"The longings of the human heart, the desires for meaning, purpose and fulfillment are all born of a yearning that defies rational explanation. Mystics have known this for many millennia. And so have most humans, if they learn to trust their intuitive wisdom," writes Diarmuid O'Murchu, a priest and social psychologist based in London and the author of many books including Catching Up with Jesus. Many scientists have a limited view of desire, and many religious leaders have expended a vast amount of energy in moral campaigns against the baseness of desire. But perhaps the largest enemy of this aspect of human nature is consumerism. The engines of advertising compel us to get used to the idea that we never have enough and it compels us to purchase way beyond our needs. O' Murchu quotes Gil Bailie: "If we are to avoid the catastrophes that loom on the horizon, rethinking our desires is exactly what we must do." That is the agenda of this thought-provoking paperback.
The author honors the spiritual practice of yearning and challenges us to see that it is inescapable, full of ambiguity, part of a subconscious process, and remains "a gift to be embraced rather than a malady to be gotten rid of." O'Murchu does a fine job delineating the distortions of desire in chapters on the preoccupation with sex, our human addiction to power and control, the lure of consumerism, globalization, and the lack of meaningful work. This anatomy of desire gone astray is followed by the author's exploration of what he calls the rehabilitation of desire. Here he covers the integration of desire with the quantum world view, honoring creation's paradox, developing new ways of relating to the earth at a regional level, relating meaningfully as embodied creatures, and cherishing the creative and spiritual power of sexuality. The final section of the book deals with the transformation of desire with material on homecoming, reclaiming our adult selves, moving beyond patriarchy, dealing with the dark night of the soul, raising consciousness, embracing justice, appreciating the power of art, and incarnating a new mysticism and a soulful spirituality.
