Forget Freud! This book contains a terrific analysis of the emotions of love and lust, and even offers theories (and solid ones at that) as to how certain sexual “deviations” (although I don’t believe Reik calls them that) such as masochism develop. While this book is by no means 100% exhaustive or entirely conclusive on the subject of love and lust, it is still VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This book is indeed filled with “erotica”, but unfortunately it lacked plot and/or storyline. It was a bravely written book for its time, but not a book I’d care to read again

A tad bit religious for my tastes, but other than that, profound. The highlight of the book for me was in part 3 of the first short story, where he writes about solitude.

“I sought solitude in order to keep from seeing the faces of men who sell themselves and buy with the same price that which is lower than they are, spiritually and materially.
“I sought solitude in order that I might not encounter the women who walk proudly, with one thousand smiles upon their lips, while in the depths of their thousand hearts there is but one purpose.
“I sought solitude in order to conceal myself from those self-satisfied individuals who see the spectre of knowledge in their dreams and believe that they have attained their goal.
“I fled from society to avoid those who see but the phantom of the truth in their awakening, and shout to the world that they have acquired completely the essence of truth.
“I sought solitude because my soul wearied of association with those who believe sincerely that the sun and moon and stars do not rise save from their coffers, and do not set except in their gardens.
“I sought solitude because I never obtained kindness from a human unless i paid the full price with my heart.
“I ran from the office-seekers who shatter the earthly fate of people while throwing into their eyes the golden dust and filling their ears with sounds of meaningless talk.
“I sought solitude because I loathe that great and terrible institution which the people call civilization – that symmetrical monstrosity erected upon the perpetual misery of human kinds.”

About a year and a half ago I had been thinking alot of being healthy, and I thusly decided to switch to whole grains instead of eating just white bread, pasta and rice. So I took a bag of brown rice that had been sitting on the top of my cupboard for a while and cooked up a huge pot and 3/4 of a bag of corn. I had a couple of bowls that night (reading that the carbs from whole grains won’t make you fat), a bowl the next night, and on the night after that i heated up another bowl and sat down on the couch with it. I took a big spoonful, lifted it to my mouth, and saw this wormy/maggot looking creature. I looked into my bowl…and saw another. I didn’t look any further. I threw my bowl and allllll the left over rice (with the corn :-( ) into the garbage. After realizing that I had been eating maggots for a few days (or whatever they were) I promptly swore off eating brown rice ever again. They were camouflaged so well…...

The author is my cousin.

This was a gift from my ex’s mom, given to me right after I told her of my decision to take the Refuge Vows. Thanks Jan!