Those who are interested in a psychologically based approach to spirituality will find plenty of food for thought in Carol S. Pearson's Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World. She sees life as a heroic quest which affords us the opportunity to become all we were meant to be as fully alert, accomplished, and loving human beings.

We can live abundantly by making the most of inner guides who help us in our preparations, the quest, and the return home. The 12 archetypes are the Innocent, the Orphan, the Warrior, the Caregiver, the Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover, the Creator, the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage, and the Fool.

Pearson uses insights gleaned from myth, psychology, and spirituality to shed light on our journeys. The quest is to take responsibility for our lives, to heal ourselves and others, to commit ourselves to truth, and to achieve a measure of joy. She offers self-tests, exercises, meditations, and daydream analysis to help readers tap into the lessons that can be learned from the 12 archetypes.

At one point, Pearson notes that it is never too late to respond to the soul's call to adventure. That is exactly what thousands of men and women are doing as they awaken to all the wild possibilities.