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Original Self: Living with Paradox and Originality
In Original Self, spiritual pioneer Thomas Moore guides readers back to their God-given personalities through fifty heart-lifting meditations. This inspiring collection offers fresh interpretations of living with originality rather than conformity, presenting multidimensional portraits of the creative self and different angles from which to top one's primal emotions and possibilities. Learn what it means to live from the burning essence of the heart, with the creativity that comes from allowing the soul to blossom in its own colors and shapes. With his usual grace and insight, Moore counters the prevailing assumptions of the day and offers strikingly unorthodox views on what is virtuous and healthy, opening up possibilities for a renewal of the way we live socially and in our private lives.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
29 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Moore
137 books590 followersThomas Moore is the author of the bestselling book, Care of the Soul, Ageless Soul, and fifteen other books on deepening spirituality and cultivating soul in every aspect of life. He has been a monk, a musician, a university professor, and a psychotherapist, and today he lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and the arts. He lectures frequently in Ireland and has a special love of Irish culture. He has Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University and has won several awards for his work, including an honorary doctorate from Lesley University and the Humanitarian Award from Einstein Medical School of Yeshiva University. He also has a B.A. in music from DePaul University, an M.A. in musicology from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. in theology from the University of Windsor. He also writes fiction and music and often works with his wife, artist and yoga instructor, Hari Kirin. He writes regular columns for Resurgence and Spirituality & Health.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 11, 2024
A lovely, to the point, direct, here it is version of Moore’s philosophy and how glorious it is! I have never been able to get into his “care of the soul”, but I may now. There was so much wisdom and echoes of my own soul. He talks about the poetry of every day life, of every day actions; he talks about looking into your soul and figuring it all out, and then letting it be since its beauty cannot be altered in any way. He incorporates every wisdom tradition I have ever learned about, and some I haven’t.
He states that we are “chronically trying to be someone other than the original self, persuaded that we are not adequate and should fit some norm of health or correctness, we may find a cool distance may gradually separate us from the deep and eternal person, that god-given personality, and we may forget both who we were and who we might be.” This is a therapist who sees value in our depressions and neuroses as an expression of creativity of our unique person. Inflammatory words sometimes, but very powerful and inspired and inspiring:
"Drifting into reverie might bring us to the full immediacy of the moment, which may be properly focused on invisible things."
"Gnostic tales tell of the homesickness of the soul, its yearning for its own milieu…its odyssey is a drifting at sea, a floating toward home…"
"We forget that out physical and emotional life is musical, with all sorts of sensations, fantasies, and feelings coming and going like the flighty motifs of fugues, sonatas, and canons."
"the secret of a soul-based life is to allow someone or something other than the usual self (ego) to be in charge."
"anxiety is nothing but fear inspired by an imagined future collapse. it is a failure of trust."
"life needs a point of entry, a crack in our defenses."
"it may be more important to be awake than to be successful, balanced, or healthy. what does it mean to be awake? perhaps to be living with a lively imagination, responding honestly and courageously to opportunity and avoiding the temptation to follow mere habit or collective values. it means to be an individual, in every instance manifesting the originality of who we are. this is the ultimate form of creativity- following the lead of the deep soul as we make a life. we all fall asleep and allow life to rush by without reflection and consideration. when we are shocked in to awareness by a tragedy or failure, this is the time…to choose to live an awakened life."
"we are the educators of our own personalities. certainly we have great influence in the crafting of our children. if we brought half the intelligence to the making of souls that we bring to the making of machines, we would be people of character and imagination….we would know where to find the deep pleasures, so we would be less desperate for shallow entertainments and the ephemeral gratifications of gadgets."
He states that we are “chronically trying to be someone other than the original self, persuaded that we are not adequate and should fit some norm of health or correctness, we may find a cool distance may gradually separate us from the deep and eternal person, that god-given personality, and we may forget both who we were and who we might be.” This is a therapist who sees value in our depressions and neuroses as an expression of creativity of our unique person. Inflammatory words sometimes, but very powerful and inspired and inspiring:
"Drifting into reverie might bring us to the full immediacy of the moment, which may be properly focused on invisible things."
"Gnostic tales tell of the homesickness of the soul, its yearning for its own milieu…its odyssey is a drifting at sea, a floating toward home…"
"We forget that out physical and emotional life is musical, with all sorts of sensations, fantasies, and feelings coming and going like the flighty motifs of fugues, sonatas, and canons."
"the secret of a soul-based life is to allow someone or something other than the usual self (ego) to be in charge."
"anxiety is nothing but fear inspired by an imagined future collapse. it is a failure of trust."
"life needs a point of entry, a crack in our defenses."
"it may be more important to be awake than to be successful, balanced, or healthy. what does it mean to be awake? perhaps to be living with a lively imagination, responding honestly and courageously to opportunity and avoiding the temptation to follow mere habit or collective values. it means to be an individual, in every instance manifesting the originality of who we are. this is the ultimate form of creativity- following the lead of the deep soul as we make a life. we all fall asleep and allow life to rush by without reflection and consideration. when we are shocked in to awareness by a tragedy or failure, this is the time…to choose to live an awakened life."
"we are the educators of our own personalities. certainly we have great influence in the crafting of our children. if we brought half the intelligence to the making of souls that we bring to the making of machines, we would be people of character and imagination….we would know where to find the deep pleasures, so we would be less desperate for shallow entertainments and the ephemeral gratifications of gadgets."
July 4, 2017
4 stars for insights and wisdom. minus 1 for delivery, it's just kind of thrown out in small increments that don't explore much depth or provide more practical advice.
As always my favorite quotes are as follows:
"Chronically trying to be someone other than this original self, persuaded that we are not adequate and should fit some norm of health or correctness, we may find a cool distance gradually separating us from that deep and eternal person, that God-given personality, and we may forget both who we were and who we might be."
"In many subtle ways- in education, politics, economics, and at work- we demand that men and women trade in their desire and joy for economic success and social approval, and thus we spread the depression that is the characteristic emotional malady of our time."
"Accustomed to control, we forget that our physical and emotional life is a musical, with all sorts of sensations, fantasies, and feelings coming and going like the flighty motifs of fugues, sonatas, and canons. Estranged from the music of our own lives, we endure our ordinary days with existential anxiety."
"I imagine prudence as the antipode of passion, a pale aura of anxiety keeping us at a healthy distance from the blood of soul."
"Anxiety is nothing but a fear inspired by an imagined future collapse. It is the failure of trust."
"Correct thinking gets us nowhere. Being smart about life only keeps us from living it. The story beneath the statement that I want to live only in the moment is a tale of wanting to avoid life's complexity, and, paradoxically, by opting for the idea of what is, we successfully avoid the isness that is full in our face."
"The sad mother lives profoundly and actively in me... Unlike the modern person who rushes to drug his depression, she owns up to her sadness and allows it to penetrate her thoroughly and then define her. "
" Other communities of the past and present who live by traditional values acknowledge the mystery of human existence and the immensity of nature. Faced with obstacles, they pray, sacrifice, praise, and petition the source of life beyond themselves. Their religion is not just belief, but a way of being in the world and a profound conception of the self."
"Wheen we live from a deeper place, we become palpably aware that life is fundamentally mysterious and is ultimately incomprehensible to our rational ways of thinking... As we move closer to a soulful life, we learn to live with unruly passions and unpredictable fantasies. We live with our madness and move with it gracefully."
"Only the shallow know themselves - Oscar Wilde"
"Sometimes it seems easier not to live than to give yourself to life. Fantasies of death can be a way of excusing yourself from living, or they may be an escape from the weight and challenge of your destiny."
"Now I see great value in laziness, understood as giving up both effort and the attempt to justify my life."
"The soul takes over and from a dimmer place takes the lead. We don't know exactly what we are doing or whether we should be doing it. By remaining in this psychic fog, we may end up in a place we have been searching fro all our lives."
"Both Shakespeare and archetypal psychology take their power from their capacity to reveal what we all know, if we were only to think openly enough, about the fundamentals of human life. Ife we could live from that deep place of recognition, we might allow ourselves the beauty of our eccentricity and tolerate in others their efforts to find their souls in the odd collection of emotions, fantasies, and behaviors that form the raw material of a human life."
"The pulse of life is as close as our own throbbing veins, but everything around us conspires to convince us of its nonexistence and unworthiness."
"A daimon is not a problem; it is the source of our creativity and identity."
"Paganism is not a belief system; it is a way of life in which one appreciates the holiness of every facet of experience and honors that holiness with specific rites and passages."
"Who, then, is insane: the person who sacrifices deep desire for the sake of propriety and respectability or the one who risks dissaproval in the name of vitality? Is anxiety around being normal simply the empetus needed to be well adjusted or is it truly a disorder, a disturbance of soul that limits the possibilities of life and is ultimately a form of repression?"
The wish to be normal conceals a deeper desire: negatively, an attempt to avoid the weight of our individuality, and positively, the ideal of being fully ourselves in a community where we can beliong and participate."
Real strength of character shows itself in a willingness to let life sweep over us and burrow its way into us. Courage appears as we open ourselves to the natural alchemy of personal transformation, not when we close ourselves by making the changes we think are best."
"It may be more important to be awake than to be successful, balanced, or healthy. What does it mean to be awake? Perhaps to be living with a lively imagination, responding honestly and courageously to opportunity and avoiding the temptation to follow mere habit or collective values. It means to be an individual, in every instance manifesting the originality of who we are. This is the ultimate form of creativity- following the lead of the deep soul as we make a life."
"The simple act of showing one's deeper nature is a form of personal liberation and a generous contribution to community."
"If we brought half the intelligence to the making of souls that we bring to the making of machines, we would be people of character and imagination. We would be sharp and therefore less inclined to kill and cheat each other. We would know where to find the deep pleasures, so we would be less desperate for shallow entertainments and the ephemeral gratifications of gadgets."
"Pistis means "trust." To create a worthy life, we may have to trust rather than gain insight into the overall plan... We laugh becasue we can live comfortably without knowing everything."
As always my favorite quotes are as follows:
"Chronically trying to be someone other than this original self, persuaded that we are not adequate and should fit some norm of health or correctness, we may find a cool distance gradually separating us from that deep and eternal person, that God-given personality, and we may forget both who we were and who we might be."
"In many subtle ways- in education, politics, economics, and at work- we demand that men and women trade in their desire and joy for economic success and social approval, and thus we spread the depression that is the characteristic emotional malady of our time."
"Accustomed to control, we forget that our physical and emotional life is a musical, with all sorts of sensations, fantasies, and feelings coming and going like the flighty motifs of fugues, sonatas, and canons. Estranged from the music of our own lives, we endure our ordinary days with existential anxiety."
"I imagine prudence as the antipode of passion, a pale aura of anxiety keeping us at a healthy distance from the blood of soul."
"Anxiety is nothing but a fear inspired by an imagined future collapse. It is the failure of trust."
"Correct thinking gets us nowhere. Being smart about life only keeps us from living it. The story beneath the statement that I want to live only in the moment is a tale of wanting to avoid life's complexity, and, paradoxically, by opting for the idea of what is, we successfully avoid the isness that is full in our face."
"The sad mother lives profoundly and actively in me... Unlike the modern person who rushes to drug his depression, she owns up to her sadness and allows it to penetrate her thoroughly and then define her. "
" Other communities of the past and present who live by traditional values acknowledge the mystery of human existence and the immensity of nature. Faced with obstacles, they pray, sacrifice, praise, and petition the source of life beyond themselves. Their religion is not just belief, but a way of being in the world and a profound conception of the self."
"Wheen we live from a deeper place, we become palpably aware that life is fundamentally mysterious and is ultimately incomprehensible to our rational ways of thinking... As we move closer to a soulful life, we learn to live with unruly passions and unpredictable fantasies. We live with our madness and move with it gracefully."
"Only the shallow know themselves - Oscar Wilde"
"Sometimes it seems easier not to live than to give yourself to life. Fantasies of death can be a way of excusing yourself from living, or they may be an escape from the weight and challenge of your destiny."
"Now I see great value in laziness, understood as giving up both effort and the attempt to justify my life."
"The soul takes over and from a dimmer place takes the lead. We don't know exactly what we are doing or whether we should be doing it. By remaining in this psychic fog, we may end up in a place we have been searching fro all our lives."
"Both Shakespeare and archetypal psychology take their power from their capacity to reveal what we all know, if we were only to think openly enough, about the fundamentals of human life. Ife we could live from that deep place of recognition, we might allow ourselves the beauty of our eccentricity and tolerate in others their efforts to find their souls in the odd collection of emotions, fantasies, and behaviors that form the raw material of a human life."
"The pulse of life is as close as our own throbbing veins, but everything around us conspires to convince us of its nonexistence and unworthiness."
"A daimon is not a problem; it is the source of our creativity and identity."
"Paganism is not a belief system; it is a way of life in which one appreciates the holiness of every facet of experience and honors that holiness with specific rites and passages."
"Who, then, is insane: the person who sacrifices deep desire for the sake of propriety and respectability or the one who risks dissaproval in the name of vitality? Is anxiety around being normal simply the empetus needed to be well adjusted or is it truly a disorder, a disturbance of soul that limits the possibilities of life and is ultimately a form of repression?"
The wish to be normal conceals a deeper desire: negatively, an attempt to avoid the weight of our individuality, and positively, the ideal of being fully ourselves in a community where we can beliong and participate."
Real strength of character shows itself in a willingness to let life sweep over us and burrow its way into us. Courage appears as we open ourselves to the natural alchemy of personal transformation, not when we close ourselves by making the changes we think are best."
"It may be more important to be awake than to be successful, balanced, or healthy. What does it mean to be awake? Perhaps to be living with a lively imagination, responding honestly and courageously to opportunity and avoiding the temptation to follow mere habit or collective values. It means to be an individual, in every instance manifesting the originality of who we are. This is the ultimate form of creativity- following the lead of the deep soul as we make a life."
"The simple act of showing one's deeper nature is a form of personal liberation and a generous contribution to community."
"If we brought half the intelligence to the making of souls that we bring to the making of machines, we would be people of character and imagination. We would be sharp and therefore less inclined to kill and cheat each other. We would know where to find the deep pleasures, so we would be less desperate for shallow entertainments and the ephemeral gratifications of gadgets."
"Pistis means "trust." To create a worthy life, we may have to trust rather than gain insight into the overall plan... We laugh becasue we can live comfortably without knowing everything."
June 2, 2023
Charo recommended this to me during Ocean Dreaming. She said she rereads this often.
I loved it! I could see the tendrils of emptiness encroaching on Thomas’s psyche.
It helped me immerse myself in a more allowing, flowing, less overdetermined top down planning figuring out mode of being and engaging.
Jealousy as initiation
Dionysus (117)
X dualism (55)
Image and art as healing- “the arts meet us at the point of imagination which is a blending of reason and mystery in images” (61)
Aletheia as nonforgetfulness (37)
Don’t fight big moods they’re archetypal rather enquire and allow their energy to work on/over you.
“The soul is filled throughout with discord and dissonance, and so its first need is poetic madness” (59) Ficino
I loved it! I could see the tendrils of emptiness encroaching on Thomas’s psyche.
It helped me immerse myself in a more allowing, flowing, less overdetermined top down planning figuring out mode of being and engaging.
Jealousy as initiation
Dionysus (117)
X dualism (55)
Image and art as healing- “the arts meet us at the point of imagination which is a blending of reason and mystery in images” (61)
Aletheia as nonforgetfulness (37)
Don’t fight big moods they’re archetypal rather enquire and allow their energy to work on/over you.
“The soul is filled throughout with discord and dissonance, and so its first need is poetic madness” (59) Ficino
March 5, 2017
Each short chapter of this book explores a different aspect of soulful living, accompanied by woodcut drawings that add to the inspiration. I found it a helpful source of reminders and new ideas.
“In a time of emotional struggle, it might be better to listen to a special piece of music than to consult an expert, and better to draw a picture of the situation than to try to figure it out. Reason is distant and has its own limited requirements for an ordered life, while the arts are intimate and can hold almost any conceivable human predicament.”
“The soul has its own set of rules, which are not the same as those of life. Unlike the steady progress of history, for instance, the events of the soul are cyclic and repetitive. Familiar themes come round and round. The past is more important than the future. The living and the dead have equal roles. Emotions and the sense of meaning are paramount.”
“In a time of emotional struggle, it might be better to listen to a special piece of music than to consult an expert, and better to draw a picture of the situation than to try to figure it out. Reason is distant and has its own limited requirements for an ordered life, while the arts are intimate and can hold almost any conceivable human predicament.”
“The soul has its own set of rules, which are not the same as those of life. Unlike the steady progress of history, for instance, the events of the soul are cyclic and repetitive. Familiar themes come round and round. The past is more important than the future. The living and the dead have equal roles. Emotions and the sense of meaning are paramount.”
November 17, 2007
Another book everyone should read! How to live from the soul in a soulless world.
Currently reading
April 25, 2018Page 131
What was your original face before you were born? – Zen koan
Page 125-6
… Slumbering on the pillow of our sins… – Thomas More
Today we don’t use the language of sin, and yet we do find ourselves slumbering on the pillow of our unconsciousness.
Page 134
The way to find a soulmate is to be a person with soul.
Page 141
According to an old tradition in both the east and the west, when a human being has crafted some objects beautifully and properly, a spirit will be so enticed By it that it will take up residence in that thing. If this is true – and this is one of the firmest of my religious beliefs – the millions of objects around us are available for our spiritual benefit. But not every object qualifies because apparently the spirits can distinguish between the genuine and the bogus.
Look around your home and decide which objects are most likely to have charmed a spirit. Which spirits dwell in your environment,? Are they encouraged to remain? Which objects are of no interest to passing angels? We might define religion as the art of making and maintaining a material world of such beauty and propriety that it will be the desired home of every kind of spirit. Ancient Greek philosophers taught that the whole world is full of spirits. Can we say the same about our cities in our homes?
What was your original face before you were born? – Zen koan
Page 125-6
… Slumbering on the pillow of our sins… – Thomas More
Today we don’t use the language of sin, and yet we do find ourselves slumbering on the pillow of our unconsciousness.
Page 134
The way to find a soulmate is to be a person with soul.
Page 141
According to an old tradition in both the east and the west, when a human being has crafted some objects beautifully and properly, a spirit will be so enticed By it that it will take up residence in that thing. If this is true – and this is one of the firmest of my religious beliefs – the millions of objects around us are available for our spiritual benefit. But not every object qualifies because apparently the spirits can distinguish between the genuine and the bogus.
Look around your home and decide which objects are most likely to have charmed a spirit. Which spirits dwell in your environment,? Are they encouraged to remain? Which objects are of no interest to passing angels? We might define religion as the art of making and maintaining a material world of such beauty and propriety that it will be the desired home of every kind of spirit. Ancient Greek philosophers taught that the whole world is full of spirits. Can we say the same about our cities in our homes?
May 18, 2018
“Original Self” is a book of essays, all around 2-3 pages long. A gift from my father, I took it up after he passed away and kept it on my bedside table for over a year, reading one essay every time I caught sight of it. They may be short, but each is packed with wisdom and insights that provoke deep deliberations about the Self and about celebrating our creativity and originality. It is a spiritual book, though not affiliated to any particular religion. It stresses that we are complete when we are born; our Original Self is flawless. In our human experience we sometimes lose parts of our soul, and fall into destructive patterns to convince ourselves that we’re not enough, that we don’t measure up, engendering neuroses and anxiety. Moore reminds us that there are possibilities and passion in everyday life, if we strive towards an awakened heart.
March 24, 2021
While it is a fine read, I felt that author constantly tried to out word in a very posh professional way due to which it was really hard to resonate with some parts. Also at few places it seemed that the author was saying one thing and after a while he was saying a total opposite... it included some big judgements and opinions too. Somehow there was a feel like there was a too much complication added to it the author wanting to sound it “cool”, but that truly never works.. still of course had some good parts and deepness.
March 14, 2018
This book is very deep, thoughtful, and is one to digest over time. The chapters are quite short but packed with words to read over and over to let the message and gentle thoughtful challenges sink in. I've read other books by Moore and they always challenge me to think deeply and thoughtfully about myself and the world around me. Definitely recommend knowing it's not an easy, light read.
May 31, 2025
Randomly found this at a used book store and it’s become one of my all-time favorites. I love opening to a random “meditation” when I need a dose of perspective. This isn’t woo-woo spirituality, but the lived-in knowledge of someone who finds depth in the mundane. I always feel connected to something larger than myself when reading this, like my problems aren’t so big after all.
November 28, 2019
A great book of small essays and ideas. Each one different from the next leading the reader through the life lessons that Thomas Moore has picked up or formulated along the way. I enjoyed this as you could hear influences, but it felt very much his own. Very much his own words and thoughts.
August 21, 2017
I enjoyed the insight but found the archetypal/mythology thing more alienating than anything. I couldn't connect with it.
February 27, 2020
A well-written, contemplative book. Some meditations were profound, others didn't do it for me. But, overall, worth a read.
December 23, 2021
insightful! a bit forgettable!
April 13, 2022
Read as a kind of daily reflection. Chapters are short and filled with wisdom. Lots of thoughts to ponder, and ideas to circle back upon.
December 22, 2025
A slim book full of spiritual wisdom worth meditating on.
October 12, 2015
This book did not speak to me. Each stand-alone reading gives a little insight- a little wisdom on some subject relating to the soul. I was looking for something I could relate to my own life and search for my "authentic self," but instead it was more like philosophy....somewhat dry and hard to understand without re-reading passages a few times. And I didn't agree with a lot of the things the author was saying; in fact some were in direct contrast to to things I'd read elsewhere. Ultimately-these insights are the author's own opinions, so I didn't worry too much when I didn't agree with him...my opinions are just as valid. I also found some of his writings to be quite critical of religion (I'm Catholic, and it seems that the author is a former Catholic...one who spent years in a monastery as a monk). He may have an axe to grind with the Church, but I don't, so some things he said were a complete turnoff to me. To each his own, but this book did nothing to help me grow spiritually or to get closer to understanding the soul.
February 15, 2008
Moore has some refreshing insights on modern psychotherapy and our constant need to "fix" ourselves. He suggests embracing the original self, allowing room for and learning to live well with our neuroses (rather than trying to eliminate them). He draws broadly from theology, mythology and philosophy - and makes a case for living with more soul. Questioning less, embracing more of what already is.
December 21, 2021
The wisdom of paradoxes and the meaningful lessons of authencity derived from the ironies of life, has never been met with such depth and measure of insights and spritual sensitivity as any other author, than Moore.
Thomas Moore is a lighthouse of the sacred workings of the heart, often navigating amidst tenacious terrains of ache, and the softness of a broken heart i touch with life, and the elixir of mystery.
Thomas Moore is a lighthouse of the sacred workings of the heart, often navigating amidst tenacious terrains of ache, and the softness of a broken heart i touch with life, and the elixir of mystery.
Read
August 3, 2011Short but like "The Alchemist" one shouldn't read too fast or you won't be able to take it in its full meaning. Definitely a good book for those wanting things to reflect on or mediate upon, or to change your perspective.
December 25, 2014
This is an interesting book which confirm some of my beliefs. The only reason why I gave it one star is because it did not add much to my general knowledge. However, this doesn't mean the book is an unimportant one.
June 6, 2016
I couldn't really understand much of this as I could in his earlier books. Like most of his books it takes more than one reading at different times in your life to grasp many theories that he puts forth.
March 13, 2009
Sometimes inspired. Mostly insipid.
November 24, 2013
Beautiful thoughts and prose, all very wise, but I found it hard to read more than a little at a time and didn't finish it.
July 15, 2014
A collection of valuable ideas. But not very inspiring and originally put forward. This book did not add much to my knowledge or experience.
August 14, 2016
I found this book to be ok. It had some useful insights for the soul but I feel like you need to study philosophy and theology to know what Mr. Moore is talking about.
September 9, 2016
A fascinating study
January 8, 2016
Good book for personal philosophy.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews