Living in Process: Basic Truths for Living the Path of the Soul - Softcover

Schaef, Anne Wilson

4.22

74 ratings by Goodreads

9780345435675: Living in Process: Basic Truths for Living the Path of the Soul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345435672 ISBN 13: 9780345435675

Publisher: Wellspring/Ballantine, 1999

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"Life is a process. We are a process. The universe is a process," notes renowned writer and lecturer Anne Wilson Schaef. In Living in Process, Schaef offers us a bold, new way of engaging in life--by shifting our obsession with "product" to a mindful participation in "process." Schaef teaches us an action philosophy that will reconnect us with our deep, long-forgotten spirituality--filling our souls and setting our spirits free.

What is process? It is the way of doing, not what is done. It is living life in three dimensions, from the inside, instead of trying to control it from the outside. It is a living, moving, evolving energy. It is deeper than thought, more concrete than concept, more fluid than facts.

Drawing on inspiring real-life stories, the experiences of professionals worldwide who have participated in her Living in Process training, and her close association with native peoples from around the globe, Schaef shares her evolutionary model for maintaining our balance in the midst of life's seismic upheavals. With her inimitable wit and charm, she guides us to a larger spirituality and a rediscovery of our personal power. For Living in Process is a moment-by-moment revealing of, and reveling in, our life as mystery--and an honoring of its challenges, truths, and joys.

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Review:

What is process? It is the way of doing, not what is being done, according to Anne Wilson Schaef. It is the tone of voice, not what is being said; the act of parenting, not the 21-year-old child product. In a world that emphasizes results, control, and material rewards, Schaef's process-oriented approach is a soothing antidote. "We are not static," she writes in her opening chapter. "The planet is not static. Life is not static. Life is unfolding.... We can participate, that is all. We cannot predict or control."

Chapter by chapter Schaef breaks down the daily situations that beg for attention to process, including "The Family," (which features intelligent essays on the various styles of parenting, such as "Benevolent Dictator" and "The Little King/Queen Approach") and "Relationships," (which includes helpful essays on "Intimacy" and "Making Love"). Occasionally Schaef meanders, especially in the beginning of the book, where she delves into the deep spiritual healing work involved in becoming process-conscious. However, her overriding voice is authoritative and intelligent, bringing in indigenous religions, spiritual leaders, and even poets to explain the how-tos and implications of process thinking. --Gail Hudson

From the Back Cover:

"This is mindfulness at its fullest . . . I am inclined to hold Living in Process very near to my heart and soul until I have absorbed every morsel of truth."
--NAPRA ReView

"A penetrating vision . . . One of America's most sagacious and perceptive writers on the soul's challenge to find a way of being in the world."
--WENDELL CHARLES BEANE
Historian of Religions and Former Chair
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

"A vital and precious guide . . . A plea for honesty, love, compassion, and respect for the human inner process."
--FREDERICK FRANCK
Author of The Zen of Seeing
And To Be Human Against All Odds

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