Dancing into the Light: A Spiritual Journey of Healing

by Arlyn Hope Halpern

Dancing into the Light is a heartwarming memoir that captures one woman’s transformative journey of self-discovery by making peace with a family at once extremely dysfunctional, yet oddly endearing. As a child, her troubling interaction with her depressed mother coexisted with the affection she held for her happy-go-lucky father. With little guidance from either parent, Arlyn was left to fend for herself.

A series of fateful events, from taking off in the family car at age twelve to exotic dancing in a carnival, uprooted Arlyn from this childhood world and into a progressive boarding school. Later she traveled to Israel in the aftermath of the Six Day War. There she fell in love with a Swedish man and moved to his native land. A meeting with a college professor, and their subsequent marriage, set Arlyn down the path of Buddhist practice. Making a pilgrimage to India, they received teachings from Tibetan Buddhist masters and Arlyn undertook the rigorous study of Indian classical dance. The Buddhist teachings, along with her ongoing love of dance sustained her as she experienced heart-rending challenges along the way.

Throughout this engaging and courageous tale, Arlyn never wavers from looking inward, facing her demons, and using adversity as a path to develop greater wisdom and compassion. It is a redemptive tale of love and loss that will leave no
reader unmoved.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2018

Reviews

[Margee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading Arlyn's Spiritual Journey!

This memoir creatively weaves Arlyn's complicated family, broad mind, and desire to 'be' in sharing her early life. The book is about a young women's difficult upbringing, and how it effects her life travels including her practicing Tibetan Buddhism. I particularly enjoyed reading about her travel to Israel.

This was a book club selection. Arlyn is a local author and agreed to join us for our book club discussion. Not only does she write calm and with some humor, but she's lovelier in person.

The book is filled with hope. You see, that's her middle name :-)

[Jady Babin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met this author at an author’s panel at a local bookstore. Her energy and story intrigued me. I truly enjoyed her memoir which covers from her birth to early adulthood. From her lonely childhood, to her adventurous teens and on to relationships, marriage and her study of Buddhism, her openness and honesty are raw and beautiful.
I am interested in potentially meeting her to ask her many questions!
Follow me on Instagram at Bookbuzz424 to see my follow up meeting with her! 📚 🐝

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author has led a fascinating life and wrote the book as though the readers were accompanying her to all the far-flung places she talks about. It's also a psychological journey so there are multiple threads she deftly weaves together. I highly recommend it!!

[Jackie Kruft · Rating 4 out of 5]

met the author