The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling

Description

Plato and the Greeks called it 'daimon', the Romans 'genius', the Christians 'Guardian Angel' - and today we use terms such as 'heart', 'spirit' and 'soul'. For James Hillman it is the central and guiding force of his utterly unique and compelling 'acorn theory' which proposes that each life is formed by a particular image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny, just as the mighty oak's destiny is written in the tiny acorn. Highly accessible and imaginative, THE SOUL'S CODE offers a liberating vision of childhood troubles and an exciting approach to themes such as freedom, and, most of all, calling - that invisible mystery at the centre of every life that voices the fundamental question, 'What is in my heart that I must do, be and have? And why?' [From Amazon] Epigraphs in Lieu of a Preface ix 1. In a Nutshell: The Acorn Theory and the Redemption of Psychology 3 2. Growing Down 41 3. The Parental Fallacy 63 4. Back to the Invisibles 92 5. “Esse Is Percipi”: To Be Is to Be Perceived 113 6. Neither Nature nor Nurture—Something Else 128 7. Penny Dreadfuls and Pure Fantasy 155 8. Disguise 172 9. Fate 191 10. The Bad Seed 214 11. Mediocrity 249 Coda: A Note on Methodology 275 Notes 287 Bibliography 307 Index 321