A Book of Life

It’s not for everyone, even though it is. Not everyone is at a place where this work would make sense to them but it doesn’t mean it won’t make sense at some point in your life.I felt like reading it was an experience. I cried a lot throughout. I had to put the book down to absorb the depth of what I had just read quite often, along with lots of synchros that started happening, it felt like one of those awakening moments that came out of nowhere but I’m all too familiar with so it was easy to recognize.The similar feelings the author shared, life parallels, synchronistic musings that created a path most would fail to embrace, etc. made this book super rich, gritty and relatable for me, personally.Sometimes we think we are completely alone in our experiences with_____ (I don’t even know what to call it) but when we either read about or talk with someone who feels/experiences it too, we feel some sort of relief. This text provided that for me, as well as put me back into a state of consciousness I have been missing for a bit.Lots of moments started happening during/afterwards that reminded me of what it’s like to feel the magick again instead of just my normal loops of wtf is this place, why is this place, why is anything at all, etc.I recommend the book and recommend that if you find it doesn’t resonate with you at this point, keep it around because someday it might and you’ll be glad it’s there to be a weird little companion to you, to be able to relate to. Sometimes having something/someone to relate to, is the point.I am an 8th grade educated “nobody” so my apologies if my review isn’t eloquent, littered with smart words or on any level of sophistication but I wanted to let others like me know that it’s ok, we can still appreciate good/weird books too.

I loved this book. I cried, I contemplated the meaning of life, the constructs we are forced to bear and absorb. I cannot wait to read it again, and again during different periods in my life. I think I’ll get something unique each time.I don’t think this book is for everyone. I agree it’s a bit difficult to ascertain the intended meaning of it from the first few chapters. But I realized that’s intentional and needed to step outside of yourself and interpret the world differently. I read the reviews and some say Kingsley is pretentious and thinks too highly of himself. I think me 5 years ago would have said the same, and think this isn’t a beginners read. He reworks the normal order of sentences, I found myself re-reading paragraphs, when understanding, going back to previous chapters. It’s a journey and meant to be absorbed, not read. I found it deeply impactful and brought me to a better understanding of how I can navigate the world.

This is a stealthy kind of book. It grows inside you when you don’t notice.I’ve read this book three times now, and I have read three books. The first time I was curious to know about Peter Kingsley’s life, and I raced through it, gobbled it up. The second time I read it because I knew there was so much more in it, and I raced through again, and gobbled air.This is not a book to be raced through. You don’t read it in order to get to the end, to have read it, so that it can be put away along with the other books you’ve read.That is because it isn’t like any other book.I can understand the criticisms that some others have posted here; it is very uncomfortable to read something so heartbreakingly honest.Peter Kingsley is playing fair with us. He must have torn these words out of himself—and I hope for him, as he says in the last chapter, that he was able to forget once he wrote them down. The point is not what the reader understands, but rather that this record of his life and work and wisdom exists.The third time I read this book I forced myself to slow down. Not being a very patient person, this was not easy for me. It repaid with the beauty of the prose, the vivid imagery, the transcendent wisdom.Thank you, thank you, Peter Kingsley. In time, even perhaps sometime soon—though maybe not—the right people will read your words.

This is probably a neat read for friends and family of the author. The book is trying hard to be a deep look at the devine roots of Western culture - which somehow the author believes he’s uniquely tuned to understand - but fails due to its concreteness. Maybe that’s the intentional gimmick, but I found it smug and insulting. I had read good reviews, but I’d suggest Elif Shafak does this sort of thing in a much more enjoyable way. And if you’re seeking truth, probably invest in reading some translations of ancient thinkers directly. Kingsley thinks you’re not worthy to ask and answer big questions on your own, but I believe in you.

Peter Kingsley is a mystic — a scholar and living philosopher who has spent his entire career focused on the ancient Greek roots of western culture. The wisdom he has unearthed in his esoteric excavations is a profound inversion of our modern worldview, one that echoes the teachings of non-dual spiritual traditions elsewhere in the world, yet is founded entirely upon our own roots (speaking as a westerner). To see the world through Kingsley’s eyes is to emerge from the cave of reason where “truth” is puppeteered, but it’s not easy. The escape requires our death (I’d say it’s a metaphorical death, but Kingsley would disagree, and I guess I would too). Here in this book Kingsley documents his own liberation and the fascinating people he encountered along the way. It’s a journey that takes him all over the globe and deep, deep inside. For anyone on a similar path, here is a potent example. It certainly lacks humility, but I suppose there is no room for self-deprication after death. I found it deeply inspiring.