My Book Reviews

In this post I wish to review a book I bought on the 22/2/1997 and have dipped into numerous times over the years.  The name of the book is simply Handbook for the Soul: A Collection of Wisdom from over 30 Celebrated Spiritual Writers. The editors of this compact and inspiring book that runs to roughly 200 pages are Drs Richard Carlson and Benjamin Shiel. The publisher is Piatkus, London, 1995. In the afterword, the editors inform us, should we be in doubt of the fact, that this is a compendium meant to be used and re-used.  Indeed, for me, this book is one I have dipped into many times over the last 20 or so years and I have brought it with me as a vade mecum  several times. They tell us that they hope even that the thoughts within may be debated with passion as well as pondered and reflected upon.  They continue: "It is our wish that some of the thoughts, voices and wisdom in these pages may remain with you.  Let these thoughts resonate in your mind ...

Spirituality My copy of this book Spirituality is one of those words that tends to be chameleon in nature, that is, it takes different camouflage to blend into whatever surroundings it occupies.  The prevailing context literally conditions its presentation of itself to the world.  Likewise, over the history of civilization it has taken different shapes as it was expressed from century to century in various cultures. If readers are of a more traditional religious bent of mind, or attend religious services of whatever denomination then they will understand spirituality as the journey within that certain community or church structure towards a spiritual centre of their lives which they will usually call God, a transcendent source or ground of Being. However, others may understand the spiritual reality as being of a more psychological nature; still others as being a sociological or psycho-sociological phenomenon and others still will view it as a merely artistic or cultu...