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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Book Review - New Self, New World

About the Book
New Self, New World challenges the primary story of what it means to be human, the random and materialistic lifestyle that author Philip Shepherd calls our “shattered reality.” This reality encourages us to live in our heads, self-absorbed in our own anxieties. Drawing on diverse sources and inspiration, New Self, New World reveals that our state of head-consciousness falsely teaches us to see the body as something we possess and to try to take care of it without ever really learning how to inhabit it. Shepherd articulates his vision of a world in which each of us enjoys a direct, unmediated experience of being alive. He petitions against the futile pursuit of the “known self” and instead reveals the simple grace of just being present. In compelling prose, Shepherd asks us to surrender to the reality of “what is” that enables us to reunite with our own being. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises meant to bring Shepherd’s vision into daily life, what the author calls a practice that “facilitates the voluntary sabotage of long-standing patterns.” New Self, New World is at once a philosophical primer, a spiritual handbook, and a roaming inquiry into human history.

My Take on the Book
This book was a bit cerebral but in saying that I was interested to read the author's ideas about not living within one's mind, but offers a new way to look at the world ad a new way of living in day-to-day life.

You can tell that this book is definitely a labor,  of love and after doing some research on the book I found that the book itself took around nine years to complete.

What was the most powerful components to the book in my humble opinion were the exercises that the author shares with the readers. I tried a few of these exercises thus far and I found them to be enlightening.  At the same time though I will say that for the exercises that I did try I were very thought provoking and at the same time they truly make you think and contemplate. Some of them also allow you to completely clear your mind so you can find your center and relax too.

The book will take you some time to get through, but the time that you do spend on it is well worth it!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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