The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming An Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart

"The spiritual wisdom and practical suggestions in this lively and beautiful book will be helpful to many who find themselves setting out on the interior journey."
-- Bruno Barnhart, a Camaldolese monk and author, Second Simplicity: The Inner Shape of Christianity

"Cynthia Bourgeault's book is a valuable contribution to the much-needed reawakening of spiritual practice within a Christian context. Her sincerity, good sense, metaphysical depth, and broad experience make her a source to be trusted."
-- Kabir Helminski, Sufi Shaikh, the Threshold Society

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A Spiritual Guide, 2008-07-30
This is a wonderful book filled with information on establishing contact with God in his/her special dimension. An easy read although review page by page is often necessary. I have recommended this book to all of my friends on a spiritual journey.


8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

The Inestimable Value of Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Heart, 2007-08-30
This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in meditation and contemplation.

The author is an Episcopal priest and retreat leader, but her message and her sources stretch well beyond the Christian world.

The book begins with a challenging forward by Thomas Moore. Who asks us to challenge some of the assumptions built powerfully into he roots of the modern world: that the best - perhaps only - way to understand something is to dissect it; that standardized education is the best way to educate the young and that prisons are an effective way to deal with crime. Each is questionable.

Cynthia takes these questions and many others in this beautifully written and satisfying book.

As an example, she takes the words:
Individual
Freedom
Happiness
Surrender

Each is deeply charged with meaning in our Western culture. The same words also have deep meanings in our spiritual heritage. The interesting thing is that in the two realms the words have diametrically opposite meanings.

It is very valuable to see and understand this: many people want to embark upon their spiritual journey without knowing what it entails. I once saw a man who came to an introductory presentation by a well-known teacher. He got very upset when it was suggested that the work would need some sacrifice, discipline and effort. He was not being asked to give a lot of money to the teacher, in fact quite the opposite. But he thought that the spiritual path was a shortcut for getting more "stuff." Cynthia demonstrates the fallacy of this belief.

She also shows that the genuine spiritual path is available to anyone who is prepared to dedicate a little time to it. And "little" is the operative word, and one of the reasons that I so like this book She points out quite correctly that meditation or contemplation should start with a few minutes wherever you are. I was also thrilled to see someone else advocate the value of practicing surrender wherever you find yourself: standing in line or sitting in traffic is a good place to start.

This is a short but deep and inspiring book that I recommend very highly.


22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Clarity, Depth and, yes, Wisdom, 2006-03-30
An Episcopal priest myself, time and again while reading "The Wisdom Way of Knowing" I wanted to jump up, rejoice and exclaim, "Yes, this is what I've come to about Christianity after all these years!" It was like drinking draughts of crystal clear water. With a graceful touch, the author peels back layer after layer of accretions to the faith to leave one close to the pulsing heart of the tradition. She obviously lives this path and warrants the name "teacher." Do read this book. And practice the prayer and path to which it points. (Couldn't resist a little sermon.)


11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming An Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart, 2005-09-21
Cynthia Bourgeault has a wonderful writing style that explains complicated ideas in a very easy-to-understand manner. This book is a must read for people interested in deepening their personal spirituality. A gifted writer who obviously is deeply spiritual helps those of us seeking find the path.


35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

Freedom and Surrender, 2004-03-12
I have read Cynthia Bourgeault's THE WISDOM WAY OF KNOWING five times now. From start to finish, I find what I always find in her writing - the rich, inner tradition of Christianity which is so universally appealing. I have probably read her chapter on Freedom and Surrender ten times, and I quote my favorite lines, "Spirituality at its no-frills simplest is learning not to do anything in a state of internal brace. It is never worth the cost."

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