Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfu.
Review: seems i go on and on if the book is lousy and say little when i love it ... i just love Thomas Moore's stuff ... this book , with it's poetic , smart , soulful dance washes me with insight , play , acceptance and furthers the love of learning and living ...
Rating:
Summary: A book to keep by your bedside for many years
Review: I have to smile at some of the negative reviews of Thomas Moore's book, especially the ones by Ph.D.'s who don't think there are enough footnotes . It's hard for me to understand those who found no more than psycho-babble here, or need the "proof" of academic references to entertain Moore's insights. As a person who did "lose her soul," for a dark while, what I found here echoed both the loss and the regaining with an impact like little else I've ever read. No, I don't agree with everything Moore says, and some of it I even fight against, but I've found that I've kept the book available for musing over since its publication, and each time I pick it up, I find new insights and ways to view his words in relation to my life. I don't know what more one could ask of a book or any work of art.
Rating:
Summary: Very good for spiritual centeredness
Review: Secular viewpoint of non-secular topi
Rating:
Summary: Revealing and Comforting
Review: Thomas Moore takes you on a journey into the inner expressions of daily life. He reminds us that there is sacredness in every experience of life. Thanks, Thomas Moore, for your ability to care for the reader of every soul who reads this book. -- Samuel Oliver, author of, WHAT THE DYING TEACH US: LESSONS ON LIVING.
Rating:
Summary: A deep, caring treatment of an important subject
Review: This is not an easy read. But then again, reorienting people to soul work is no easy task. I very much enjoyed Mr. Moore's perspectives in this book on living a deep, enriching life. More perspective, than prescription
Rating:
Summary: A Book That Reminds Us About The Art In The Ordinary
Review: I have to say that when I first began reading this book, I was disappointed as I was expecting something along the lines of "Care of The Soul." But I stayed with the book and allowed it to unfold its thought-provoking message. Moore conceptualizes the soul as that part of ourselves that requires and demands that its needs are met. The soul isn't necessarily a purified celestial entity with a halo on top. Sometimes it manifests itself in violence, illness, deceipt and sorrow to get what it wants. I liked Moore's theory of tending to the spirit of the things in our lives like our homes, and looking at our lives from the perspective of an artist -- taking note of the small details of our days and subtle nuances. Moore's book is certainly something to think about.
Rating: 
Summary: The soul deserves better care than this.
Review: With the very opening page of Care of the Soul, even the casual reader will find reason to question the authority and usefulness of Moore's analysis of the soul. His analysis deals with a topic that is recognizably enigmatic and complex and so it is only natural to think that within his book one would find an acknowledgment or a reference to the names and works of such other noteworthy analysts of the soul as Plato, Aristotle, the Upanishads, Homer, Sophocles, Lao Tzu, Jesus Christ, Plotinus, Buddha, Shakespeare, Milton, Rousseau, Kant, Nietzsche, or Heidegger just to name a few of the more secular expressions. (A Catholic would likely include Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Catherine of Sienna, Dante, Thomas More, Theresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, John of the Cross or John Henry Newman among others.) Yet these names are nowhere to be found (with the exception of his periodic mention of Plato, Homer, the Renaissance humanist Marsilio Ficino and the sixteenth century physician Paracelsus). Instead we find that the sole support of his thought rests in the psychology of Carl Jung and the "original thinkers" like James Hillman and Robert Sardello. And for good reason. Moore's project is not about the soul, its nature, powers and its end. Rather, it is about learning the Jungian technique of developing the imagination in order to see and experience one's "shadow side" which, even given its advantages, can hardly be said to offer a true "care of the soul." Moore's project entails not simply a rediscovery of the role of the imagination in shaping human behavior, but it effectively involves a reduction of the soul to the imagination. And why not the imagination; "being follows imagination" (12). Let it be known, however, that this process involves more and less than it promises. Moore promises to revisit some of the difficulties that we typically experience today, the "emotional complaints of our time" like emptiness, vague depression, meaninglessness, disillusionment, etc. He observes that without the soul (i.e., imagination), our attempts to resolve these difficulties will be unsuccessful because what we "truly long for is the soul (i.e., imagination) in each of these areas" (xvi). He claims that his method of re-imaging offers the person "the possibility of self-knowledge and self-acceptance" and implies that such "self-knowledge and self-acceptance" will bring wholeness to the person suffering from the above ailments. However, his project 'progresses' at the cost of an understanding of the soul's true and complete nature, its end and its proper fulfillment and, therefore, it fails offer us anything substantive at all. One is right to suspect that underlying Moore's project, is a desire (unconscious, perhaps) to do away with that specific and unique object to which the soul is drawn, the object that can truly satisfy the yearning of the soul, namely the Transcendent. As Augustine said so clearly centuries ago: "Our heart is restless until it rests in You." Moore's project, on the other hand, concerns simply the observance and acceptance of the vicissitudes of the soul, but it is indifferent to the question of the soul's attraction to anything higher than itself (excepting, of course, Jung's "unconsciousness"). This suspicion becomes even more evident later on when Moore talks of wedding spirituality with soul. Moore treats spirituality in the same fashion he treats the soul. He robs the spirit of its most significant meaning by deliberately avoiding a discussion of the spirit's directedness. The dependence upon Jung, a person who considered the transcendent solely from the standpoint of its usefulness, further illustrates the demise of both the soul and of spirituality in Moore's thought. Given his use of resources and the conspicuous absence of others, and the deliberate reduction and misuse of terms like 'soul' and 'spirituality', there is good reason to question the "depth," thoroughness and usefulness of this "guide." Moore's glaring oversights and slights of hand also cause one to suspect his genuineness. That is, it would appear that a person who possesses a doctorate in religious studies and has had twelve years experience within a Catholic religious order is not forthright in his analysis if he overlooks what so many important, and time- honored people have said about the soul. Granted, one need not present or even reference the thought of every person who has ever said anything on the soul in order to develop a worthwhile analysis. But one should expect attention to be given to at least some of these authorities in the field of human nature. While it is true that on occasion a person comes along with a unique insight into the human person and condition, Moore is not that person. In addition, the absence of a dependence upon the thought of others makes it appear that Moore may have a difficulty himself dealing with authority (an appearance that is made more believable by his own admission; see p. 213). Such a difficulty would explain much in Moore's method and message. In the end, what one expects and what one gets from Moore's book is nothing but the same old nonsense so characteristic of today's ill-prepared and ill-formed soul-charlatans of psychobabble. Perhaps the most fitting description of Moore's enterprise is summed up in the incisive words of that minstrel who, not so long ago, sang of a similar band: adventavit assinus, pulcher et fortissimus. People who truly experience a "loss of soul" deserve better care than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful and Practical!!!
Review: While I must admit to initial confusion about the specific direction this book was taking in the first 5 chapters, I found the ideas more concrete and helpful as I got into chapters 7-11. I'm not sure that I would have been able to read the later chapters with as much insight had I not wallowed, a bit uncertain, through the earlier chapters. I am very happy to have this book during the Christmas holidays -- a time for reflection and renewal! Richard
Rating: 
Summary: The Soul's Mythology
Review: The whole book is somewhat hard to follow, concepts are often thrown upon by surprise. The thematic though is great, meaning the main point that the soul's needs need to be taken care of and that those are different than that of the spirit. In drawing his examples using mythology, he ends up spending close to half of the book in the significance and importance to take homage to these 'gods', just like in ancient Greco-Roman tradition. I got the impression his love for this polytheistic tradition is more than nominal and indeed might be his new religion. The mythology could have served as good examples but why should we focus so much on the deeds of ancient Greek gods? I have to admit though that some of the relationships contained and linked to each God were interesting but some of the conclusions I couldn't agree with, while in some parts he started to sound like the Mars and Venus guy and we just can't go back to those ancient times. The last two chapters contain what I thought would be most of the book and are pretty good, for example the treatment of art as a soul's need and his alternative treatment of entertainment which I do agree. This part contributed to raise my ratings of this book from two stars to three. By the last two chapter I had had enough of ancient mythology.
Rating:
Summary: What a Disappointment!
Review: Given this book's best-selling status, and the enticing introduction, I settled down to enjoy Care of the Soul. What a disappointment. Although the title (and intro) promise this book will provide a "guide" for everyday life, I found little in this regard. Instead, Moore provides page after page of psycho-mythology (new-age Jung, I suppose), peppered with generalized anecdotes from his practice. Monotonously written, there is little sense of direction: he plows through each archetype, instructing us over and over not to try to overcome our history, but to acknowledge it (deeply!). This stuff makes Dr. Laura sound like a genius: at least she provides listeners with a clear set of criteria and encourages them to take responsibility for their lives. In contrast, Moore seems fixated on our need to deeply feel and experience our lives--but to the detriment of those around us. Finally, where is the God in the midst of all this talk about the soul? How can you talk about sacredness without talking of spirituality? Sadly, I found this to be a book without a soul.
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