James Hillman can say things deeply as if 'for the first time.'

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars care of soul is core, July 30, 2011

By 

hepzibah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your Everyday Life (Hardcover)

I couldn't put this book down, though I could only read it in small chunks to savour the treasure of it's content. Digestion continues long after the soul full meal! I found it helpful to have a working knowledge of psychological concepts to better grasp it's meanings at times. By the nature of soul, the book is spiritual but not prescriptive. For me, this is a beautiful book which I was sad to finish. This book helped me further dig down to become more aware of what helps me care for myself or my soul, in fulfilling ways,and to explore what helps me live a meaningful life. I have underlined significant portions of my copy which I know I will refer to time and time again.