The Seat of the Soul

Gary Zukav, an Eagle Scout Harvard graduate, who served as a Green Beret officer (1st Lt) in Viet Nam, fell in with young theoretical physicists in San Francisco, and wrote "Dancing Wu Li Masters" [Wu Li = Chinese "Physics" with five definitions -- including "nonsense"]. Zukav explains that work was intended to 'open the mind", and this "Seat of the Soul" is intended to "open the heart".

Zukav does not seem have have done any actual "science" for either book. He posits an elaboration of Soul, alleging that the human species is emerging from the illusions of the "five senses" and "external power". Transformation is possible with intention and better choices. A transformational Power based upon perceptions of this Soul thing--moving from show more "external" to "authentic power."

This is an unwavering mashup of psychology, Jain/Hindu Karmic creation, and heady speculations about the existence of a Soul in everyone. The Soul is "that part of you that is immortal". [14] The Will to Intention, (cf. Adler's Will to Power, Freud's Will to Pleasure, Frankl's Will to Meaning), the idea of having Choice, is developed without credit to those who opened this door to self-awareness .

We can choose fear, and evolve through the destruction fear creates. Why not choose the conscious path, the path of Joy? Can we transform energy into matter with better intentions? [Written 2014, two years before the Naqba.]

This is not a work of theology, but a courageous effort to provide useful tools to free our "splintered" personalities from fear, addiction, and a poor quality of consciousness. Zukav uses the example of "the personality, Jesus" who chose the path of glory over the temptations offered by the "Luciferic principle". [157] "Authentic empowerment is not gained by making choices that do not stretch you."

In the intentional effort to align our personalities with our soul--we will stimulate our spiritual growth and become better people in the process. This insightful, lucid synthesis of concepts of psychology, karmic debts, and new-age principles of consciousness-raising.

Example of advice for giving spiritual care: Offer comfort to the group-soul of the dolphins. The dolphins are creating diseases within, and beaching themselves, as "their way of refusing to continue to live upon the Earth...."They are exhausted." [165] show less

The sole purpose of this book seems to be to set him up as a guru to sell his workshops. He constantly makes broad unsupported universal statements and asserts things without evidence. I felt quite manipulated and just wanted him to stop including me in his royal "we".
He got off on the wrong foot with me on the first chapter "Evolution". Everything he says about scientific evolution is wrong. His point is that "our" beliefs about evolution are wrong. Well, *his* beliefs about evolution certainly are wrong. I'm just glad they aren't *my* beliefs. Disproving a argument that no one is making is called a "straw man" fallacy.
I tried to keep reading but I just couldn't get past chapter five. You don't have to eat a whole dish to know if it show more is putrid, once you have had a bite of it. I tried several bites before I could no longer stomach his self-important manipulative horse crap. show less

Shucks. I am having a hard time believing this tripe is by the same guy who wrote THE DANCING WU LI MASTERS. Zukav was almost prescient with his insights and final predictions in DANCING. SEAT is all hot air. There are not many books I toss, but I don't think I want to offer the tacit approval a place on my bookshelf offers.

I feel pretty ambiguous about this book. On the one hand, the author presents a "formula" for living that I largely agree with: the positive aspects of life flow from love, the negative flow from fear. If you can let go of fear, a lot of personal problems just disappear. If we could do that as a society, it would go a long way toward making everything better.

On the other hand, he presents a lot of very specific information about the mechanics of how a soul moves and advances through the levels of enlightenment. A lot of this sounds like just another new age pseudo religion.

If you can take the basic principles he is expounding, without getting wrapped up in the quasi-religious stuff, then I think its worth the time.

Shucks. I am having a hard time believing this tripe is by the same guy who wrote THE DANCING WU LI MASTERS. Zukav was almost prescient with his insights and final predictions in DANCING. SEAT is all hot air. There are not many books I toss, but I don't think I want to offer the tacit approval a place on my bookshelf offers.

An excellent book for self-reflecting, healing, and positive actions. Readers can take what Mr. Zukav writes as truths (which I believe is his intention) or view it as a more metaphorical structure in which to view their life. I personally believe there is truth in this work. In The Seat of the Soul, Mr. Zukav paints a beautiful picture of our most profound center of who we are...the Soul and the context/process of which it exists. I found his engaging and descriptive narrative very helpful and hopeful in dealing with my own journey of life. His work is prescriptive, in that the ideas put fourth can be used to move toward more positive outcomes in ones life. My reading of "The Seat of the Soul" also guided me in putting episodes of my show more life into a more favorable and hopeful structure where growth and development to more positive states are possible. This book of New Age ideas can be a wonderful augmentation to other theological belief structures that readers may have. If you are open and looking for more meaning in your life I highly recommend this work. I plan to read others he has written. show less

This is a fantastic book, one of my all-time favorites. If I had to put my spiritual beliefs into writing, this comes very close to what I would hope to write. Zukav talks about the transformation the human race is going through to become spiritual beings. A beautiful book, one I highly recommend.