Customer Reviews

The Secret Language of the Soul: A Visual Exploration of the Spiritual World

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THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!!!! I am impressed at both the quality of the illustrations, artwork, and photographs and the simplicity in which the material is presented. This is NOT a scholarly discussion of comparative religion. Rather, it is a peaceful journey, pleasing to the eyes, easy on the mind, and regenerating to the soul. I am a student of religious studies and would recommend this to anyone, regardless of their knowledge and scholarship (or lack thereof) in comparative religion. It is not going to provide a learned scholar with any new insights but it just might be the ticket to getting someone to begin a journey using Houston Smith's "Illustrated World Religions" or Joseph Campbell's "Power of Myth".

I teach comparative religions to intelligent, educated adults who are exploring their own spiritual paths. This book provides an overview of the ways in which different peoples have expressed their own answers to life's basic questions. The organization of the book is unique, giving the reader an opportunity to explore each topic as treated by a number of wisdom traditions. A perfect introduction to comparative religion study.

Beautifully illustrated with works of religious art from the world's diverse faiths, this book offers a colorful smorgasboard of spiritual symbols for those who seek understanding of truths that elude literal explanation. Because this "smorgasboard" offers just a taste of each spiritual tradition, it is not "food for the soul," but rather a feast for the eyes, and perhaps an appetizer to stimulate readers to delve more deeply into one of the many topics presented. Jane Hope is concerned with the "loss of the soul" or "ennui" being experienced by so many in Western society, where "the world is seen as separate from the individual self." She believes that "through the various manifestations of faith - vision, symbol, ritual, discipline - we may still grasp the archetypal reality that underlies all experience." Her book proffers a ring of keys to this reality. It is up to us to choose a key, if we haven't already, and turn it in the lock. -Emily L. VanLaeys, author of DREAM WEAVING: USING DREAM GUIDANCE TO CREATE LIFE'S TAPESTRY