The Counselor . . . as if Soul and Spirit Matter

 

Inspirations from Anthroposophy

 

by William Bento, Edmund Knighton and Roberta Nelson

Edited by David Tresemer

 

Paperback $35.00 Published by Steiner Books, March 2015 ISBN 978-1-62148-127-0 369 pages

http://www.amazon.com/Counselor-Soul-Spirit-Matter-Anthroposophy/dp/1621481271

 

Psychology continually awakens to new dimensions of mental health; this book explains that there are many more rungs on the ladder. At the center of every chapter is the recognition that every human being has the capacity for self-generation and self-healing.

Importantly, the authors recognize that the Counselor can be anyone who listens to another person describing their difficulties. In this regard, this book is important reading for everyone.

I am not a Counselor but have worked with people all my life in medical sales, recruitment and in my own business which is recruitment based. I have also studied and written about the work of Rudolf Steiner for over thirty years. I know the importance of understanding that we are not just physical beings but rather beings of soul and spirit who have a body. Until we approach all areas of human knowledge on this premise we will never understand who we are, much less be able to be of assistance to those experiencing difficulties.

This book is not a text book, it comes from presentations at seminars, transcribed, edited and amended. This may not suit some people but for me these presentations gave the book life. This is in keeping with the whole philosophy of Anthroposophy; to be human is a living activity, humanity continually evolves through different stages of conscious awareness.

The word Anthroposophy itself can be challenging for those not familiar with this philosophy, yet the way this word is described in this book gives a wonderful sense of freedom – “the possible and becoming human” as part of the whole creation. To see ourselves as a work in progress is most liberating and this book reveals that the stumbling blocks are just that. “We are all entangled in the pathos (suffering) of life to some extent or another. Too much pathos makes us dysfunctional; too little means we are not prodded to grow.”

The fact that human consciousness evolves forms the scaffolding on which the ideas in this book are supported, and the current mental health crisis can be explained in the light of this idea. Describing the evolution of consciousness to those who see the physical world as the only reality can be challenging because the present stage in this evolution involves crossing the threshold between the physical and spiritual worlds. When we ask ourselves what this might mean we immediately lose our footing and want to slide down the ladder and feel our feet firmly on the ground.

As this book explains, to understand what it means to be mentally healthy means to understand the true nature of our human being. When we are able to catch a glimpse of this true nature, we become aware of times when we cross a threshold in our consciousness expanding our consciousness beyond our everyday understanding. Crossing the threshold does not mean a change in location, nor does it mean an altered state of consciousness, it simply means that the current boundaries of our awareness are dissolving. More »