Seat of the Soul [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

In the course of answering these questions, Zukav presents the reader with a whole host of fascinating claims. We are reincarnated. There is life on every other planet- and even planets themselves are alive. Animals have a collective soul. ESP exists and so do Angels, the nature of who Zukav knows intimately. We have "non-physical teachers." Every "bad" event that happens to a person is the result of accumulated negative karma and for this reason anyone who suffers a "tragedy" (which don't really exist since the universe is always benevolent) is only getting what they deserve. Much like a puppet master, the "universe" arranges opportunities for us to learn the very lessons we are meant to learn in this lifetime. The purpose of life is to "align the personality with the soul." I could go on.

This now may lead some readers to a further question: how does Zukav know all of this? How can anyone know whether his amazing claims are not merely illusion or fantasy? Anyone curious enough to ask questions such as these will likely find the book very frustrating.

Hoping for clarification, I visited Zukav's web page (zukav.com) where he answered the question of how he knows what he knows by saying, "I pay attention to my experiences. I listen to my inner sense of what is worth listening to." In other words, Zukav answers humanity's most profound questions simply by looking inside of himself. How I wish it could be that easy.

The problem with relying on intuition alone as a path to knowledge is that so many other people- ranging from religious leaders, to mystics of all sorts, to terrorists, to cult leaders, to dictators- have used the intuitive path, but arrived at radically different conclusions from those presented in The Seat of the Soul. Why should one accept the divine answers that Zukav has claimed to receive as opposed to the divine answers that someone else has claimed to receive? How do you resolve a conflict if your intuition disagrees with someone else's intuition? I was not be able to answer these questions after reading the book. Zukav treats his answers as if they are self-evident and that any explanation or reason for his beliefs would destroy their validity.

Intuition has its place for sure, but intuition alone is indistinguishable from fantasy. And anyone who believes that intuition alone is a sure way to knowledge, must read Mark Pinske's Dec. 5, 1999 review to learn why Zukav's understanding of Darwinian evolution is shockingly wrong.

Much like the thieves in "The Emperor's's New Clothes," Zukav claims that anyone who does not automatically see the truth of his ideas is simply being "five sensory." Underlying many of his claims is the implication that anyone who does not accept his ideas is- unlike him- out of touch with the infallible non-physical teachers of the "Universe." Claims such as these- which really boil down to "I am right and I just know it"- are really the only way to defend ideas arrived at only through intuition and faith. Perhaps this is why religious groups have tended to settle their differences with swords and guns rather than persuasion and dialogue. It is also why so many other reviewers have accused Zukav of great arrogance- though I don't believe that was his intention.

Nonetheless, judging by the number of positive reviews, the book has touched a lot of people. So there must be something about it. I am not quite sure what it is. In questioning much of what Zukav has said, I don't want to deny the importance of love, harmony, and spirituality in human life. I believe it is these elements of Zukav's book- which are lacking in so many people's lives- that so many people respond to so strongly. And if he has helped a number of people overcome addictions and fear, then this deserves to be praised. Perhaps this book can help you too. Just don't ask too many questions or expect to discover the most profound book in the history of humanity.