With the same extraordinary skill that he used to demystify scientific abstraction and the new physics, Gary Zukay, the award-winning author of The Dancing Wu Li Masters, here takes us on a brilliant and penetrating exploration of the new phase of evolution we have now entered.

With lucidity and elegance, Zukav explains that we are evolving from a species that pursues power based upon the perceptions of the five senses -- external power -- into a species that pursues authentic power -- power that is based upon the perceptions and values of the spirit. He shows how the pursuit of external power has produced our survival-of-the-fittest understanding of evolution, generated conflict between lovers, communities, and superpowers, and brought us to the edge of destruction.

Using his scientist's eye and philosopher's heart, Zukav shows how infusing the activities of life with reverence, compassion, and trust makes them come alive with meaning and purpose. He illustrates how the emerging values of the spirit are changing marriages into spiritual partnerships, psychology into spiritual psychology, and transforming our everyday lives. The Seat of the Soul describes the remarkable journey to the spirit that each of us is on.

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I believe that Mr. Zukav defines what he intends to cover in the book very well from the outset, which is how to transform oneself from a five-sensory physical being to a multi-sensory 'spirit in a body.' I believe that he also explains what one can achieve in that transformation, which he calls 'authentic power,' remarkably well. Starting from evolution, which he asks us to see as souls experiencing multiple lifetimes rather than survival of the fittest physical beings, Zukav does rehash the basic teachings from Eastern religion, such as karma and reincarnation, but with precision and clarity. His insights are not really new, but they are of reference-level quality - if you should ever meet a person who starts to ponder certain aspects of the soul and were thinking of recommending one book, 'The Seat of the Soul' would be one to consider, for sure.

I liked his using the evolution of science as a metaphor for the evolution of our (hopefully) attaining spiritual consciousness as a species, found on p. 67. Indeed quantum physics has shown, no matter how much the determinists tell us otherwise, that our consciousness does interact with reality and thus creates it, at least in a sense.

Finally on the positive side, Zukav's explanation of how the process in which a person observes him/herself in a non-judgemental way is, next to Krishnamurti's ('The First and Last Freedom' and many other books) 'choiceless awareness,' the best I've encountered, and again all I say is that I do believe that if you follow the process he outlines you will attain higher levels of consciousness. The chapter entitled 'Illusion' is especially good, the way he interweaves that while we do need to learn lessons and know who we are at the deepest possible levels, from a broader perspective it really is an illusion! It is not easy to explain this paradox, but Zukav succeeds well.

Yet as I stated at the outset, the first time I read the book I was totally turned off by the unfortunate absolutism that permeates much of the writing. I agree with the reviewer who asked 'how does he know,' and another review that stated that he is uncomfortable with 'mystery and ambiguity.' This quest for absolute certainty is perhaps my biggest 'beef' with many New Age writers, and it diminishes the insights of 'The Seat of the Soul.'

I will give just one example. I don't think anyone would disagree that in general we get what we put out, but it is not an absolute truth. I have experienced over and over that life gives me *not* what I put out, but rather what I need to learn. I often project a lot of anger, and what I receive is not anger, but rather good feelings, which shows me that my projection is not the way the world is. But by observing it, 'choicelessly,' as Zukav and Krishnamurti teach, at least I transcend it to a certain extent.

I could give many other examples of general truths turned into absolutes, but suffice it to say that Mr. Zukav tends to use expressions like 'in all cases,' 'always,' and other absolutisms carelessly. On p. 53, while discussing reverence in a very meaningful way, he states that a reverent person 'harms nothing.' Excuse me, even vegetarians do harm. I would prefer him discussing this point using terms like ahimsa, which more accurately conveys the idea of 'least harm.'

At the beginning of the book Mr. Zukav claims that 'there is no such thing as an expert on the human experience.' Perhaps he should have heeded his own truth in certain wordings in this otherwise fine book.

93 of 99 found the following review helpful:

The Truth About Creating The World Around YouFeb 28, 2000
By Ace Starry
Zukav's work has captured the essence of how we actually create our own reality. I've always known this to be the truth, but never have I heard it articulated so well. I've read books of this nature most of my life and have never before found one which explains so perfectly how we accomplish this amazing feat. Many authors have repeated the catch phrase "what we believe is what we achieve," but they never say what it is that makes us believe. Being a magician for twenty plus years, I've learned what makes people believe. THE SEAT OF THE SOUL explains this from another perspective. Understanding how we put ourselves into difficult situations is the first step into creating a reality that allows us to become who we really wish and surround ourselves with the world we wish to exist within. I highly recommend this book.

107 of 115 found the following review helpful:

Thought-provoking and dynamicJan 09, 2000

This book has changed my life. I recommended it to many people. It is not about religion, it is about the spirituality that we all posess in whatever form we choose to express it. A person can take many things from this book if he or she is willing to open his or her mind to the richness of the message presented here. The most important lesson I learned from this book is that it helped me deal with my father's death, something that I was having trouble doing before I read this book. I am at peace now because by reading Mr. Zukav's book, I understand what it means to have a universal soul, and that my father is not really dead but is part of the universal life force that exists in all of us. It has also helped me to recognize and deal with my food addiction, which I realize now is due to my desire to obtain external power. If you want to find out what external power is, and how the desire for it fuels our addictions then please read this book! The Seat of the Soul is like an owners manual for life.

55 of 57 found the following review helpful:

A wonderful guide...Feb 05, 2000
By Suzy Sikora "Sustainably Well"
After seeing this author on Oprah, I bought this book and read it cover-to-cover. Then I loaned it to my sister, bought it for my friends, and suggested it to other book patrons when in the bookstore. (My sister didn't return the book, so I'm buying another for myself!)

I found the book to bring perspective to the world we live in and our relationship to others, to self, the natural world, and our idea of a divine being.

Reading without the closed mind my Catholic upbringing created, I found the book enlightening, insightful, and a resource I'll refer to again and again.

72 of 77 found the following review helpful:

Read and be nourished.Dec 08, 2000

If you're looking for a holiday gift for yourself or someone you care about, one of the books I recommend is Gary Zukav's "SEAT OF THE SOUL." While Zukav discusses many ideas on the topic of living from your truth, some made an especially strong impression on me. The first was that human beings are becoming multisensory - they are learning to listen to their intuition: "It is in this invisible realm that the origins of our deepest values are found." Zukav also explores reverence: "an attitude of honoring life" which includes gving of ourselves, not taking from life as though we don't trust that there will be enough. The other main idea I was touched by was that awareness of our feelings allows us to experience compassion for ourselves and for others. Zukav emphasizes the need to take a step back from what's going on in our lives and observe ourselves. This idea rang loud and true for me: "If you are not aware of your intentions, the strongest one will live."

Reading this book deepened my sense of what it means to give. Since this is the season of giving, it's a great time to give this book. If you're attracted to the possibility of living more fully by developing your awareness, I recommend another gift - "WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK" by Ariel and Shya Kane. It is a gentle and profound book about the power of the present moment to transform ordinary lives into exquisite ones. I highly recommend both these books.

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