The One: Discovering the Secrets of Soul Mate Love

by Kathy Freston

A meditation coach explains how to identify and nurture the ultimate bliss of "soul mate love," offering guidance on how to recognize the divine spirit within and how to create a relationship in which two become one.

Genres: Relationships, Self Help, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Kathy Freston is an American author and promoter of plant-based nutrition. Her books include The Lean, Veganist, Quantum Wellness, Clean Protein and 72 Reasons to Be Vegan.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a spiritual book. It has an important message for spiritual growth, read it only if you are interested in raising your awareness about yourself and improving your relationships. This was my second reading. I was disappointed the first time I read it, and amazed by the insights the second time around. I guess it's one of those books that you appreciate when you are ready for it.

[Dana]

What a healthy relationship looks like.

[Jewcygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, it will change the way you think about your own life and understand why one must make mistakes to grow in relationships.

[Debie Orrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't say I learned anything from this book. The premise is you have to be happy with who you are to be happy with anyone else. That everyone is put into your life for a reason, even the bad relationships. I think that is a given and most all know it. We all learn from each relationship we are in - good and bad.

She says to be honest with yourself and your partner but to express yourself in ways that leave openings - so you don't hurt feelings. I disagree. Sometimes you just have to say what you are feeling and sometimes that will hurt, maybe you and maybe others.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankfully this book is not at all what it seems to be from the title - it is not in fact a how-to in finding a soul mate or the traditional definition of "The One". Rather, it is a book about personal spirituality - connecting to the oneness of the universe or higher power within ourselves (self realization and self actualization)- through our relationships.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The meditative part got a little "trippy" for me but I am not really into meditation as a rule. However, I listened as someone who has found "the one" and I was able to see a good deal of common sense that perhaps I had not considered before.

My aha moment came when asked to think about what was "missing" in my partner. I did and ironically just as she said it was actually something that I had recently identified something that I feel is missing in my own life. Hmm, perhaps it isn't his problem after all?!?

I would recommend this to anyone who has been looking, but I took a great deal away from it and I think if you are in a relationship you will likely find several things that make you reexamine your relationship with "the one."

[Teknikserviss29]

https://www.ucuzhizmetbul.com/

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book bothered me, and I wouldn't recommend it. Having said that, I am glad that I read it, so I gave it three stars so I could keep it in my private library. (It had some really great points in it, although the great majority of it was crap.) I wanted to read it because I so thoroughly enjoyed her Quantum Wellness book, and this one was also a National Best Seller. I can tell that other people may have given her the same critique after she wrote this one because Quantum Wellness (which she wrote after this one) is so much better organized and religiously neutral. DISCLAIMER: I am happily married, so maybe this book would be more appreciated by someone who is struggling in their marriage or struggling to find "their one." (I'm sure I would have appreciated it more during my first year of marriage!) For those of you who don't want to read this book but want to know what I found were the best points in this book, they are (1) it stresses that there isn't just "one" specific person - phew, what a pressure relief for yourself; (2) your "one" won't necessarily fulfill all your needs at that very moment (be able to read your mind, always have fireworks and butterflies, always agree or see eye to eye, etc.) - phew, what a pressure relief for your "one"; and most importantly, (3) that if you are not happy or having fun or enjoying romance with your "one," it is very likely that it is your fault.

[Stacy+Augie Greenfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on my way back from San Fran on a recommendation from Carla. It is an easy read and I nearly finished it in one sitting which for a slow reader like myself tells me that it is an easy read. As the other reviews suggest, the title is a bit misleading since you don't learn skills to find the "one" but rather how to do your homework on yourself before and while in relationships. I especially liked the "prayer for stressful times" which we can all use to manage our current stresses. So my question that never gets answered from this book is "if I'm doing all this work to find oneness with the spirit so that I can be in a 'soul mate' relationship, and my partner isn't on this same journey; does that mean I'm just doing all the work?" I'd like to know since I already multitask A LOT.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not what it seems to be from the title - it is actually a book about personal spirituality. And the people who come into our lives with whom we connect on a very deep, almost compelling level are there to teach us about the parts of ourselves that still need healing and through this healing, allow us to ascend to another level of spiritual enlightenment. We attract people who are specifically matched to us to push our buttons and vice versa. But of course!

"You are not successful in love just because you find a partner and stick with them for a lifetime (as my parents did); you are successful in love when it provides you with a way to keep learning about yourself and the world around you, becoming more connected with the oneness of all of life. Each experience we have--glorious, sad or frustrating--becomes a strand in the web of our evolution." Amen, sister.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be helpful for anyone - whether you are single or in a relationship. Freston takes a lot of spiritual and new agey ideas like prayer and meditation and the visualization of energy and walks you through ways to keep a healthy mindset about relationships and how to avoid the most common pitfalls. Being single, it was easier to examine my current ideas about relationships without getting all the emotion in the middle. She asks you to examine a lot of your core beliefs and your past actions - so if you take the book very seriously there is a lot of potential for emotional upheaval and eventually healing.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I'm a genuine pessimist when it comes to reading books on improving relationships, but this one blew me away! It totally makes sense the way the author writes about real situations- situations that I've experienced and how to learn and grow from them. I believe that the knowledge I gained from reading "The One" will help me to be more mindful and self-aware as well as more reliant on God in my relationships. Highly recommended whether you're still searching for "the one" or if you're already spending your life together.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a self-help book this has a lot of generous information about relationships. My favorite quote form the book, well, one of many is;
LOVE not fear;
ACCEPT not condemn
FORGIVE.....you may want to read the book to learn more about what relationships and soul mates have to teach us in our lives. I learned why we are attracted to some people, because they have something to teach us or we have something to teach them. Once the lesson is learned it is our soul that sings!

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It started out promising.. but I found myself only skimming through the rest of the book, looking for something I didn't already know. LOL, I kept turning the page, saying "Yeah, I KNOW that already".. and I kept turning, and turning, until I got to the end. Nothing new here.

[Annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was utter rubbish.