July 2008 Books
Sand Play for the Soul; Walking on Eggshells
Sand Play for the Soul
Awakening the Power of YOU to New Worlds of PossibilityDon't you love playing in the sand? Every time I walk past kids building sand castles on the beach, I want to play. In Sand Play for the Soul , Paula Petrovic offers us a way to put that natural delight to work for us, using sand play as a tool for discovering the wisdom of the soul and transforming our lives in deep and meaningful ways.
The key to understanding the power of sand play for the soul, Petrovic tells us, is to understand that there is a place deep within each of us that has all the answers—what she calls “a knowing place of infinite resource and intelligence.” Accessing that place, we go on a journey with our Soul, a companion we can rely on to know the truth of who we are and bring it forth.
From the very beginning, the reader is irresistibly drawn into the magical world of sand play through beautifully narrated stories of individuals from all walks of life as they explore their own lives in the sand tray, picking out miniatures of various sorts and arranging them according to their own impeccable inner wisdom and then exploring the thoughts and emotions the placement of those miniatures brings forth. Interspersed with the stories are explanations about sand play, its history, its place in therapy, the seven key elements that empower it, and more. But it's the stories that make this book what it is—a wonderful treasure, a work of beauty beyond the mind.
Once we read the stories, we want the adventure for ourselves. In the last part of the book, Petrovic sets us up to know whether we are ready to discover more of who we are in the larger picture of our lives. If we are, she shows us, step by step, how we can launch our own collection of miniatures and set up and facilitate our own experiences in the sand tray. The book continues with a recap of other approaches to dialoguing with the Soul.
Sand Play for the Soul is one of the most exquisitely beautiful treatments of therapeutic technologies I have seen, a treat for the mind and the heart as well as the Soul. I cannot imagine a better gift for the part of you that yearns to shine forth, to stretch and find the limits of its reach, and then stretch some more.
—Chiwah
Walking on Eggshells
Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and ParentsIf you, like me, are the parent of one or more adult children, you know it isn't easy. They offer parenting classes for parents with young children, but who's there to hold your hand or offer you guidance on your relationship with your grown children, once the ‘empty nest' era is tucked away in the past?
Jane Isay, that's who. The Dr. Spock for boomer parents with older children. Because, as she points out, we didn't raise our children the way we were raised. The world had changed, and for the most part we were more permissive, less authoritative, more likely to encourage them to speak their mind than our parents were.
And like everything else in this world, there are consequences to that. In her words, “Twenty years later, they're still our children, but suddenly they are adults, with their own lives… their own careers and lifestyles, and their own values. … We're at a loss to communicate our reservations, worries, and concerns, not because we can't put these feelings into words, but because the response we get isn't pretty. It's as if we awakened on a new planet and everything was turned on its head. The independence we worked so hard to instill… now feels to us like disinterest, and strong-minded youngsters sometimes grow into thoughtless adults.”
Jane Isay interviewed some 75 adult children and parents in writing this book, and their stories tell it all. They make it clear that though adult children want to close the communication gaps as much as their parents want that, still we are all so very vulnerable and we all have our boundaries to defend. Walking on Eggshells is a treasure chest of wisdom on how to remain close without tearing each other apart.
Personally, I'm not so sure the issues addressed in this book are unique to our generation. I think back to my relationship with my own mother, and I see that many of the patterns were already there. But I don't think that's the real issue here. Regardless whether this situation is new or not, parents still need to learn to deal with its ramifications in a way that fills hearts instead of punching holes in them.
Immensely readable, thought provoking and tear inducing. Walking on Eggshells would make a great gift to other parents of adult children.
—Chiwah
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