Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving

Great book...thousands of years in the making!

The real question about Honor Yourself is not whether it is a good book or a great book (it's the latter) but what kind of great book. To answer that takes some perspective. Beneath the subtle beauty of the writing, Honor Yourself, positioned as a self help book, delivers its "help" by providing a host of practical spiritual and psychological solutions.
But that's not what makes it great.
This book deals with the play of paradox in a way not attempted since the Tao Te Ching which, according to tradition, was written millennia ago by Lao Tzu. The Tao, as it is commonly referred to, is an enigmatic text that deals with the ultimate paradox, the flow of the infinite and ungraspable principle through the polarities of yang and yin. The Tao is an obscure book, one that is intentionally hard to grasp, especially by minds in our time that want to measure, quantify, calibrate, cogitate. Lao Tzu, translated variously as Old Master or Old Fellow, was skilled in cloaking the essence of the Tao from the concrete mind. And so that ancient text has remained a mysterious beacon that lures people to a higher place.
It is, however, a beacon that does not provide a practical set of ideas or exercises to apply its insights. And it could not. It was not until our time that we had the requisite accumulation of social, spiritual and psychological knowledge to put the Old Master's insights into action. And that, precisely, is what Patricia Spadaro has undertaken to do, consciously or not, in Honor Yourself.
If the Tao te Ching is theory, Honor Yourself is practice. It isn't a cookbook or a treatise that tells you how to paint by the numbers. It doesn't merit over used terms --like memorable, exceptional, unique--that people repeat when reviewing books. Honor Yourself goes beyond canned solutions and empty praise and gives you the necessary thinking skills to resolve the paradoxes of life so that you can one day resolve the Great Paradox.
I think the Old Fellow himself would be impressed.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

From Jennifer Zach

Patricia Spadaro delivers a powerful message of self-stewardship in her book "Honor Yourself the Inner Art of Giving and Receiving." Her words of wisdom provide the tools for honoring others as you honor yourself. As a life coach, I have recommended this transformational book to many of my clients.
Jennifer Zach, Zach Coaching, LLC
Live Well | Work Well | Be Well
www.zachcoaching.com

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Creating balance by honoring yourself

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Patricia Spadaro's book "Honor Yourself." It is full of wisdom on how to balance one's life during these stressful times. She provides practical advice and tools to hlep create an environment of self-care. This self-care results in honoring yourself so that you are better able to be of service to others. Patricia Spadaro emphasizes each of the challenges that we face in trying to control our daily lives by focusing on the concept of 'Myth' (what phrase we might normally say or think) versus 'Magic' (what positive phrasing we can use to honor our giving and receiving choices). I have already purchased this book for my sisters and plan to buy more for my friends.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you have fogotten how to honor yourself or never really have, Patricia Spadaro writes how to gain your inner spark by remember yourself. If you want to love others you have to light your own light first.

I have read the book and am reading it again. I have also given it to several people. Honestly I don't know if words can explain the depth of my gratitude. The paradoxes that Patricia Spadaro writes about have allowed me to grow and move forward. I am currently buying a copy of the book for anyone I think it will benefit. I have received wonderful feedback from it. "

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a self-help book junkie, but this is the first book that opened my eyes and heart to self-care. There is not a woman I know of who wouldn't benefit from this wonderful book.

I was so moved by Patricia Spadaro's book. It's what I always struggle with . . . balance. I had always bought into the myth that if I didn't sacrifice myself for others, I was abandoning them. It came into full bloom while I was caring for my mom after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. It is hard for me to find the words to convey the impact this book had on me during that whole process. The idea of putting myself first seemed selfish and self-centered. "Honor Yourself" not only helped me navigate through the months of caring for her, but also during the period after her transition. I used many ideas as affirmations to help me navigate through the process of learning to honor my own needs. If you need to be reminded to care for yourself before others without feeling guilty, this book will slam it home.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Simple, practical and profound

This book was just what I needed right now. It has helped me tremendously in dealing with a sticky family issue by learning the importance of accepting endings and letting go of regrets. I think it reaches people who are at many different levels - some who quickly grasp the concept of paradox and others who understanding it through the simple stories the author tells.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

an uplifting and timely book....

I loved how this author shatters the myths about giving and receiving that so many of us have grown up with. She shows us how it is not only OK to seek wholeness and care for ourselves before we try to help others but how it is in fact essential. We no longer need to feel guilty about balancing what others need with what we need. It also shows when we do need to give. Her story about the little girl and her open-hearted giving is worth the price of the book and will bring joy to your heart and a tear (of happiness) to your eye. This is a beautiful and empowering book that in a practical and heartfelt way will show you the keys to drawing boundaries, finding your own voice, honoring endings and giving with the heart in lieu of the head. This book showed me that I don't need to accept everything that comes to my doorstep as preordained but that I have the power and duty to be true to myself

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Roadmap for the journey

I read Patricia's book eagerly.....almost obsessively. I recognized so many sign posts of life on the path of personal growth, stories of detours we have all taken, plus practical insight and advice. I am re-inspired to make my own life more expansive, expressive and rich in the spirit.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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