The Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These [Paperback]

Christina Baldwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2005

In this eloquent work, self-exploration pioneer Christina Baldwin leads readers of all spiritual persuasions to listen intentionally to the voice within their soul: the voice of spirit. She does this by sharing seven meditative phrases — the wisdom gained from listening to her own inner spirit. Each chapter is built around one of these core phrases, and examples include "Maintain peace of mind," "Surrender to surprises," and "Ask for what I need and offer what I can." After years of bringing spirituality to others through circle meetings, seminars, and journal writing, Baldwin offers her insight to a wider audience with this compelling and accessible book.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The connection with our spirit is like a phone line, explains Christina Baldwin in The Seven Whispers. "Sometimes I turn the ringer off. Sometimes I ignore the ringing. Sometimes I pick up the phone with suspicion. Sometimes I get impatient with the interruption." The irony, of course, is that "unlike a lot of other calls, the one from Spirit is the one we are hoping to receive." Baldwin (Life's Companion) excels in helping readers converse with the divine. Here, she devotes a chapter to each of the "Seven Whispers of spiritual commonsense":

1) Maintain peace of mind ("the cornerstone of a spiritual life")
2) Move at the pace of guidance ("rehumanize our speed of life")
3) Practice certainty of purpose ("a commitment to figuring out why we are here and what we are going to do about it")
4) Surrender to surprise (this helps us "practice the resilience we need to respond to whatever life offers")
5) Ask for what you need and offer what you can ("become spiritual traders of life's energy, time and abundance")
6) Love the folks in front of you ("look for the good in people even if we don't think it's there")
7) Return to the world (remove yourself from the simulated world and "return to the world of the body, the senses, the world of Nature")

This is a compact book, packed with a wise woman's spiritual homilies. While no one can make Spirit phone home more often, Seven Whispers will certainly eliminate the static and make for a better connection. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Self-exploration pioneer Christina Baldwin (Life's Companion; Calling the Circle) urges readers to connect with the spiritual world in The Seven Whispers: Listening to the Voice of the Spirit. Baldwin shares her own personal daily meditation, which consists of seven phrases maintain peace of mind, move at the pace of guidance, practice certainty of purpose, surrender to surprises, ask for what you need and offer what you can, love the folks in front of you, return to the world that she explains in the seven chapters of this volume, showing readers how to attain these attitudes by listening to their inner voice.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (September 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577315057
• ISBN-13: 978-1577315056
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christina Baldwin is a writer and seminar presenter of 30+ years experience. She has contributed two classic books to the exploration of journal writing, including the well-known classic, Life's Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Practice, revised and reissued in 2007 after 100,000 original sales. This work led her to a long study of personal growth and group dynamics and as a result of that experience she wrote Calling the Circle, the First and Future Culture to explore how social container releases needed wisdom. In recognition of the requirement for increased spirituality, she wrote The Seven Whispers, A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These. Her legacy book, Storycatcher, Making Sense of our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story, reminds readers of the necessity of story to communicate in all areas of professional and personal life. Continuing the exploration of collaborative dialogue, Christina and Ann Linnea wrote a new classic, The Circle Way, A Leader in Every Chair, which documents applications of PeerSpirit Circle Process as a foundational tool for local to global change.

Christina holds a B.A. in English with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Macalester College, and a M.S. in Educational Psychology from Columbia Pacific University. She currently lives on an island near Seattle, WA, from which she travels extensively to lecture, teach, and call people and organizations into conversations of heart, meaning, and activism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant & Accessible, May 4, 2002

By 

Charles Pettis "Chuck" (Freeland, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Whispers: Listening to the Voice of Spirit (Hardcover)

Blending insight and personal stories with practical spiritual practices, Christina Baldwin has created an elegant and engaging presentation of the the importance of the inner voice. I love the brevity of this book. I'm in the marketing research business and we hear all the time that, in our fast-paced world, getting to the point with less text is better. This book delivers the good stuff. And is a charming reminder to all on the spiritual path why we work so hard to still the mind to listen to the "voice of the spirit"

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars accessible wisdom, August 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seven Whispers: Listening to the Voice of Spirit (Hardcover)

What I love about this book is that weeks later I can still remember Baldwin's seven whispers and have been able to incorporate them into my busy life. I know I should be doing a better job at whisper #2, "Move at the pace of guidance," but even at the pace I'm moving I find these lovely sayings and the essays that accompany them reside in my mind. Many times a day they float to the surface of my mind and help me stay connected to spirit all week long. This book lives on my bedside table and I read little paragraphs over and over. It's a great gift. I've bought half a dozen copies for people of different religious persuasions and they all like it as much as I do.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book--inspirational, helpful material!, August 30, 2005

By 

P. J. Sampel "GOTN" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Whispers: Listening to the Voice of Spirit (Hardcover)

Christina Baldwin has written a masterful book on the importance and wisdom of spiritual practice and guidance...and of cultivating the ability to listen to our inner voices. This material is compact, precise, and powerful and is a magnificent addition to the library for any serious student of authentic, spiritual living. Plus, Ms. Baldwin is a superb storyteller, and weaves beautiful tales throughout the book that any reader can strongly relate to. This is,very simply, an outstanding book!