Soul Gifts: The World's Self-Help Book [Paperback]

Soul Gifts is an amazing body of work that has been formed from the author's lifetime. Careful and detailed experiences chronicle Barbara J. Gill's major life events and emotional breakthroughs in her spiritual development. This is a book that should be taken in slowly. It is something to taste then let it sit in the mouth to fully absorb all the flavors. It is not a book to be read like a novel. It is not easy reading. Messages are hidden in corners and subtleties can be missed if you are in a hurry.

I find my experience and message from this book to be multi-layered. The first part I found uplifting, positive, and full of hope. Somewhere towards the third or fourth chapter, Barbara's personal story really began to emerge, filled with its challenges, pain, probing questions, and desire to find balance. In a way I liked that balance even though at the beginning the optimism somehow did not allow me to actually understand until later the profound depth she was carrying.

Soul Gifts is an example of the many truths that Barbara uncovered along the journey of her life. At times, the flow and pace of the book was difficult for me. I agree with Mike McCabe' back cover quote, "Your effort reminds me of skipping stones across the top of a lake." I think this is because Barbara is, in her heart, a poet. She grabs profound insights and create images and metaphors that hold many layers of meaning and value. It is up to the reader to decipher or find those nuances. Some may feel overwhelmed and confused as so much is packed into a small paragraph, page, and chapter. Understanding the connections between the thoughts and the flow within a chapter requires patience and an ability to follow a feeling-thread rather than a logical thought process.

Some of the conversations that Barbara has had with the important teachers and friends in her life are extremely interesting and informative. As an open-minded person who loves to look at other perceptions, I found this particularly interesting. I could tell that it was exactly how the person said it or expressed it in the moment. Some of those perceptions may not be as accepted in the mainstream. Being from the metaphysical world however, I found it honest and refreshing, even if I might have questioned some conclusions.

The more I read the book, the more of Barbara I uncovered. Some of the perceptions and patterns she manifested became clearer. About midway through the book I finally was able to follow the energetic pattern in which the book was created. I finally understood how to be in her river and not get caught in an eddy.

I enjoyed the poetry, though I must admit, poetry is not my forté. Poetry is so uniquely personal that without the poet right next to me (to explain that exact moment's thoughts) I sometimes feel as if I get only a whiff of the scent but cannot extract its true nature and complex subtleties. So this is probably more my weakness than Barbara's.

The CD of songs and chants was lovely. I could tell that these particular pieces were of profound impact to Barbara and have great meaning personally to her process.

The companion - Soul Rubbing(tm) Exercises - is an interesting way for someone at the beginning of their journey to move forward in easy, step-by-step ways. How deep the exercises move us is up to the individual. It is a way to open the creative mind and to learn to pay attention to the small voices within.

All in all, my feeling of Barbara's work is one of gratitude. There is so much packed into this creative endeavor. I could not tell her any better way to do it than what she has done. It is the volume that is overwhelming - an entire life of wisdom and information packed into 300 pages. That chore alone is daunting!

Soul Gifts: The World's Self-Help Book is a wisdom-packed gift wrapped in love. The book is well paced, prodding the reader on. I found it hard to put down because I never knew what I was about to read next. I was moved to tears when reading how Barbara helps an Aids patient to die by being there for him and by holding eye contact to the very end. Barbara's experience with cancer and her subsequent cancer journal is also moving. Here is a woman who is a born healer, writer, and artist. She has taken the time to savour every experience: to taste, to see (really see), to feel, to listen, to touch, to question, and to speak her words. Barbara has lived her life wide awake in comparison to many, and all the while gathering her own nuggets of wisdom. Soul Gifts is the result.

This is a book to be read slowly, savoured, and read again.

Reviewer Carmel Higgins is a graduate of Sophia Center in Oakland California and the author of Cosmic Fire/Local Sparks: My Journey into the Universe Story.

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