From the guru: Your life is like the groundhog

Publisher Hay House shares Thomas Moore's short story "The Guru of Golf" from his book with the same title released last year. Enjoy reading David Shaw's lessons about the game of golf and the game of marriage, and about miracles. Moore describes the teacher:

"Guru G. was wearing navy blue gym pants made out of a shiny, silky material, an oversized gray sweatshirt, and sandals. He also had a plum-colored turban on his head with a sparkling blue jewel in the center. Even from a distance David could see that the guru appeared completely at ease in his odd garb and in the unusual surroundings."

One of the guru's lessons:

"'David, you are dividing your life into pieces. Think of your life as a groundhog, the one that lives near the fifth hole. Tear it into pieces and it dies. Keep your life together, like a soft animal. Learn to play golf and you will learn to be married.'"

Hay House offers excerpts from Moore's books

Publisher Hay House's site Heal Your Life offers excerpts from Thomas Moore's three books, Writing in the Sand (2009), Care of the Soul in Medicine (2010), and The Guru of Golf (2010). Enjoy reading these selections:

"The Guru of Golf: Life lessons from the tee
September 3, 2011 The Guru of Golf

"When Hospitals Heal: A medical building with soul"
July 25, 2011 Care of the Soul in Medicine

"Straight from the Heart: Looking beyond your garden of despair"
July 15, 2010 Writing in the Sand

"Healing the Soul of Society: The basic nutrients for spirit"
July 11, 2010 Writing in the Sand

"Life Lessons on the Green: Staying the course in golf — and in everyday life"
June 17, 2010 The Guru of Golf

"A Factory for Healing?: The quest for soulful medicine"
May 24, 2010 Care of the Soul in Medicine

"Healing Health Care: As recommended by Aristotle!"
April 22, 2010 Care of the Soul in Medicine

"The Body Has Many Souls: The metaphor of a broken heart"
April 12, 2010 Care of the Soul in Medicine

"The Day Your Thoughts Stood Still: Lessons on spiritual renewal"
August 31, 2009 Writing in the Sand

Moore speaks on Saturday 24 September 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Hay House's I Can Do It! conference in London, England. Read an earlier Barque announcement about this up-coming event: THE BLUE BUDDHA: Healing Body, Soul and Spirit.

Read a review of Care of the Soul in Medicine

Spirituality&Practice.com's Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat review Care of the Soul in Medicine: Healing Guidance for Parents, Families, and the People Who Care for Them by Thomas Moore, published by Hay House.

The review includes, "Moore suggests that hospital environments be transformed from modern, sterile, and functional spaces into ones that employ fountains, plants, a wall of water, paintings, sculpture, Zen gardens, photographs of the natural world, soundscapes, and even aromatherapy. In order to make the most of the hospital experience, much more thought and creativity must be put into the soothing and nurturing qualities of the environment."

The Brussats also write, "In his advice to doctors, Moore warns against the kind of arrogance that comes with seeing their work as an impersonal, science-dominated health care that will not expand to include alternative approaches: "Integrative medicine is a natural doorway for letting soul and spirit into the medical world. Massage, diet, hypnosis, meditation, yoga, and acupuncture presuppose a whole person. They ask that we consider pleasure, relaxation, and spiritual practice as implicated in illness and health."

They conclude, "Care of the Soul in Medicine is a very timely book given the amount of coverage in the news and the media about America's health care system. In our profile of Moore in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project, we refer to his emphasis on the importance of the spiritual practice of imagination. This book is a wonderful example of that. He puts on an impressive display of creative ideas about adding beauty, meaning, reverence, hospitality, mystery, and silence to enhance and deepen the healing arts."

Spirtuality&Practice includes an excerpt about the need for silence in hospitals.