Honor Yourself

Honor Yourself
A book review

"Man, Know Thyself!" was once carved above the entrance to a Greek Mystery School. Given its location, the implication is deeply mystical.

In Hamlet, the "happy Genius of this Ancient pile!" wrote: "To be, or not to be: that is the question: ..." He then followed that with more questions, creating one of history's great literary paradoxes.

Joining these two, we arrive at the ultimate paradox. Do we become all that God intended or not? Do we even know what that is and how to go about it? And do we allow "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" to stop us in our tracks.

It is this paradox we face daily with the ultimate goal of becoming our real Self that Patricia Spadaro dares to tackle in Honor Yourself. Rarely does a debut solo work of non-fiction explode on the scene with such deftness and clarity. In the first chapter alone, every sentence can stand on its own, demonstrating a paradox itself. Does writing so perfectly executed just flow from brain to text? The answer is no. Something so fluid, so easy to read took painstaking correcting and rewriting until the finished product looks natural and flows seemlessly off the page. But what makes any book great, from Dostoyevsky to Tolle, is when the reader pauses every so often to ponder what he has just read. This is just what I found myself doing from chapter to chapter.

Isn't harmony the key to mastery? The author teaches us the path of balance and the middle way. Ms. Spadaro's command of the English language is equalled if not surpassed by her knowledge of the world's great mysteries, healing traditions, writers and philosophers, all of which she brings to bear in illuminating quotes and examples of the higher path. She helps us recognize the fork in the road; thereby, the choices become easier.

But life itself is a paradox. It doesn't neccessarily get easier near the top of spiritual awareness. Even the greatest saints have had to wrestle with the concept of when to give and receive. In 1931, a great adept told Nicholas Roerich this startling fact:

So even when you become a master incarnate you still have to know when to project outward and when to pull back. Even Jesus had to retreat occasionally to the mountains or simply to the bow of a small fishing boat to recharge his batteries and get away from the constant pull of human consciousness. The Master and saints lived in a simpler time. We are surfeited by duties, technology and a myriad of choices. Some of these decisions that eventually pull us away from our true calling are affected by what the author calls "myths." She dispels these myths with the antidote, called "magic." The implication is that once you understand this underlying interplay of the dance called life then the everyday stress can be stripped away by magic or the joy that is available to all. Ms. Spadaro helps us understand that the Journey is a part of the magic called life.

"Patricia Spadaro is a marvelous guide through the inner realms of the heart. I always feel uplifted by her words." --Marianne Williamson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love

"Honor Yourself is more than just food for the soul, it is true healing for the heart. Patricia Spadaro provides an honest approach to self-love that will help us overcome the mental and emotional roadblocks that have created imbalances in our lives today. Taking a cue from ancient scriptures and healing traditions, she helps us understand the daily dance of give and take that makes up life's experiences. She is a new voice to be reckoned with as a pioneer in healing."
--Ann Louise Gittleman,New York Times bestselling author of The Fat Flush Plan and Before the Change