Embodying Spirit: Coming Alive With Meaning and Purpose
Small is a comer among New Age gurus. Her three previous books, includingAwakening in Time(1991), have all sold well, and her personal appearances are quickly becoming top draws on the mind-body lecture circuit. Here she strives to bring spirituality together with physical desire, uniting passion and serenity. Drawing heavily on Jung, Small argues that "we are not human beings learning to be spiritual; we were always spiritual beings--and we're learning to be human." Whether she is interpreting the myth of Psyche and Eros or exploring Jungian archetypes, Small's goal is to make us comfortable with duality--a mind-body version of what Keats called negative capability. Like the works of Marianne Williamson, Shakti Gawain, and other New Age stars, much of Small's guidance reduces to common sense, but along the way, she capably synthesizes a potent mix of psychology, spirituality, and philosophy. Her focus here, on accepting "the delicious fruits of this earthly existence," sends a refreshing jolt of sensuality into the rarefied air of the spirituality movement.Ilene Cooper