The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning [Hardcover]

Connie Zweig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2003

What is the urge that drives people to search for God, to join religious movements, or to undertake a spiritual practice? In her counseling work with clients from every religious denomination, Connie Zweig found that this universal yearning-a secret feeling with many disguises-often lies hidden at the source of our life stories.

The obscure object of desire calls us to follow it, and we respond, even unknowingly. We pursue a romantic union, imagining that it will finally meet our deepest needs. Or we long for the light of God and undertake a demanding religious practice or discipleship, hoping that it will quench our thirst.

But sometimes our religious yearning goes awry. We may attribute it to an authoritarian personality who abuses us, leaving us feeling shocked and betrayed. Or we may direct our holy longing to another world, devaluing the pleasures of human life. Or worse, like cult members or fundamentalists, we may mistake death for transcendence and sacrifice our lives for paradise.

If you feel a gnawing yearning beneath your other yearnings no matter how many desires you satisfy; if you feel disillusioned with traditional religions but seek spiritual values and practices elsewhere; if you or a friend or family member suffer from religious abuse but long to rekindle the flame of faith, then this book can guide you from spiritual innocence through loss to spiritual maturity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The longing to know God is probably the most powerful innate force among humans, according to Zweig, a counselor and non-denominational minister. "Perhaps you, too, feel a yearning beneath your other yearnings that gnaws at you, despite the fulfillment of so many desires," she suggests in her preface. Yet Zweig, who specializes in Jungian-based shadow work, also understands the dark side of this holy longing-"the inherent pitfalls that can result when religious yearning goes awry." Unfortunately, this inborn need to commune with the divine can easily be misplaced, causing people to expect spiritual fulfillment from romantic partners or even fall into destructive addictions. She shows how this also causes seekers to become the prey of power-tripping gurus, fanatical religious orders or priest pedophiles. But if it's starting to sound like the "holy longing" is more of a curse than a gift, Zweig assures readers this isn't the case. The longing is our guide, she explains; in many it is our raison d'ˆtre. The trick is to stop trying to satiate it, and instead listen to what it is trying to teach us. Zweig devotes her final chapter ("Rekindling the Flame") to specific ways readers can integrate this yearning into their spiritual development, such as using imagery, shadow work, and creative expression. Because her scope is broad, Zweig sometimes becomes tangential. Readers should stay the course; she is a resourceful teacher who offers many tools for living with our "holy longing."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a Jungian-oriented counselor and non-denominational minister in Los Angeles. She is the coauthor of the bestselling Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. She has taught nationwide about human spirituality, religious abuse and disillusionment, and shadow-work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (February 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585422045
• ISBN-13: 978-1585422043
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,006,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Known as the Shadow Expert, I'm author of the bestsellers Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. My next non-fiction book, The Holy Longing, explored religious/spiritual aspiration and its shadow side. I've just published my first novel -- THE MOTH TO THE FLAME -- about the life of Rumi. It's the inside story of how he became a poetic genius and fully illuminated Sufi master.
I'm also a former Esquire columnist, contributor to the LA Times, and executive editor at Jeremy P. Tarcher Publishing. I received a Ph.D. in depth psychology in 1995 and have worked in private practice since then.
You can find excerpts of all my books on www.conniezweig.com, as well as info on my counseling and shadow-work practice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Longing for This Book, February 28, 2003

By 

Aaron R. Kipnis (Santa Barbera, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning (Hardcover)

Dr. Connie Zweig's, The Holy Longing is beautifully written. It is eloquent and deep. It courageously weaves the author's depth of personal experience and clinical expertise with a comprehensive knowledge of the world's religions. And although the book deals with the deepest currents of the human psyche it is fully accessible and engaging. As a psychologist I find that at the core of my client's presenting problems there is often a profound Holy Longing that was misinterpreted as simply a psychological problem. In every mystical tradition saints and poets speak eloquently of the soul's search for the divine. Many of us experience the burning of this holy longing in our search for romantic love, a precious object, a child, the ideal home, a perfect teacher, or a community of like-minded seekers.

"It is because of this longing that we build Sistine Chapels, sculpt the David and compose the Messiah," the author writes, but "the longing for the light typically evokes its opposite: a shattering encounter with spiritual darkness."

Dr. Zweig asks, "What is the proper stance toward our holy longing?" She offers informed and compassionate insights into the universal yearning of the soul to transcend our skin-encapsulated individuality.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a much-needed book, May 9, 2003

By 

Philip Goldberg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning (Hardcover)

Religious yearning is the mother of all desires. Underlying all of our drives and aspirations is the urge to transcend the boundaries of individual identity and unite with the sacred. Connie Zweig does a magnificent job of describing and explaining this primal urge in all its myriad forms. Some authors have treated spiritual longing with disrespect, writing it off as some displaced psychological need. Others have treated it with such reverence that they ignore the potential dangers to which the holy longing can lead. Zweig's psychospiritual approach balances the light and the dark, standing as both a beacon for seekers to follow and a warning system to help them avoid the hazards. Its graceful writing, and its mature, sensible, and grounded approach makes it a welcome addition to the spiritual repertoire.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fellow therapist reacts, September 7, 2003

By 

Mark Waller (Chino Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning (Hardcover)

As a therapist, I must say that this effort by Connie Zweig is an important work. Beyond being a good read and filled with fascinating prose, the Holy Longing strikes at the heart of the problem with most spiritual practice. The bottom line is that people don't handle their issues, their defenses, their pain and their disowned parts. Instead of studying their conditioned mind, their own holy longing leads them into dangerous territory with others - seekers and teachers who also have not looked deeply at their own pain.

The result is what Ms. Zweig so adeptly calls a "shattering encounter with spiritual darkness." The Holy Longing is a flashing amber light along the spiritual path that can help us avoid pitfalls, disappointments and outright degradation.

The message she so wonderfully delivers is that there is no transcendence without shadow work. Those of us who want to skip that step will see it emerge dead ahead on our path to the Beloved. Read the Holy Longing and avoid that landmine.