Listening to the Oracle; The Ancient Art of Finding Guidance in the Signs and Symbols All Around Us [Hardcover]

Dianne Skafte Ph. D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

Oracles--wise messengers that help steer our lives--come to us from sources such as dreams, divination, patterns in nature, chance words overheard in a crowd, and inspired wisdom-speakers. Ancient peoples revered oracles as communications from the sacred life maxtrix. But in modern times, we need a little help attuning to the signs and wonders all around us.

Dr. Skafte rekindles our oracular knowing by exploring oracle traditions from many time periods and applying their wisdom to our own lives. Topics include: Preparing to receive oracles; The arts of divination, Sibyls; The oracle of Delphi; The shadow side of oracles; and Communications from animals and nature. Discussions are based on extensive historical research. The book contains over 400 indexed citations. Every chapter contains useful exercises and practices.

The ancient oracles haven't stopped speaking, Skafte says. We've just forgotten how to listen. But they warmly await our return.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a fascinating, intriguing work of beauty and philosophy, hard to put down, and a great pleasure to read." -- Libble Hale, Ph.D., APRT Newsletter, Volume 18, number 4, Fall 1998

"Provocative and original. Essential reading for anyone seeking to penetrate the mysteries of human consciousness." -- Robert A. Johnson, author of He; She; We. May 5, 1997, Back cover of book

"Well-crafted and infinitely engaging...the reader is invited to commune, to explore, and above all, to be comforted." -- Daphne Stephens, Ph.D. The Salt Journal, Spring, 1999

About the Author

Dianne Skafte, Ph.D. (University of Colorado), is a past Academic Dean of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and has taught depth psychology for 12 years. She is the author of three books and 25 articles in the fields of psychology and transpersonal studies. Dr. Skafte lives in Santa Barbara with her family.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006251444X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062514448
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,510,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wise and luminous, October 16, 2000

By 

Kathleen Jenks (SW Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Oracles Speak (Paperback)

This is a wise and luminous book. The author, an expert on the ancient history and lore of oracles, is also a most engaging writer, a skilled psychotherapist, and an extraordinary woman who knows firsthand the mysterious realms of which she writes. She writes with grace, providing suitable warnings of potential pitfalls but, overall, creating a friendly, respectful atmosphere in which one feels safe to explore these deeply sacred realms. For many generations, oracular images and insights were simply an accepted part of our journey as humans. Dr. Dianne Skafte restores to us the wonder of that numinous connection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Introduction into Oracular, May 1, 2001

By 

W. Saunders "Esquire" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Listening to the Oracle; The Ancient Art of Finding Guidance in the Signs and Symbols All Around Us (Hardcover)

I had the blessed chance to meet Diane Skafte and found her to be such a warm and spiritual woman. She has the air of some ancient prophetess herself; which made her book all the better. The best parts of this book is Skafte's imagining of what an ancient scene would look like (for example--what a petioner to the Oracle might think or experience before, during, and after their oracular experience). She helped me see that God and the "gods" speak to us all the time through various means. The only thing keeping me from giving her book the full 5 stars, is it begins to bog down toward the end as she gets muddled in left-wing environmentalism. But overall, a good book.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent study of oracles and oracular knowing., January 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Listening to the Oracle; The Ancient Art of Finding Guidance in the Signs and Symbols All Around Us (Hardcover)

Marvelous book--highly recommended. Deftly avoiding the extremes of either sterile skepticism or superstition, Dr. Skafte makes her case for the value of oracular consciousness, a capacity we all share. A while back I went to a lecture given by her to the Jung Society of Claremont; asking us to visualize why we'd come, she distributed envelopes at random to the audience. Introverted Steppenwolf that I was, I'd come to be in the presence of "my kind," the folks who concern themselves with "the deep stuff," and to explore whether I should "raise my voice"--I actually thought of it in those words--and contribute more to my chosen field of endeavor, that of psychology, depth psychology in particular. I was therefore gratified (but not shocked: the Tarot and I Ching are old friends of mine) to draw forth from my envelope a highly appropriate image: a howling wolf. The accompanying Commentary read, in part: "Wolves are deeply bonded to their own kind...Don't go it alone in this matter. Something calls out for connection. Answer in kind, and you will be answered." -- Craig Chalquist, M.S. (designer of Cain's Self-Exploration Site)