Seeing into the Life of Things
Imagination and the Sacred Encounter
Rodger Kamenetz’s Seeing into the Life of Things is a profound guide to exploring the power of images to heal, enhance spiritual development, and foster a sense of oneness with the universe.
To counter the effects of contemporary society’s breakneck pace, constant distractions, and loss of engagement with the natural world, the book urges slowing down, savoring the beauty of nature, and awakening to what it means to be fully alive. In support of its arguments, it turns to Tibetan Buddhist practices and the teachings of Hasidic Judaism, poetry, and dreamwork. The result is an immersive examination of the potential of the human mind, heart, and spirit.
Intimate and thoughtful, the book invites entry into the world of images, shares personal experiences of struggling with spiritual practice, and suggests ways of making the ineffable relatable and the complex simple. For example, its Spots of Time technique invites intense focus on selected memories as a means of deepening one’s connection with the world at the visceral level, and the Blessing Practice is suggested to evoke a state of mindfulness and gratitude for the small, often overlooked blessings in daily life. For an even deeper experience, it suggests accessing the subconscious through dreams and reaching for the Great Opening, a state in which the ego dissolves into mystical awareness. Digressions into poetry, philosophy, and esoteric spiritual practices are illuminating, though they also complicate the narrative in places.
With poetic touches, the spiritual guide Seeing into the Life of Things argues for deep engagement with images, dreams, and memories, as well as time spent in nature. Herein, sacred encounters are available everywhere, just waiting to be found.
Reviewed by
Kristine Morris
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
