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The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness
A manual for all spiritual travelers who would attempt a spiritual journey in our times. Taking us step-by-step, Kushner allows us to discover the meaning of our own to allow the river of light the deepest currents of consciousness to rise to the surface and animate our lives.
153 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 12, 2025
For me this was an educational venture into Jewish mystic traditions, including that of midrash. Kushner extrapolates a mystical story seamlessly into explorations of consciousness from the fanciful to profound. This quote from page 30 illustrates what I mean;
"Our lives seem to be ruled by the caprice of distant, uncaring powers. Our joy is irrelevant. And our grief is unbearable. On the other hand, if we can create a story connecting one "fragment" of our lives with another and thus join with Midrash-gossamerlike webs those fragments of our existence, there is now a sentence where before there were only words. Meaning is literally in the connections. And meaninglessness obtains when the events in our lives seem to us unrelated, discordant, and fragmentary."
This book is not for everyone, but I find it a door to consider where our thoughts can take us if we set our dreams and imaginations free to wander and wonder.
"Our lives seem to be ruled by the caprice of distant, uncaring powers. Our joy is irrelevant. And our grief is unbearable. On the other hand, if we can create a story connecting one "fragment" of our lives with another and thus join with Midrash-gossamerlike webs those fragments of our existence, there is now a sentence where before there were only words. Meaning is literally in the connections. And meaninglessness obtains when the events in our lives seem to us unrelated, discordant, and fragmentary."
This book is not for everyone, but I find it a door to consider where our thoughts can take us if we set our dreams and imaginations free to wander and wonder.
April 2, 2024
There are moments of gender essentialism which frustrate. Otherwise beautiful.
January 20, 2026
The idea of spirituality as a pursuit of consciousness is game changing for me, and the frequent comparisons to psychotherapy goals/methods — and introspection in general — were deeply resonant.
Eg: “Both therapy and mysticism begin by redirecting attention to the one who asks the question. The beginning of the answer is not “out there” but “in here.” In the very consciousness of the one who is looking” (33).
I will say the first half of the book hit a lot harder for me than the second, but maybe that’s because I was pretty sleepy throughout most of my time reading the latter. 🤷♀️
Eg: “Both therapy and mysticism begin by redirecting attention to the one who asks the question. The beginning of the answer is not “out there” but “in here.” In the very consciousness of the one who is looking” (33).
I will say the first half of the book hit a lot harder for me than the second, but maybe that’s because I was pretty sleepy throughout most of my time reading the latter. 🤷♀️
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews