Alone with the Alone

One of the best books on esoteric Persian thought I've ever read; immensely scholarly and yet largely readable, though very rich and thick with insight in places you'll want to slow down and really absorb. (A newcomer to Ibn 'Arabi's writings, I'm reviewing this book from a depth-psychological point of view.) If you've read my other reviews you know I'm a relentless critic of unreadable writing, much of which is symptomatic of a narcissistic unavailability better dealt with in therapy than through a publisher or fan club. Corbin is not easy to follow in places, but it's the concentration of the material that makes for more careful study--and makes more careful study worthwhile. I was particularly moved by the image of the saddened God breathing out a sigh at being unknown, a sigh that made space for humans to reflect God back to God and thereby become the "secret treasure." Corbin's criticism of "becoming one with God" mirrors Buber's of "doctrines of absorption": both praise a dialog between person and the Divine rather than a reduction of one to the other. Note to students of James Hillman: while many of Hillman's ideas can be found here (the heart as an organ of soulful perception, for instance), Ibn 'Arabi makes a clear, non-Hillmanic distinction between Forms (Images) of God and the ineffable true God that shines through the Forms like light through stained glass. This distinction does not exist for archetypal psychology, which collapses the archetypal image into the archetype itself and regards extra-psychic activities as outside its purview.

In a day and age of shallow hype passing for spiritual knowledge, this book shines brightly. True spiritual meaning will leap from the pages! For me a hard read but so so rewarding. So buckle up my friend and climb on your magic carpet ( meditation rug ) and get ready for a true adventure. My heart soars! So blessed to have this book. Thank you!

Truly one of the greatest books I've ever read. I've never read Ibn Arabi (yet, I definitely will after reading this), so i don't know how accurate this is to his ideas. But whether this book is accurate or not, I still absolutely loved it. The ideas in this book are absolutely amazing, for me at least, regardless of their source, Ibn Arabi or Corbin.

I have noticed that there are a few Sunni/wahabi types who are reviewing this book and giving it low ratings. Since they have already condemned Arabi, and sufism before they have understood either, I fail to see what value their reviews could be. Instead of a critique of this book, or Arabi on their own merits, these individuals merely compare it to Shi'a Islam. Let me tell you this: if you are looking for a book to re-confirm your fundamentalist beliefs in any religion, this book, sufism and mysticism as a whole are not for you, so don't waste your time reading or reviewing these books. On the other hand, if you're the sort of individual who wishes to experience God directly, through the heart, and without the idolatrous worship of scriptural dogma and the snares of the intellect, then this book, Arabi and the works of other great sufi writers and poets are meant for you. I say this to all people, regardless of what religion they are, or if they even have a religion at all. The only thing which might be better than reading this book, is reading Arabi himself. This is a useful introduction to a vast field, that gives a careful analysis to his ideas and therefore it is a must. I will have to re-read it, to get everything out of it and at that time I may change my rating.

I was so taken with the "Creative Imagination in The Sufism of Ibn Arabi" that I was ready to buy a copy of "Alone with the Alone". Thank goodness amazon let's you "look inside", turn's out it's a re-titling of the same book. Fantastic by any name. I am someone immersed in non-dual Eastern traditions, yet I am also guided in my life by a sense of devotion and the experience of grace felt as presence: mysteriously "other" yet non-separate. I deeply appreciated the vision in this book which unifies all the opposites. Profound in it's honoring of Love as what we are and clearly describing how this so, it also maintains a clear recognition of the un-manifest source which that love reveals and in which that love arises: it's a breathtaking picture. It melts divisions while honoring them. The language may be dense at times, but it's worth the effort.

This is a challenging book to read which happens to be my favorite kind. Why buy a book to read only once? Alone with the Alone is one of those rare books that opens its treasures to the reader more and more each time it's read. Highly recommend.

A magnificently authoritative study of the thought of the Sufi master Ibn Arabi, such as well should change the life of any serious reader..

This is the best translation of Ibn' Arabi I have read. It is worth frequently re-reading and I do, give it a try is you seek wisdom