Unclouded by Longing

by Christopher Goodchild

Truth waits for eyes unclouded by longing.' Lao-Tzu (poet and philosopher) In this collection of short, contemplative, enlightening reflections, spiritual teacher and Quaker Christopher Goodchild, inspired by his own experiences, guides you through his spiritual and philosophical journey to his truest and most peaceful self. Written from a 'soul' perspective, the book reveals how, by looking beyond vulnerability to see innate strength, and searching beyond pain and turmoil to find peace and serenity, anyone can affirm their true humanity despite the hardships and distractions of modern life. Christopher's compassionate route through difficulties, doubt, grief and fear is marked with dynamic tenderness and an artful embrace of abundant sources of wisdom. Spirituality, psychology and philosophy are seamlessly woven together in an inclusive Quaker context, led by the common values of love and forgiveness. In a world increasingly weighed down with the baggage of the self, this book will speak to anyone searching for a more clear-sighted, meaningful presence in the eternal universe.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder

172 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2017

Reviews

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviews By Eve: Unclouded by Longing: Meditations on Autism and Being Present in an Overwhelming World by Christopher Goodchild; Illustrations by Julie Lonneman (JK Pub)

Right off the bat, I was inspired by Christopher Goodchild, this talented author with Autism, who has so skillfully mastered the art of the written word. His writing is profound, flowing and self-reflective. It is within his own contemplation while holding silence that he arrives at his perspective and then is able to put this into beautifully written passages. The depths to which his contemplations take us allow us to explore and meditate on ourselves and through his writings we learn not only to listen but to hear what is in the silence. You do not have to read this book in one sitting-it is best savored.

I was deeply moved by this book. It is powerful and direct. I highly recommend it as a companion to your contemplation practice. Additionally, the book is accompanied by beautiful black and white scratch art by illustrator Julie Lonneman. The two artist blend very well together.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt a bit 'middling' about this book. I think it might have been the fact that the author addressed himself in the second person (you) and this had the effect of my feeling like his viewpoint was being forced onto me in a weird way, like he would say "you went and studied [x]" and I was like "no I didn't" (!) - in a way, I might have been too autistic to be comfortable with the way this book was written, which is a bit funny really. I don't like feeling like I am being manipulated into taking on somebody else's viewpoint as my own, which I don't think was his aim, but I couldn't shake it off. Anyway, none of the material was stuff I hadn't thought through before (perhaps because of shared neurology again..!) so I didn't find it that enlightening or interesting. But I didn't feel it was wasted reading and it did touch on something which the person who lent me the book had brought up in conversation which I find a very interesting thing to think on, namely: not feeling at home in one's own home but more at home in other people's (I hadn't fully logged this as something that is true of my experience or of other people's, and I think it is an interesting phenomenon to think about).

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I deliberately took my time reading this series of meditations - restricting myself to one chapter per night.

Goodchild constantly addresses "you" in the chapters but, as he states from the beginning, he is actually talking to himself about his own thoughts and feelings. Some chapters really resonated with me - to the extent I was a little freaked out that someone had written down exactly what I was thinking - others less so. However even with the chapters that didn't speak to me, I appreciated the opportunity to gain insight into a different perspective.

I think the best way to read this book is definitely to dip in and out when you feel the need for a bit of reflection rather than read it cover to cover. I am keeping the book on my bedside table so that I can pick it up when I want to press pause on my thoughts and take stock

Disclaimer - I know Chris, so I am a bit biased. But that just means I wouldn't have written a review had I not liked the book!

[HelenA33 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst this book did contain some interesting reflections on living life as a person on the autistic spectrum, it was a little too "Eastern" heavy for me. It's deep and painful to read at times. But I enjoyed some of the quotes (such as those by Emily Dickinson)

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a long time to read this book — longer even than the dates I gave here. I think I started it in May 2018 and I read a chapter a week for a while and then it spaced out a bit. I’d read forward in it but kept two bookmarks so that I could reread each section however many times I needed to before not reading it any more, but I could still move forward to new chapter as I wanted to and was ready.

I’m both Autistic and a Quaker so this book was a beautiful read to me. I’m still not sure how I liked the second-person phrasings and I was definitely bothered by the “functioning levels” and “with autism” phrasings, but the contents of the book absolutely fed my soul and helped me weather the tempestuous past year and a half, during which I guess I achieved that middle-aged understanding of myself and recalibration of what my life is where it previously diverged from what I want my life to actually BE.

Excellent book. Definitely recommend, especially to other Autistic people or those who care for Autistic people.