Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers [Paperback]

Gregory Mayers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

The 1500-year-old spiritual philosophy known as "Desert Wisdom" offers a compelling resource for facing contemporary challenges.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Liguori Publications; 1st edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892439300
• ISBN-13: 978-0892439300
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,098,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very excellent book on contemplative practice..., April 30, 2001

By 

Han Jadden "Professional Geologist" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Paperback)

I have read and re-read this book many times and it always amazes me the gems of wisdom that it contains. Gregory Mayers presents a simple path to contemplative practice that has enriched my religious and daily life significantly. The wisdom of the desert fathers is profound in its applications to modern life and especially to modern religions.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A challenging look at modern Christian spirituality, January 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Paperback)

This short work is an excellent introduction to issues in modern spirituality, drawing upon the teachings of early Christian mystics who lived during the 4th century for answers. The author explains some of stories told of these early teachers and their students, in the light of modern psychology. The book also suggests how modern institutional religions may be missing the mark when their practice is based on fundamentalism, authoritarianism, and distrust of individual conscience. The alternatives suggested by the author are both rooted in tradition and modern thought, and provide a refreshing new look at Christian spirituality.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A natural wedding of Psychology and Spirituality., February 22, 2008

By 

Sister Laurel M. O'Neal, Er Dio (Stillsong Hermitage, Diocese of Oakland, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Paperback)

An excellent work! Gregory Mayers weds the wisdom of the desert to contemporary depth psychology and achieves genuine insight into the process and reality of contemplative practice and living. One comes away understanding some of the depth of wisdom contained in the sayings of the desert Abbas and Ammas selected, and just how contemporary it is as well. This is not a matter of psychobabble, but a sophistiocated understanding of what monastic life calls the true vs the false self, the drama and psychology of object relations, the need and struggle to let go of an ego-self, etc. It is true that this is not the book for someone who wants a superficial introduction to the piety of the desert Fathers, or who needs the profound linkages between the sayings and the underlying psychology spelled out in detail. Despite what it says on the back cover, it is better suited, perhaps, to those who have spent time meditatively with these sayings, appreciate their wisdom on a first-hand basis, and now wish to understand the psychology of the matter a little better. Like most things which are really simple (instead of merely simplistic), the sayings serve as doorways to a reality which is really complex and/or mysterious (too big to comprehend all at once). Look for something like John Chryssavgis', In the Heart of the Desert or, Waddell's The Desert Fathers, or, as another commentor mentioned, Merton's, The Wisdom of the Desert, if you desire something with more implicit psychological dimensions and more traditional spiritual language. On the other hand, use this as an intro if you are going to delve further into the psychological dimensions of contemplative life.