Surrendered―The Sacred Art: Shattering the Illusion of Control and Falling into Grace with Twelve-Step Spirituality

by Rami M. Shapiro

In Surrendered—The Sacred Art, Rabbi Rami Shapiro explores what it means to live the surrendered life—a life no longer centered on control and hence no longer at odds with the ordinary suffering of everyday living. Rabbi Rami closely examines the first three steps of Twelve-Step recovery to help us cut through the denial, illusions, and falsehoods that bind us in our fight with addictions of all kinds. He draws upon his half-century engagement with Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, as well as his own and other people’s struggles in Twelve-Step recovery, to guide us in our awakening to reality’s freedom and the path to living joyously and well.

200 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2019

About the author

Rami Shapiro is one of the most innovative rabbis of the last thirty years. An award-winning author of two dozen books on religion and spirituality, he received rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and holds a PhD from Union Graduate School. A congregational rabbi for twenty years, for the last fifteen he has been writing, leading retreats, co-directing One River Wisdom School, blogging at rabbirami.com, and writing a regular column for Spirituality and Health magazine called "Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler."

Reviews

[Hope Roohr · Rating 2 out of 5]

He is so self-absorbed that it is difficult to read.

[Ashley Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful anti self-help book about the simplicity and power of a surrendered life.

[Diane Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply profound

Deeply profound. There are so many nuggets of wisdom in the book, you will need to re-read it many times.

[Christin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A single profound idea restated a million different ways. The energy it took to figure out it was simply a repeat was maddening without a payoff.

[John Yarbrough · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be surrendered is letting go, letting loose of control and handing it over. As I suspected, recovery and addiction are one in the same. You are both an addict and you are a recovering addict. In this realization, you come to a place where you are surrendered and you are no longer fighting recovery. What an insightful book. There were moments when it got so deep I was lost but Rami gently brings you back. I hope I can apply some of the insights provided.

Susie recommended the book, and she spoke from it and now I want to listen to her talk again to understand what she pulled from the book. I guess I'll keep coming back.

The book is an excellent walk through the first three steps and takes it to a level, that I wanted to share it with my sponsor who would eat this up.