Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, William David Griffith ISBN: 1-55927-558-8 Publisher: Audio Renaissance Pub. Date: 15 April, 1999 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.36 (345 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Creative, but Terribly Dissappointing
Comment: This is going to be an unpopular review...I know many have found Mr. Zukov's book a very rewarding read. I, on the other hand, could not have been more disappointed. I finished the book for the express purpose of writing this review.
As a student of religion and culture, I was extremely disappointed with the manner in which Zukov approached his subject matter. He speaks of such issues as the nature of the soul, reincarnation, the souls of animals vs. those of people, higher order guides and teachers, and numerous other mystical concepts with ABSOLUTELY NO REFERENCE to where his thoughts and ideas come from. He states them as though we all agree that his model of the way the universe works is a given, and then proceeds to flesh out some of the details related to that model. His model, of course, is a curious mish-mash of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Aristotlean thought, psychic experience and science, all blended in a creative, but highly unsubstantiated paradigm. As a scientist, I think he leans WAY to heavily on the inkling of quantum physics he gained while writing "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" and has made an abomination of some of those concepts. For instance, he speaks of the human soul as literally being composed of light. Not metaphorically, but literally. But not light as SCIENCE knows. Oh no. That would run him up against some problems when physics attempted to measure the wavelength of the soul. No, his light is a DIFFERENT kind of light, but light nonetheless. Are there relationships to quantum physics that could be drawn upon to understand the human condition and psyche? Absolutely. Did he address any of the legitimate ones? Not one.
His igorance shines through in countless examples throughout the book (mine is marked up almost beyond recognition). For instance, in the chapter on reverence, he expresses shock that mankind would do "one thing that would risk the balance of the Earth's ecosystem." If he was really a student of evolution and dynamical systems, he would know damn well that ecosystems are CONSTANTLY moved out of balance, and that is exactly why there is evolution in the first place! So the fact that there are human beings at all, and they do stuff to the ecosystem is because that's the way the system works! No one, not dolphins or squirrels or trees or people or even Mr. Zukov can prevent having an "impact on the balance of the ecosystem."
There are myriads of inconsistencies in his thought paradigm that leaves the careful reader genuinely confused as to what he's trying to say. For instance, he speaks a great deal of the impersonal Universe that acts without judgement, being essentially the medium that allows life to unfold (not unlike the "Tao" of Taoism or the "Way" of Zen). And then later he speaks of a Universe that has been Divinely planned and executed to make sure that it is the perfect opportunity for each soul to achieve karmic balance. Or he says "not one action of the Universe is without compassion." These suggestions are anything BUT the actions of in impersonal universe! So which is it? Are we evolving according to principal, or are we guided by a grand blue-print? Another example of his inconsistency is in the chapter on souls, where he states that Angels cannot be understood in human terms, and then goes on to describe the nature of Angels! The inconsistency alone grates on me, but the audacity of the man to speak matter of factly about the nature of Angels or anything else "that cannot be understood in human terms" is absurd.
Lastly, I echo the criticisms of others that point out how unbelievably redundant this book is. I don't know HOW many times he points out the relationship of the personality to the soul, and the difference between the 5-sensory and the multi-sensory person. The book is 90% filler and 10% stuff, and only a fraction of that "stuff" was convincingly insightful.
Space does not allow for a point by point criticism of this book, and you don't want to read it anyway. Suffice it to say that anyone that purports to "know" anything had better be able to back it up with direct experience, or at least produce a coherent synthesis of the accepted work of others. Zukov has done neither. He has launched himself on a creative flight of fancy and tried to pass it off as wisdom regarding the manner in which the soul exists. It is not wisdom. It is not philosphy. It is not religion. It is nothing more than Mr. Zukov's ideas, written in a creative way that demonstrates his gifts in the realm of English far more than in the realm of spirituality or mysticism. (If he would have just SAID as much, that these are just his own thoughts and ideas, then I would have let go all of my angst over this book, but he never does. He just speaks as though he knows, and assumes we will simply believe him. Well, not all of us are willing to do that.)
As an afterthought, I expect there are those who are fuming at this review, and who assume I am a narrow-minded person with no bent to the psychic or the spiritual, or that I have an over-dependence on things concrete and tangible. Nothing could be further from the truth. I consider myself extremely open to the possibilities that exist in the Universe, and pretend nothing when it comes to my own experience and knowledge. I am a student of life and living, thought and creativity, religion and philosophy and culture and science, and STILL this book left me empty and irritated. For those who love the book, my appologies. For those who have not yet read it, be cautious.
Rating: 2
Summary: A big disappointment after Wu Li
Comment: I recommend Zukav's first book, the Wu Li Dancing Masters on my website. I was eagerly looking forward to a continuation. I expected it to be about what we have learned about the soul and consciousness. Instead, he concocted an ecumenical soup of new age beliefs from astrology to reincarnation and wove it into an elaborate metaphysic, fluffed up with abstract words like "negativity", "learning" and "frequency". It is a merangue -- no substance, no backing, no examples, no reasons for why anything he conjectures is true, and no way to apply it practically.
It reads like a channeled hynotic trance induction. It sounds good but says little.
He explains that you should not think it unfair to see someone homeless and that humans are superior to dolphins even in a soul sense. This is a self-indulgent book, where Mr. Zukav treats his every intuition as divine revelation.
Rating: 5
Summary: True Soul Enlightenment & Inspiration
Comment: When I first received this book as a gift, I wasn't sure what to think. After reading it, I realized that getting it was the greatest gift I've ever gotten. The book is amazing. It inspires me to reach for something higher, to live better, and to get the most out of the journey of life. I go back to this book often and have read it many times. It truly brought me to a better understanding of my soul and my life. Even if you are skeptical or don't believe in all the book discusses, there will be something that will change the way you look at life.
 |
Title: The Heart of the Soul : Emotional Awareness by Gary Zukav ISBN: 0743234960 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 06 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Soul Stories by Gary Zukav ISBN: 0743206371 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 26 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Dancing Wu Li Masters : An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav ISBN: 055326382X Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 September, 1984 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul: Meditations for Souls in Process by Gary Zukav ISBN: 0671887696 Publisher: Fireside Pub. Date: 21 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Authentic Power: Aligning Personality With Soul by Gary Zukav ISBN: 1561704504 Publisher: Hay House, Inc. Pub. Date: November, 1997 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
