Books on Cassette : The New American Spirituality

The New American Spirituality

EUR 21,99


Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of the Omega Institute, speaks to America s cross-pollination of religious, psychological, metaphysical, and ancient traditions that have flowered into contemporary spirituality. Like many seekers, Lesser has discovered a deeply personal religious path--one that wandered through Zen Buddhist monasteries, meandered through Christian churches, dabbled in African and Native American traditions, and expanded into the teachings of the Great Mother. Using her own journey as the road map, Lesser discusses why so many Americans are coming to a deeply personal form of religion--one that does not prescribe to a specific doctrine or definition of God. Although she expertly performs the role of memoirist and observer, Lesser has stretched this book into a useful tool for all seekers. She offers numerous suggestions, such as how to listen to your body, increase your spiritual bank account, live the questions rather than seek the answers, and create a supportive community. This is a moving workbook for anyone who s hoping to find, claim, or simply maintain their spiritual truths. --Gail Hudson

A Map of the New American Spiritual World - Eliabeth Lesser s book, The New American Spirituality, is a highly readable, thoroughly informative, and deeply felt dispatch from the frontier of America s ever-evolving spiritual journey. As a cofounder of Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, Lesser has been in the thick of it for almost 30 years, organizing workshops and conferences nationwide, meeting and nurturing extended relationships with the leaders in the field--from Maya Angelou to Ram Dass--and helping put together the nation s largest and most successful learning center that seeks to explore and weave together many of the emerging threads of a country in the throes of perhaps the most extraordinary spiritual rebirth since the nineteenth-century Great Awakening. So much more than an academic treatment of the subject, this book is also part memoir and part guidebook. It is perhaps no accident that Omega Institute began in a small, white clapboard settlement that had belonged to the Shakers, who even in their heyday were considered a fringe movement. But much of what was once marginal about Omega is now moving into the mainstream. After defining spirituality and its context in American life, a good part of the book is then devoted to grounding the often ethereal world of spirituality in four different landscapes--the landscape of the mind, the landscape of the heart, the landscape of the body, and the landscape of the soul--which provide a kind of map to guide us through this exciting, rich, though often strange new world. Although she s a member of the cast and applauds a world she helped create, she does not suffer fools or pander to the excesses that this so-called new age movement throws up and expects us to admire. She makes us laugh, and laughs with us. This is a big book and, if you like, can be read in sections that happen to appeal to you at a particular time. But you ll want to read the whole thing and come back to it like you would a spiritual practice. The repeated visits are sure to nourish you.

fantastic spirit food - What I love about this book is I can open it anywhere and be nourished, drawn back into my spiritual core. Yes, it covers a lot of ground but it does so beautifully, accurately, and with great honesty. And reading the personal story of the author is very compelling. I keep this book by my bedside and dip into it often.

Good global resource - This book is a good book, not great (I d give it 3.5 stars if possible). As the others reviewers have stated, Ms. Lesser has written a book that covers all the different spheres of spirituality: body, mind, soul, etc. She has written helpful, insightful advice in all these areas.However, I m afraid that the author has bitten off more than she can chew. The main problem is that you could write entire books on each subject Lesser discusses. Lesser must then edit out a lot of information in order to obtain a book of publishable length. But that means she has left a whole lot out, making each section of the book shallower than if Lesser had written 4 or 5 separate books. This problem is generally resolved by the well-organized and generous bibliography. Rather than lump all the references together in one alphabetical list, Lesser has provided separate bibliographies for each major section. Accordingly, if you re interested in reading books on the body, you can quickly find such books without guesswork. At the end of the day, I do not know who should read this book. As someone who has been seeking for some time, I found that the book constitutes a great research resource to locate further resources. I am afraid, however, that a person just starting to seek may be overwhelmed and confused by the amount of information involved.

The Most Balanced and Objective Read on Spirituality - If you are looking for a book that explores spirituality in an objective and healthy fashion, you will be hard-pressed to find a better book. This book is not about Religion or any specific doctrine, it is about spirituality - current Religions are briefly mentioned within a proper context.If you are a seeker, you will find this book particularly valueable. If you are looking for a book that will tell you the Best religion and why that s so, this is not the book for you.This is a healthy and heartfelt book written by an author with lots of personal experience to share. To an open mind, this book is a breath of fresh air. Enjoy.

A Must Read! - This country is truely messed up! If only half of the population would read a chapter from this book, the world would be a safer place. Come on, people, read!




The New American Spirituality