Echo of the Soul: The Sacredness of the Human Body

by John Philip Newell, J. Philip Newell

An exploration of what it means to be in the “image of God,” using the Bible and ancient texts. What does it mean to be made in the “image and likeness” of God? That’s the first-and defining―characteristic of our humanity, celebrated in the opening pages of the Bible. Western Christian tradition, however, has often led us to think of the body and soul as a separate element, with the soul good and the body evil. This profound and challenging book clears away centuries of misunderstanding and shame that have damaged the way we see ourselves―and the way we see God. Author J. Philip Newell, acclaimed for his work on Celtic spirituality, goes back to our spiritual roots in the bible, and in mystical Celtic and Jewish writings, to weave together a deeper, more complete understanding of our bodies as an outward expression our spiritual selves.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction

About the author

JOHN PHILIP NEWELL is an internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher and popular speaker and the widely read author of several books, including Listening for the Heartbeat of God and A New Harmony. The former Warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland, he is the founder of The School of Earth and Soul (A Celtic Initiative of Study, Spiritual Practice and Compassionate Action) and teaches regularly in California, New England, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, and Canada as well as leading international pilgrimages to Iona.

Reviews

[Abner Rosenweig]

I discovered Newell by reading Shakespeare & the Human Mystery, one of the most original and insightful works of Shakespearean criticism I've seen.

Reviewing Newell's other works, I came upon Echo of the Soul.

The premise is fascinating: a series of essays discussing the spiritual symbolism of the body, from head to toe. By anchoring spirituality to the common, mundane experience of the body, Newell brings ideas of mysticism from the abstract, unrelatable riddles found in many spiritual texts into our daily life.

Like other great spiritual writers of the day, Eckhart Tolle and Thomas Moore, Newell has a gift for making spiritual matters clear, real, and accessible -- without feeling overly sentimental, religious, or preachy.

Echo of the Soul opens us to the sacred mystery that underlies and pervades daily life. It reconnects us to the divine presence in ourselves and the world. Reading it is refreshing, clearing, centering, purifying. The book is an oasis in the desert of a modern material world that has repressed and abandoned the sacred. As Newell reminds us, "It is not God who is absent from us. Rather, we are absent from God at the heart of life."

Recommended for multiple reads.

[Brian Funke]

Content 5
Writing style 4

Beautiful book! I love the chapter on presence and will return to this book often as a scripture that affirms what humanity really is.

[William Baker]

A nice, due revision of the Christian faith.

[Anita Tally]

I was really excited when I learned of this book, but my excitement waned as I read. The concepts are great, but the writing is very redundant. It's like the author is trying to say something 10 different ways....when most of the time, I felt like I got his point after 1 or 2 repetitions. The result for me was reading words without focusing on the content. I had to go back and re-read paragraph after paragraph, which in my mind indicates that there was no focus, no WOW moment in the paragraph to sort of wrap it up and make his point.

[Courtney]

I picked this up because the author was featured on Rob Bell's podcast, discussing this work. It ended up being too full of religious (specifically, Christian) references and language for my taste. I did enjoy the passages on embracing sexuality, and I love the general theme of accessing divinity and soul through our physical form.

[Justin Taylor]

A great insight into the self. Newell has spoken far deeper about thoughts I had already been thinking. He has created sinkholes of exploration that I look forward to dwelling in for sometime. It is definitely a book to come back to o we and over again.

[Cassie]

It's kind of boring, but still beautiful and meaningful. Deep, deep stuff for one's spiritual life. Took discipline to get through, but worthwhile.

[Donald Clymer]

A synthesis of Newell's thinking on the influence that Celtic spirituality can have on Post Moderns.

[Mary Lou]

God dwells deeply within life and creation as well as without. The practice of being present enables experiencing the mystery of God moment to moment.
Pithy, with underline-able thoughts.

[Eddie]

The beginning of this book was EXCELLENT. Fresh perspective that brings us forward. Newell reminds me of CS Lewis and Dallas Willard, although some of his thoughts push a little further, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.