These pages offer wisdom, delight and an invitation-a creative exploration, a beckoning journey to bring alive our many encounters with God through symbol and imagery. Learning the Language of the Soul offers words for the sometimes silent mystery we name as God-a soulful, rich resource for spiritual directors and all seekers.
Sue Cash, Affiliated Sister of the Visitation, Spiritual Director
Many of us have known the experience in spiritual direction, both as director and directee, of struggling to put our feelings into words. Andrew has done us a huge service in this book. He brings his encyclopedic knowledge of the tradition, a rich and stimulating biblical scholarship and insightful reflection on culture to give us a deeper language to talk about spiritual experience. As with his previous books, his personal warmth and pastoral heart ground all this in the reality of everyday experience. All who seek a greater and more nuanced vocabulary to discuss spiritual experience will find much to benefit them in the book.
Rt. Rev. Richard Jackson, Bishop of Lewes
Helping people come close to God is a task for all Christians but notably spiritual directors and evangelists. Learning the Language of the Soul is imaginative equipment for this task drawing on Andrew Mayes's breadth and depth. There is novelty in this book restating past wisdom and engaging with the connected generation.
Canon John Twisleton, parish priest, theologian, author, radio presenter
To communicate effectively, it helps to have a text from which to draw and to which on can refer. Serving as just this sort of sourcebook, Mayes's text is, without a doubt, a useful, much-needed asset. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in developing and nurturing their conversations about spiritual journeys.
Presence
