The Power of Divine Eros: The Illuminating Force of Love in Everyday Life

For those of us who hang on every breath uttered by Almaas, this is lovely addition to the growing library, and richly added to by the complementary words of his writing partner, Karen Johnson. There are very few spiritual writers of this calibre. Their vision is as clear as a jewel (the diamond being the emblem of their school) in every sense of the word. The writing is crisp and very clearly expressed.For too long, mystical writers have shied away from Eros, and offered too simplistic a picture of the twin poles of love and desire. Here, that is stripped away, leaving, for those who have followed Almaas' ideas to date, precise fit of these twin energies into the divine presence. Treat yourself.

This is without a doubt the worst book I've ever spent full price on.Don't get me wrong - the core concepts of the book are great. However, they can also be summarized succinctly in about two sentences.1. The power of divine eros, the balance of selfless love & passionate desire, is a force that guides our day-to-day interactions (romantically, platonically and otherwise)2. Honing this awareness by practicing mindfulness and belly breathing allows you to expand your capacity to love and interact authentically with othersAside from that the rest of the book is just recycled fluff that repeats the same things over and over. The authors did a nice job on the back cover and summary by making it sound like they're actually going to delve deeply into these topics but they don't. This is a fine example of a book that just throws spiritual terms like "enlightenment," "being your authentic self," and "love and light," while essentially repeating the same core message throughout every page of the book.I had high hopes. This is basically just a play-by-play retelling of a seminar full of hokey hippies. Again, don't get me wrong. I am certainly a hippie and most people would probably consider me hokey. But if you're looking to actually LEARN something then avoid this book at all costs and go read something written by a Jungian analyst or someone who actually understands the concept of eros and is willing to explain how it impacts us as human beings.On the other hand, if you want a really simple read that drills the same 2 basic concepts into your head amongst a myriad of filler content and fluffy BS over 200 pages, this is probably the book for you.

All of life can be a passionate love affair. When divine eros is flowing freely, we have the power to respond to the people and events of our life and our world with passionate, alive intelligence, and sensitivity.In their new book, The Power of Divine Eros: The Illuminating Force of Love in Everyday Life, Karen and Hameed invite us in: "Eros is relevant for any human being who is interested in living a full human life, since it is the inherent energy of the zest and sparkle of our life force. Knowing the fundamental nature of our life force is of great importance for the serious spiritual student. And to lead a life of spiritual maturity and full participation in the world, both the knowledge and the embodiment of the nature and energy of life are needed." The book explores divine eros, which includes the zesty, erotic life force of the belly center and the sweet, selfless love of the heart.Divine eros can be sexual, but it doesn't need to be, and one of the areas of exploration in the book is how our distortions and blocks about sexuality can be a hindrance to allowing the free flow of eros in every area of our life. The book demonstrates this flow. It is immediate and engaging, like being at a retreat with the authors (it is based on a Quasar retreat held in Amsterdam). Just as being at a retreat can impact our soul to experience the qualities we explore there, this book can have a similar effect, igniting the flame of desire to engage in life more fully and passionately.The Power of Divine Eros has a broad appeal, and is accessible to people who are new to inner work. It describes the method and meaning of many Diamond Approach practices, including the kath meditation, the Om salutation, inquiry, the Hu chant, and dialectical inquiry. For that alone, it is worthwhile for existing students--perhaps providing a new and fresh view of our practices--as well as for those new to the work. Karen and Hameed even provide musical selections that help to evoke the qualities of divine eros.Here, any reader can experience Hameed's sweet, innocent delight, playfulness, and curiosity, and Karen's evocations of the depths of the mystery as it impacts our soul with love and passion. Together, they weave a spell that allows us to taste divine eros, and hunger for more: "For eros to be divine, we must express the embodiment of life and love as one. Having the capacity to be in the world in a way that does not separate us from spirit, while also feeling the pleasure of our energy, our erotic nature, our aliveness and love, makes life complete."In closing, I would like to add that I think it's about time we heal the split between sexuality and spirituality. Our passion is here for us always, in all aspects of our lives!

Amaas ist kein Dampfplauderer. Ich denke, dass wir seine Bemühungen, unszu "herzlichem" Wachstum zu verhelfen, nur dann verstehen und würdigenkönnen, wenn wir schon eine ganze Weile auf diesem Weg sind.Dann aber ist dieser "Kurs", denn das ist es, was der Leser mitvollziehen kann,sehr bewegend und ermutigend.

Insightful. Wise. Wild. Sensible. Sane. Immensely helpful. Thankyou