The soul's code
Subtitle: in search of character andcalling
By: James Hillman.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Random House
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 334
Subjects: Individuality; Individuality in children; Fate and fatalism; Gifted persons
Description: "Plato and the Greeks called it "daimon," the Romans "genius," the Christians "guardian angel"; today we use terms such as "heart," "spirit," and "soul." For James Hillman it is the central and guiding force of his utterly unique and compelling "acorn theory," which proposes that each life is formed by a particular image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny, just as the mighty oak's destiny is written in the tiny acorn. It is a theory that offers a liberating vision of childhood troubles and an exciting approach to themes such as fate and fatalism, character and desire, family influence and freedom, and, most of all, calling - that invisible mystery at the center of every life that speaks to the fundamental question "What is it, in my heart, that I must do, be, and have? And why?"" "The Soul's Code dedicates itself to what is truly innate, not to how it got this way or where it's going. Hillman does not see human beings as results or, worse, victims of their lives, nor does the promise or even seek a "cure"; instead he welcomes the necessity of every aspect of what makes up a life and advocates using "symptoms" as clues to what the daimon demands. Essentially, Hillman believes that there is more to life - to each individual - than can be explained by the traditional "either/or" categories of genetics and environment. His method is to use the extraordinary (an extensive array of examples from Yehudi Menuhin to Jeffrey Dahmer) as a way to inspire the ordinary, as well as urging his readers to reexamine their childhood impulses, fantasies, thoughts, and even accidents, all of which reflect the "blueprints" that give direction to the course of a biography."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. (307)-320) and index.