Psyche's Seeds: The 12 Sacred Principles of Soul-Based Psychology [Hardcover]

Jacquelyn Small (Author), Brenda Rosen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2001

The author of Awakening in Time uses the archetypal myth of Psyche and Eros to show readers how to combine their psychological and spiritual searches.

Just as the mythical Psyche had to learn a new set of life principles to free herself from the jealousies of Aphrodite and win the love of the goddess's son Eros, so do we need to use Psyche's lessons to combine the forces of our psyche and soul. In Jacquelyn Small's Psyche's Seeds, these twelve sacred principles include:
- What you say "I Am" to has a way of claiming you.
- There can be no outer experts on a path of Self-Knowledge: the learning comes from within.
- Your symptoms of distress are not pathological; they are the pangs of birthing a new consciousness.
¥ Sacrifice is not giving up, but taking on.

The book's "Twelve Seed Thoughts for the Journey" and "Psyche's Four Tasks" give readers immensely practical personal exercises for creating a soul-based psychology. Jacquelyn Small shows how it is only when we learn to combine soul and psychology that we find the true path to a higher purpose and a better sense of self. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"There's no escaping it: without a healthy psyche, we create a bogus spirituality," writes Jacqueline Small in Psyche's Seeds. She feels passionately about recognizing the influences of human nature when it comes to spiritual growth. "Both must be honored for us to be healthy and whole." The mythical love story of Psyche and Eros offers the ongoing metaphor for blending the psychological and spiritual principles. (The story is about a human girl who marries a Greek god and teaches him how to love.) For the most part, Small sustains the mythological metaphor throughout the book without making it seem overly contrived. (Probably because we know "psyche" is the root of psychology, thus lending the metaphor more credibility.) Although the melding of psyche and spirit is not an original idea (think Carl Jung, M. Scott Peck), Small offers some inspired discussions, exercises, and opportunities for reflection. Her most accessible and advice-laden section is "How to Use Psyche's Seeds," which offers lessons such as: "Victimhood is a false concept that makes you powerless"; "Sacrifice is not giving up, but taking on"; and "As you cultivate your own natures, all around you begins to grow." --Gail Hudson

About the Author

Jacquelyn Small is a pioneer in the field of spiritual psychology who has been writing and teaching about recovery and personal growth for twenty-five years. The author of seven books, she is the founder and director of Eupsychia Institute in Austin, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher; 1st edition (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585420964
• ISBN-13: 978-1585420964
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,546,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psyche's Story is everyone's story, August 16, 2001

By 

Philip D. Payson "white-owl" (Freeport, ME USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Psyche's Seeds: The 12 Sacred Principles of Soul-Based Psychology (Hardcover)

There are many ways to gauge the value of a book, an important one for me is how well it bears up to being read a second or third time. This book passes that test. It has legs. The myth of Eros and Psyche is the story of our own lives. It illustrates the challenges of loving another, of waking up to our own inner gifts and strengths and claiming them for ourselves and the world. The story shows that the growth of spirit and the opening of the heart will always take place in the school of hard knocks. Throughout the book Jacqueline gives 'seed thoughts' which the reader can begin to incorporate into their day to day lives. The book is blessed by a subtle tone of non-judgement, acceptance, wisdom and humor. Small writes of her own struggles and 'failures' and shows how these events have helped her to take the necessary steps to change that a life of comfort and ease would have denied. There is power in thinking of your own life in mythical terms. Thank you Jacqueline for a wonderful retelling of this old story that has such resonance with my modern everyday life.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psyche's message relates to us all, July 29, 2001

By 

Lynne Forrest (Chattanooga, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Psyche's Seeds: The 12 Sacred Principles of Soul-Based Psychology (Hardcover)

Jacquelyn Small outdid herself with this, her latest, book! Starting out with the love story of Psyche and Eros, she translates the myth into every human's story. I was most impressed with the principles of soul psychology that Jacquie expounded upon as universal "seeds" for living a conscious life. The tasks of Psyche have never been this capably and beautifully expressed. She has presented them as being absolutely relevant to us all. This is a book that you will want to refer back to again and again. A definite "must read"!