"This, I felt, is the best way to consider the soul--to be stopped in almost every page by an intriguing image that sustains the mystery but at the same time reveals something that words cannot express," writes Thomas Moore in the introduction to his illustrated edition of Care of the Soul. To this end, Moore has inarguably succeeded. For example, when discussing Jung's version of the shadow, Moore writes, "The person we choose to be automatically creates a dark double--the person we choose not to be." On the opposite page he places Edvard Munch's painting titled Puberty, showing a stark- eyed, naked girl, covering herself in modesty, as her shadow looms large behind her. Later, when Moore writes, "We can bridge the gap between the sacred church and the secular world by occasionally ritualizing the everyday things we do," he uses Johannes Vermeer van Delft's portrait of The Lacemaker to stitch the two worlds together.

It is Moore's hope that readers recognize their souls in the realm of everyday humanity, rather than distancing themselves with disrespect or lack of awareness. Ironically, he now brings readers closer to their souls through the human and mysterious realm of art--a feat that adds greater meaning and purpose to an already profound and satisfying work. --Gail Hudson


Book Description
With more than 1 million copies in print, the original edition of Care of the Soul is a remarkable study of the creative opportunities that are available to us in everyday life. Thomas Moore is now a world-renowned writer, psychotherapist, and speaker, and this new, illustrated edition of Care of the Soul brings an edited version of the original text to a new audience. Care of the Soul: The Illustrated Edition offers a therapeutic program to restore the spiritual life to the human soul. We are given the opportunity to go deeper into our emotional problems and find the sacredness in ordinary, everyday life--with friends, in our conversation with others, in more fulfilling work, and in all the experiences that can touch the heart. By integrating classical and modern art with the text, this edition offers the reader the opportunity to envision the already very visual nature of Thomas Moore's writing. It contains more than 150 color illustrations of great works of art that make the text come alive--ranging from pieces by Marsilio Ficino, one of the author's favorite artists, to Edward Munch and Pablo Picasso; from vase paintings created in 400 BCE all the way to works by modern artists such as Edwin Romanzo Elmer, Giorgio De Chirico, and William Waterhouse. Thomas Moore has long worked as an art therapist and has studied religion and music--all of which have come together in this volume to bring us an extraordinary and inspirational guide to the spiritual solutions needed in daily life.


About the Author
Thomas Moore was a monk in a Catholic religious order for twelve years and has degrees in theology, musicology, and philosophy. A former professor of psychology, he is the author of Care of the Soul, Soul Mates, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, The Education of the Heart, The Soul of Sex, and Original Self. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With more than 1 million copies in print, the original edition of Care of the Soul is a remarkable study of the creative opportunities that are available to us in everyday life. Thomas Moore is now a world-renowned writer, psychotherapist, and speaker, and this new, illustrated edition of Care of the Soul brings an edited version of the original text to a new audience.

Care of the Soul: The Illustrated Edition offers a therapeutic program to restore the spiritual life to the human soul. We are given the opportunity to go deeper into our emotional problems and find the sacredness in ordinary, everyday life—with friends, in our conversation with others, in more fulfilling work, and in all the experiences that can touch the heart.

By integrating classical and modern art with the text, this edition offers the reader the opportunity to envision the already very visual nature of Thomas Moore's writing. It contains more than 150 color illustrations of great works of art that make the text come alive—ranging from pieces by Marsilio Ficino, one of the author's favorite artists, to Edward Munch and Pablo Picasso; from vase paintings created in 400 BCE all the way to works by modern artists such as Edwin Romanzo Elmer, Giorgio De Chirico, and William Waterhouse.