Oct
22

Dating the Greek Gods : Empowering Spiritual Messages on Sex and Love, Creativity and Wisdom

By Creativity Coach

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Dating the Greek Gods : Empowering Spiritual Messages on Sex and Love, Creativity and Wisdom
 
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Product Description

From the author of the highly successful and influential Finding the Boyfriend Within comes an inspirational guide for gay men seeking spiritual fulfillment.

When Brad Gooch began promoting his self-help book Finding the Boyfriend Within, the first of its kind directed toward a gay readership, he was overwhelmed by the response it generated. Thousands of gay men embraced the book's message of looking into themselves to find comfort and purpose in life. So enthusiastic was the response to the book that Gooch began conducting workshops and, in the process, conceived Dating the Greek Gods as both a follow-up and a companion to the earlier book -- a self-help book designed as a sort of "advanced class" for readers of Finding the Boyfriend Within.

Because of the conflicted reaction many gay men have to any discussion of religious spirituality, Gooch hit upon the idea of drawing on an older spiritual base -- that of Ancient Greece -- for examining and explaining his approach to achieving a higher understanding of self through spirituality. The stories of the Greek gods have inspired human consciousness for more than thirty centuries, the outgrowth of a society in which homosexuality was an accepted aspect of human behavior. Dating the Greek Gods explores these stories as well as the dominant characteristics of those Greek deities, tying the spirituality of being a gay male to the inner patterns -- or archetypes -- that shape men's personalities and personal relationships.

Gooch organizes the book into a series of meditations and personal exercises shaped around the characters, stories, and dominant traits of the deities. For example, in chapter one, Apollo addresses wisdom; chapter two concerns Dionysus and deals with sexuality and disco nights; chapter three is about Hermes and concerns communication, and so on, from Hephaestos and Eros (creativity and romance) to Zeus (independence and freedom). Gooch delves into these enduring archetypes to show men how, by understanding the philosophy behind these gods, they can come to better understand themselves and, in the process, enrich their lives.

Unique in its approach and totally accessible in its realization, Dating the Greek Gods is an enlightened and literary self-help book that encourages readers to turn to their own inner oracle -- the inner voice that prompted them to "come out" in the first place -- and in the process to revitalize themselves through viewing the world's spiritual traditions in a more inclusive and caring fashion.

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Customer Reviews

Enough with all the sour grapes, already!
 
Review Date: February 9, 2004
Reviewer: J. R. SOUTH, Albany, New York USA
I picked up "Dating the Greek Gods" in a bookstore recently, and was intrigued enough to feel compelled to buy it. I found it a rather ingenious, enjoyable and creative book that has opened up my self-awareness immensely, putting me in touch with concepts I had never thought about, and aspects of my personality I never imagined existed. It IS very different, and a crash course in Greek mythology to boot. I'm definitely improved for having read it.

If this sounds appealing to you, do yourself a favor and buy the book. Do not be put off by some of the ridiculous, prejudiced reviews by other Amazon reviewers. They are looking at an orange and criticising it for not being an apple. These reviewers don't seem to have any interest in stimulating their self-knowledge, so why would they even choose to read "Dating the Greek Gods" in the first place??? It would be like me reading a book about car repair and blasting it because it contained only automotive information.

Get Out What You Put In
 
Review Date: February 2, 2004
Reviewer: Louis LaSalle, Sunnyvale, CA USA
Like most self-help books, you get out of it what you put in. And this book can be challenging both personally and publicly on what it asks you to put in. It's about shaking yourself up a bit and finding what really makes you tick, and about tending to the untended parts of your personality and soul. The author doesn't presume to have discovered the ultimate truth or the cure-all panacea. But he does have a unique outlook that will allow you to see yourself in a different light.
Gooch obession with himself and appearance -- how original
 
Review Date: May 29, 2004
Reviewer: ,
Wait, haven't I seen this book before? Oh wait, that's right, Brad Gooch's last book, also with his face plastered on the front with the same smug smile. I read this in a bookstore just so I could seethe. Gooch covers familiar territory here, analyzing his past relationships in the context of some bizarro Greek spirituality theoretical framework that makes about as much sense as......well, nothing.

More important though are the political and cultural implications of Gooch's various publishing projects. He seems to be completely preoccupied with aligning himself with the gay male "culture of the surface" -- idealizing a particular physique, affluence, hegemonic masculinity, and gender performance that are so completely problematic and out of place in these alleged "empowering" gay relationship books. Gooch does a tremendous disservice to the very community he is allegedly trying to serve. There is a burning question underlying all of this: what, exactly, qualifies Mr. Gooch to write these books in the first place?

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