Brief Book Review: The Spirit Of Counsel

The Spirit Of Counsel: Spiritual Perspectives in the Counselling Process

Author: Martin Israel

Publisher: A.R. Mowbray & Co. Ltd., paperback, 192 pages

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author 

At the time of publication, the Rev. Dr. Martin Israel lectured in pathology in the University of London at the Royal College of Surgeons, he was also an Anglican priest, and author of several books.

Contents

The contents include a Forward, sixteen chapters with the following titles: 1 The Way of the Spirit; 2 Illuminated Self-Love; 3 Self-Discovery and Illumination; 4 The Path of Counsel; 5 Bearing One Another’s Burdens; 6 The Way of Unknowing; 7 Psychic Communion and Counselling; 8 The Discernment of Spirits; 9 Counselling Towards Liberation; 10 Discipline in the Service of Freedom; 11 The Counsel of Perfection; 12 The Need to be Wanted; 13 The Identity Crisis; 14 Matters of Life and Death; 15 Counselling for Death; 16 Intimations of Joy; and a short conclusion, titled: The End of Counsel. 

Brief Observations

This reviewer struggled with the Rev. Dr. Israel’s style and language of prose; finding it difficult, obscure, and in places too abstract and elitist. In short, it was not an easy read, and perhaps the author had in mind as his audience professional counsellors and physicians. Moreover, this volume would have been far more accessible, I believe, had the author shared more concrete examples from his own life experiences. Another irritating factor is the author’s sexist language. That said, I’d like to conclude with three quotations, which may awaken the curiosity of some readers to check out this volume. Two stars out of five.

“As I grow in love, so the full burden of human suffering becomes known to me. I become increasingly available to all the world’s pain, which has to be borne in love before it can be transfigured by the power of the Holy Spirit (p.49).” 

“Without forgiveness there is no love, without love no growth, without growth no continuing life (p. 168).”

“The more experience one has in the various disciplines of life, the less dogmatic does one become (p. 171).”