{"product_id":"9780743255622","title":"Dating the Greek Gods: Empowering Spiritual Messages on Sex and Love, Creativity and Wisdom","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the highly successful and influential \u003ci\u003eFinding the Boyfriend Within\u003c\/i\u003e comes an inspirational guide for gay men seeking spiritual fulfillment.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e When Brad Gooch began promoting his self-help book \u003ci\u003eFinding the Boyfriend Within,\u003c\/i\u003e the first of its kind directed toward a gay readership, he was overwhelmed by the response it generated. Thousands of gay men embraced the book's message of looking into themselves to find comfort and purpose in life. So enthusiastic was the response to the book that Gooch began conducting workshops and, in the process, conceived \u003ci\u003eDating the Greek Gods\u003c\/i\u003e as both a follow-up and a companion to the earlier book -- a self-help book designed as a sort of \"advanced class\" for readers of \u003ci\u003eFinding the Boyfriend Within.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Because of the conflicted reaction many gay men have to any discussion of religious spirituality, Gooch hit upon the idea of drawing on an older spiritual base -- that of Ancient Greece -- for examining and explaining his approach to achieving a higher understanding of self through spirituality. The stories of the Greek gods have inspired human consciousness for more than thirty centuries, the outgrowth of a society in which homosexuality was an accepted aspect of human behavior. \u003ci\u003eDating the Greek Gods\u003c\/i\u003e explores these stories as well as the dominant characteristics of those Greek deities, tying the spirituality of being a gay male to the inner patterns -- or archetypes -- that shape men's personalities and personal relationships. \u003cbr\u003e Gooch organizes the book into a series of meditations and personal exercises shaped around the characters, stories, and dominant traits of the deities. For example, in chapter one, Apollo addresses wisdom; chapter two concerns Dionysus and deals with sexuality and disco nights; chapter three is about Hermes and concerns communication, and so on, from Hephaestos and Eros (creativity and romance) to Zeus (independence and freedom). Gooch delves into these enduring archetypes to show men how, by understanding the philosophy behind these gods, they can come to better understand themselves and, in the process, enrich their lives. \u003cbr\u003e Unique in its approach and totally accessible in its realization, \u003ci\u003eDating the Greek Gods\u003c\/i\u003e is an enlightened and literary self-help book that encourages readers to turn to their own inner oracle -- the inner voice that prompted them to \"come out\" in the first place -- and in the process to revitalize themselves through viewing the world's spiritual traditions in a more inclusive and caring fashion.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121608016112,"sku":"9780743255622","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780743255622_p0.jpg?v=1763634726","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780743255622","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}