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Gregg Michael Levoy
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Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life Hardcover
– September 16, 1997
by Gregg Michael Levoy (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 293 ratings
"Stunning! Wonderful! Levoy writes like a poet. His material is both spiritual and practical. I don't know another book that deals with callings in quite the same way."
--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine
How do we know if we're following our true callings? How do we sharpen our senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and hear the calls that are beckoning us?
Callings is a passionate look at the search for authenticity. In a style that is poetic, exuberant, and keenly insightful, Gregg Levoy breathes contemporary life into the ancient topic of callings. He presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listen and respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in our relationships or in service.
Callings is the first book to examine the many kinds of calls we receive, and the great variety of channels through which they come to us. A calling may be to do something (change careers, go back to school, leave or start a relationship, move to the country, have a child) or to be something (more creative, less judgmental, more loving). You may be called toward or away from something, called to change or renew your commitment to something, or called to return to a place or pursuit in an entirely new way. You may be called toward whatever you have dared and double-dared yourself to do for as long as you can remember.
Gregg Levoy draws on the hard-won wisdom and powerful stories of people who have followed their own calls, to show us the many ways to translate a calling into action. While honoring a calling's essential mystery, the book also guides readers to ask and answer the fundamental questions that arise from any calling: How do we recognize it? How do we distinguish the true calls from the siren song? How do we handle our resistance to a call? What happens when we say no? What happens when we say yes?
Whether your interest in callings is personal or professional, and whether the calls you hear are great trumpetings or the more common daily summonses to pay attention to your intuition, you will find this beautiful book an inspiration. It is a compassionate guide to discovering your own callings and negotiating the tight passages to personal power and authenticity.
339 pages
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,424
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The lure of true calling is as powerful as it is exacting and Gregg Levoy's Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life plays upon this common yearning. Indeed, many recognize that there floats somewhere out there "... a call to each of us to materialize ourselves." And everyone can make his or her life "come true," attests Levoy, whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, and Psychology Today, if one can learn to read the signs that point one toward one's calling.
But how do we attune--clear a path through ingrained skepticism, negative conditioning, and fear so that we can hear the call? This is the question fundamental to spiritual questing. Receptivity is the first step in the art of sign reading, discerning the calls that point life choices toward meaningful action. Levoy's tools include dream interpretation, relating physical symptoms to their metaphysical correspondences (i.e. the recurring pain in the neck), and recognizing serendipitous events. Learn to discern, Levoy instructs, distinguishing, for example, between true inner guidance and the babble in our heads. And don't expect a big "call," flashing chariots and burning bushes. Rather, Levoy will help the reader cultivate a sensitivity to the still, small voice within.
Since it's inspiration through old truths and classic adages, the success of the message depends, naturally, on a kind of practical clarity. At times frustrating, Callings entices the reader toward self-transformation with New Age rhetoric and examples not always applicable to our more ordinary plights. Quoting the impassioned Annie Dillard may be swell ("The thing is to stalk your calling in a certain skilled and supple way, to locate the most tender and live spot and plug into the pulse"), but--in the long run--metaphor is metaphor and how-to, though less stately and exalted, is the practical precursor to action. Readers familiar with the literature of self-actualization will want to skim the lengthy introduction with its fervent and redundant references to our spiritual spin doctors--Sufi poets Kabir and Rumi; Joseph Campbell; Kierkegaard. But like many deft cartographers of the subterranean terrain, Levoy's mixed bag of metaphor, anecdote, and myth ultimately inspires and encourages the hungry soul to define itself in relation to the divine. For those who can afford to ask these "quality-of- life" questions, Callings offers heartfelt crazy wisdom. Above all else, it's sound nutrient in our spiritually hollow time.
From Library Journal
If life is truly a process and not a destination, the possibility of actually trying a few of the alternate routes that occasionally beckon becomes real. In this inspiring book, Levoy, formerly a columnist for the Cincinnati Inquirer, shares the personal journeys of an assortment of people who were willing to take risks to find their authentic selves, unsure whether they would achieve self-actualization or enrichment. The author followed his own calling and is now a freelance writer and lecturer and teaches journalism. Elevated far above the category of self-help by Levoy's masterly writing, this book reads more like a philosophical guide for those who dare to examine their dreams and take action to explore them. He includes an extensive bibliography and instructions on contacting the people who shared their personal stories for a "continued" dialog. Recommended, especially for those readers who've experienced enough of life to wonder if it was meant to include authenticity and joy.?Catherine T. Charvat, John Marshall Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Inside Flap
ng! Wonderful! Levoy writes like a poet. His material is both spiritual and practical. I don't know another book that deals with callings in quite the same way." <br>--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine<br><br>How do we know if we're following our true callings? How do we sharpen our senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and hear the calls that are beckoning us? <br><br>Callings is a passionate look at the search for authenticity. In a style that is poetic, exuberant, and keenly insightful, Gregg Levoy breathes contemporary life into the ancient topic of callings. He presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listen and respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in our relationships or in service.<br><br>Callings is the first book to examine the many kinds of calls we receive, and the great variety of channels through which they come to us
by Gregg Michael Levoy (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 293 ratings
"Stunning! Wonderful! Levoy writes like a poet. His material is both spiritual and practical. I don't know another book that deals with callings in quite the same way."
--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine
How do we know if we're following our true callings? How do we sharpen our senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and hear the calls that are beckoning us?
Callings is a passionate look at the search for authenticity. In a style that is poetic, exuberant, and keenly insightful, Gregg Levoy breathes contemporary life into the ancient topic of callings. He presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listen and respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in our relationships or in service.
Callings is the first book to examine the many kinds of calls we receive, and the great variety of channels through which they come to us. A calling may be to do something (change careers, go back to school, leave or start a relationship, move to the country, have a child) or to be something (more creative, less judgmental, more loving). You may be called toward or away from something, called to change or renew your commitment to something, or called to return to a place or pursuit in an entirely new way. You may be called toward whatever you have dared and double-dared yourself to do for as long as you can remember.
Gregg Levoy draws on the hard-won wisdom and powerful stories of people who have followed their own calls, to show us the many ways to translate a calling into action. While honoring a calling's essential mystery, the book also guides readers to ask and answer the fundamental questions that arise from any calling: How do we recognize it? How do we distinguish the true calls from the siren song? How do we handle our resistance to a call? What happens when we say no? What happens when we say yes?
Whether your interest in callings is personal or professional, and whether the calls you hear are great trumpetings or the more common daily summonses to pay attention to your intuition, you will find this beautiful book an inspiration. It is a compassionate guide to discovering your own callings and negotiating the tight passages to personal power and authenticity.
339 pages
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,424
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The lure of true calling is as powerful as it is exacting and Gregg Levoy's Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life plays upon this common yearning. Indeed, many recognize that there floats somewhere out there "... a call to each of us to materialize ourselves." And everyone can make his or her life "come true," attests Levoy, whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, and Psychology Today, if one can learn to read the signs that point one toward one's calling.
But how do we attune--clear a path through ingrained skepticism, negative conditioning, and fear so that we can hear the call? This is the question fundamental to spiritual questing. Receptivity is the first step in the art of sign reading, discerning the calls that point life choices toward meaningful action. Levoy's tools include dream interpretation, relating physical symptoms to their metaphysical correspondences (i.e. the recurring pain in the neck), and recognizing serendipitous events. Learn to discern, Levoy instructs, distinguishing, for example, between true inner guidance and the babble in our heads. And don't expect a big "call," flashing chariots and burning bushes. Rather, Levoy will help the reader cultivate a sensitivity to the still, small voice within.
Since it's inspiration through old truths and classic adages, the success of the message depends, naturally, on a kind of practical clarity. At times frustrating, Callings entices the reader toward self-transformation with New Age rhetoric and examples not always applicable to our more ordinary plights. Quoting the impassioned Annie Dillard may be swell ("The thing is to stalk your calling in a certain skilled and supple way, to locate the most tender and live spot and plug into the pulse"), but--in the long run--metaphor is metaphor and how-to, though less stately and exalted, is the practical precursor to action. Readers familiar with the literature of self-actualization will want to skim the lengthy introduction with its fervent and redundant references to our spiritual spin doctors--Sufi poets Kabir and Rumi; Joseph Campbell; Kierkegaard. But like many deft cartographers of the subterranean terrain, Levoy's mixed bag of metaphor, anecdote, and myth ultimately inspires and encourages the hungry soul to define itself in relation to the divine. For those who can afford to ask these "quality-of- life" questions, Callings offers heartfelt crazy wisdom. Above all else, it's sound nutrient in our spiritually hollow time.
From Library Journal
If life is truly a process and not a destination, the possibility of actually trying a few of the alternate routes that occasionally beckon becomes real. In this inspiring book, Levoy, formerly a columnist for the Cincinnati Inquirer, shares the personal journeys of an assortment of people who were willing to take risks to find their authentic selves, unsure whether they would achieve self-actualization or enrichment. The author followed his own calling and is now a freelance writer and lecturer and teaches journalism. Elevated far above the category of self-help by Levoy's masterly writing, this book reads more like a philosophical guide for those who dare to examine their dreams and take action to explore them. He includes an extensive bibliography and instructions on contacting the people who shared their personal stories for a "continued" dialog. Recommended, especially for those readers who've experienced enough of life to wonder if it was meant to include authenticity and joy.?Catherine T. Charvat, John Marshall Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Inside Flap
ng! Wonderful! Levoy writes like a poet. His material is both spiritual and practical. I don't know another book that deals with callings in quite the same way." <br>--Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine<br><br>How do we know if we're following our true callings? How do we sharpen our senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and hear the calls that are beckoning us? <br><br>Callings is a passionate look at the search for authenticity. In a style that is poetic, exuberant, and keenly insightful, Gregg Levoy breathes contemporary life into the ancient topic of callings. He presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listen and respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in our relationships or in service.<br><br>Callings is the first book to examine the many kinds of calls we receive, and the great variety of channels through which they come to us
From the Back Cover
"Gregg Levoy offers a discerning eye for peering into one's life to translate the recurring symptoms of refusing the inner voices, to gather the courage to answer what calls. He does this with good writing, humor, and a strong clarion voice."
--Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D., author of Women Who Run with the Wolves, The Gift of Story, and The Faithful Gardener
"Callings can help you discover your true vocation--and help you hear the still small voice that calls you by name."
--Sam Keen, Ph.D., author of Fire in the Belly and Hymns to an Unknown God
"Gregg Levoy has written about the nature of guidance with a ringing clarity. Callings is a spiritual seduction that gives form to a universal mystery. I'd recommend it to anyone who is seeking to hold the divine hand through a transition in their lives."
--Caroline Myss, Ph.D., author of Anatomy of the Spirit
About the Author
GREGG LEVOY, author of This Business of Writing, is a full-time freelance writer whose essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, Omni, Psychology Today, and others, and is the recipient of a first-place writing award from the Associated Press. Formerly a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and adjunct professor of journalism at the University of New Mexico, he actively lectures and teaches workshops about callings.
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Publisher : Harmony; 1st edition (September 16, 1997)
Hardcover : 339 pages
Gregg Michael Levoy
Gregg Levoy is the author of 'Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion' (Penguin), and 'Callings: Finding and Following An Authentic Life' (Random House)----rated among the "Top 20 Career Publications" by the Workforce Information Group and a text in various graduate programs in Management and Organizational Leadership.
He is a former “behavioral specialist” at USA Today, and a regular blogger for Psychology Today.
He is a lecturer and seminar-leader in the business, educational, governmental, faith-based and human-potential arenas, and has keynoted and presented workshops at the Smithsonian Institution, Environmental Protection Agency, National League of Cities, National Conference on Positive Aging, Microsoft, British Petroleum, American Express, Ascension Health, Americorps, Michigan National Bank, the Universities of California/Colorado/Washington/Arizona/Nevada/Wisconsin/Texas and others, the American Counseling Association, National Career Development Association, International Association of Career Management Professionals, National Association of Colleges & Employers, Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, and others, and has been a frequent guest of the media, including ABC-TV, CNN, NPR and PBS.
A former adjunct professor of journalism at the University of New Mexico, former columnist and reporter for USA Today and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and author of 'This Business of Writing' (Writer’s Digest Books), he has written for the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, Omni, Psychology Today, Christian Science Monitor, Reader’s Digest, and many others, as well as for corporate, promotional and television projects. His website is www.gregglevoy.com.
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
rsally
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
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This book is great. It has helped me as a career counselor.
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M. McCarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars One of My Top 5 Favorite BooksReviewed in the United States on July 23, 2006
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Top reviews from the United States
rsally
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is great. It has helped me as a career counselor.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
M. McCarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars One of My Top 5 Favorite BooksReviewed in the United States on July 23, 2006
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I first read Gregg Levoy's book several years ago. It was by far the best book on the subject of callings I had ever come across. Being in the field of organizational development has led me to many books on the topic, but none that compares to this.
What I love about this book is that it talks not just of
- the importance of finding your calling(s), but goes on in depth to
- address the question of "once you find it what happens next?", as well as
- "if I follow it and it throws my whole life up in the air, then what?"
This book is a rare gem because Levoy draws together many minds on the subject of callings. He is a consummate storyteller, which I love, because it's a book of people's actual journeys rather than purely the author's philosophy.
I've re-read this book twice and have bought nearly 500 copies which I give to clients and executive teams, many at major corporations in the US, Canada and Europe.
Every time I give it to someone they tell me they've gone on to buy more copies for others. If you read this book and it doesn't speak to you, it might mean you're not ready to pursue a calling that's niggling at you. If so, pick it up again later and you might find it the perfect book. Every time I've read it, something new jumps out at me realting to the place I'm in at the time. I also went on to sign up for Gregg Levoy's Callings Workshop, which was spectacular. It led me to bring the author to both Chicago and the U.K. to speak to my clients. You can find out when his workshops are happening by going to [...]
15 people found this helpful
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Tanis Coralee Leonhardi
5.0 out of 5 stars What is your heartcall?Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2020
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Tanis Coralee Leonhardi
5.0 out of 5 stars What is your heartcall?Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2020
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Maybe you just love rocks (like me!)
or maybe your heart calls out to something that in today’s world just doesn’t seem feasible.
I liked this book as it provides some clarity on if you are just doing what others want you to do or if you are following your true callings. A good read if your feel you are at a crossroads and need some clarity on how to proceed and what to pursue that stays true to you. After all maybe those rocks calling prevent the next mass extinction (that falls in the wheelehouse of geology) or you tell the story of how the mountain next to the home you were raised in was formed and the minerals and Earth processes that made it what we see and experience today.
5 people found this helpful
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Shiva
3.0 out of 5 stars Poetic prose ad nauseum. Just about every paragraph quotes someone else. Repetitive - too many flowery analogies.Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2016
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Shiva
3.0 out of 5 stars Poetic prose ad nauseum. Just about every paragraph quotes someone else. Repetitive - too many flowery analogies.Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2016
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- Yes, the author definitely writes like a poet and that's part of what attracted me to this book - that and the sneak peek of what's inside.
- But like a movie trailer - the best parts for me are what was free to read. I wanted to hear more about how to hone my intuition - how to sensitise myself to my own inner voice.
- What I got was lot's of pretty words but no clear direction. It seemed to me that the writer cared more about flowery prose then content - there was way too much embellishment.
- After a while I was bored and distracted by it. Also, this guy loves to quote people - at least one per page it seems - often one per paragraph. That drove me nuts. He also beats a point to death with a host of verbose analogies - way more than necessary.
- Glad others liked the book but I couldn't finish it. I gave it three stars for the parts that did help me but it was only a small portion of the book. Honestly I really wanted to give it two stars but so many people seemed to have liked this book it didn't seem fair.
12 people found this helpful
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Lydia Pettis
4.0 out of 5 stars Pages out of orderReviewed in the United States on January 7, 2012
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This is a deep and rich exploration of all stages of being called to live a more authentic life.
Being called is not an easy path; rather it is one that may involve resistance, impatience, and more time than you ever imagined. If you are in the midst of the waiting, or are wondering if the payoff will be worth the investment, this book will normalize your experience and help you to relax into the process. Callings are as much about simply being as doing. Overall I found this to be an inspiring and satisfying book, one that helped me to take some of the pressure off myself by putting my own experience into perspective.
On every page there are 1 - 3 quotes from others. This is both a blessing and an occasional annoyance. Finally, buyer beware, the last 30 pages of this book are out of order (I returned the first one, the second one was the same).
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Dogearred Bookmarker
5.0 out of 5 stars There was even a good and honest chapter about refusing a callingReviewed in the United States on October 5, 2015
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Let me begin by saying that I think this is the first book I've read that has more dogearred pages than pages without turned down corners. The book is well organized, very well written, loaded with soul and spirit-opening material, juicy quotes, enlightening stories that don't always end the way you expect and tempered with warnings about the hard work and failures that answering a call entails. There was even a good and honest chapter about refusing a calling.
On every page there are 1 - 3 quotes from others. This is both a blessing and an occasional annoyance. Finally, buyer beware, the last 30 pages of this book are out of order (I returned the first one, the second one was the same).
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Dogearred Bookmarker
5.0 out of 5 stars There was even a good and honest chapter about refusing a callingReviewed in the United States on October 5, 2015
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Let me begin by saying that I think this is the first book I've read that has more dogearred pages than pages without turned down corners. The book is well organized, very well written, loaded with soul and spirit-opening material, juicy quotes, enlightening stories that don't always end the way you expect and tempered with warnings about the hard work and failures that answering a call entails. There was even a good and honest chapter about refusing a calling.
I was struck by a list of contact information for many of the people whose stories appear in the book. There is an extensive bibliography. I wish there had been an index though that would have been a tough task in a book of this nature. I know what I am giving my friends at the Adoration Chapel this Christmas and other friends who share a spiritual nature.
14 people found this helpful
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byondmyrs
5.0 out of 5 stars Levoy is a brilliant writer with a worthy cause -- our fulfillment!Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2019
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I was assigned this book by one of my favorite professors in graduate school for counseling psychology, and as an incredibly nit-picky reader I was astounded by the quality of Levoy's writing. Through his rich case examples and deeply heartfelt storytelling, he takes us on several people's journeys with the ultimate purpose of supporting the exploration of our own paths. Rather than trying to sell us on a particular method or espouse a singular approach, Levoy deftly hints at the treasures we can unfold in cultivating awareness of our most transcendent capabilities and wishes.
8 people found this helpful
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Leenie
5.0 out of 5 stars StunningReviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017
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This book is stunning. I loved the mix of mythology, symbolism, and real-life stories which are used to explain each point. The author really offers a unique and rare perspective on the subject of callings. There is so much in this book it's almost a little overwhelming - I was completely hooked once I got started reading it, yet I would need to set it down frequently in order to ponder and digest the content. This is a book for people at a crossroads, and for people who feel like they have been sleep-walking through life and would like to awaken. I particularly liked the section addressing the shadow side of callings - the sense of ambivalence or even self-sabotage and how to be aware of it.
9 people found this helpful
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Jeff
9 reviews
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May 24, 2008
I first read this book back in the late '90s and have proceeded to read it at least once a year annually since then. I am now on my fourth copy, having read two copies to tatters and loaned out a third to a good friend (who is undoubtedly affected enough by the material for me to not warrant asking for its return).
In paradoxically light yet profound way,
14 people found this helpful
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byondmyrs
5.0 out of 5 stars Levoy is a brilliant writer with a worthy cause -- our fulfillment!Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
I was assigned this book by one of my favorite professors in graduate school for counseling psychology, and as an incredibly nit-picky reader I was astounded by the quality of Levoy's writing. Through his rich case examples and deeply heartfelt storytelling, he takes us on several people's journeys with the ultimate purpose of supporting the exploration of our own paths. Rather than trying to sell us on a particular method or espouse a singular approach, Levoy deftly hints at the treasures we can unfold in cultivating awareness of our most transcendent capabilities and wishes.
8 people found this helpful
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Leenie
5.0 out of 5 stars StunningReviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is stunning. I loved the mix of mythology, symbolism, and real-life stories which are used to explain each point. The author really offers a unique and rare perspective on the subject of callings. There is so much in this book it's almost a little overwhelming - I was completely hooked once I got started reading it, yet I would need to set it down frequently in order to ponder and digest the content. This is a book for people at a crossroads, and for people who feel like they have been sleep-walking through life and would like to awaken. I particularly liked the section addressing the shadow side of callings - the sense of ambivalence or even self-sabotage and how to be aware of it.
9 people found this helpful
Jeff
9 reviews
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May 24, 2008
I first read this book back in the late '90s and have proceeded to read it at least once a year annually since then. I am now on my fourth copy, having read two copies to tatters and loaned out a third to a good friend (who is undoubtedly affected enough by the material for me to not warrant asking for its return).
In paradoxically light yet profound way,
"Callings" trolls the collective human consciousness for familiar and foreign concepts interwoven in history through such vehicles as fable, parable, mythology, spirituality, philosophy, and more that are meant to address such issues as:
* The existence of transformative "callings" in life
* How to distinguish the "true call from the siren song"
* Learning to appreciate and act upon the smallest signs and calls for change
* Do we have any obligations with regard to callings? If so, what would/could be the consequences?
Moreover, the author is blessed with an intoxicatingly addictive writing style that pulls from international historical, spiritual, and contemporary sources to paint the prose with a rainbow of multi-sensory literary hues.
* The existence of transformative "callings" in life
* How to distinguish the "true call from the siren song"
* Learning to appreciate and act upon the smallest signs and calls for change
* Do we have any obligations with regard to callings? If so, what would/could be the consequences?
Moreover, the author is blessed with an intoxicatingly addictive writing style that pulls from international historical, spiritual, and contemporary sources to paint the prose with a rainbow of multi-sensory literary hues.
The information herein appeals to humanity on a larger, higher level for it is a common navigational thread throughout all of recorded existence and one that transcends denominations, political parties and even commercialized pop thought.
It provides an avenue to understanding and embracing the ubiquitous human question we all (typically silently) ask. Very insightful and masterly written, "Callings" is a call to action for the armchair life enthusiast in all of us and proffers a host of relevant and accessible thought trains that will simultaneously entertain, stimulate, and bless the reader's mind with enrichment.
metaphysical-spirituality
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Brenda Brown
2 reviews1 follower
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December 13, 2012
I wasn't "looking" for this book but saw it on a table many years ago at a large bookstore in Atlanta. This is simply one of the most influential and lovely non-fiction books I have read in my 46 years; I have recommended it to many others who have told me how special it was to them. Thank you Gregg Levoy.
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Dave
3 reviews
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March 26, 2008
This book has a special place in my heart and it's impacted my life in a signficant way. It all started when I met the author "by chance" in Asheville, NC last year.
At the time I was searching in my life and had travelled for a vacation to Asheville (my first time in Asheville actually). One evening I was in downtown and saw a group of people playing drums outside in the open air. One of the men playing seemed to stick out to me - somehow you could tell he had great passion for what he was doing. I noticed it immediately and for that reason he made an impression on me. Later that night I was in a coffee shop and looked up to see him sitting outside alone. I don't often get this feeling but something inside me compelled me to go talk to the guy.
metaphysical-spirituality
13 likes
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Brenda Brown
2 reviews1 follower
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December 13, 2012
I wasn't "looking" for this book but saw it on a table many years ago at a large bookstore in Atlanta. This is simply one of the most influential and lovely non-fiction books I have read in my 46 years; I have recommended it to many others who have told me how special it was to them. Thank you Gregg Levoy.
8 likes
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Dave
3 reviews
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March 26, 2008
This book has a special place in my heart and it's impacted my life in a signficant way. It all started when I met the author "by chance" in Asheville, NC last year.
At the time I was searching in my life and had travelled for a vacation to Asheville (my first time in Asheville actually). One evening I was in downtown and saw a group of people playing drums outside in the open air. One of the men playing seemed to stick out to me - somehow you could tell he had great passion for what he was doing. I noticed it immediately and for that reason he made an impression on me. Later that night I was in a coffee shop and looked up to see him sitting outside alone. I don't often get this feeling but something inside me compelled me to go talk to the guy.
I introduced myself and told him a bit about my life, how I was searching, wondering about careers, passion in life, and that I had noticed when he played he did so with passion. We talked for a while and he mentioned that he was an author and had just written a book about people that have passion in their life, and people that don't. I was fascinated and before the weekend was over I had bought the book and started reading it.
The book is very thought-provoking, very deep. Often I will read just a few pages and feel I need to stop and really think about the meaning for my life.
I don't agree with all of the authors viewpoints, and at times the thoughts seem somewhat scattered and random. But in general it is a fantastic book, loaded with a lot of meaning and things to provoke thought. I would highly recommend it to anyone searching for clarity in their career or life. It provides an excellent resource for extracting the basic "themes" of one's life, and helps get to the crux of your values and beliefs.
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Annette
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ReadMay 15, 2013
Use this book often with clients. Return to its poetry and clarity myself from time to time when moving into a new project.
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Lee
49 reviews2 followers
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January 5, 2020
Some really beautiful stories and musings in this book, as well as some deeply personal reflections. A bit overlong, and the writing style is distracting at times.
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Caitlin H
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December 9, 2017
I put this on my to-read even though, when it came time to read it, i was uncertain about it. I didn't know if it would be filled with out-of-date claims, or drivel that was never in date, so to speak. I thought maybe it would be too optimistic, too late '90s, too baby boomer for me to take seriously.
Thankfully, none of this turned out to be the case. Instead, the book is, on the whole, thoughtful, rich, & deep.
For example, Gregg Levoy doesn't advocate for throwing your job away, which usually seems to be the sentiment of most people who parrot "follow your bliss". This, aside from some Tweets recently, is the first time that i feel like i've seen this practicality. Some of us need a day job, if only for a while, but we're still practically made to feel like shit about it. Even though society might collapse if everyone who had a bliss or a dream went & followed it, we're still hearing that's what we should be doing, & that we're wasting something if we're not. And you could argue that Levoy is kind of on this side, & you wouldn't be entirely wrong. But i feel that Levoy is more concerned with what we ignore in our lives, what we sacrifice on the altar of practicality even when we could have a more fulfilling life.
Levoy goes through it all in this book, & he tells stories of others as well as himself to illuminate his points. You get to see his own foibles, which makes me feel more willing to hear what he has to say. He's no guru. He also struggles. He's not holier than thou, he's in life with everyone else. But he pays attention to things, & listens to people. He relates many stories throughout the course of Callings, & oftentimes, they begin with people holding themselves back somehow. They're people who have something that they want to do, but they push it off & away, saying they couldn't possibly do it. It's like pushing away food when you're incredibly hungry, while insisting you're not. Only once these people admit that they are hungry do their lives open up.
And i'm sure that there's still a healthy dose of '90s optimism. The book was published in 1997, after all. But Levoy doesn't make it sound like everything will easily fall into your lap once you say "yes" to a calling. Contrary to other modern "law of attraction" type things, Levoy lets you know that it will most likely be hard, that you'll have to work for it, that it won't be smooth. He actually counters a lot that gets parroted these days: if your path is smooth & straight, he says, that doesn't mean it's the right one. And vice versa, with a rough path, it doesn't mean it's the wrong one.
There were parts where the writing grew rough, like when the author meets a trans woman. Aside from his "holy shit" response, he misgenders her, using "he" as the pronoun. This was, thankfully, very brief. Although Levoy sounds sympathetic to the woman trying to live her life, it's still not taken care of so well. If you are queer, especially if you're trans, this could be incredibly jarring & mar the whole experience of the book for you.
Overall, this book was deeply impactful for me. I want to own a copy, I want other people to read it. It makes you want to reevaluate your life & priorities. It makes you thoughtful.
for-the-thing-maybe library-book religion-spirituality
1 like
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Rebecca
35 reviews31 followers
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November 24, 2014
This is an excellent book on identifying and acting (or not) on personal callings. I had begun this book several times since I got it back in the late 90s but never finished it - obviously because I wasn't ready for it. But this time I relished it from cover to cover and gained much from it's words. Levoy helps the reader identify what a calling looks like and feels like and then provides the pros and cons of both accepting and denying a calling. This is not a book of magical thinking. It is a book of straight talk about what one gains and what one must lose in the acceptance of a calling and how that acceptance is an ongoing process that must be repeated as needed - one "yes" isn't enough. We must continue to say "yes" and continue to act and move forward in the direction of the calling even if it is only in the smallest of steps. I found it very enlightening and affirming in my own recognition and acceptance of my own calling. Highly recommended to the spiritual seeker.
life-project mental-health personal-library
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1 like
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John G.
222 reviews12 followers
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January 2, 2016
This is one of the best books about calling and vocational discernment out there, the author writes with clarity, experience and sensitivity. He's not preachy or condescending in any way, this book heavily relies on the subjective, sorry no easy, set pat answers here for you or me. There's a lot of wisdom in this book, he's walked the walk and you can sense he's truly motivated to share with answers, he in fact, shines from one who has found his own calling. Highly recommend, it will bear repeated readings, but in the best of ways!
figuring-out-life
1 like
The book is very thought-provoking, very deep. Often I will read just a few pages and feel I need to stop and really think about the meaning for my life.
I don't agree with all of the authors viewpoints, and at times the thoughts seem somewhat scattered and random. But in general it is a fantastic book, loaded with a lot of meaning and things to provoke thought. I would highly recommend it to anyone searching for clarity in their career or life. It provides an excellent resource for extracting the basic "themes" of one's life, and helps get to the crux of your values and beliefs.
6 likes
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Annette
277 reviews1 follower
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ReadMay 15, 2013
Use this book often with clients. Return to its poetry and clarity myself from time to time when moving into a new project.
3 likes
Lee
49 reviews2 followers
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January 5, 2020
Some really beautiful stories and musings in this book, as well as some deeply personal reflections. A bit overlong, and the writing style is distracting at times.
1 like
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Caitlin H
103 reviews16 followers
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December 9, 2017
I put this on my to-read even though, when it came time to read it, i was uncertain about it. I didn't know if it would be filled with out-of-date claims, or drivel that was never in date, so to speak. I thought maybe it would be too optimistic, too late '90s, too baby boomer for me to take seriously.
Thankfully, none of this turned out to be the case. Instead, the book is, on the whole, thoughtful, rich, & deep.
For example, Gregg Levoy doesn't advocate for throwing your job away, which usually seems to be the sentiment of most people who parrot "follow your bliss". This, aside from some Tweets recently, is the first time that i feel like i've seen this practicality. Some of us need a day job, if only for a while, but we're still practically made to feel like shit about it. Even though society might collapse if everyone who had a bliss or a dream went & followed it, we're still hearing that's what we should be doing, & that we're wasting something if we're not. And you could argue that Levoy is kind of on this side, & you wouldn't be entirely wrong. But i feel that Levoy is more concerned with what we ignore in our lives, what we sacrifice on the altar of practicality even when we could have a more fulfilling life.
Levoy goes through it all in this book, & he tells stories of others as well as himself to illuminate his points. You get to see his own foibles, which makes me feel more willing to hear what he has to say. He's no guru. He also struggles. He's not holier than thou, he's in life with everyone else. But he pays attention to things, & listens to people. He relates many stories throughout the course of Callings, & oftentimes, they begin with people holding themselves back somehow. They're people who have something that they want to do, but they push it off & away, saying they couldn't possibly do it. It's like pushing away food when you're incredibly hungry, while insisting you're not. Only once these people admit that they are hungry do their lives open up.
And i'm sure that there's still a healthy dose of '90s optimism. The book was published in 1997, after all. But Levoy doesn't make it sound like everything will easily fall into your lap once you say "yes" to a calling. Contrary to other modern "law of attraction" type things, Levoy lets you know that it will most likely be hard, that you'll have to work for it, that it won't be smooth. He actually counters a lot that gets parroted these days: if your path is smooth & straight, he says, that doesn't mean it's the right one. And vice versa, with a rough path, it doesn't mean it's the wrong one.
There were parts where the writing grew rough, like when the author meets a trans woman. Aside from his "holy shit" response, he misgenders her, using "he" as the pronoun. This was, thankfully, very brief. Although Levoy sounds sympathetic to the woman trying to live her life, it's still not taken care of so well. If you are queer, especially if you're trans, this could be incredibly jarring & mar the whole experience of the book for you.
Overall, this book was deeply impactful for me. I want to own a copy, I want other people to read it. It makes you want to reevaluate your life & priorities. It makes you thoughtful.
for-the-thing-maybe library-book religion-spirituality
1 like
Like
Comment
Rebecca
35 reviews31 followers
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November 24, 2014
This is an excellent book on identifying and acting (or not) on personal callings. I had begun this book several times since I got it back in the late 90s but never finished it - obviously because I wasn't ready for it. But this time I relished it from cover to cover and gained much from it's words. Levoy helps the reader identify what a calling looks like and feels like and then provides the pros and cons of both accepting and denying a calling. This is not a book of magical thinking. It is a book of straight talk about what one gains and what one must lose in the acceptance of a calling and how that acceptance is an ongoing process that must be repeated as needed - one "yes" isn't enough. We must continue to say "yes" and continue to act and move forward in the direction of the calling even if it is only in the smallest of steps. I found it very enlightening and affirming in my own recognition and acceptance of my own calling. Highly recommended to the spiritual seeker.
life-project mental-health personal-library
...more
1 like
Like
Comment
John G.
222 reviews12 followers
Follow
January 2, 2016
This is one of the best books about calling and vocational discernment out there, the author writes with clarity, experience and sensitivity. He's not preachy or condescending in any way, this book heavily relies on the subjective, sorry no easy, set pat answers here for you or me. There's a lot of wisdom in this book, he's walked the walk and you can sense he's truly motivated to share with answers, he in fact, shines from one who has found his own calling. Highly recommend, it will bear repeated readings, but in the best of ways!
figuring-out-life
1 like
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Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life
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