Hymns to an Unknown God: Awakening The Spirit In Everyday Life

By Sam Keen

Book Overview

There is no doubt that America is in the midst of a spiritual crisis. Millions of people are trying to find meaning in their lives by returning to old-time religions, or by seeking out new cults, fads, channelers, 12-step programs, and self-help books. Bill Moyers has called this search for spirituality "the biggest story -- not only of the decade but of the century." Now, Sam Keen, the New York Times bestselling author of Fire in the Belly , addresses this crisis and provides a blueprint for bringing spirituality into everyday life in Hymns to an Unknown God: Awakening the Spirit in Everyday Life . Using practical examples from his and other people's lives, Keen tells readers how to cut through what he calls the "spiritual bullshit," and recover the sacred in their love affairs, families, jobs, and politics -- in short, how to recover the "Unknown God." Down-to-earth and articulate, Sam Keen is a popular social commentator, philosopher, and teacher. He describes himself as "overeducated at the Ivies," with degrees from Harvard and Princeton. His work has been featured in a special Bill Moyers PBS interview, and for over twenty years he was a consulting editor at Psychology Today . How to Use Your Spiritual Bullshit Detector: In a world of one-minute solutions, false spiritual leaders, and instant spirituality, how can you tell which beliefs are valid and separate the bogus from the genuine. Sex and the Spirit: Why is it that sex and spirituality are so interconnected and confusing? Keen explains the conflict between "I want" and "I should," and tells readers how to integrate sensuality, sexuality and spirituality to experience truly deep and loving relationships. Consecrating Our Days: Rituals for Living: Keen gives more than a dozen suggestions for personal rituals to remind readers of the sacredness in their everyday lives, including creating a private place as a personal sanctuary, learning to make time to think deeply, setting aside personal days as times of celebration, and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553375172
• ISBN13: 9780553375176
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A bible for the 21st century ?

I was delighted to read, in the magazine review of the book, an opinion that 'Hymns' was a theology for the New Age. My reaction was very similar, a sudden thought crossed my mind that this was a bible for the 21st century. There have been, admittedly, a number of such bibles produced towards the end of the last century, not the least of them being the Seth books, but the fascinating aspect is that they all follow the same spiritual path and they all contain some form of Myth emphasis that dwells upom Man's pathway through life and his own personal responsibilities in following that path. It is no coincidence that Keen's message comes at the same time as Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, and other modern dramas bearing a powerful Myth content. The thirst of a confused Mankind for new forms of digestible myth, carrying the same ancient wisdoms but with refreshed archetypes and modern symbols, is evident. It is a thirst that has been rejected by the churches to their cost. Keen's book encapsulates the spirituality of the new century, the desperate need for balance between every aspect of Man's being and the substitution of knowledge, spiritual knowledge that is, in the place of emotion and unquestioning belief.

a must have for the 90's seeker

keen's blend of psychology and spirituality is very appealing to me.exploring the truths and mysteries of the seen and unseen where organized religion dare not go.a no nonsense book on spirituality in everdaylife.if you are one that seeks yearns and desires but are not happy with any of the already laid paths....this is a great starting point to set the mind spirit and imagination on fire!