A well-rounded enlightenment guidebook.
A spiritual seeker’s interfaith guide to understanding the stages of spiritual wisdom.
McDowell is an author, spiritual director, and former professor of religious studies at Ithaca College who aims to guide readers on a path to spiritual illumination. She first invites them to embark on their own personal spiritual journeys toward the “realization of Supreme Reality” and explains that there are several stages one must pass through before inhabiting that space—which, she says, can be disregarded should readers prefer the “direct path.” She goes on to use an interfaith framework of Christianity, Sufi, and Zen wisdom to describe these stages in detail, which include but aren’t limited to the “Dark Wood” (described as “a place of not knowing”), awakening, purification and self-simplification, illumination, the “Dark Night of the Soul,” and, finally, the “Unitive Stage.” Along the way, McDowell offers anecdotes and stories from her own life while using the well-known 10 oxherding pictures—12th-century drawings with commentary that illustrate the 10 steps to enlightenment. Each chapter ends with a set of reflective questions that will help readers process information about each stage, and the book outlines spiritual practices and techniques that assist in the transition and oscillation between stages, such as breathing practices, active imagination, and chakra work. Overall, this is a comprehensive and very well-researched overview. However, skeptical readers will question some assertions, such as that “the power of active imagination” cured a woman’s sores or that people can create “material objects out of nothing.” Nonetheless, McDowell is an exceptionally competent writer, and her ability to incorporate and balance the wisdom from the historical texts of multiple faiths establishes her expertise. The book is detailed but not drab, accessible instead of aggrandizing, and persuasive without being pushy. Perhaps most impressive is that readers need not be spiritual themselves to understand the wisdom of intention: “If you viewed all actions as sacred you would become an increasing light in the world, uplifting all those around you.”
A well-rounded enlightenment guidebook.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-950743-73-5
Page Count: 198
Publisher: Wisdom Editions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.
A duo of French mathematicians makes the scientific case for God in this nonfiction book.
Since its 2021 French-language publication in Paris, this work by Bolloré and Bonnassies has sold more than 400,000 copies. Now translated into English for the first time by West and Jones, the book offers a new introduction featuring endorsements from a range of scientists and religious leaders, including Nobel Prize-winning astronomers and Roman Catholic cardinals. This appeal to authority, both religious and scientific, distinguishes this volume from a genre of Christian apologetics that tends to reject, rather than embrace, scientific consensus. Central to the book’s argument is that contemporary scientific advancements have undone past emphases on materialist interpretations of the universe (and their parallel doubts of spirituality). According to the authors’ reasoned arguments, what now forms people’s present understanding of the universe—including quantum mechanics, relativity, and the Big Bang—puts “the question of the existence of a creator God back on the table,” given the underlying implications. Einstein’s theory of relativity, for instance, presupposes that if a cause exists behind the origin of the universe, then it must be atemporal, non-spatial, and immaterial. While the book’s contentions related to Christianity specifically, such as its belief in the “indisputable truths contained in the Bible,” may not be as convincing as its broader argument on how the idea of a creator God fits into contemporary scientific understanding, the volume nevertheless offers a refreshingly nuanced approach to the topic. From the work’s outset, the authors (academically trained in math and engineering) reject fundamentalist interpretations of creationism (such as claims that Earth is only 6,000 years old) as “fanciful beliefs” while challenging the philosophical underpinnings of a purely materialist understanding of the universe that may not fit into recent scientific paradigm shifts. Featuring over 500 pages and more than 600 research notes, this book strikes a balance between its academic foundations and an accessible writing style, complemented by dozens of photographs from various sources, diagrams, and charts.
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9789998782402
Page Count: 562
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
