Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Once a week people in the thousands show up for their regular appointment with a therapist..." (more)
Key Phrases: puer spirit, archetypal child, James Hillman, Nicholas of Cusa, Oscar Wilde (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Care of the Soul is considered to be one of the best primers for soul work ever written. Thomas Moore, an internationally renowned theologian and former Catholic monk, offers a philosophy for living that involves accepting our humanity rather than struggling to transcend it. By nurturing the soul in everyday life, Moore shows how to cultivate dignity, peace, and depth of character. For example, in addressing the importance of daily rituals he writes, "Ritual maintains the world's holiness. As in a dream a small object may assume significance, so in a life that is animated by ritual there are no insignificant things." This is the eloquence that helped reintroduce the sacred into everyday language and contemporary values.

From Publishers Weekly

Therapist and religious historian Moore's invigorating guide to a "soulful" life poses a radical challenge to contemporary psychotherapy.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint Edition edition (January 26, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060922249
• ISBN-13: 978-0060922245
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,343 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it and make up your own mind, December 3, 2001

By A Customer

I agree wholeheartedly with Thomas Moore's assertion that "loss of soul" is a major problem facing us today. People who are cut off from soulful family and friendship may find themselves in a cultural void, a barren world where problems are solved with pills and the media replaces real community. We have lost ourselves in the chaotic din and senseless rush. We are more sophisticated than ever, yet we remain unsatisfied. Do we know what will really satisfy us? Can we be still and take an honest look at ourselves? Are we making the best use of the one short life that has been given us?
If you recognise these questions, then 'Care of the Soul' might help you begin to answer them. Moore has a sense of the sanctity of human life, he urges us to see each life as precious and has respect for what each individual presents, however unpleasant it may seem. Every story and pathology is meaningful and can reveal truths about not just the individual but also about their family and society. When I first read the book I was most impressed by the chapter on narcissism, which remains the most authoratative account of self-love I have read. We are used to hearing that we must love ourselves before we can truly love another, but do we really know how? Moore correctly interprets the story of Narcissus not simply as an example of the symptom of narcissism, which is how it is often misinterpreted, but as the myth of true self-love, and he tells it with the insight you might expect from a therapist. This alone was a revelation and changed my life. I wonder if when Narcissus recognises himself he is experiencing the well~known 'Thou Art That' of Indian philosophy.Other key themes such as jealousy, power and depression are explored also.
A previous reviewer wrote that Moore thinks we should not change. I think this is a misrepresentation. Change is an inevitable part of life and cannot be avoided. But the feeling that we need to be someone different is a rejection of ourselves. I think we have to accept our past before we can be free of it, then change occurs naturally, out of stillness and reflection. Other reviewers have discussed what age range this is suitable for, Moore himself says that it is never too early or too late to begin caring for the soul. I read it in my early twenties and wish I had read it sooner, I know people who are much older and would still benefit from it`s message.
This book is the best introduction to spiritual life I have read and I feel grateful for it almost every day.
Thankyou Mr. Moore!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A landmark effort, August 27, 2001

By	M. Consol (Livermore, CA, United States) - See all my reviews

As a person who has read scores of books about spirituality and metaphysics, this is the most influential and refreshing I've read in 20 years. "Care of the Soul" is a beautifully written book about simple living and high thinking. The quality thoughts expressed in this book are worthy of being re-read throughout one's life. Thomas Moore has made a stark departure from the metaphysical and New Age movement with a book that is, quite simply, a guide for soulful living. Moore doesn't talk about karma, reincarnation, salvation, gurus or higher plains of consciousness. He doesn't become entangle with his own ego nor does he reiterate the conventional wisdom so many books of this genre parrot. On the contrary, this book challenges convention at every turn. "Care of the Soul" is about the here and now, the importance of mythology, ritual, imagination and beauty. It's about finding ritual and sacredness in our everyday routines. It deals with subjects ranging from family relationships, jealousy and earning a living to depression, aging and dying. Yet, Moore doesn't offer trite or handy answers or techniques for solving problems or smoothing the human experience. The human experience, with all its agonies, is not something to be circumvented, in Moore's view. And it's not something subject to overnight transformation. Rather, the human experience is a process to be embraced and made whole. I thoroughly disagree with an earlier review that called this a "simple" book best read by people 18 to 28 years old. Very few people of that age bracket would have the frame of reference or wisdom necessary to fully mine and understand the concepts and imagery Moore deals with. Buy this book and read it. You will cherish it and pass it along to the people you care about.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Search for Soul, February 6, 2005

By	John B. Mudd (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to admit, I was hoping to find a simple and concise definition of the soul in the first few pages. Sigh, it's not there.

What I did find is a vague and complex description which lasts the entire book. I'm come to appreciate this approach though. I believe it is consistent with the nature of the soul. At least, what I've come to understand the soul to be. A machine might produce a simple guide to the soul but a machine has no soul. It is very human, and soulful, for the author to struggle and explore. This book is both a guide to the soul and an example of the author's well developed soul.

I've read very few books in my life. So when I started this book I was cautious. I don't want to be misled or waste my time. This book required a lot of concentration but it was worth it. I used this book to help me deal with a new job in a large corporation.

Even before I had this book I complained that my new work environment was a soul robbing hell hole. I used the term "soul robbing" but I really didn't understand what that meant. This book helped me see how robot-like attention to procedures, treating people like cogs in a machine and being devoted to one "right" way all violate the nature of the soul. I have the same job now but I compensate. I may not change the company but I can at least hold on to my soul.

This book also confirmed some of my own thoughts about what's important. I used to tell yoga teachers that I come to class mostly just to learn how to be a kid again. I was partly serious and partly joking. Now, after reading this book, I'm more convinced than ever that being a kid is the right direction. A lot of what the author values in soul work (wonder, curiosity, patience, honesty, simplicity, vulnerability, appreciation, action, vision and love) seem natural for the type of kid I want to be. I'm relieved that I don't have to create a soul from scratch. Hopefully it's just a matter of reclaiming the soul I started out with.

This book is full of interpretations. Of dreams, myths and poetry. So I think the author would be sorely disappointed in me if I didn't look deeper for what's behind this book. Here goes... This book is about the soul but it was written for love. I believe Thomas Moore wrote this book as an expression of his love for a woman. Her name is Joan Hanley. And I would give anything to know how this book affected their relationship. I know, many who have read this book will think I'm crazy but, I swear, I found this in the pages.

Read this book and you'll be able to tell all your spiritual friends that you've got soul. Study this book, pour over it and read it like you're going to teach it and you'll understand we all have soul. But don't stop there. Read it and be open to the possibilities why one man would pour so much energy into such a tenuous subject. Read it and wonder.