We are all students in the "Earth school," according to authors Gary Zukav and Linda Francis in The Heart of the Soul. And the time has come to create a whole new lesson plan. For thousands of years we were outwardly focused, as we mastered the tasks of cultivating food and building shelter. Unfortunately, we are still outwardly fixated, obsessively accumulating more wealth, material objects, and power. "What enabled our species to survive so long is now bad medicine. In fact, it is poison," according to Zukav and Francis. What we need now is an inward focus, in which we cultivate the heart and live in alignment with our souls.

As it turns out, The Heart of the Soul is a timely guidebook, with a release date exactly three months after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. "The pursuit of external power produces physical violence and destruction between nations. You can see this in every newscast," the authors write: Billions of people live in poverty, are hungry, and suffer oppression, and brutality. Changing these circumstances requires our hearts. It requires the ability to feel the pain and joy of others, and to take their needs as seriously as we take our own. And here is where the heart lessons come in. "As long as there are parts of yourself that reach outward to make you feel safe, valuable, and loved, you need to identify them and heal them." The authors include numerous exercises and activities to help readers feel and understand their emotions in order to "empower the soul" and live a more rewarding and joyful life. The words and intentions are indeed poignant and worthwhile. The numerous boxes, diagrams, and passages in bold print create a self-help structure that some will find simplistic and others will find inviting. --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
Asserting that "our species is undergoing an unprecedented transformation," Zukav (The Seat of the Soul; Soul Stories) urges people to focus not on "external power" but on "authentic power," and to seek to align their personalities with their souls. People should learn to read emotional pain (manifested in physical symptoms) as energy being released in "fear and doubt" rather than "love and trust," Zukav says. He includes a diagram of "your energy system," which he doesn't acknowledge as the seven chakras common in ancient Eastern religions. In fact, while drawing on Hindu and Buddhist thought, Taoism, Christianity, psychology and many other sources, Zukav credits no previous study or tradition. Reincarnation, detachment, present-moment living and bringing unconscious emotions to the surface are not original concepts, but the author's lack of references implies that they are. Questionable claims "a new human species is being born," for example, or "energy continually flows into the top of your head" are also offered as indisputable facts. Zukav's abundance of vague metaphors and lack of specific personal stories leaves the reader wondering how (or if) the concepts he presents might be applied to everyday issues and events. This book could be another adequate tool in the pursuit of New Age spirituality, but it is hardly the complete and final word the author suggests. Still, with Zukav's track record and Oprah-readiness, expect hefty sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Zukav's fans will appreciate this effort to help people stay mindful of their feelings. His language and tone are poetic as he describes the defense mechanisms people use to avoid unacceptable feelings. With less gravitas and more practicality, Zukav's spiritual partner, Linda Francis, provides compact and prescriptive help on how to improve awareness. Listeners with hang-ups about anger, aggression, self-esteem, and sexual attraction will find these ideas particularly useful. This program is definitely for listeners on the timid, repressed, or over-controlled end of the spectrum, and especially for those who need help in experiencing emotion. A good lesson on how to look inward for peace instead of looking for solutions in the external world. T.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The premise of this new book by the best-selling author of The Seat of the Soul (1999) and Soul Stories (2000) (now writing with coauthor Linda Francis) is that human society, the world over, is changing. "Old aspirations are being replaced by new," the authors aver. "Comfort and influence are no longer goals that inspire, even those who live in poverty. The new goal is spiritual development." To promote spiritual development, Zukav and Francis offer a program that teaches how to become aware, at all times, of what one is feeling. Learning to experience emotion, so the authors insist, creates "authentic power," which is defined here as "the alignment of your personality with your soul." To that end, Zukav and his collaborator offer a series of techniques--a full course, in other words--for achieving an emotional awareness that will lead to authentic power, which is different from external power (big jobs, lots of money, big houses, etc.). The authors warn that the creation and accumulation of authentic power require a lifetime of practice and pursuit, and their book is the first step in a long-term realization process. Readers will be arriving in droves to request this surefire best-seller. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
"THE LONGEST JOURNEY YOU WILL MAKE IN YOUR LIFE IS FROM YOUR HEAD TO YOUR HEART." With the rare combination of profound psychological insight and deep spirituality that has already drawn millions of readers to his two great national bestsellers, The Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories, prizewinning author Gary Zukav now joins with his spiritual partner Linda Francis to help us develop a new emotional awareness that is central to our spiritual development. In The Seat of the Soul, Zukav brilliantly set forth his fundamental concepts, explaining how the expansion of human perception beyond the five senses leads to a new understanding of power as the alignment of the personality with the soul -- "authentic power." In Soul Stories, he showed how such concepts as harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life express themselves in other people's lives. Now, in The Heart of the Soul, he and Francis take the next major step forward in showing us the importance of emotional awareness in applying these concepts to our own daily lives.


Book Info
Authors include numerous exercises and activities to help readers feel and understand their emotions in order to 'empower the soul' and live a more rewarding and joyful life.


About the Author
Gary Zukav is the author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics, The Seat of the Soul, Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul, Soul Stories, and The Heart of the Soul. His books have sold more than five million copies and are published in twenty-four languages. He is a graduate of Harvard and a former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer with Vietnam service.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Welcome Our adopted Sioux uncle once told me, "Nephew, the longest journey that you will make in your life is from your head to your heart," gently touching his forehead and then his chest. Linda Francis, my spiritual partner, and I are still on that journey, and so are you. Everyone is on it. The journey into the heart is our future and our only way of creating a future. It is movement toward wholeness, integrity, and compassion. It is the healing each of us longs for, and the healing that each of us must accomplish if we are to move forward into our fullest potential. Learning to experience emotions is one of the most difficult tasks that can be undertaken. Many people do not know that they are angry, even when rage flows through them like a river. Some do not know that they are grieving, even when sorrow is the only sun that rises for them in the morning. Most people think of themselves as experiencing emotions only when powerfully emotional currents erupt through their lives, disturbing routines devoted to activities, accomplishments, or survival. Emotional awareness -? becoming aware of everything that you are feeling at every moment -? is very difficult because we experience so much pain each moment. Becoming aware of our emotions means becoming aware of pain. It is challenging, difficult, and unpleasant. It is also more rewarding than most of us can imagine. That is because most of us cannot imagine a life free from compulsions, fixations, obsessions, and addictions, in which we act with an empowered heart and are free of attachment to the outcome. The alternative to becoming aware of your emotions is to continue masking the pain that you experience. When you do, your pain emerges in unexpected ways?distorting your behavior, changing your words, shaping your perceptions, and creating consequences that are as unwanted as they are difficult. This alternative no longer works. Our species is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Its consciousness is changing. Its perceptions are changing. Its values and goals are also changing. Individual by individual, old aspirations are being replaced by new. Comfort and influence are no longer goals that inspire, even those who live in poverty. The new goal is spiritual development. An awareness is emerging in millions of individuals that we are more than bodies and minds, more than enzymes and molecules, and that each of us is more than a temporary presence in the Universe. This awareness is transforming the human experience. As it does, the determination to explore every aspect of consciousness, and to cultivate those that contribute the most to Life, is replacing the desire to bury painful emotions. This requires emotional awareness. I am an author by choice, inclination, and aptitude. I love language. I love the rhythm and flow of words and sentences as they clothe ideas and give them expression. I love the challenge of writing without ambiguity, even though I know that is impossible. I know the slipperiness of language, and the delight of it. I know the limitations of my native language, and I honor the capabilities of other languages to shape thought and experience differently. I was born to know and use language. I am a fish and concept is my water. Shortly after I met Linda eight years ago she told me, "Beloved, language is my second language." Now we have cocreated a book together. Linda's language is relationship. She excels at empathic communication -- she is sensitive to others and she often knows what they feel. She swims confidently in a sea of emotion. Her challenge is articulate expression. Mine is consciousness of emotion. Both of us strive to create authentic power in our own lives -- the alignment of the personality with the soul. This is the context in which we cocreated this book. In her moments of clarity, Linda's expression is powerful. Her words are appropriate. Her meaning is unmistakable. Her expression is flawless. In my moments of sensitivity, emotions fill my awareness. I cherish people. I feel what they feel as well as what I feel. I love Life. Linda and I have the same combination of qualities within us that you do?some that are strong and well-developed, and some that are yet to be developed. We have each drawn on our strengths in the cocreation of this book. I wrote the text, and Linda added dimensions to the text that I did not consider. All of my books in the past have been solely (and souly) text -- words, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. This book is much more. It includes illustrations, diagrams, empowering thoughts, and, most important, authentic power practices. Authentic power is the alignment of your personality with your soul. You must become aware of what you are feeling in order to create authentic power. These practices are designed to help you do that. A central practice in this book is a scan of what you are experiencing in your body. It is easy to understand how to do this and why it is important. However, to actually observe your emotions moment by moment will take commitment and effort on your part, no matter how experienced you are with practices. Some people easily make new practices part of their routine. If you are one of those people, you can immediately incorporate the practices that you feel are most productive for you. Others have not yet developed the discipline to use a new practice, even if they know it is essential for their well-being. If you are in this group, would you consider asking a friend to do an experiment with you? This experiment is a way to support you in remembering to practice what you feel is important. Ask a friend, whom you can think of as a spiritual buddy, to remind you daily of your intention regarding your practices. This is especially helpful with practices that you find yourself resisting. Go at your own pace. You can select one practice and do it for a day, and then another for the next day, and so on. You can also choose one practice and do that one for a week, or a month, or until you are ready to move on. Utilize the practices in any way that is useful for you. Have your spiritual buddy check in with you every other day. Remember that it is your responsibility to keep your commitment. Your spiritual buddy's commitment is to check in with you, not to take responsibility for you. Some people will read this book, understand it, and never stop to do the practices, even if they think the practices are good. It will be hard for them to slow down enough to see their great value. Their experiences will be entirely intellectual, and disconnected from their bodies. You cannot become emotionally aware just by thinking about it. Therefore, you will not gain as much from this book if you do not take the time to do the practices, especially if that is difficult for you. Becoming emotionally aware is a process. Creating authentic power is a lifelong endeavor. The authentic power practices that we have included in this book work for us. When you do them, allow yourself to think about other authentic power practices that might work for you, and create your own. You will discover many. Eventually, your life will become an authentic power practice. The information in each chapter of this book is part of a whole that is necessary to understanding the heart of emotional awareness. You may think some of the chapters do not apply to you, but, upon reflection, you may be surprised. At the least, they will increase your ability to appreciate other people and their challenges. When you can see the challenges of others with detachment, you are better able to see your own. Emotional awareness is more than applying techniques to this circumstance or that circumstance. It is a natural expression of an orientation that turns your attention toward the most noble, fulfilling, joyful, and empowering part of yourself that you can reach for. That is your soul. Cocreation is more than collaboration. Cocreation occurs when individuals bring all that each can offer to a joint effort and, at the same time, open themselves to a larger, or higher, idea that may not have previously occurred to any of them. They do not seek to impose their opinions, but to find a way together to a solution that satisfies all of them completely. They are not content with compromise. They seek the satisfaction of cocreation. They will not cease until each of them says, "Yes. This feels just right to me. This is perfect." The Heart of the Soul feels that way to both of us. It has been a gift for us to cocreate, and it is a gift for us to share. With love, Gary Zukav and Linda Francis

FROM OUR EDITORS

Oprah favorite Gary Zukav believes that our meaning is right here: "Becoming a spiritual person," he writes, "requires becoming aware of your emotions." According to this bestselling author, we must align our selves to our soul's call: "The goals of your soul are harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life. When those goals of your soul become your goals, your personality is aligned with your soul. That is authentic power." A quieting message for difficult times.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With the rare combination of profound psychological insight and deep spirituality that has already drawn millions of readers to his two great national bestsellers, The Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories, prize-winning author Gary Zukav now joins with his spiritual partner Linda Francis to help us to develop a new emotional awareness that is central to our spiritual development. In The Seat of the Soul, Zukav brilliantly set forth his fundamental concepts, explaining how the expansion of human perception beyond the five senses leads to a new understanding of power as the alignment of the personality with the soul -- "authentic power." In Soul Stories, he showed how such concepts as harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life express themselves in other people's lives. Now, in The Heart of the Soul, he and Francis take the next major step forward in showing us the importance of emotional awareness in applying these concepts to our own daily lives.

Zukav and Francis show how true emotional awareness transforms the human experience. Although developing emotional awareness is challenging and difficult because it requires becoming aware of our buried emotional pain, it is also enormously rewarding. The Heart of the Soul shows us how to free ourselves from our compulsions, fixations, obsessions, and addictions -- such as anger, workaholism, perfectionism, obsessive eating, alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual addiction -- that prevent us from living a fulfilling and meaningful life. It also provides the reader with the necessary tools to replace the desire to avoid painful emotions with the desire to explore every aspect of consciousness, and to cultivate the parts of ourselves that contribute the most to Life.

Emotional awareness -- becoming aware of everything we are feeling at every moment -- is one of the most challenging tasks we can undertake. As Zukav relates in the book, "The longest journey that you will make in your life is from your head to your heart." For all of us, that is the unending journey toward spiritual growth -- toward wholeness, wisdom, and compassion -- and the healing that will allow us to achieve our fullest potential.

Zukav and Francis do not discount the violence and destruction that pervade our world, but they recognize a new, emerging consciousness that has the power to transform it. The Heart of the Soul will be a powerful revelation, enabling readers to recognize emotional awareness as a key component in the creation of authentic power. Filled with helpful tools, empowering practices, and compelling drawings, The Heart of the Soul is a life-changing work that can reshape our lives for the better. It is a book to read and reread many times.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Asserting that "our species is undergoing an unprecedented transformation," Zukav (The Seat of the Soul; Soul Stories) urges people to focus not on "external power" but on "authentic power," and to seek to align their personalities with their souls. People should learn to read emotional pain (manifested in physical symptoms) as energy being released in "fear and doubt" rather than "love and trust," Zukav says. He includes a diagram of "your energy system," which he doesn't acknowledge as the seven chakras common in ancient Eastern religions. In fact, while drawing on Hindu and Buddhist thought, Taoism, Christianity, psychology and many other sources, Zukav credits no previous study or tradition. Reincarnation, detachment, present-moment living and bringing unconscious emotions to the surface are not original concepts, but the author's lack of references implies that they are. Questionable claims "a new human species is being born," for example, or "energy continually flows into the top of your head" are also offered as indisputable facts. Zukav's abundance of vague metaphors and lack of specific personal stories leaves the reader wondering how (or if) the concepts he presents might be applied to everyday issues and events. This book could be another adequate tool in the pursuit of New Age spirituality, but it is hardly the complete and final word the author suggests. Still, with Zukav's track record and Oprah-readiness, expect hefty sales. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Asserting that "our species is undergoing an unprecedented transformation," Zukav (The Seat of the Soul; Soul Stories) urges people to focus not on "external power" but on "authentic power," and to seek to align their personalities with their souls. People should learn to read emotional pain (manifested in physical symptoms) as energy being released in "fear and doubt" rather than "love and trust," Zukav says. He includes a diagram of "your energy system," which he doesn't acknowledge as the seven chakras common in ancient Eastern religions. In fact, while drawing on Hindu and Buddhist thought, Taoism, Christianity, psychology and many other sources, Zukav credits no previous study or tradition. Reincarnation, detachment, present-moment living and bringing unconscious emotions to the surface are not original concepts, but the author's lack of references implies that they are. Questionable claims "a new human species is being born," for example, or "energy continually flows into the top of your head" are also offered as indisputable facts. Zukav's abundance of vague metaphors and lack of specific personal stories leaves the reader wondering how (or if) the concepts he presents might be applied to everyday issues and events. This book could be another adequate tool in the pursuit of New Age spirituality, but it is hardly the complete and final word the author suggests. Still, with Zukav's track record and Oprah-readiness, expect hefty sales. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Zukav's fans will appreciate this effort to help people stay mindful of their feelings. His language and tone are poetic as he describes the defense mechanisms people use to avoid unacceptable feelings. With less gravitas and more practicality, Zukav's spiritual partner, Linda Francis, provides compact and prescriptive help on how to improve awareness. Listeners with hang-ups about anger, aggression, self-esteem, and sexual attraction will find these ideas particularly useful. This program is definitely for listeners on the timid, repressed, or over-controlled end of the spectrum, and especially for those who need help in experiencing emotion. A good lesson on how to look inward for peace instead of looking for solutions in the external world. T.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

AUTHOR DESCRIPTION

Gary Zukav is the author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics, winner of the American Book Award for Science; The Seat of the Soul, the celebrated #1 bestseller in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, and others; and the New York Times bestseller Soul Stories. His books have sold millions of copies and are published in sixteen languages. He is a graduate of Harvard and a former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer with Vietnam service.