Mark Matousek

“This is a beautiful book, full of ideas that could help restore America’s genius for freedom and promise.” —Thomas Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Care of the SoulA lifelong Emersonian scholar, teacher, and spiritual seeker reveals how American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson’s twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a spiritual revolutionary whose profound vision of human potential came to define the American character. Known as America’s original Stoic, he offered a radical message of optimism, authenticity, and self-realization that is more necessary today than ever. In this timely, remarkable book, noted memoirist and teacher Mark Matousek reveals the depths of Emerson’s extraordinary wisdom, demonstrating how his timeless philosophy can help us navigate the challenges of contemporary life. Using personal stories, psychological research, and life lessons from Emerson and his contemporaries—including Thoreau and Whitman—he offers practical lessons in the art of living. They include:ON ORIGINALITY—Character is everythingON PERSPECTIVE—You are how you seeON NONCONFORMITY—Build your own worldON RESILIENCE—Without confidence, the universe is against youON VITALITY—A stream of power runs through youAnd moreEmerson’s far-reaching vision of excellence and spiritual flourishing is the medicine we need to heal ourselves. “Trust yourself,” he teaches. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” This philosophy of hope, known as transcendentalism, is the vein of gold in the American psyche. Lessons from an American Stoic helps us to reclaim our national treasure.

Mark Matousek was a nonbeliever when he met Mother Meera in 1985. Yet, in her presence, he experienced inexplicable occurrences that forced him to challenge his worldview. Mother Meera, born Kamala Reddy is believed by her thousands of devotees to be an embodiment of the Divine Mother. But who is Mother Meera, really? Now, in this deeply moving and wise book, Matousek takes us as close as possible to this extraordinary woman. Is divine incarnation truly possible, he asks, as most of the world's religions insist? Speaking to members of her inner circle, working at her school for the poor in India, and interviewing the elusive master herself, Matousek takes the reader on a mysterious quest into the "unseen world" where the divine and human intersect.

Um amante, professor e buscador espiritual de toda a vida de Ralph Waldo Emerson revela como os doze ensinamentos essenciais do fil sofo americano cont m a resposta para viver uma vida aut ntica e plena, que esteja em harmonia com nossas almas. Neste livro s bio e esclarecedor, o premiado autor Mark Matousek revela como a sabedoria atemporal de Emerson pode nos ajudar com os problemas que enfrentamos hoje. O "estoico original" da Am rica confrontou muitas das quest es que temos diante de n s, desde a polariza o s not cias falsas, dos pol ticos corruptos e do materialismo desenfreado ao flagelo do racismo. Matousek explica que o caminho de autossufici ncia de Emerson pode melhorar radicalmente a sua qualidade de vida. Tamb m conhecido como Or culo da Conc rdia, ele enfatizou o autoconhecimento e a aten o plena como caminhos para a felicidade, tal como os estoicos antes dele. medida que o mundo descobre mais uma vez o poder do estoicismo, Matousek mostra por que a vis o de Emerson, cujos princ pios s o universais, precisamente o rem dio de que precisamos hoje. O fil sofo nos incentiva a abandonar conven es e banalidades, a nos explorar em profundidade, a dizer a verdade sobre o que encontramos l e a despertar para nosso maior potencial.

"A sensitive meditation on death, family and masculinity that asks hard questions about a culture without fathers" --Out"I was four years old when my father came back to kidnap me," begins this gripping memoir about Matousek's search for James Matousek, the drifter father he never knew. Matousek chronicles his compelling search for his own father by hiring a detective and reveals his own life as he follows the hard-bitten investigator from one dead-end to the next. Described by the New York Times as " part reminiscence, part detective story, part spiritual musing," this memoir is more than the story of one man's search for his father; it is also a look at the meaning of life and how fathers contribute to that meaning.

A lifelong Emerson lover, teacher, and spiritual seeker reveals how American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson’s twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a spiritual revolutionary whose profound vision of human potential came to define the American character. Known as America’s original Stoic, he offered a radical message of optimism, authenticity, and self-realization that is more necessary today than ever. In this timely, remarkable book, noted memoirist and teacher Mark Matousek reveals the depths of Emerson’s extraordinary wisdom, demonstrating how his timeless philosophy can help us navigate the challenges of contemporary life. Using personal stories, psychological research, and life lessons from Emerson and his contemporaries—including Thoreau and Whitman— he offers practical lessons in the art of living. In the following pages, you will discover:Why Emerson should be considered America’s original stoicHow to dispel the illusion of our own powerlessness and turn toward boundless human potentialPractical tools for cultivating happiness in a fragile, unpredictable, dangerous worldThe gifts of self-reliance and spiritual renewal necessary for thrivingA roadmap to discovering essential wisdom on living an authentic and meaningful lifeEmerson’s far-reaching vision of excellence and spiritual flourishing is the medicine we need to heal ourselves. “Trust yourself,” he teaches. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” This philosophy of hope, known as transcendentalism, is the vein of gold in the American psyche. Lessons from an American Stoic helps us to reclaim our national treasure.

"It's hard to know when you're having a breakdown in New York City. The symptoms of living here, succeeding here, and losing your mind here are almost identical." So begins Matousek's 1996 breakout memoir about leaving a fast-track publishing life (working for pop artist Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine) and hitting the dharma trail in search of a meaningful life and spiritual wisdom. Hailed by Publisher's Weekly as "brave, beautiful, and brilliantly observed," Sex Death Enlightenment became an international best seller (published in 10 countries). Like Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love and Paul Monette in Borrowed Time, Matousek takes the reader on an insightful, rollicking search for answers to life's deepest questions in this landmark memoir. "Mark Matousek takes you everywhere his title promises - and then some. Sex Death Enlightenment is the most gripping and elegantly written memoir I've read in ages. It tugged me onward like the best suspense novel, though I couldn't help lingering time and again to savor its wisdom." --Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City "An extraordinarily articulate chronicle of how the sickness of our time can spawn spiritual awakening and compassion." --Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now and Grist For the Mill "Brave, beautiful and brilliantly observed." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Writing to Awaken is an inspirational investigation of the self through expressive writing, guiding you along the path of awakening through radical truth-telling and self-inquiry. With targeted and revelatory questions, you'll be prompted to explore your own personal narrative-to write honestly about your deepest wounds, greatest challenges, hidden gifts, yearnings, and opportunities for growth-in order to discover a deeply authentic understanding of yourself and move toward a more liberated, truthful life. We each have our own story, a personal myth constructed from the content life presents us: we connect dots to shape the narrative, devise plotlines from circumstance, change characters, fashion conflicts, and adjust structure, settings, and themes as our lives unfold. But so often, over time, we come to believe that we are our story, identifying so strongly with the tales we've told ourselves and others that we cling to them for our very existence-even when they don't quite fit. The realization that there's a discrepancy between the narrative you've crafted and your authentic self can be disconcerting at first, but the exploration of that gap is a doorway to personal freedom, and this book will lead you through it. The writing exercises in this guide, one for nearly every week of the year, ask you to tell the whole truth about your experience. In doing so, you'll come to realize that once you engage in this radical truth-telling, expressing yourself with complete honesty, your story changes; and when your story changes, your life is transformed. Rather than sticking with your illusive and tricky "Story of Me," you'll be prompted to go even deeper, piercing your personal myth and illuminating aspects of psyche and spirit that give way to profound moments of understanding and personal healing. This is not a how-to book for writers; it's an invitation on a journey of self-discovery-a guide to facing yourself without flinching, accepting yourself as you are, surrendering to what is, and daring to question and transform what isn't true. With Writing to Awaken, you'll learn how to break free from the trance of mistaken identity and discover your essential, authentic self.

When You're Falling, Dive is a beautifully written guide to putting the pain we all experience in life to positive use. Based on interviews, accounts and his own hard won experience, Mark Matousek uncovers the power of drawing passion, beauty and wisdom from the unlikeliest of places. Discover your own inner strength and start living a life of effortless grace. When You're Falling, Dive features contributions from Joan Didion, Elie Wiesel, Isabel Allende, Eckhart Tolle, Jon Kabat Zinn and Sogyal Rinpoche as well as many other incredible stories from sources known and unknown of life's incredible power to renew.