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Summary: The right book at the right time
Review: Cross cultural awareness, an appreciation of the common truths underpinning various religious traditions practiced in America today, and an integrative grasp of the relationship between human psychology and spirituality -- all are present in Lesser's inspirational work. She combines practical spiritual advise, with wisdom, gained while meeting the challenges of her own personal spiritual journey. Her insights, into the withering effects of a predominately patriarchal work environment on the souls of working women, are particularly enlightening and validating. "The New American Spirituality" is definitely a keeper -- a "must read" for the modern American spiritual seeker.
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Summary: A Map of the New American Spiritual World
Review: 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.
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Summary: Why I wrote The New American Spirituality
Review: Hello readers, I've often wondered what moves authors to write their books, so I thought I'd share with you why I came to write The New American Spirituality. Though a book is born of many impulses, most authors can tell you of its symbolic moment of conception. That moment came for me several summers ago, eating lunch in the faculty dining room, at Omega Institue, the education and retreat center I co-founded in 1977. Over the years I have eaten lunch hundreds of times in that room, moderating discussions betweem medical doctors and psychic healers, jazz drummers and idigenous shamans, Hindu swamis and Jewish rabbis, Zen monks and business executives. At this particular lunch I was sitting next to Babtunde Olatunji, the Nigerian drum master whom some call the father of the world music movement. Wearing his traditional West African brocade robes and hat, Baba was talking to me about America, his home for the past forty years. "You know why I love this country?" he asked me."Well, look at these people. Look at how free they are to state their beliefs; look at how the spirit of one kind of person flows into the spirit of another kind. And listen to the beautiful music they make together." I looked around the table. At one end was the American poet Allen Ginsberg, sitting between Gelek Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama, and Joseph Shabalala, the South African leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They were talking about their twin passions -- politics and spirituality. At the other end of the table was the one-time heavywight champion of the world, Floyd Patterson, picking over his plate of tofu salad, discussing his workshop, The Tao of Boxing, with a Chinese tai chi master, a tiny woman dressed in black pajamas. Next to them sat Huston Smith, the renowned authority on the history of religions, engaged in coversation with Ysaye Barnwell of the gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and John Mohawk, a Seneca author and spiritual leader. Cataching bits and pieces of conversations, I asked Baba Olatunji, "So, what do you think about all of this? All of these traditions meeting and merging?" Baba leaned back and surveyed the scene again and announced, "This is a new kind of spirituality. It's American and one day it will be the world." An American spirituality -- I liked that concept. It described my own spiritual life, something I had never been able to label. I had been actively searching for God since childhood. My path wove through the peaks and valleys of many psychotherapy, philosophy, mythology, science. My search had all of the open-minded, free. It included ten years of discipleship with an Eastern meditation teacher; a deep immersion into Christian, Jewish, and Islamic mysticism; extended work with a psychotherapist; and study with a variety of teachers in conciousness work, healing, and Western philosophy. For 25 years I had been searching -- not to become a Chirstian or a Jew or a Muslim; a Buddhist, or a Sikh or a Hindu -- but to become a spiritual person, here in America at the turn of the 21st century. And so, after my lunch with Baba Olatunji, I set out to research and write this book. Of course, it didn't all fall neatly together like it does in the retelling, Americans, born and raised on a diet of individuality, diversity, and democracy, we have an appetite for following our own hearts. In titling this book The New American Spirituality, I realize that some will criticize the use of the words NEW and AMERICAN -- NEW, because spirituality has been a longing in all people, throughout all of history; AMERICAN because America's brash materialism and excessive individualism often seem at odds with the spiritual impulse. While I share these concerns, I also believe that the American impulse IS new, and that it is also a profoundly spiritual endeavor. In democratizing the spiritual search, and in diversifying the ways of explaining, expressing, and celebrating the mysteries of life and death, America has indeed created a new tradition, research the book, I didn't realize how much of my own story the book would ask me to divulge -- especially the difficult parts, the foolish parts, the embarrassing parts. But I quickly came to see that a book about the my life have more meaning and joy? What happens when I die? Without honest, real-life examples to accompany theories and practices, spiritual literature betrays how difficult and deeply moving the search can be. I include many stories in the book of my attempts to "walk my talk" step-parenting; about my work as a midwife and my experiences at the death beds of friends and family members. I share discouraging experiences with spritual teachers and religious leaders, as well as stories that express gratitude and honor for the teachers and teachings that have changed my life.I share these stories to demonstrate that we are all more alike than unalike, and that to hide our suffering and difficulties from each other is The spiritual quest is different for each one of us, and it changes as we change. As the comedian George Carlin says, "Just when I found out the meaning of life, they changed it." To walk a path that really helps us heal and grow, we must know who we are and what our unique story is. Therefore, the third story in the book belongs to the reader. Ingrediaents for creating a path thorugh the mysteries of life are offered here, and it is my hope that you will use them to chart a course all your own. Over my 20 years at Omega Institute, as a program director, administrator, andteacher, I have been asked by many people, "Who among the spiriutal teachers, religious leaders, healers, and schools of thought to be trusted?" "One tradition say do this, the other says just the opposite." "How do I know if I am making progress?" I wrote this book to help you find what really works for you -- what enlivens you, what brings you peace, what awakens your heart and soul to meaning, and what can lead you to a fearless attitude toward life and death
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Summary: A Spirtual Experience
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. I found the writing to be calming and uplifting... a way to reconnect with what's important. The whole book can be viewed as a spiritual tool as well as the components which include suggested methods/sources, etc. Although it is a hefty book (400+ pages I believe), I was sorry to see it come to an end. I would heartily recommend this book to others! Thanks, Elizabeth, for sharing so much of your personal journey and your far-reaching wisdom!
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Summary: A Spirtual Experience
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. I found the writing to be calming and uplifting... a way to reconnect with what's important. The whole book can be viewed as a spiritual tool as well as the components which include suggested methods/sources, etc. Although it is a hefty book (400+ pages I believe), I was sorry to see it come to an end. I would heartily recommend this book to others! Thanks, Elizabeth, for sharing so much of your personal journey and your far-reaching wisdom!
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Summary: An intelligent and tender exploration of the seekers' path
Review: I have been to many "new age" workshops and have read tons of the books available on self-help and spirtuality. Some of it was great, but often I felt as if something was missing. I wondered what relevance the spirtual journey had to my psycholigical growth and I worried that my concerns with psychology were too self-absorbing. Lesser captures the essence of this tension in her book. She looks at how the spiritual and psychological path can intersect in a way that anyone can understand - and she does it so well that I found myself actually saying "ah ha!" as I read along. She also speaks in a frank, candid way about the "new age" movement, and that is really refreshing. It sounds like she has met absolutely everybody in the field and talks about them all as human beings instead of big stars. What a relief!I also really liked her own story, because it made me see how much we are all seekers on a path. The way she talks about her ups and downs makes the rest of what she says seem even more real. You can tell that she has a great feeling for anyone who is out there trying to figure things out in their own way. It was encouraging. She wrote one part about a poem she and her husband return to whenever they have to make a dificult decision because it has a message that they learn from again and again. I was really struck by the simplicity of doing that and I thought, "wow, I could do that!" There were a bunch of those stories -she talked about things she did to keep herself on track that were simple, but took some thought, and reading them inspired me. I guess that is really the bottom line. If anyone is on a path or thinking about learning more about different ways of exploring spirituality and self growth, this book is a real inspiration. It is also packed with a lot of information, as she quotes so many other teachers and writes about a lot of different traditions. I was impressed by how much she packed into it. She also writes about the Omega, which I had never heard of. It sounds like a fasinating place so I was glad to find out about it. Bottom line is, I recommend it - especially if you are one of those people who is yearning for some kind of spiritual connection or a more peaceful place inside yourself and you just don't know where to get started. It was really good. I noticed I was the only one in the review area - anybody else out there read it?
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Summary: !
Review: I've been to Omega a few times, but this book really convinced me that spirituality is something people should explore and embrace. Our culture is obsessed with all the wrong things. Lesser explores a world in which we co-exist and live completely. Interesting and inspriational.
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Summary: The Most Balanced and Objective Read on Spirituality
Review: 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.
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Summary: Seeker's Guide is Tour de Force
Review: Institutions of religion and learning take note: Elizabeth Lesser's "Seeker's Guide" is proof positive that personal experience is equal to tradition and scholarship as a pathway to truth. Elizabeth's life of seeking, organizing, promoting and teaching spirituality is disclosed beautifully in this multifaceted work. She shows by her own story, by her inspiring writing, and by her practical guidelines for meditation how ordinary mortals can create the sacred space for spiritual fulfillment in their own lives. Readers will find scripts for specific spiritual objectives, pearls of wisdom for the refrigerator, models for parenting, friendship, and marriage, holistic prescriptions for mental and physical health, deep prayers, profound wisdom, and the best bumper-sticker slogans in the universe. Her use of resources is erudite without pedantry or scholasticism. The book is at once a spiritual autobiography, a systematic theology of spiritual formation, and a useful handbook for spiritual practice. Personalities of some of our greatest spiritual leaders come to life as real people in the mix. If Elizabeth had only shared with us what she has learned from her years at Omega Institute, that would have been plenty, but she has also added her own powerful voice to the rising chorus of teachers and leaders of the New American Spirituality. Seekers who pick up her book will turn every page to the end and say, give us more, Elizabeth!
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Summary: Seeker's Guide is Tour de Force
Review: Institutions of religion and learning take note: Elizabeth Lesser's "Seeker's Guide" is proof positive that personal experience is equal to tradition and scholarship as a pathway to truth. Elizabeth's life of seeking, organizing, promoting and teaching spirituality is disclosed beautifully in this multifaceted work. She shows by her own story, by her inspiring writing, and by her practical guidelines for meditation how ordinary mortals can create the sacred space for spiritual fulfillment in their own lives. Readers will find scripts for specific spiritual objectives, pearls of wisdom for the refrigerator, models for parenting, friendship, and marriage, holistic prescriptions for mental and physical health, deep prayers, profound wisdom, and the best bumper-sticker slogans in the universe. Her use of resources is erudite without pedantry or scholasticism. The book is at once a spiritual autobiography, a systematic theology of spiritual formation, and a useful handbook for spiritual practice. Personalities of some of our greatest spiritual leaders come to life as real people in the mix. If Elizabeth had only shared with us what she has learned from her years at Omega Institute, that would have been plenty, but she has also added her own powerful voice to the rising chorus of teachers and leaders of the New American Spirituality. Seekers who pick up her book will turn every page to the end and say, give us more, Elizabeth!
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