Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving [Paperback]

Patricia Spadaro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving (the winner of two national book awards) tackles the issue that plagues so many of us--the struggle to balance the needs of family, career, and even community with our own needs. But rather than focusing on how to pamper ourselves, Honor Yourself goes to the heart of the problem and reveals the real source of our stress: our inability to recognize and embrace the little-understood but all-pervasive power of paradox in our lives.

Should I sacrifice for others or take time to care for myself? Be generous or draw boundaries? Stay in a relationship or say goodbye? When I give to others, do I really need to give up myself? Tensions like these are not only a natural part of life--they are life. While modern society is ill-equipped to bring us back into balance, the sages of East and West are experts, and Honor Yourself explores their practical, and surprising, advice. Combining wisdom from the world's great spiritual traditions with real-life stories and a treasury of tools, it exposes the most potent myths about giving--half-truths that prevent us from living a life filled with possibility and passion. With candor, compassion, and a bit of humor too, Spadaro shows us how to move beyond the myths to the magic of full-hearted living so we can unleash the full power of our creative spirit and give our greatest gifts to our loved ones, our communities, and the world.

We are called to master the delicate dance of giving and receiving in virtually every area of our lives, and this beautiful work offers empowering and heartfelt ways to do it. It will free you to celebrate your own gifts and greatness as you explore the dynamics behind giving with the heart rather than the head, setting boundaries, being honest about unhealthy people in your life, using feelings to stay true to yourself, giving in ways that honor others, finding your own voice, honoring endings, and much more. Just as importantly, Honor Yourself will teach you the steps for staying in balance. For when you learn the steps, you can perform the dance--and that's when the magic begins.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest effort from author and "practical spirituality" proponent Spadaro (co-author, Your Seven Energy Centers, with Elizabeth Clare Prophet) is a tightly woven guide to achieving inner peace with help from East and West spiritual traditions. The depressed, the alienated, and those recovering from a toxic relationship will undoubtedly appreciate the analogies from all corners of the globe; anyone suffering from self-doubt will find Spadaro's unwavering faith and enthusiasm encouraging; and the perpetually stuck will want to consult Spadaro's chapters on "giving yourself away," including a handy look at the idea of "flow," a psychological work state currently in vogue among efficiency experts. Though at times repetitive, Spadaro's nurturing, worthwhile endeavor will prove helpful to readers attuned to her perky cheerleader approach.
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Review

"Patricia Spadaro is a marvelous guide through the inner realms of the heart. I always feel uplifted by her words." --Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love

Honor Yourself is more than just food for the soul, it is true healing for the heart. Patricia Spadaro provides an honest approach to self-love that will help us overcome the mental and emotional roadblocks that have created imbalances in our lives today. Taking a cue from ancient scriptures and healing traditions, she helps us understand the daily dance of give and take that makes up life's experiences. She is a new voice to be reckoned with as a pioneer in healing. --Ann Louise Gittleman,New York Times bestselling author of The Fat Flush Plan and Before the Change

A tightly woven guide to achieving inner peace. --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Three Wings Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981603300
• ISBN-13: 978-0981603308
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift from the heart May 1, 2009

By Cheryl Eckl

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Beautifully written and designed, Honor Yourself is a perfect book. Author Patricia Spadaro has given us a gift from her heart that is sure to transform the lives of many, many people. Drawing on her own impressive knowledge of the perennial wisdom of East and West, she has created an ideal self-help guide. Honor Yourself never preaches, but illuminates life's paradoxes with easy clarity, gently leading us into wise choices based on Spadaro's rich personal experience and insightful stories from the world's great sages. This is a book to relish and ponder--and then recommend to everyone you know who has ever struggled with the question of how to give to others without losing your self in the process.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Roadmap for the journey March 31, 2009

By Susan Harrow

Format:Paperback

I read Patricia's book eagerly.....almost obsessively. I recognized so many sign posts of life on the path of personal growth, stories of detours we have all taken, plus practical insight and advice. I am re-inspired to make my own life more expansive, expressive and rich in the spirit.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Honor Yourself by reading this book April 5, 2009

By W. C. House

Format:Paperback

Rarely does a debut solo work of non-fiction explode on the scene with such deftness and clarity. In the first chapter alone, every sentence can stand on its own, demonstrating a paradox. Does writing so perfectly executed just flow from brain to text? The answer is no. Something so fluid, so easy to read took painstaking correcting and rewriting until the finished product looks natural and flows seemlessly off the page. But what makes any book great, from Dostoyevsky to Tolle, is when the reader pauses every so often to ponder what he has just read. This is just what I found myself doing from chapter to chapter. The author teaches us the path of balance and the middle way, pointing out that this oftentimes requires us to recognize and navigate life's paradoxes. Ms. Spadaro's command of the English language is equalled if not surpassed by her knowledge of the world's great mysteries, healing traditions, writers and philosophers, all of which she brings to bear in illuminating quotes and examples of the higher path.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An uplifting and timely book.... April 1, 2009

By Nigel J. Yorwerth

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved how this author shatters the myths about giving and receiving that so many of us have grown up with. She shows us how it is not only OK to seek wholeness and care for ourselves before we try to help others but how it is in fact essential. We no longer need to feel guilty about balancing what others need with what we need. It also shows when we do need to give. Her story about the little girl and her open-hearted giving is worth the price of the book and will bring joy to your heart and a tear (of happiness) to your eye. This is a beautiful and empowering book that in a practical and heartfelt way will show you the keys to drawing boundaries, finding your own voice, honoring endings and giving with the heart in lieu of the head. This book showed me that I don't need to accept everything that comes to my doorstep as preordained but that I have the power and duty to be true to myself.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This author should be on Oprah April 13, 2009

By Chris Kelley

Format:Paperback

This book was fun and exciting to read. I was astounded at how my beliefs and behaviors about giving and receiving affect so much of my life--finances, relationships, career, everything. I loved how I was able to discover my own personal patterns of giving and receiving(some of them pretty destructive--although very common). And I liked the tools the author provides to help change bad beliefs and bring them back into balance. I highly recommend this book and would love to see it featured on Oprah. I think the author, Patricia Spadaro, would be an insightful guest.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the Power of Paradox Today July 21, 2009

By T. McNicholas

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Patricia's insights throughout her book are practical and understandable. Patricia's guidance has helped me to understand the power of paradox in my life and the importance of living what she calls the "Magic" and to see more clearly the adverse effects of exclusively believing the "Myth". Here's a great example of one that I've been working on successfully to balance. "Myth: If I try hard enough, I can control what happens in my life. Magic: Endings are a natural part of life's cycles, I honor myself by accepting them and the transformations they bring." Thank you, Patricia!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving July 14, 2009

By Deena L. Avery

Format:Paperback

I was so moved by Patricia Spadaro's book. It's what I always struggle with . . . balance. I had always bought into the myth that if I didn't sacrifice myself for others, I was abandoning them. It came into full bloom while I was caring for my mom after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. It is hard for me to find the words to convey the impact this book had on me during that whole process. The idea of putting myself first seemed selfish and self-centered. "Honor Yourself" not only helped me navigate through the months of caring for her, but also during the period after her transition. I used many ideas as affirmations to help me through the process of learning to honor my own needs. I am a self-help book junkie, but this is the first book that opened my eyes and heart to self-care. There is not a woman I know of who wouldn't benefit from this wonderful book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book...thousands of years in the making May 25, 2009

By Text Heavy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The real question about Honor Yourself is not whether it is a good book or a great book (it's the latter) but what kind of great book. To answer that takes some perspective. Beneath the subtle beauty of the writing, Honor Yourself, positioned as a self help book, delivers its "help" by providing a host of practical spiritual and psychological solutions.
But that's not what makes it great.
This book deals with the play of paradox in a way not attempted since the Tao Te Ching which, according to tradition, was written millennia ago by Lao Tzu. The Tao, as it is commonly referred to, is an enigmatic text that deals with the ultimate paradox, the flow of the infinite and ungraspable principle through the polarities of yang and yin. The Tao is an obscure book, one that is intentionally hard to grasp, especially by minds in our time that want to measure, quantify, calibrate, cogitate. Lao Tzu, translated variously as Old Master or Old Fellow, was skilled in cloaking the essence of the Tao from the concrete mind. And so that ancient text has remained a beacon that lures people to a higher place.
It is, however, a beacon that does not provide a practical set of ideas or exercises to apply its insights. And it could not. It was not until our time that we had the requisite accumulation of social, spiritual and psychological knowledge to put the Old Master's insights into action. And that, precisely, is what Patricia Spadaro has undertaken to do, consciously or not, in Honor Yourself.
If the Tao te Ching is theory, Honor Yourself is practice. It isn't a cookbook or a treatise that tells you how to paint by the numbers. It doesn't merit over used terms --like memorable, exceptional, unique--that people repeat when reviewing books.... Honor Yourself goes beyond canned solutions and empty praise and gives you the necessary thinking skills to resolve the paradoxes of life so that you can one day resolve the Great Paradox.
I think the Old Fellow himself would be impressed. Read more ›