The Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These - Baldwin, Christina. New World Library, 2005. 120p. $12.95, Paperback. ISBN-10: 1-57731-505-7. 291.4’4 Spiritual life.

Based on the concept of an innate sense of call and response to “something greater than ourselves” and drawn from a background of diverse experiences and studies, the “Seven Whispers” are offered as “whispers of spiritual common-sense.” They are:

Maintain peace of mind.
Move at the pace of guidance.
Practice certainty of purpose.
Surrender to surprise.
Ask for what you need and offer what you can.
Love the folks in front of you.
Return to the world.

h is developed in a chapter, with each chapter introduced by an appropriate quote. In “Surrender to Surprise” is a reminder that life can and does change quickly, and we are advised to “Notice, work with, and accept what is really happening.” The spiritual trading of the fifth whisper seems a challenging idea at first but is the very real way life happens. We all have something to give—and do—and we all have needs requiring that we receive. In “Love the Folks in Front of You” we are reminded that we are not born to live in isolation, but must daily build trust through connections with others, even folks we may not particularly like but with whom we must interact.

This book is recommended for its reality, its broad application, and its invitation to soulful living.

Carolyn Egolf
Lincolnshire Church of the Brethren
Fort Wayne, Indiana