What do you think?
Rate this book
Awakening the Soul: A Deep Response to a Troubled World
Awakening the Soul addresses the issue of the loss of soul throughout the world and the loss of meaning and truth in modern life. Michael Meade shows how meaning is essential to the human soul and uses ancient stories and compelling insights to describe how soul can be recovered and people can learn to live in truth. Drawing from dramatic episodes in his own life, Meade shows how the soul tries to awaken at critical times, and how an awakened soul is crucial for finding medicine to treat the ailments and alienation of modern life. What we need now is not a minor repair, but a major transformation of the world that can only start with the awakening of the individual soul.
175 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2018
241 people are currently reading
2167 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Want to read
January 5, 2022i just wanna read it because andrew garfield read it. hopefully will enlighten my perspective on life though
January 24, 2024
I loved this.
Michael Meade is AMAZING.
A total ONE OF A KIND.
This book is SO RICH with wisdom and meaning.
Wonderful.
5/5 ⭐️
Michael Meade is AMAZING.
A total ONE OF A KIND.
This book is SO RICH with wisdom and meaning.
Wonderful.
5/5 ⭐️
February 19, 2020
This has been an inspiring and meaningful book. I will re-read it and follow-up on my notes. It's not uncommon that a book starts fading towards the end; however, the best of this book comes in the closing pages. This is a book worthy of reflection for those of us committed to the journey of transformation and contributing to the healing of our communities and the world.
June 8, 2019
Amazing book for all who are concerned about the way our world is trending now and who sense the significance of soul in our life and the need for soul to lead in our interactions with the world.
January 6, 2021
"How does one go
about dying?
Who on earth
is going to teach me--
The world
is filled with people
who have never died"
- Franz Wright
I thought of this poem fragment several times as I read Awakening the Soul, a book of wise and kind instructions for a deeper, more integrated life. Drawing on myths and and stories of the origin of the human soul, woven with personal experiences of loss and disappointment, Meade reminds us that before our accepted modern notions of success and growth as upward movement, with accompanying social status, there were other wisdom traditions which taught that the journey in and down, into the essential agreement your soul made when it came to earth, and then a radical commitment to living from within that knowledge, was the real measure of success.
This isn't another fluffy self-help book centering the individual and keeping the reader safely separated from community, history, and planetary responsibilities. What we do with our lives, what we choose to heal, what we are willing to face, all of it intersects, Meade reminds the reader, with the story of the world and the soul of the world, the Anima Mundi.
The path down, the path in, is the call to develop a rich and rigorously honest inner life. It's a call to presence and responsibility. It's an ancient path to maturity that is often slower and lonelier than we'd like. It requires a friendship with darker emotions like grief and fear. It asks of us a willingness to stay with ourselves, instead of leaping every time we get uncomfortable. It asks of us a willingness to shed the shiny, one-dimensional offerings of modern ideas of success. It offers something wider and wilder than religious dogma and its body-hating and planet-harming ways.
A couple of quotes:
"First, we must risk having a life, finding a way into life, and facing up to the obstacles we encounter in the world. But the second risk involves becoming present in one's own inner life and awakening to the nature of one's being. This second risk involves making a genuine interior life, something that modern education and mass culture does not prepare us to do..."
"We can only hold to ideals like truth, beauty, and justice if we find ways to embody the truth of our own lives..."
Awakening the Soul was the book I needed to begin this new year. I'll be returning to it again as there are lots of treasures within.
about dying?
Who on earth
is going to teach me--
The world
is filled with people
who have never died"
- Franz Wright
I thought of this poem fragment several times as I read Awakening the Soul, a book of wise and kind instructions for a deeper, more integrated life. Drawing on myths and and stories of the origin of the human soul, woven with personal experiences of loss and disappointment, Meade reminds us that before our accepted modern notions of success and growth as upward movement, with accompanying social status, there were other wisdom traditions which taught that the journey in and down, into the essential agreement your soul made when it came to earth, and then a radical commitment to living from within that knowledge, was the real measure of success.
This isn't another fluffy self-help book centering the individual and keeping the reader safely separated from community, history, and planetary responsibilities. What we do with our lives, what we choose to heal, what we are willing to face, all of it intersects, Meade reminds the reader, with the story of the world and the soul of the world, the Anima Mundi.
The path down, the path in, is the call to develop a rich and rigorously honest inner life. It's a call to presence and responsibility. It's an ancient path to maturity that is often slower and lonelier than we'd like. It requires a friendship with darker emotions like grief and fear. It asks of us a willingness to stay with ourselves, instead of leaping every time we get uncomfortable. It asks of us a willingness to shed the shiny, one-dimensional offerings of modern ideas of success. It offers something wider and wilder than religious dogma and its body-hating and planet-harming ways.
A couple of quotes:
"First, we must risk having a life, finding a way into life, and facing up to the obstacles we encounter in the world. But the second risk involves becoming present in one's own inner life and awakening to the nature of one's being. This second risk involves making a genuine interior life, something that modern education and mass culture does not prepare us to do..."
"We can only hold to ideals like truth, beauty, and justice if we find ways to embody the truth of our own lives..."
Awakening the Soul was the book I needed to begin this new year. I'll be returning to it again as there are lots of treasures within.
March 14, 2024
Interesting concepts, but the book felt occasionally long winded. I found myself impatient at times, but still enjoyed the call backs to Meade’s personal experiences and the myths he considered vital to his transformation.
Of the profound ideas and questions that stuck with me and provoked further thought, my particular favorite was, “What matter if a person achieves the world if they fail to become themselves?” Truly something to chew on.
Of the profound ideas and questions that stuck with me and provoked further thought, my particular favorite was, “What matter if a person achieves the world if they fail to become themselves?” Truly something to chew on.
June 30, 2022
A really inspiring book filled with stories laced with spiritual advice, lessons and reminders. I really needed something like this, as the weight of the world feels a little heavier right now.
Thanks to my crush on Andrew Garfield for leading me to discover this book via his recommendation 🙃
Thanks to my crush on Andrew Garfield for leading me to discover this book via his recommendation 🙃
April 29, 2022
A strong message delivered in a repetitive, overly-abstract medium. There is one major idea here (that of the inner soul and need to awaken it), and a lot of supportive points to share that idea in different ways. I found it got redundant quickly, and the book was a bit of a drag by the end.
The most powerful takeaway for me was this line:
"Something inside the soul knows the true aim and purpose of our lives; yet we must become lost in order to find it."
I've always felt that without the painful
experience of burnout, I never would have
had the wake-up call I needed to break out
of the mold, and find the creative life I now
live.
For most readers of this kind of book, it is less likely to introduce you to new ideas as much as it will remind you of / emphasize the ones you forgot about.
The most powerful takeaway for me was this line:
"Something inside the soul knows the true aim and purpose of our lives; yet we must become lost in order to find it."
I've always felt that without the painful
experience of burnout, I never would have
had the wake-up call I needed to break out
of the mold, and find the creative life I now
live.
For most readers of this kind of book, it is less likely to introduce you to new ideas as much as it will remind you of / emphasize the ones you forgot about.
April 28, 2022
The highlights of this book were the myths shared (like the World Weary Man & the 60 Canyon Abandonment) & the author’s own memories of his imprisonment during the Vietnam war. The exposition of these stories was very meaningful to me. In between, the prose lagged & could be repetitive.
Want to read
January 8, 2022No way an Andrew Garfield recommendation would let me down.
April 8, 2022
This is the kind of book that would normally make me cringe, but there's something different here. Meade makes a good case for the soul underlying our existence on earth. This is in opposition to the purely scientific viewpoint that we're simply the beneficiaries of an incredible series of coincidences.
Do I believe the science? Yes, but of course I want to believe that the soul is eternal as well and that it transcends our time on earth. If you want to feel hopeful this is the book that will help you feel better.
Like most of this kind of book it's repetitive and there's a little bit of confusing circular language used. I like some of the ancient stories though, the parables that build the case for a true life purpose for all of us. My favorite legend here involved the river of forgetfulness and the notion that we're all living to realize our true purpose. It's inspiring.
Meade toes the line between religion and spiritualism effectively. A quick read that will lift the (wait for it) soul and provide a hopeful way to reorient your view of life. You know what, Michael Meade? I'll go for the ride since there's nothing to lose and plenty to gain.
Do I believe the science? Yes, but of course I want to believe that the soul is eternal as well and that it transcends our time on earth. If you want to feel hopeful this is the book that will help you feel better.
Like most of this kind of book it's repetitive and there's a little bit of confusing circular language used. I like some of the ancient stories though, the parables that build the case for a true life purpose for all of us. My favorite legend here involved the river of forgetfulness and the notion that we're all living to realize our true purpose. It's inspiring.
Meade toes the line between religion and spiritualism effectively. A quick read that will lift the (wait for it) soul and provide a hopeful way to reorient your view of life. You know what, Michael Meade? I'll go for the ride since there's nothing to lose and plenty to gain.
March 14, 2023
The first few chapters could easily be skipped since it is very negative and unnecessary. As the book progressed it gave me hope that our past voices can be reheard and forge a future. The Myth of Er is introduced and very helpful. Overall, a book to consider, to help set a personal framework for understanding mythological cosmological origins.
January 4, 2026
Ok didn't realize my slow & steady woo-woo book would be my first completed read of 2026 but here we are! This was read as a meditative act more than a processing and retaining information situation. For that purpose it was fine...some parts were quite soothing to the soul and some parts were just glanced at while fully zoned out.
January 2, 2023
This is an enjoyable and at times a deep read. 10 chapters of stories, lessons and insights. Next time I read through this, I will make little notes and underline moving phrases. There is definitely a need for us to channel our soul and allow it to lead us. Enjoy the spiritual advice.
December 29, 2023
One of the best books I have read this year, a timely read on how loss of soul and disconnect from deeper realities, lead to isolation, madness and ultimately, destruction of ourselves and our world. Highly recommended.
December 30, 2021
One of the best books out there!
January 2, 2022
This was so profound and inspiring. I think I definitely need a reread but loved it enough to give it 5 stars for now.
April 7, 2022
An incredible self-reflection book
Want to read
May 13, 2022andrew garfield
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2022
2018. The author shares some of the wisdom contained in old myths (Greek, Japanese, etc.). Also tells how they personally have affected his life.
July 6, 2023
No hate, just couldn't get into it.
January 4, 2025
What I appreciated most about this book was all the time he spent delineating the difference between being older and being an elder.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews