Moore's The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life
A Life-Changing New Age Book Combining Spirituality and Philosophy
Oct 13, 2009
The Re-Enchantment of the Everyday Life is a curious mix of philosophy, spirituality and wonder. Thomas Moore’s prose swings back and forth from rapturous to practical. Consider the first few lines of the introduction: "Enchantment is a spell that comes over us, an aura of fantasy and emotion that can settle on the heart and either disturb it or send it into rapture and reverie. One day you fall in love, and a person who yesterday was like anyone else has suddenly become translucent with grace and infused with otherworldly value."
Moore’s book is well summarised in just one line of the introduction: “The soul has an absolute, unforgiving need for regular excursions into enchantment.”
Who is Thomas Moore?
Not to be confused with Thomas More, counsellor to Henry VIII and author of Utopia, this is a 20th century Thomas Moore, who has won renown for his books and lectures on his own particular blend of philosophy and spirituality – a curious and seductive mix of the head and the heart.
Moore was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a strongly Catholic family. In the seventies, he joined a religious order called the Servites. He was a monk in this order for twelve years, and left shortly before being ordained into the priesthood. He subsequently, put to use his degrees in theology, musicology and philosophy, earning a Ph. D in religion from Syracuse University, New York.
His most famous published work Care of the Soul was released in 1992, and was followed by a spate of books, CDs and videos. They appeal to people interested in new age psychology and new age spirituality, as well as traditional psychology. Moore might not approve of the appellation, but The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life qualifies as a New Age book.
Spirits of Enchantment All Around
The book is divided into several broad sections: Nature, Home, Habitat, World, Psyche, Art, Word, Sacred, Ritual, and Spirits.
Individual chapter headings give a good idea of the nature of the discussion:
- In Nature –‘The Waters of Life’ and ‘Trees that Talk’
- in Habitat− ‘A Garden Paradise’ and ‘Noise and Silence’
- in World – ‘Mystic Transport’ and ‘The Particularity of Place’
- In Psyche – ‘Sex and the Soul’ and ‘An Education in Dreams’
- In Sacred – ‘The Holy Well’ and ‘Everyday Shrines and Tabernacles’
- In Spirits – ‘The Mediation of Angels, ‘Devils of enchantment’ and ‘This Magical Life’
Ghosts, Angels and Demons
The book is replete with fascinating anecdotes from Moore’s own life: the story of his father taking him on a tour of the town morgue; his small daughter’s sighting of angels; his trip to Ireland on the Queen Mary, and his visit to Emily Dickinson’s house where he sought to sit with her ghost rather than listen to the guide.
The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life was published in 1996 but is still readily available from Amazon books. Moore still engages in speaking tours; further details can be found on his website.
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