The Soul’s Code

Plato & the Greeks called it daimon, the Romans genius, the Christians guardian angel. We speak of heart, spirit & soul. To Hillman, the acknowledged intellectual source for Th Moore’s bestselling Care of the Soul, it’s the central & guiding force of his compelling “acorn theory”–in which each life is formed by a unique image, an image that is the essence of that life & calls it to a destiny, just as the oak’s destiny is written in the acorn. In this new look at age-old themes, Hillman provides a radical, frequently amusing & accessible path to realization thru an array of examples. He urges readers to discover the blueprints particular to their own individual lives, certain that there’s more to life than can be explained by genetics or environment. As he says, “We need a fresh way of looking at the importance of our lives.” What The Soul’s Code offers is an inspirational, positive approach to life–a way of seeing & a way of recovering what has been lost of our intrinsic selves.
Epigraphs in Lieu of a Preface
In a nutshell: the acorn theory & the redemption of psychology
Growing down
The parental fallacy
Back to the invisibles
Esse is percipi: to be is to be perceived
Neither nature nor nurture-something else
Penny dreadfuls & pure fantasy
Disguise
Fate
The bad seed
Mediocrity
Coda: A Note on Methodology
Notes
Bibliography
Index