A well-rounded enlightenment guidebook.
A spiritual seeker’s interfaith guide to understanding the stages of spiritual wisdom.
McDowell is an author, spiritual director, and former professor of religious studies at Ithaca College who aims to guide readers on a path to spiritual illumination. She first invites them to embark on their own personal spiritual journeys toward the “realization of Supreme Reality” and explains that there are several stages one must pass through before inhabiting that space—which, she says, can be disregarded should readers prefer the “direct path.” She goes on to use an interfaith framework of Christianity, Sufi, and Zen wisdom to describe these stages in detail, which include but aren’t limited to the “Dark Wood” (described as “a place of not knowing”), awakening, purification and self-simplification, illumination, the “Dark Night of the Soul,” and, finally, the “Unitive Stage.” Along the way, McDowell offers anecdotes and stories from her own life while using the well-known 10 oxherding pictures—12th-century drawings with commentary that illustrate the 10 steps to enlightenment. Each chapter ends with a set of reflective questions that will help readers process information about each stage, and the book outlines spiritual practices and techniques that assist in the transition and oscillation between stages, such as breathing practices, active imagination, and chakra work. Overall, this is a comprehensive and very well-researched overview. However, skeptical readers will question some assertions, such as that “the power of active imagination” cured a woman’s sores or that people can create “material objects out of nothing.” Nonetheless, McDowell is an exceptionally competent writer, and her ability to incorporate and balance the wisdom from the historical texts of multiple faiths establishes her expertise. The book is detailed but not drab, accessible instead of aggrandizing, and persuasive without being pushy. Perhaps most impressive is that readers need not be spiritual themselves to understand the wisdom of intention: “If you viewed all actions as sacred you would become an increasing light in the world, uplifting all those around you.”
A well-rounded enlightenment guidebook.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-950743-73-5
Page Count: 198
Publisher: Wisdom Editions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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