Book Review

Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path:
The Dance of Darkness and Light
in Our Search for Awakening

by Connie Zweig, PhD

Publisher: Park Street Press

304 Pages

Publication: May 23, 2023

 

 

If you are seeking a book about the “how to” of doing personal shadow work Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening by Connie Zweig, PhD is not the book for you. If, however, you are committed to cutting through the illusions that are thrown towards us by those who we consider to be within our circle of trust and the shadow they emanate, then dive right into this eye-opening title.

Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening is the newly revised third edition of two previous title revisions…

…The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning appeared at the peak of the Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse scandal. The second edition, Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of Darkness on the Path, appeared in 2017, just before the #MeToo movement launched. Since the publication of those earlier editions, the world has turned on its axis. We are observing urgent interconnected global crisis at the same time as we are witnessing thousands of people report spiritual awakenings…¹

The value of this book lay in the impeccable approach that Dr. Zweig offers to this writing and the consistency of her scientific and spiritual approach to her other writings regarding the impact of shadow awareness and its application to all aspects of the individual’s life. I have had the privilege of reading another of her (co-authored) titles, Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow. Dr. Zweig dives right into the crux of the psycho/spiritual challenges presented in a quickly changing world and offers a space of union where each may work in tandem with the other, informing all parts of the journey of spiritual connectedness, community, trust and navigating the many personalities that inhabit our orb of relationships.

…The intention of exploring the shadow in our search for awakening is not to negate the profound and precious transmissions of our teachers and invaluable gifts of our communities. We don’t want to deny the light of consciousness any more than we want to deny the dark side of human nature…my intention is to offer a way for readers to hold the tension of both-the dance of darkness and light on the path… 2.

Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening is arranged in two (2) parts and seven (7) sub-sections. The Preface To The New Edition, Prologue and Epilogue To The New Edition set the tone for the purpose and directive of the content. The multi-page Bibliography accents the standards of research given towards crafting a book of concise content and the addition of an Index offers the reader a manageable way of searching through the book.

Would I Recommend:

Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening by Connie Zweig, Ph.D. is truly a “thought-filled” read in every sense of those words. It is dense with information, accessible in real life examples and provides the means to become aware, awakened and selective in navigating the shadow nature of our world.

In fact, Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening has been crafted in such a way that there is an abundance of wisdom contained that will appeal to those who follow a spiritual practice, those who do not, those interested in the underlying psychological and ideological overlays of religious/spiritual practice in mundane interactions, those who can easily recognize their personal experiences and so many more. This statement alone, makes Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path: The Dance of Darkness and Light in Our Search for Awakening such an important and valuable read now and for future reference.

… As I wrote in the book’s opening, a psychological lens that includes the shadow is necessary in order to extend our vision and understanding of spirituality, and it’s necessary to recover from spiritual abuse and disillusionment.…. 3.

Notes:
1. Pg. xi
2. Pg. xii
3. Pg. 241

About the Author:

Connie Zweig, Ph.D., a retired psychotherapist and former executive editor at Jeremy P. Tarcher Publishing, is coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow and author of the bestseller The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Life of the Sufi Poet Rumi. She has been practicing and teaching meditation for more than 50 years.

 

Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path on Amazon

 

 

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About the Author:

Robin Fennelly

Robin Fennelly is an Elder within The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition and serves as High Priestess of Coven of the Mystic Path, the 12th Coven within the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition. She teaches and facilitates classes for the Pagan Experience Study Group that serves as foundation for membership within Coven of the Mystic Path.

Her spiritual journey is strongly rooted in both Eastern philosophy and the Western Magickal systems from which she has formed a core foundation that is diverse in knowledge and rich in spiritual practice.  A life-long learner, her practice has evolved from the classical and philosophical teachings of books, practical experience and enrichment of this knowledge base by attending workshops of various spiritual traditions presented by master teachers.

Robin formally came to the Wiccan path in 1994. Following a practice as a solitary for 2 years, she dedicated to Oak and Willow Coven of The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition in November of 1996. She received her 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th (Elder) degrees within the Assembly Tradition and has served as High Priestess of two ASW covens since Samhain of 2001 and the Winter Solstice of 2015.

As a teacher of esoteric and magickal studies she uses Energetic Anatomy, Tarot, Astrology, Hermetic Qabala, Eastern Philosophy, and Numerology as the foundations of her diverse selection of workshops and writings for more than 25 years. Exploration of varied energetic protocol has been the focus of her work for some time now and the information gained through direct experience informs all of her magickal and spiritual work.

Robin’s writings have been featured online, and in print Internationally.  She has authored several books incorporating her unique style of writing making use of poetry, prose and pathworking to enhance the concepts presented.  She has taught extensively throughout the Pagan community, including Sacred Space Conference, Spring Magick, Between the Worlds Interfaith Conference and Free Spirit Gathering Festival. Her most recent projects include a channel on youtube: A Journey to the Inner Chamber. She also shares audio pathworkings and ritual on her bandcamp site: Teachings on the Path with Robin.

Robin is the owner of Holistic Embrace providing services for mind, body and spirit such as Tarot readings, Astrology reports, Spiritual Guidance and other related offerings.  She lives in Eastern Pennsylvania and her life is blessed by a 40+- year marriage, five children and the opportunity to work in the field of public education.

Robin’s Website: www.robinfennelly.com
Coven of the Mystic Path, ASW: www.covenofthemysticpath.org

Her books can be found on Amazon or purchased directly through her website:
For more info: http://www.robinfennelly.com/books.html

The Inner Chamber, Vol. 1 It’s Written in the Stars-Astrology
The Inner Chamber, Vol. 2 Poetry of the Spheres-Qabalah
The Inner Chamber, Vol. 3 Awakening the Paths-Qabalah
The Light of SELF: Consciousness, Spiritual Practice and Learning to
Breathe
Magickal Verse: A Collection of Poetry and Prose
A Year of Gaia: The Eternal Cord
The Elemental Year: Aligning the Elements of SELF
Temple of the Sun and Moon: Luminous Devotions
Sleeping with the Goddess: Nights of Devotion
A Weekly Reflection: Musings for the Year
The Magickal Pen: A Collection of Esoteric Writings
The Enchanted Gate: Musings on the Magick of the Natural World
The Temple of the Sun: An Astrological Solar Year
Writings in the Shadow: An Exploration of the Shadow Nature