Rating: 
Summary: Life is a mystery
Review: This is a small gem of a book. I've owned it for several years and simply pick it up frequently and reread parts that suit my fancy. Mr. Moore is an incredibly sensitive and unique writer. And he presents a means by which the non religious soul can experience and honor the mystery of themselves. For the religious he offers a deeper spirituality where one recognizes that God is constantly bombarding ( or is it feeding) our souls with what Thomas Merton would calls "Seeds of Contemplation ". While we all know that life is difficult, this book supports my belief that life is also good!
Rating:
Summary: Read it and make up your own mind
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with Thomas Moore's assertion that "loss of soul" is a major problem facing us today. People who are cut off from soulful family and friendship may find themselves in a cultural void, a barren world where problems are solved with pills and the media replaces real community. We have lost ourselves in the chaotic din and senseless rush. We are more sophisticated than ever, yet we remain unsatisfied. Do we know what will really satisfy us? Can we be still and take an honest look at ourselves? Are we making the best use of the one short life that has been given us?
If you recognise these questions, then 'Care of the Soul' might help you begin to answer them. Moore has a sense of the sanctity of human life, he urges us to see each life as precious and has respect for what each individual presents, however unpleasant it may seem. Every story and pathology is meaningful and can reveal truths about not just the individual but also about their family and society. When I first read the book I was most impressed by the chapter on narcissism, which remains the most authoratative account of self-love I have read. We are used to hearing that we must love ourselves before we can truly love another, but do we really know how? Moore correctly interprets the story of Narcissus not simply as an example of the symptom of narcissism, which is how it is often misinterpreted, but as the myth of true self-love, and he tells it with the insight you might expect from a therapist. This alone was a revelation and changed my life. I wonder if when Narcissus recognises himself he is experiencing the well~known 'Thou Art That' of Indian philosophy.Other key themes such as jealousy, power and depression are explored also.
A previous reviewer wrote that Moore thinks we should not change. I think this is a misrepresentation. Change is an inevitable part of life and cannot be avoided. But the feeling that we need to be someone different is a rejection of ourselves. I think we have to accept our past before we can be free of it, then change occurs naturally, out of stillness and reflection. Other reviewers have discussed what age range this is suitable for, Moore himself says that it is never too early or too late to begin caring for the soul. I read it in my early twenties and wish I had read it sooner, I know people who are much older and would still benefit from it`s message.
This book is the best introduction to spiritual life I have read and I feel grateful for it almost every day.
Thankyou Mr. Moore!
Rating: 
Summary: The spirit revealed ....
Review: Thomas Moore enters into the realm of spirit in this book, and he takes the reader with him on this wonderful journey through the human soul. I never quite thought of the soul in the way it is presented here, but having reflected on Thomas Moore's path to enlightenment via the soul, I have to admit I found much to think about in this book. In an extraordinarily imaginative way, we learn the myriad aspects of how to care for our souls. This book teaches, entertains, and provides us with a plan of action to begin working on recognizing the soul's need for attention. Parts of the book were a bit dry, but overall this is a deeply spiritual and emotionally penetrating book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Body, Bad Content
Review: I was quite taken by the title and the presentation. Surely care of the soul if of tremendous importance. Certainly, care of the soul would be a good start in any therapy or self-improvemnet program. I was more than distressed by the content. His premise is, basically, about learning to accept and live with your foiables. That I don't disagree with - as a start. But not as a sole diet! It appears from my understanding, that he believes it is WRONG to seek to change oneself! I am put in mind of an incident I had with a friend. I was raised in a violent household. This friend was my neighbor and confidat. For the years that I struggled to get over the self-esteem issues, the acute shyness, the terror of reaching out and doing anything that could be noticed, my friend would comfort me. Whenever I succeeded in surpassing that barrier, my friend would say sadly- "You are such a (select one: wonderful, intelligent, creative, etc) person. Imagine what you could have been if you had had a different upbringing!" Whenever she said that, I would feel like I could never be good enough anyway and slip back into my old ways. Finally I found friends who were better for me. I overcame my shyness and self esteem issues, I became more productive. Thoughts about my violent past faded and were no longer pertinent to my life. I began to make more money than my friend could make. She was not happy! When she made the comment about how sad about my past, I no longer reacted. This upset her more.
Finally, she blew up. She said that these new friends were bad for me, that they had changed who I was, that frankly she liked the shy nothingness I had been and was appalled by my current personality, was appalled I would reject the personality God gave me and become someone better. My friend had read Moore, and thought he was wonderful.
For myself, I wouldn't go back to the way things were for anything! I am very glad to have escaped the future that Mr Moore would have led me to.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good ideas, but only to a point.
Review: I liked the book when I first started it, but bit by bit its value to me waned. Like a previous reviewer, I also have suffered from depression, and it is not a picnic, believe me. It's not even creative -- at least not for me. I have learned how to "release" it instead of "fight" it, and perhaps Thomas Moore would approve of that. But in our effort to embrace tough situations and learn from them, we need to guard against an "I love hardships" attitude. If I feel bad or am in difficult circumstances, it is not good to beat myself up over it, and in this case, "accepting" bad situations can be a good thing. We live in a world where bad situations are a fact of life. We can ride them out and learn from them. But we can also use our wonderful minds to improve our situations, and keep bad situations at bay as much as possible. Their very painfulness can send us signals that a correction is called for. Our minds and imaginations are given to us for a purpose. Let's use them to make things better!
Rating:
Summary: Overdone.
Review: Perhaps my opinion of this book is lower than it might have been simply because I had such high expectations going in. The IDEA behind the book is enticing, and the promise is great. Unfortunately, the author just doesn't really come through. Far too much weight is put on a lot of frankly new-age concepts, and I really kind of tired of the endless allusion to classic mythology. Don't get me wrong -- I'm an avid reader of ancient stories, but I'm still not quite sure I understand why the author put so much weight on his "polytheistic" soul. He makes his point clear, but again, I was left a little unclear on the point of paying homage to Narcissus in order to live a fuller life. Honestly, though, the thing that kept me giving this work four stars vice three was simply that the author sort of offended me. At various points in the work, he explains an idea using "big impressive words" and then goes on in parenthetical notes to explain to me, the apparently illiterate reader, what he meant. Please. If you don't think your readership will understand you, use different words, sir. Otherwise, the book is a quick, easy read, and does offer some interesting insight in the direction the author wants you to travel.
Rating:
Summary: This is the Best!
Review: In reading some of the other reviews on this book,some people saying it has no morality(rules), or that it is good for people under 35, I must shake my head. What this book is about, is that we cant judge everything for what it is on the surface. Yet he doesnt go into all that new age stuff about everything being a lesson or being for our highest good. (puke) He also says that acceptance of not having the answers is sometimes the best answer to our frustrations. He explores the soul's dark side in a candid manor that should make those people who crave food, sex and alcohol and fun not feel guilty about these things as everything has a purpose to the soul. Great piece of work Mr. Moore. I would give anything to sit and sip coffee with you all day and hear your thoughts. In fact, what he says is so profound, it probably takes a lifetime(or several) to absorb what he says fully. I truly believe he is an old soul. He doesnt sugar coat things with "believe and you will achieve" new age mentality. He basically says......."It's all good." 3 thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: A landmark effort
Review: As a person who has read scores of books about spirituality and metaphysics, this is the most influential and refreshing I've read in 20 years. "Care of the Soul" is a beautifully written book about simple living and high thinking. The quality thoughts expressed in this book are worthy of being re-read throughout one's life. Thomas Moore has made a stark departure from the metaphysical and New Age movement with a book that is, quite simply, a guide for soulful living. Moore doesn't talk about karma, reincarnation, salvation, gurus or higher plains of consciousness. He doesn't become entangle with his own ego nor does he reiterate the conventional wisdom so many books of this genre parrot. On the contrary, this book challenges convention at every turn. "Care of the Soul" is about the here and now, the importance of mythology, ritual, imagination and beauty. It's about finding ritual and sacredness in our everyday routines. It deals with subjects ranging from family relationships, jealousy and earning a living to depression, aging and dying. Yet, Moore doesn't offer trite or handy answers or techniques for solving problems or smoothing the human experience. The human experience, with all its agonies, is not something to be circumvented, in Moore's view. And it's not something subject to overnight transformation. Rather, the human experience is a process to be embraced and made whole. I thoroughly disagree with an earlier review that called this a "simple" book best read by people 18 to 28 years old. Very few people of that age bracket would have the frame of reference or wisdom necessary to fully mine and understand the concepts and imagery Moore deals with. Buy this book and read it. You will cherish it and pass it along to the people you care about.
Rating:
Summary: Moore reaches a little too deep to get to the soul
Review: This book was good in it's premise--that too often we go through life without giving much thought to the nurturing of the soul within. Good point that Moore makes here and he was definitely leading the way for America to turn to a more spiritual approach to everyday life and the way we look at things. For a period of time, an author just had to toss the word, "Soul" in the title to sell some extra copies. Chicken Soup and everything else for the Soul, etc. So there is a recognized need there. Does Moore address this need? Yes and no. Moore doesn't seem to fall overboard into blatant spiritual new age guruism, but he's definitely leaning on the rail. As a psychotherapist, the descriptions of case studies and Moore's redress to his patients to get at what is inside their soul causing the pain holds validity. Where the validity is lost though, is when Moore tries to stretch this focus on the soul out to assigning souls to every object. The internal organs have souls, coffee tables, and the good majority of people (excepting politicians, Los Angeles, and techno dance remakers of originally good songs). Hang on to the life raft, Moore, you're almost falling starboard into the drink. Great focus--to get back to the soul, though I think there are probably better books out there to read and enlighten the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for young people
Review: I recommend this book for young people 18-28 especially. It is simply written and discusses alternate ways to look at life's conundrums in a gentle and informative manner. Among my friends, the ones over 35 find him rambling and simple. I cannot say whether Mr. Moore's translation of Greek is accurate, but I do think his analysis of Narcissus is not only on the mark, but different from every other interpretation I've come across. Also, I showed his discussion of jealousy to an enraged person, and it really calmed them down! He's no Seth or Joseph Campbell, but who is?
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