Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom [Paperback]

Sobonfu E. Some (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

In this profound and sensitive work, African spiritual teacher Sobonfu Somé invites readers to discover in the setbacks they encounter in life a path to healing and rebirth. Her message is drawn from the ancient wisdom teachings of her village in Burkina Faso, and her experiences over more than a decade here in the West. Somé is a gifted storyteller and compassionate student of life who has contemplated deeply the nature of human triumph and defeat. The insights she offers, blending indigenous wisdom and hard experience in the contemporary West, are priceless. Without denying the suffering that accompanies loss and disappointment, she finds in these events the underlying spiritual dynamics that carry us to higher states of knowledge and fulfillment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Blending ancient African wisdom with contemporary western experience, Somé has written another wonderful gem. -- Suzanne Arms, author of Immaculate Deception

Here is an important book, filled with stories both practical and transcendent, by a wise teacher and a compassionate woman. -- Gioia Timpanelli, author of Sometimes the Soul

Somé encourages us to understand our losses as opportunities to grow. She unveils a process of becoming more alive. -- Gay Luce, Nine Gates Mystery School

This courageous book is an inspiration for using failures as teachers, and thus finding the true meaning of grace. -- Erica Helm Meade, author of The Moon in the Well

This is a generous, high-spirited and thoughtful work about coming back into the flow of grace. A lovely book. -- Robert Bly, author of Iron John

About the Author

Sobonfu Some was born in Dano, Burkina Faso, a traditional African village of the Dagara people. For more than a decade, Sobonfu has traveled throughout the US and Europe, offering seminars on African spirituality and its relevance to the West. She is the author The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient Teachings in the Ways of Relationships, and Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African Teachings to Celebrate Children and Community. She lives in Sacramento, California.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: North Bay Books (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972520023
• ISBN-13: 978-0972520027
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books you'll ever read, May 31, 2005

By 

Darlene Johnson "DJ" (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom (Paperback)

The right book at the right time. It is sad that the message of Sobonfu E. Some does not reach more people. Her message is the true message of living a purpose-driven life. Her message is deeply spiritual that does not dabble into the dogma that plague traditional western religions. Her message is about empowerment by knowing and accepting one's purpose, even if that purpose is one that you flat out deny. It is about embracing failure and using it as a stepping stone to move forward in one's life. It is about how we as a community can help one another when we fall, instead of running from and turning away those that have fallen. It's about not being stuck. It's about practicing humility and going home even when home is the last place you want to be. It is about accepting responsibility with choices we've made and even the choice we made to either stay stuck or move forward.

This is a book that you keep nearby because you will refer to it when you slip along your spiritual path. Despite what is taught in our western culture, it is sometimes necessary to slip or, as the author puts it, fall out of grace so that we can acheive our true purpose.

This is a book that you want to give to everyone you know that have fallen out of grace or to put in lay terms, is going through a bad time. After reading some of the meditations I had to simply pause and reflect because her message hit home with experiences that were very real to me.

There are self help books that are twice the size as this book whose message gets lost in the verbiage and whose message is not one of empowerment but of guilt and oppression and how to honor a higher power that keeps you in fear and oppressed. This is simply a powerful little book and probably one of the most powerful books you'd ever read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DEEP AND MEANINGFUL WISDOM, August 24, 2003

By 

Tino Plank (Sonora, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom (Paperback)

With clarity, determination, and love Sobonfu once again blesses us with the indigenous wisdom of the Dagara people - bringing the gifts of awareness and compassion to an issue so often surrounded with pain.

Sobonfu's words are like trusted guides - leading readers on a homeward journey through the fields of failure and despair, returning us to a state of grace and gratitude.

This book is full of deep and meaningful wisdom distilled to its essence - a healing gift from a brilliant teacher who walks the ground between an ancient tribal culture and modern day life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falling Out of Grace, August 30, 2003

By 

E. Z. Harris (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falling Out of Grace: Meditations on Loss, Healing and Wisdom (Paperback)

This book is about growth and our need to stay connected to the spiritual realm. It is quite clear that we continue to disconnect(fall out of grace) throughout our journey. The beautiful part is; the disconnection serves as a catalyst for growth and reconnection to the spiritual realm. The book is enlightening and comforting.