The Call

August 4, 2003
The author, a workshop and retreat leader, follows up her two earlier bestsellers (The Invitation
and The Dance) with the spiritual search that is at the center of all our lives. On a 40-day vision quest that ended abruptly when she became ill, Mountain Dreamer heeded an inner voice that instructed her to go home; once there, she continued her contemplative retreat, and through meditative practices (which she shares here), she comes to acknowledge the difficulty she has with overcoming ego demands, such as her strong drive to achieve. Although Mountain Dreamer is sincere in her wish to be of help to others, her writing lacks clarity and a strong structure. She recounts how she came to a decision to turn down an opportunity to study shamanism in the Amazon. When she prayed for guidance, she understood that, although she might make the trip someday, what she needed to learn then was to live in the moment. And that moment was one of flux, when she moved to a new home with her husband and did not see her grown sons as frequently. She digresses here on the fact that change is ongoing in every life, and on her discovery that the word at the center of her particular existence is "rest." The author's message is delivered by way of her deep spiritual convictions and New Age orientation. Author tour.