Why?: What Your Life Is Telling You about Who You Are and Why You're Here

by Matthew McKay, Ralph Metzner

Overview

Do you wonder what your true path in life is? We each have a purpose and a mission. However, uncovering this purpose can be challenging, and often daunting. If you are like most, you have probably asked yourself, “Why am I here?” But where do you turn for answers? Religion? Psychology? Spirituality?

Written by psychologist and bestselling author Matthew McKay, charismatic Silicon Valley spiritual leader Seán ÓLaoire, and bestselling author Ralph Metzner, Why? will help you see what your past and present experiences are telling you about the spiritual theme in your life; one that is visible when you know how to read the signs. Your experiences may be that of a Healer/Peacemaker, an Explorer/Scientist, a Warrior/Guardian, an Artist/Designer, a Teacher/Communicator, or a Builder/Organizer. By showing you how to uncover your unique path, this book will help you discover your life’s true meaning.

This book will help you dismantle tired, old traditions that tell us that we should avoid pain and seek pleasure or pursue power, and shows us that even pain can play an important part in how we choose to live. The book also helps you to create your own cosmology that unites your beliefs with your life’s mission, helps you recognize that individual mission, and outline exercises to bring you into alignment with this mission via personal practices. Despite these heady topics, the book is written in an accessible, inspiring, and entertaining tone.

We are here to see, to know, to gather whatever wisdom our life offers, and to make use of that wisdom as our soul matures. A seamless blending of deep spirituality, good psychology and practical living, Why? offers the tools that you need to gain knowledge and awareness of yourself at the deepest level. So get ready to reveal your personal path in life, and begin living life to its fullest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608827770
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books, including The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, When Anger Hurts, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. He has also penned two fiction novels, Us and The Wawona Hotel. McKay received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression. He lives and works in the Bay Area.

Seán ÓLaoire, PhD, is a Catholic priest and licensed clinical psychologist specializing in transpersonal psychology. ÓLaoire regularly lectures and conducts scientific research on the effects of prayer. In addition, he is cofounder and spiritual director of Companions on the Journey (COJ), a popular Silicon Valley spiritual community which seeks to recognize the God/divinity within the self. He has a private counseling practice in Los Altos, CA.

Ralph Metzner, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. He has authored and coauthored several books, including The Unfolding Self, The Well of Remembrance, Green Psychology, The Roots of War and Domination, Know Your Type, and Sacred Vine of Spirits.

Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books, including The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, Self-Esteem, and Couple Skills, which have sold more than a million copies combined. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression.
Ralph Metzner, PhD, was a psychotherapist and professor emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. A recognized pioneer in studies of consciousness and its transformations, he collaborated with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) in the study of psychedelic drugs at Harvard University in the 1960s, and coauthored The Psychedelic Experience. Metzner authored, coauthored, and edited several books, including The Unfolding Self, The Well of Remembrance, Green Psychology, Maps of Consciousness, The Roots of War and Domination, Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca, Allies for Awakening, and Birth of a Psychedelic Culture, among others. Learn more online at www.greenearthfound.org

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Part 1 What We Know

1 The Pursuit of Happiness 3

2 Why Are We Here? 12

3 Choices 26

4 How Culture Shapes Life Purpose 40

5 What Love Is: Our Shared Mission 47

Part 2 Purpose: What Your Life Is Telling You

6 Life Purpose Meditation 55

7 Wise Mind 61

8 What Your Gifts and Attributes Tell You about Your Life Purpose 66

9 What Your Values Tell You about Your Life Purpose 77

10 What Your Recurring Challenges Tell You about Your Life Purpose 87

11 The Six Paths 94

12 Your Mission: Five Ways to Find and Align with Your Life Purpose 109

13 Where Are We Going? 127

Interviews

Matthew McKay lives in Berkeley, California; Seán O'Laoire lives in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area; and Ralph Metzner lives in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

At its core, this book allows the modern Western mind to explore the deep meaning of an ageless, universal truth: Earth is a place where souls are sent to evolve. Why? goes beyond philosophy and offers practical guidelines for mindfully participating in one’s own evolutionary process.”
—Michael A. Singer, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Untethered Soul

“If you have ever wondered why you're here and what your purpose is, this clear, short book, written by three wise and compassionate beings, will not only help you get your answers, but, more importantly, let you understand more deeply how to live a life attuned with your destiny.”
—James Fadiman, PhD, cofounder of Sofia University; author of Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys

“Happiness happens when we remove the blinders and obstacles, so we can see what was there all along. This very wise book is a gem. If you are seeking greater fulfillment and joy in your life, please avail yourself of this splendid, simple, and practical guide.”
—Larry Dossey, MD, author of The Power of Premonitions and Reinventing Medicine


“In this book, timeless questions surrounding life purpose and calling are addressed in accessible, inspirational, and practical ways. A relevant book for anyone, at any age, in any culture!”
—Angeles Arrien, PhD, cultural anthropologist, author of The Four-Fold Way and Living in Gratitude

“This little book has a very big goal, nothing less than helping readers discover their life purpose. They accomplish this task by pulling from the wisdom of the past, as well as by providing provocative exercises that direct readers toward self-knowledge. Many books have similar goals, but few have succeeded as well as McKay, ÓLaoire, and Metzner, and have done so in such an engaging and reader-friendly style.”
—Stanley Krippner, PhD, coauthor of Personal Mythology and Demystifying Shamans and Their World

From the Publisher