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Summary: Wisdom amid New-Age Psychobabble
Review: Thomas Moore is obviously an expert on depression. The rest of his book (i.e., about 95 percent of it) is new-age psychobabble, of debatable value. But what he says about depression (Saturn) shines like gold nuggets in the sludge.
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Summary: junk mythography
Review: I was in my local bookstore today and happened across a copy of this book. Like many other scholars of mythology (my specialty is Greek epic), I sometimes flip through these kinds of books for the fun of picking out the factual errors. Trust me, this is bottom-of-the-barrel mythology. Let me give just one rather blatant example of awful mythography:In discussing the Odyssey of Homer, Mr. Moore informs the reader that at the beginning of the epic Odysseus is sitting on a beach, voicing the famous line: "For as of yet no one has truly known who his father is." (This is a translation from the original Greek; I don't remember Mr. Moore's precise rendering of the line.) This is completely false. At the beginning of the epic, Odysseus is not sitting on a beach -- unless you'd call the middle of Book Five the beginning of the epic. Not only this, he doesn't even deliver this line: his son Telemachus does, in a discussion with the goddess Athena in Odysseus's home in Ithaca (1.216 in the original). Such a statement is the scholastic equivalent of stating that Hamlet begins with Claudius hiding behind an arras in Hamlet's mother's bedroom holding a skull in one hand and addressing it with the famous line: "To be or not to be, that is the question[.]" I won't even bother going into a discussion of Mr. Moore's idiosyncratic understanding of Greek vocabulary. Needless to say, if Mr. Moore submitted his book as an essay in an undergraduate course on Greek mythology, he would receive a failing mark. If you really like being hyperstimulated by a barrage of often amateurish mythography that is interspersed with dainty tidbits of psychology, philosophy, poetry, history, sociology, and theology, all of which produce an effect no different than that of popping an amphetamine, then this and countless other books by Jungians will be right up your alley. Personally, I prefer to avoid the cannibals and the poet-assassins.
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Summary: Inspiring ideas/Mediocre writing
Review: When I read the introductory chapter to this book, I was overcome by the notion that what I held in my hand might be about to change my life. Then, what could have been profound was muddled by poor structure and incoherent arguments. I mean, I agreed with most of Moore's ideology and still I found myself rolling my eyes at his arguments! No wonder so many reviewers here completely missed the point! The worst were his constant, generalized analogies to mythology. The myths DID have relevance to his points but AGAIN, his actual writing destroys conherence. For those thinking about reading this, look at the value of what is trying to be expressed rather than the way it is expressed. It is worth reading if you've the patience.
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Summary: Good thoughts, easy to misinterpret
Review: I initially loved this book unreservedly. Then I heard someone trashing it because it had "no morality", which confused me greatly because I remembered a great deal of morality in the book. So I went back and reread it with the criticism in mind. My conclusions were that it is easy to miss the deep and subtle morality in the book. It is true that Thomas Moore does not side with hard and fast moral rules. In particular he advises care rather than cure for maladies no matter their nature. For instance: the first specific example he gives is bulemia. When a young lady presents to him with a problem with bulemia he explores with her her feelings about food, her parents, and her life in general, rather than directly assaulting the bulemia. In his view behaviors like this, no matter how destructive of oneself or others are the surfacing of some need of the soul, and the appropriate reaction is to inquire, observe, and then try to find some less distressing way to meet the need, rather than to simply try to stop the behavior. In principle I agree with his thoughts. On the other hand, I can see why a lot of people might have problems with the implication that people engaged in behaviors that hurt themselves or others should observe and inquire rather than stop the behavior. In some instances - affairs, abuse, drugs, deep depression etc. I would decidedly tend to agree with those who think the behavior should be stopped first, and then examined and inquired into in retrospect rather than as an ongoing process. Some things are simply too damaging to continue doing. However, Moore's principle arguement is that even the worst behaviors need to be examined in this way rather than simply excised from the soul, and there I tend to agree with him. To simply tell someone to stop an ongoing behavior because it is wrong, without having them make any attempt to find out what need is being met, or why they do such things is doomed to failure. The need that was showing in the behavior will simply resurface, and the behavior will resume, or some other method will be found which may be equally or even more distressing. I.e. simply make alcohol unvailable to an alcoholic, and you haven't cured the alcoholism, he will either revert to drinking as soon as alcohol is available again, or turn to some other method - likely harder drugs to meet whatever need the alcohol was meeting. In short, this is an excellent, and thought provoking book, but with a few flaws of writing that make it easy to misinterpret the author's meaning on some things.
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Summary: A Starting Place for Spiritual Journeying
Review: Thomas Moore, a Jungian psychologist and former monk, elaborates a theory of spiritual hygine, a way to provide for the nurturance of the soul. Frequently drawing on the now-unfamiliar metaphors of the Renaissance alchemists and on the writings of Carl Jung and other turn-of-the-century writers, Moore illustrates how the soul is interconnected with all aspects of our life and health. He lends key insight into the symbolism of the soul, the ways in which the soul manifests its many aspects. Moore considers mostly a particular facet of personal spirituality - the need of each person to spend time nurturing his or her spirituality in everyday life (outside of the church or synagogue). This, he explains, one accomplishes through self-reflection and self-awareness. Over time, one comes to understand the language with which one's soul communicates back to the conscious self. Though he himself spent twelve years living as a Roman Catholic monastic, Moore does not pitch the book's message to a particular religious tradition (in fact, others have done a better job of just that). A modest familiarity with Greek and Roman mythology is all one might require to gain the most from this book and Moore's main thesis. The book is best digested slowly. The strongly reflective nature of the work the book describes indicates that readers will gain the most from the book when they couple their reading with frequent pauses to assimilate the way in which the text gives meaning to them. Very likely, the book would be most appropriate as a part of a larger program of spiritual development, as the material in Moore's book will doubless resonate with that of other texts. The reader is advised to be patient and consider carefully how Moore's message interrelates with others' messages.
Rating: 
Summary: Half good/half bad
Review: The concept of valuing what makes us human and befriending our true selves is fascinating. Moore writes with eloquence and is thought-provoking, but he has obviously never suffered from depression (to which he devotes a chapter) and this raises doubt as to the credibility of the remainder of the book. Depression is not some kind of poetic melancholy or boredom. It is a deep pit of despair where reality is distorted beyond recognition. The only thing I have learned from depression is to fear and distrust it. I have retrieved this book from the trash because the final chapters intrigue me, but I will read it with skepticism.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and Thoughtful Perspective
Review: Moore addresses a very urgent subject: the loss of the soul in the modern society. His discourse is insightful and, at times, inspiring. I also found that a lot of practical advantage can be derived by just accepting many things as they are, or at least, by not being in such a rush to change them. Haste makes waste, to say nothing of occasional tragedies. However, Moore perspective should be complemented in, my view, by a scientific approach, whereby some intervention and change in the real world can occur. I am not surprised that Moore is rather negative on Henry Ford. But we need more efficiency, more material wealth, and more change. Mankind is not condemned to a soulful resignation to its condition of recurring neurosis and misery. In short, I accept many of Moore's insights and the message of gracefully and artistically accepting our conditions for the moment, but I refuse to give up the hope that in the future things will be greatly improved. I may have to accept many illnesses, dysfunctions in the family, and a string of failures at some particular time. But better days will be here again, thanks to science and technology, and optimism.
Rating:
Summary: Calming and Intriguing
Review: I read this book to prepare for a term paper this semester -- stumbled upon it at the library merely by chance, and I'm glad that I did. Moore takes an unusual look at the soul, drawing upon Renaissance thinking and Greek archetypes as well as his own experiences in the Catholic church. It's easy to follow and inspirational to read.
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Summary: A Remarkable Journey
Review: As an avid reader, many books inhabit my homestead. None of them have been so transcending as "Care of the Soul." "Care of the Soul" is a journey into cultivating the very essence of living each moment to it's fullest. This book transcends all others. Whether you are wanting to cultivate the spiritual, physical, interpersonal, or business side, this book will lead you along the path to experience your dreams.
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Summary: The Title is Misleading
Review: The title of this book sounds wonderful and the author's name is the same as that old classic Thomas Moore of literary fame, so its easy to see how many of us can be attracted to this book on a topical level. However, the reality of the book isn't as romantic. The heart of this book is the author's theory that our souls are most enhanced by allowing all parts of ourselves, good and bad to grow stronger. The rest of the book seeks to persuade us in this philosophy. He believes we should not cut off or inhibit any aspect of ourselves, no matter how bad. If you are a smoker then smoke more. If you are too dependent then become more dependent. If you are a gossip then gossip more. Go more deeply into your flaws. Moore believes the true care of the soul means we should expand all areas of ourselves, and he believes this so stongly that he even goes so far as to claim nothing is exempt, no flaw, no sin, no criminal behavior, nothing -- not pedophilia, murder, rape, nothing. The author is very clear on this. Nothing is exempt. If it feels good, do it. He believes the true care of the soul means we aren't supposed to limit ourselves in any way. Period. In fact, he doesn't want us to use such labels as "good" and "bad" because they don't feel good and might make us more prejudiced toward expanding ourselves in all areas. "Care of the soul" in Moore's view means learning about ourselves, and that includes the expansion of our dark side so we can learn more about ourselves. In other words, learning is the ultimate objective, not growing into a better person. He says it is our choice to get rid of some unwanted aspect of ourselves, but he doesn't condone "cutting off any part of ourselves." In fact, we are to consider all parts of ourselves as sacred, and to go deeply into our dark side to expand it -- hence, the title of the book. This book will feel great and be dearly loved by the deadbeat dads of the world, the insecure who are too fragile to accept the fact that they have bad qualities, and anyone else who seeks moral relativity of an especially abusive nature. Adopting Moore's philosophy may feel great to us, but it will feel awful to those who have to deal with us. The book that would be considered the exact opposite of this one would be, "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck. I recommend Peck's book instead of this one of you're looking for a real "Care of the Soul" book. It doesn't offer immediate gratification, but it will feel a lot better in the long run. Look at the great reviews it gets. Care of the Soul is one of Bill Clinton's favorite books, according to Gennifer Flowers. She likes the book a lot too. Have I said enough?
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