Fear comes at us from politics, war, work, relationships, strangers, movies, and television. It keeps us from behaving intelligently, since the mind's first reaction to fear is to ignore danger, hoping it will go away. When fear takes over, it drives us to extremes of manic happiness or fits of rage; it pushes us to destroy relationships instead of letting relationships help us defeat it. When fear wins the battle, viciousness sets in, and we have miserable lives in a miserable world. Most important, fear keeps us from the one thing that could stop its taking becoming present. Robert Sardello, an exceptionally powerful writer who Larry Dossey deems "one of the few modern thinkers who genuinely senses how to deal with the barrenness of modern life," argues that the soul's greatest enemy is fear. It is only when we can look honestly at every fear — from insecurity at work to existential angst — that we may fulfill its potential for kindness, love, and compassion. This book is at once an inspiring manual for dealing with fear and a call to arms to change our situation and thereby change the world. It is a rich combination of theory, anecdote, exercises for strengthening the soul, and the wisdom of a great student of the soul.
Dr. Robert Sardello is one of the six founding Fellows of the Dallas Institute, the co-founder and co-director of The School of Spiritual Psychology, and the co-editor of Goldenstone Press.
Sardello doesn’t teach us how to escape fear—he teaches us how to sit beside it, listen to it, and let it soften us into deeper perception. This book is less a manual and more a quiet bell—ringing us back to soul.
This is a creative and innovative perspective of freeing the soul. It views the soul as an entity that seeks freedom, but is often held captive by fear. It describes many several dimensions and level that fear inhabits in our daily lives. I highly recommend this book, if you have a mind that is not currently not completely held captive by fear, then this book will allow you to find a better and healthier state of living.
A real mix, this book. Some very practical tools for contemplation/meditation, mixed in with a smattering of intellectual/academic passages that seemed out of place. I may need to read this again, perhaps over a shorter time, with commitment to doing all the exercises to fully appreciate the value and impact this book seems to offer.
Boo! I loved his other book so much, I had high hopes for this one. I got through about 100 pages before giving up. It simply didn't have the intensity or spark or inspiration of his other book. Seriously bland and disappointing.
Sardello is fascinating. His ideas are new to me, yet at the same time, I instantly recognized the wisdom of his writing. I'm re-reading the book and using his meditation techniques, which are very different from what I'm used to. Definitely a book I'll be referring to again and again.