Synopses & Reviews
With his first groundbreaking book,
Soul Prints, Marc Gafni taught readers how to tread a lifelong path of meaning by realizing their true, unique selves. Now, in
The Mystery of Love, the profound philosopher and beloved spiritual teacher invites readers to the next step on the journey, addressing with passion, wisdom, and genuine humility the all-important issues of love, creativity, and our erotic connection to the universe.
In the tradition of M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled and Gary Zukov's The Seat of the Soul, The Mystery of Love speaks penetratingly to the age-old desire to move beyond emptiness and alienation and touch the full eros of living. Gafni, with clarity, brilliance, and great compassion, re-frames our understandings of the erotic and the sensual in a way that invites us to live with passion and love in all facets of our lives. While drawn from the ancient wisdom texts of the Kabbalist tradition, The Mystery of Love speaks to all readers who seek a passionate, joyful, yet deeply grounded exploration of the ancient mysteries as their guide to enlightenment.
"The ancient wisdom of the great Hebrew mystics makes one essential promise: There is a better way to live," says Gafni. Widely revered for his profound insight, genuine love, and life-enriching advice and guidance, Gafni delivers here his most nourishing message yet, empowering countless millions of contemporary souls to finally bridge the crucial chasm that separates alienation and boredom from love and passion.
Review
Irwin Kula
President, CLAL (Center for Learning and Leadership)
Into a world filled with hate and boredom comes a tour de force on love and passion. Gafni has written a remarkable book, inviting the reader to understand and to feel the energy at the heart of all of life. Erudite and simple, wise and personal, mystical and pragmatic, this book can change your life!
Review
Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Wisdom Chair, Naropa Institute
Reb Mordechai Gafni's Torah on love and eros is l'ayla u'l'aylathe highest of the high. Everyone needs to hear it.
Review
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
author of The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom
Rabbi Marc Gafni gifts us with a brilliant and soulful reminder that our wholeness depends upon the recovery of sacred loving and the reawakening of eros in all dimensions of our lives. The Mystery of Love is a powerful and provocative guide to deep spirituality that will surprise and embrace the reader.
Synopsis
With his acclaimed national bestseller Soul Prints, charismatic philosopher and spiritual guide Marc Gafni introduced readers from all walks -- secular, religious, or somewhere in between -- to a powerful vision for living a fulfilled life based on a collection of landmark teachings and soul-healing prescriptions. Now in the stirring tradition of Deepak Chopra's How to Know God and Gary Zukov's The Seat of the Soul, The Mystery of Love shows readers the next step on the journey, addressing with depth, passion, and wisdom the all-important issues of love, passion, and sexuality.
The Mystery of Love speaks penetratingly to the age-old desire to move beyond our emptiness and alienation and experience the loving fullness of life. It begins with a radical new understanding of loving, drawn from the ancient wisdom texts of the Kabbalist tradition. Gafni then explores with startling originality and power the inner nature of love and sexuality and explains how ten unique qualities of sexuality can serve as our spiritual guides in the creation of a loving, passionate existence in every dimension of our lives. Already widely revered for his profound insight, genuine love, and life-enriching advice and guidance, Gafni delivers here his most essential message yet, empowering countless millions of contemporary souls to finally bridge the crucial chasm that separates solitude and love.
Synopsis
With his first groundbreaking book,
Soul Prints, Marc Gafni taught readers how to tread a lifelong path of meaning by realizing their true, unique selves. Now, in
The Mystery of Love, the profound philosopher and beloved spiritual teacher invites readers to the next step on the journey, addressing with passion, wisdom, and genuine humility the all-important issues of love, creativity, and our erotic connection to the universe.
In the tradition of M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled and Gary Zukov's The Seat of the Soul, The Mystery of Love speaks penetratingly to the age-old desire to move beyond emptiness and alienation and touch the full eros of living. Gafni, with clarity, brilliance, and great compassion, re-frames our understandings of the erotic and the sensual in a way that invites us to live with passion and love in all facets of our lives. While drawn from the ancient wisdom texts of the Kabbalist tradition, The Mystery of Love speaks to all readers who seek a passionate, joyful, yet deeply grounded exploration of the ancient mysteries as their guide to enlightenment.
"The ancient wisdom of the great Hebrew mystics makes one essential promise: There is a better way to live," says Gafni. Widely revered for his profound insight, genuine love, and life-enriching advice and guidance, Gafni delivers here his most nourishing message yet, empowering countless millions of contemporary souls to finally bridge the crucial chasm that separates alienation and boredom from love and passion.
Table of Contents
Contentsintroduction: The Dance of Eros
PART I
ONE: Sex in the Temple
TWO: Eros, Not Sex: The Faces of Eros
THREE: Sex Symbols
PART II
FOUR: Imagination
FIVE: Perception
SIX: Giving: Self-Transcendence
SEVEN: Giving Up Control
PART III
EIGHT: Circle and Line: The Dance of Male and Female
NINE: Lishmah, for the Sake of the Name
TEN: Story, Voice, Creativity, and Pleasure
ELELVEN: The Harlot by the Sea
TWELVE: Time
THIRTEEN: Union
epilogue
notes
scholar's page
acknowledgments
about the author