The Secret Language of the Soul: A Visual Guide to Enlightenment and Destiny - Hardcover

Hope, Jane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 190013148X ISBN 13: 9781900131483

Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

A survey of key concepts of belief and the symbols that embody them.

About this title

Review

Throughout the ages, belief in an inner "soul" or the "spiritual" has contributed to a unique and valuable dimension to human life. TheSecret Language of the Soul looks at the astonishing variety of ways in which this fundamental belief is manifested in faith and ritual and is crucial to our perception of ourselves and the world we inhabit. The scope is vast--from the strange world of the Siberian shaman, who travels in a dream trance to the spirit world to bring back healing wisdom for his people, to the Zen Buddhist monk, whose life of meditation and ceremony is full of spiritual challenge.

The emphasis of the book is on the enduring relevance of the key concepts upon which bodies of belief have been built--for example, the Indian notion of samsara or endless rebirth; the Buddhist karma or right action; the Christian Eucharist, where "transubstantiation" (spirit becoming body) takes place; and the Native North American vision quest, performed in the "sweat lodge" ceremony. Spiritual symbols are explored in full-colour artworks and superb photographs, depicting some of the most profound and compelling images ever devised.

As the language of the soul encompasses such vast, complex and sometimes elusive material, this beautiful text helpfully structures its subject into sections looking at the relationship of cultural concepts of the soul to the cosmos, the natural world and the spiritual world, concluding with a look at the acts of faith and spiritual discipline that testify to the highest aspirations of the human spirit, such as penitence, vision quests, meditation, prayer, retreat, ecstasy and transformation. Looking at major religions past and present, as well as myth, folklore and symbolism, the book provides a multi-faceted portrait of our attempts through history to find a spiritual faith by which to live.--Fiona Buckland

Edition details

• Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 190013148X
• ISBN 13: 9781900131483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Barrett Alison, Cooper Matthew, St Pierre Louisa
• Number of pages: 176