An intellectually nuanced account of a mysterious element of the human experience.
A remarkably thorough tour of the nature of intuition, its important functions, and the means by which it may be sharpened for everyday use.
Nigel Percy and Maggie Percy (Dowsing for Health, 2018, etc.) observe that while everyone experiences some version of intuition, it remains elusive and resistant to rational explanation. Also, it carries connotations of the supernatural as a revelatory epiphany, delivered by seemingly magical means. The authors, with impressive intellectual rigor and subtlety, attempt to provide a scientifically defensible account of intuition that still does justice to how it appears to transcend physical perception. In the interests of clarity, the authors stick to a fairly narrow definition of intuition: any perception that’s not reducible to the five senses or deducible by rational procedure that provides an “immediate insight or knowledge” that’s “associated with a different time or place.” They explore various ways in which intuitive judgment arises—relating them broadly to the “head,” the “gut,” and the “heart” and plumbing the biological science behind these perceptions with admirable caution. They also investigate what they see as the greater cosmic context of intuition, connecting it to concepts from modern quantum physics. In addition, the book includes a series of exercises designed to bolster intuition through the exercise of mindful self-awareness and the use of a proper diet. Overall, the authors contend that intuition is only secondarily an instrument of self-preservation—one that’s better understood as a means to enjoying life that is “happier, richer, deeper, and more fulfilling.” As they develop this conclusion, what finally emerges is a profound image of human life that isn’t reducible to any kind of materialistic conception: “Our common attitude toward ourselves as a purely mechanical set of systems is, however, deeply wrong. It would be difficult to ascribe sensations of a ‘gut feeling’ to such a machine.”
An intellectually nuanced account of a mysterious element of the human experience.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946014-38-2
Page Count: 271
Publisher: Sixth Sense Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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