Soul Stories

by Gary Zukav

True Stories That Transform Lives
Writing with profound psychological and spiritual insight, prize-winning author Gary Zukav has had a major impact on the consciousness of millions. In his New York Times number-one bestseller, The Seat of the Soul, he explained how the expansion of human perception beyond the five senses leads to a new understanding of power -- the alignment of the personality with the soul -- which in turn leads to an awareness of our extraordinary creative abilities. Now, in one of the most important and useful books you will ever read, Soul Stories, Zukav shows how this new understanding of power -- authentic power -- transforms lives in countless ways.
Soul Stories is filled with marvelous stories that show how concepts such as intuition, harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for life actually express themselves in people's lives. Best of all, the stories lead to practical advice on how you can discover your own Soul Stories and the truths they reveal about the deepest sources of your being. Wonderfully readable, Soul Stories is a wise and inspirational book.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Short Stories, New Age

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Gary Zukav is the author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters, winner of The American Book Award for Science; Soul Stories, a New York Times bestseller; and The Seat of the Soul, a New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly #1 bestseller. 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 in Vietnam.

Gary's gentle humor, sensitivity, and deep insights have endeared him to millions of readers and listeners. Through Genesis: The Foundation for the Universal Human, he participates in retreates, programs, and other events supporting the creation of authentic power and the experience of spiritual partnership.

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know more about engaging your intuition, this is the book you need.

"...When you see everything that happens in your life as a way for you to learn important things about yourself, you start to look more closely at the things that happen in your life. The more you do, the more you learn about yourself. The more you learn about yourself, the more you can change the way things happen. After a while, you are happy for everything that happens, even the things that are unpleasant. Then everything that happens is a special gift. You don't have to prove it to anyone, and no one has to prove it to you. It is, and you know it. You don't doubt it, and nothing can make you doubt it. That is perfect trust..." pp221-222

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

when they say:
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
i have never thought that it could be so impactfully real until I came to this book, a powerfully written honest account of the author's personal journey of transformation in the subtlest and least pretentious way.
all the more so, when my own deeply buried issues re-surface(d) upon eyeing at the page about inner truth and spiritual partnership.
life is one brilliant journey, and you know it when you're on it.

SEAT OF THE SOUL - HEART OF THE SOUL - SOUL STORIES <--- must-read for peaceful ones

[Karen Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who follows me, knows that every day I jumpstart my reading life with a book about spirituality. I love reading about religion and spiritual enlightenment. In summary, this author, Gary Zukav, invites us to live authentic lives by recognizing that we are all souls on this earth, and all part of the big picture. He starts each chapter with a story that relates to his message. I'll be honest and admit that I skimmed through the story to get to the message. This is certainly not my favorite book on enlightenment, but it contained some worthwhile thoughts.

[Baxter Clare Trautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came into my life right after our home burned down, offering what I knew but needed to remember. "When you realize that everything that happens to you is for your good, all of the time, you are seeing your life the way your soul sees it." And yes, that includes all the 'bad' stuff, especially the bad stuff. This book reminded me that I am a spiritual being having a human experience.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an enlightening book. I will read it again and again. I feel like I have grown from reading this book.

[Radhika (rads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There s no doubt that Gary Zukav has a way of getting you to peek into your soul and ask the questions you do not want to ask and know the answers to.
You get to realize your strengths, your weakness and Zukav enlightens in a spiritual way, drawing fine lines and interlaces religion and spirituality.

The stories, the passionate yet occasionally long drawn narrative can be a bit hard to get into, and to be honest, it did take me some effort to stick with it, it's worth finishing it. It';s his own experiences that we learn from, and the book has a certain "retreat" feel to it. Maybe it was me, but it's one of those teachings, conversations one would have seated around the fireplace at a spiritual retreat or center. There is introspection and an inherent need for learning and wanting to be in that space.

Though I must admit that this is the third time I picked this up, determined to finish it. Ive a;ways believed in the saying "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" - and so is the case, when you are in the right phase in your life, the words will make sense and reach into your soul, falling n place, like a rubric's cube.

Don't read this book if you are expecting a fun or easy read. When the mind is restless, this makes a lot of sense.

[Jon Vergara Abrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Zukav made me look at religion and spirituality in a different light. This book helped me appreciate concepts which made a lot of sense.

Warning: This is not for those who are not open to other "religious" and "spiritual" insights as you may find some of the thoughts sacrilegious and heretic to a certain extent.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was not at all what I was expecting. Had I known, I'm sure I would have read it sooner. With his uniquely delicate wit and charm, Gary shares personal anecdotes (some his own and some second-hand) to give his insight into this virtual reality called life. He does this in 52 chapters (yes, by design - one idea per week). I read through the whole book fairly quickly but plan to read it again at the "one chapter per week" speed.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zukav concludes the book with a whole treatise on how interrelated we all are and how we need to grow beyond seeing our "earth suits" or differences to experiencing all that unites us.

He and his spiritual partner have a website that delves into spiritual relationships and authentic power.
http://www.universalhuman.org/home.html

[Viet Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend The Seat of the Soul (the same author). I'm in the middle of rating between 3 and 4 for this book. While it has a few good points, it's not solid as the other one. Actually, this can be considered to compensate for The Seat of the Soul. If you read the other one, that'll be enough.

[Maurean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I had expected. I was looking for something a bit more...intellectual...more 'soul-searching', I suppose, altho the stories were nice...just a bit *too much* 'rainbows and lollipops' for me, ya know?

[Srividya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book,it's not extraordinary,but like the author says " I love soul stories ...every story makes me appreciate me and you and makes me happy that we are together...".i was able to complete it in one sitting.

[Chadwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is mostly New Age feel-good drivel, but that doesn't mean that there isn't something to learn from it.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the stories because they seemed too elementary to me, but I did like the truths he pointed to at the end of each story. Those were encouraging.

[JCM SEDNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book quite a few years ago and it prompted me to look at people, places and things in a new light. Its worth reading.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting.. I will definitely be reading some more books by this author...

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff!

[Kacee Moreton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though there are a few good snippets of takeaway I found it to be repetitive, redundant, and amateurish new age spirituality drivel.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that goes along w/ the seat of the soul book. It is stories that illustrate the premiss of the Seat of the Soul. Should be read slower, as he suggests, but I would like one little story and go on to the next, but sometimes I would stop and contemplate the story and meaning and what it meant to me, and would then put it aside for a new story tomorrow. "Every time you set an intention to create harmony,cooperation, sharing or reverence for life, you take a step toward the goal of your soul." How can one argue w/ that?

[Juney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlike his other work I did not care for this one at all. I could not get over the feeling that throughout in his writing, he was doing a lot of tooting his own horn. I found it to a an egotistical memoir. I felt like he had really gotten away from the "intentions" behind his original purpose of publishing these books. I could not respect one word written in this book.

[Linh · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's the author's personal experiences intertwined with enlightenment teachings. if you're interested in how to truthfully read yourself, your actions or lack of and how that effects your daily interactions with others, it's an eye opener. good stuff.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked some of this book, but I jumped all over the place, and I didn't get some of the stories or concepts. Other parts I thought were insightful nd made me think. Definitely want to read seat of the soul now

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Zukav is life changing. With his words he exposes what is already within you; your flaws and your strengths. The best relationship that came out of the readings of all of his novels is the relationship I have with myself. I am so grateful for his wisdom.

[Julian Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a few compelling stories in here, and some quality insights on walking the spiritual path. When he moves away from telling stories, it can get insipid.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK. IT WILL GIVE YOU A COMPLETE LOOK AT LIFE BEFORE, NOW, AND AFTER. INCREDIBLE!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first spiritual book and it was perfect for where I was at the time. Just little chapters showing stories and examples of a new way to look at things.

[Della · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few great nuggets in here, but I also ended up skimming toward the end as the stories became repetitive. I'm really glad to have gained those nuggets, though.

[Rhea Abramson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Gary Zukav....these short stories are like hearing Gary's personal anecdotes at a retreat. Worth every page!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlines four soul functions, and shares his view of relationships which is applicable to people today

[Annie Kostyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction into using your perception beyond your 5 senses and living a life beyond the obvious. Fantastic read on how to become extraordinary.