In search of the spiritual : Gabriel Marcel, psychoanalysis and the sacred / Paul Marcus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marcus, Paul.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychoanalysis.

Spiritual direction.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Karnac, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973), the first French existentialist and phenomenologist, was a world-class Catholic philosopher, an accomplished playwright, drama critic and musician. He wrote brilliantly about many of the classic existential themes associated with Sartre, Heidegger, Jaspers and Buber, prior to the publication of their main works. Marcel regarded himself as a "homo viator," a spiritual wanderer: "If man is essentially a voyager, it is because he is en route ... towards an end which one can say at once and contradictorily that he sees and does not see." As a self-described "philosopher of the threshold" and "an awakener," his stated goal was to shed some light on the nature of spiritual reality, those moments when one experiences an upsurge of the love of life. In this book, Paul Marcus joins the best of Marcellian and psychoanalytic insights to help the reader develop an inner sensibility that is more receptive, responsive and responsible to the transforming sacred presences that grace everyday life, such as are experienced in selfless love, hoping beyond hope, and maintaining faith in the goodness of the world despite its harsh challenges. Whether one is reading "Re-finding God during Chemo-therapy," "Maintaining Personal Dignity in the Face of the Mass Society," "On Fidelity and Betrayal in Love Relationships" or "The Kiss," Marcus, with the help of his two spiritual masters, Marcel and Freud, points the reader in the direction of a greater everyday sacred attunement to the eternal presences that life mysteriously reveals to those with a discerning eye and an open heart."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

COVER; CONTENTS; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABOUT THE AUTHOR; PREFACE; CHAPTER ONE Introduction; CHAPTER TWO Creative experience as the birthplace of the transcendent; CHAPTER THREE On refinding God during chemotherapy; CHAPTER FOUR Reflections on moments of grace; CHAPTER FIVE On the quiet virtue of humility; CHAPTER SIX Summoned to courage; CHAPTER SEVEN Maintaining personal dignity in the face of the mass society; CHAPTER EIGHT On fidelity and betrayal in love relationships; CHAPTER NINE The kiss; GLOSSARY; REFERENCES; INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

0-429-91480-6

0-429-90057-0

0-429-47580-2

1-283-63456-2

1-78241-032-5

9780429475801

OCLC:

815391704