cover image Balancing Heaven and Earth: A Memoir

Balancing Heaven and Earth: A Memoir

Robert A. Johnson. HarperOne, $24.99 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-06-251506-3

Johnson was 11 years old and close to death after a car accident when he experienced the ""Golden World,"" an ""antechamber of heaven"" where he felt ""purely tranquil"" and experienced ""joy beyond bound."" Recurring physical hardship due to the loss of his leg triggered a second illuminating experience several years later that motivated him to embark on a quest for self-knowledge. Johnson eventually embraced Christian mysticism and became a Jungian analyst. Here, the author of We (and of the companion volumes She and He, as well as seven other books) credits following the ""slender threads"" of fate for his well-being. Johnson expresses the belief that there is ""one, and only one, appropriate action in any given moment of time""--an action that ""balances"" spiritual needs with more mundane concerns. Despite his faith in divine will, Johnson often seems at odds with organized religion, some aspects of which he criticizes as ""nothing but institutional mother complexes, with selfishness and ego regression running rampant in the name of spirituality."" Throughout, Johnson and Ruhl, the director of the C.G. Jung Society of Colorado, in addition to offering an inspiring memoir, weave in explanations of psychology, synchronicity theory and dream analysis to create a useful personal guide to Johnson's brand of self-realization. (Feb.)