SAfm radio
🔗 www.safm.co.za
Story Behind The Book
This collection of essays is comprised of powerful and compelling stories in which the author deftly shows how the seemingly mundane contains the sacred within. In this perceptive and illuminating work, the author relates five personal stories which have universal appeal as well as two further essays which provide a fascinating insight into Dreams and the ancient creation myth. * Weeding and creating a secret garden is analogous to clearing one's psyche of unwanted dead wood allowing for creative energy to flow. * The simple act of picking up rubbish on the beach leads to an understanding and valuing of the concept of Duty. * The synchronicities surrounding the death of the author's mother, highlighting the reality and value of synchronicity. * Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa was both an inward and outward journey. *The value of opposites within us – both a Mother Theresa and Medusa – and the necessity of balancing these extremes. *The value of Dreams as an integral part of our daily living. *How the myth of Lilith, Eve & the Serpent in the Garden of Eden is relevant in today's world and illustrates the necessity of leaving Paradise.
Media Links
Reviews
<span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">In Praise Of Lilith, Eve & The Serpent In The Garden Of Eden & Other Stories written by Susan Scott is a sensitive, scholarly and very readable book. It derives from her years of familiarity and study of Jungian analytical psychology that is obviously combined with her own experiences. As such, she creates a balance between the personal and collective. Susan's perceptions are presented in short story form while the interweaving of idea, psychological concepts and her individual perception flows through the book. This style encourages readers to access their reflective qualities and thoughtfulness that are modeled from the author's presentation. <br />Susan has informed her book with a woman's perspective on age-old myths and tales. In addition, another valuable and unique aspect is her vantage point of being a South African. Most broadly, she links Jungian theory with daily life events and smoothly demonstrates how both express and impact our psyches. Her tact and taste for subtlety bring the reader into the material and her observations are ones applicable to us all. Susan writes out of an intuitive sense that reveals acute awareness to the vulnerable issues composing our lives. The stories combine and link as threads reaching out, intersecting and creating a tapestry of life visions. <br />The book is enchanting and therefore an enjoyable and enriching read. </span><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><br /><em>Susan E. Schwartz, Ph.D., Jungian analyst</em></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><em><br /></em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><em>---</em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><em><br /></em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><em><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, verdana;font-style:normal;">I read this book a few months ago and it's still resonating with me. A sincere, personal and unabashedly honest account of both non-fiction stories; climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, how picking up litter on the beach leads to an inward journey of questioning, clearing an area in a garden to make a personal zen garden as a metaphor for clearing away debris in one's mind... as well as extremely insightful views into the myth of Adam & Eve and lo and behold - Adam's first wife; Lilith. <br /><br />This is new information to me and this bit of information has gone a long way to helping me understand the dynamics of blame, responsibility, the way I view men and women and our possible histories (psychically speaking) and it's a fresh new take on the male/female relationship. A lot of my buddies are quick to say Lilith represents a Feminist view. However, not so. As a late-20-something guy I'm rooting for Lilith and her irrepressibility. The book also made clear how a Universal Law seems to always apply: anything repressed or ignored or banished will return in some form to bite you in the b_tt. <br /><br />The book reads superbly, has helped me on occasion to view my dreams with a more probing eye and take them a little more seriously - a book that covers a wide range of ground, hard to put down.</span><br /></em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, verdana;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, verdana;"><span style="font-size:small;line-height:normal;"><em>Mike, South Africa</em></span></span></div>