Gary Zukav
Encyclopedia
Gary Zukav is a spiritual teacher and author of four consecutive New York Times bestsellers. Beginning in 1998, Zukav appeared more than 30 times on The Oprah Winfrey Show
to discuss transformation in human consciousness concepts presented in The Seat of the Soul.
, while he was in fourth grade and he graduated from Pittsburg Senior High School as valedictorian in 1960. During that time he became an Eagle Scout
, Governor of Kansas Boy’s State, President of the Student Council, and Kansas State Debate championship team member twice. His father, Morris Louis Zukav, owned a jewelry store and his mother, Lorene Zukav, was a housewife who raised him and his younger sister.
In 1959 he received a scholarship to Harvard and matriculated in 1960. In his junior year he left Harvard to motorcycle in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East before returning the following year. In 1964, he was deeply moved by the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi
, and worked as a summer volunteer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) in Jackson, Mississippi
, under the direction of Charles Evers
, brother of the slain Medgar Evers. In 1965 he graduated from Harvard and enlisted in the U.S. Army. That same year he entered U.S. Army Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in 1966. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), completed Parachute Training (Fort Benning, Georgia); U.S. Army Special Warfare School (Fort Bragg, North Carolina
), and served as an A Detachment Executive Officer in Okinawa and Vietnam
, participating in Top Secret operations in Vietnam and Laos
. He left Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1968 as 1st Lieutenant.
Zukav returned to the U.S. in 1970 and moved to San Francisco, California
, that same year. He recounts this period as an emotionally volatile time of sexual addiction, motorcycles, anger, and experimentation with drugs until 1975 when an unexpected introduction to quantum physics at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory initiated changes in his experience that led to his first book. He later described this book as his “first gift to Life.” In 1987 he moved to Mount Shasta, California
, where he lived in a cabin as a self-described “secular monk” and spent extensive time in the surrounding wilderness. In 1993 he met Linda Francis. They co-founded the Seat of the Soul Institute in 1998 and moved to Ashland, Oregon, in 2000.
Sonoma State College, BS, Psychology (1979)
The review acclaimed Zukav as
In 1979 The Dancing Wu Li Masters won The American Book Award for Science for its “outstanding contribution to American literature.” Reviews from the scientific community include:
Robert H. March, Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin wrote in Physics Today
in August 1979, "Dealing with general relativity [Zukav] manages to convey the profound mental shift required to reduce physics to geometry. This is a neat trick, considering that he addresses an audience familiar with neither physics nor non-Euclidian geometry."
Martin Gardner
, mathematician and science writer for Scientific American, wrote in a book review; “Zukav is such a skillful expositor, with such an amiable style, that it is hard to imagine a layman who would not find this book enjoyable and informative.”
David Bohm
, renowned quantum physicist, wrote a personal endorsement provided to the book's publisher Harper Collins: “Recommended highly for those who want to understand the essential significance of modern physics, and for those who are concerned with its implications for possible transformation of human consciousness.”
Zukav’s next book, The Seat of the Soul, published in 1989, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller 31 weeks and remained on the same list for three years. In an interview by Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove for the popular Public Television series Thinking Allowed
Zukav summarized the concepts presented in The Seat of the Soul.
In 1998 Zukav began an on-going conversation with Oprah Winfrey, appearing on her television show 35 times - more than any other guest. Oprah, who keeps a copy of The Seat of the Soul at her bedside, proclaimed: “The Seat of the Soul is my favorite book of all time, except for the Bible.” Her favorite quote from The Seat of the Soul: “Every action, thought, and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect… In this most profound way, we are held responsible for every action, thought, and feeling, which is to say, for our every intention.”
Zukav’s third book, Soul Stories (2000) provides examples of people creating authentic power. Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul: Meditations for Souls in Progress (2001) offered daily quotes for meditation. The principles in The Seat of the Soul were elaborated in The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness (2002), The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003) and Self-Empowerment Journal: A Companion to The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003) co-authored with Zukav’s wife and spiritual partner Linda Francis. Soul to Soul: Communications from the Heart (2007) answered questions about love, fear, choice, responsibility and intuition. Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power (2010) provided guidelines for individuals engaged in relationship for the purpose of spiritual development.
In 1999 Zukav and Linda Francis co-founded The Seat of the Soul Institute. Its mission is to assist people across the world to create meaning and purpose, creativity and health, joy and love. It offers programs and tools to develop emotional awareness, responsible choice, intuition, trust, and spiritual partnerships. Events and programs include a three-year Authentic Power Program, annual five-day intensive Journey to the Soul immersion retreat, and co-sponsored lectures and workshops.
According to Zukav, creating authentic power is a highly personal endeavor that requires the development of emotional awareness, responsible choice, intuition, and trust in the Universe, which he describes as "alive, wise, and compassionate." He asserts that each individual can create authentic power only for himself or herself. He defines intention as a “quality of consciousness that infuses an action,” i.e., the reason or motivation for the action, and choice of intention as the “fundamental creative act” that each individual performs continually, whether unconsciously or consciously. Creating authentic power requires consciously choosing intentions that create consequences for which the chooser is willing to assume responsibility (responsible choice), which requires emotional awareness, and which intuition can assist.
Zukav distinguishes the “Old Male” (five-sensory, protector, provider) and the “Old Female” (five-sensory, child bearer, homemaker) who join in marriage in order to enhance probabilities of survival and comfort from the emerging “New Male” (multi sensory, intuitive, emotionally aware) and the “New Female” (multi sensory, capable in all chosen endeavors) who join in a new kind of relationship in order to create authentic power and assist each other in creating authentic power. He calls this relationship “spiritual partnership” and defines it as “partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth.” According to Zukav, “spiritual growth now requires relationships of substance and depth” and only spiritual partnerships are able to support all multi sensory individuals (not only couples) in creating authentic power.
Zukav posits the “Universal Human” as the ultimate potential of the emerging multi sensory humanity – a human who is “beyond nation, religion, race, sex, and economic status; a Citizen of the Universe whose allegiance is to Life first and all else second.”
6 million copies of Zukav's books are in print and translations exist in 24 languages.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
to discuss transformation in human consciousness concepts presented in The Seat of the Soul.
Life Story
Gary Zukav was born in Port Arthur, Texas, October 17, 1942. He spent his early childhood in San Antonio, Texas, and Houston, Texas. His family moved to Pittsburg, KansasPittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
, while he was in fourth grade and he graduated from Pittsburg Senior High School as valedictorian in 1960. During that time he became an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
, Governor of Kansas Boy’s State, President of the Student Council, and Kansas State Debate championship team member twice. His father, Morris Louis Zukav, owned a jewelry store and his mother, Lorene Zukav, was a housewife who raised him and his younger sister.
In 1959 he received a scholarship to Harvard and matriculated in 1960. In his junior year he left Harvard to motorcycle in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East before returning the following year. In 1964, he was deeply moved by the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, and worked as a summer volunteer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, under the direction of Charles Evers
Charles Evers
James Charles Evers is a prominent American civil rights advocate. The older brother of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, Charles Evers is a leading civil rights spokesman within the Republican Party in his native Mississippi. In 1969 he became the first African American since the...
, brother of the slain Medgar Evers. In 1965 he graduated from Harvard and enlisted in the U.S. Army. That same year he entered U.S. Army Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in 1966. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), completed Parachute Training (Fort Benning, Georgia); U.S. Army Special Warfare School (Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
), and served as an A Detachment Executive Officer in Okinawa and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, participating in Top Secret operations in Vietnam and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. He left Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1968 as 1st Lieutenant.
Zukav returned to the U.S. in 1970 and moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, that same year. He recounts this period as an emotionally volatile time of sexual addiction, motorcycles, anger, and experimentation with drugs until 1975 when an unexpected introduction to quantum physics at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory initiated changes in his experience that led to his first book. He later described this book as his “first gift to Life.” In 1987 he moved to Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California, located at around 3,600 ft on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano...
, where he lived in a cabin as a self-described “secular monk” and spent extensive time in the surrounding wilderness. In 1993 he met Linda Francis. They co-founded the Seat of the Soul Institute in 1998 and moved to Ashland, Oregon, in 2000.
Education
Harvard College, BA, International Relations (1965)Sonoma State College, BS, Psychology (1979)
Writing career
In 1979 Zukav's first book, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, An Overview of the New Physics was reviewed by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt in The New York Times. as "a book that manages to explain relativity and a lot more without resorting to a single bit of mathematics (except for asking you to grasp the not-too-onerous concept that the velocity of light, a constant 186,000 miles-per-second, is a product of its frequency and wavelength.) After all, Mr. Zukav writes, 'The fact is that physics is not mathematics. Physics, in essence, is simple wonder at the way things are and a divine (some call it compulsive) interest in how that is so. Mathematics is the tool of physics, stripped of mathematics, physics becomes pure enchantment.' "The review acclaimed Zukav as
"one of those rare gifted teachers who makes you feel as if you're ahead of the lesson, jumping happily to conclusions he hasn't yet seen (though of course he has). And when he does arrive at those conclusions, he often states them in the words of their original discoverers, which suddenly seem as simple as "Pat the Bunny" and flatter you into thinking you could have understood them in their original context on your own. The drama built into Mr. Zukav's presentation is considerable. It begins with his introduction of an Oriental dimension. The Chinese word for physics, Wu Li, also means, depending upon how it is pronounced, "Patterns of Organic Energy", "My Way,", "Nonsense," I Clutch My Ideas" and "Enlightenment." These six meanings, not only become the title of the book's six sections-for instance, "Nonsense" is the heading of the one on Einstein's ideas, which is divided into chapters called "Beginner's Mind," "Special Nonsense," and "General Nonsense"-they also server to shape the leitmotif of Mr. Zukav's discussion that relates modern physics to Oriental religion."
In 1979 The Dancing Wu Li Masters won The American Book Award for Science for its “outstanding contribution to American literature.” Reviews from the scientific community include:
Robert H. March, Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin wrote in Physics Today
Physics Today
Physics Today, created in 1948, is the membership journal of the American Institute of Physics. It is provided to 130,000 members of twelve physics societies, including the American Physical Society...
in August 1979, "Dealing with general relativity [Zukav] manages to convey the profound mental shift required to reduce physics to geometry. This is a neat trick, considering that he addresses an audience familiar with neither physics nor non-Euclidian geometry."
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
, mathematician and science writer for Scientific American, wrote in a book review; “Zukav is such a skillful expositor, with such an amiable style, that it is hard to imagine a layman who would not find this book enjoyable and informative.”
David Bohm
David Bohm
David Joseph Bohm FRS was an American-born British quantum physicist who contributed to theoretical physics, philosophy, neuropsychology, and the Manhattan Project.-Youth and college:...
, renowned quantum physicist, wrote a personal endorsement provided to the book's publisher Harper Collins: “Recommended highly for those who want to understand the essential significance of modern physics, and for those who are concerned with its implications for possible transformation of human consciousness.”
Zukav’s next book, The Seat of the Soul, published in 1989, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller 31 weeks and remained on the same list for three years. In an interview by Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove for the popular Public Television series Thinking Allowed
Thinking Allowed (PBS)
Thinking Allowed was an independent public television series which broadcast from 1987 to 2002.It began as the Mind's Eye on KCSM-TV in San Mateo, California in 1987 and changed to Thinking Allowed in 1988 when it was distributed to PBS....
Zukav summarized the concepts presented in The Seat of the Soul.
“My objective was not to make the soul legitimate in terms of science. The soul is legitimate, period. It doesn't need validation. At least that was my perception and so I wrote The Seat of the Soul to share the things that were most important to me. The Dancing Wu Li Masters was designed to open the mind and The Seat of the Soul, is a book designed to open the heart. And this is often the sequence that many people encounter as they move into an expanded awareness of who they are and why they are here.
Our evolution, until very recently, has been as five sensory humans evolving through the exploration of physical reality. That is the same thing as the pursuit of external power. Now we have crossed the threshold, we’re in new territory, a brand new domain. We are now becoming multi sensory. That means we are no longer confined to the five senses. Now I use these terms because the five senses together form a single sensory system and the object of that sensory system is physical reality. That's what it is designed to detect. As we become multi sensory, we move beyond the limitations of the five senses and we now are evolving to a different mechanism in the exploration of physical reality. We are evolving through responsible choice of and with the assistance and guidance of non physical guides and teachers.
We are spiritual beings, we have always been spiritual beings and we will always be spiritual beings. The difference is that now we are becoming aware of ourselves as spiritual beings and that is making all the difference.”
In 1998 Zukav began an on-going conversation with Oprah Winfrey, appearing on her television show 35 times - more than any other guest. Oprah, who keeps a copy of The Seat of the Soul at her bedside, proclaimed: “The Seat of the Soul is my favorite book of all time, except for the Bible.” Her favorite quote from The Seat of the Soul: “Every action, thought, and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect… In this most profound way, we are held responsible for every action, thought, and feeling, which is to say, for our every intention.”
Zukav’s third book, Soul Stories (2000) provides examples of people creating authentic power. Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul: Meditations for Souls in Progress (2001) offered daily quotes for meditation. The principles in The Seat of the Soul were elaborated in The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness (2002), The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003) and Self-Empowerment Journal: A Companion to The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003) co-authored with Zukav’s wife and spiritual partner Linda Francis. Soul to Soul: Communications from the Heart (2007) answered questions about love, fear, choice, responsibility and intuition. Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power (2010) provided guidelines for individuals engaged in relationship for the purpose of spiritual development.
In 1999 Zukav and Linda Francis co-founded The Seat of the Soul Institute. Its mission is to assist people across the world to create meaning and purpose, creativity and health, joy and love. It offers programs and tools to develop emotional awareness, responsible choice, intuition, trust, and spiritual partnerships. Events and programs include a three-year Authentic Power Program, annual five-day intensive Journey to the Soul immersion retreat, and co-sponsored lectures and workshops.
Teachings
Zukav introduces the concept of the alignment of personality with soul as the creation of “authentic power.” He asserts that a transformation of humanity is underway from a species that is limited to the perceptions of the five senses, evolves by surviving, and survives by pursuing “external power,” which he defines as the ability to manipulate and control, into a species that is not limited to the perceptions of the five senses, evolves by growing spiritually, and grows spiritually by creating authentic power. He further asserts that this transformation brings with it the new potential of authentic power and that the pursuit of external power is henceforth counter-productive to our evolution and produces only violence and destruction.According to Zukav, creating authentic power is a highly personal endeavor that requires the development of emotional awareness, responsible choice, intuition, and trust in the Universe, which he describes as "alive, wise, and compassionate." He asserts that each individual can create authentic power only for himself or herself. He defines intention as a “quality of consciousness that infuses an action,” i.e., the reason or motivation for the action, and choice of intention as the “fundamental creative act” that each individual performs continually, whether unconsciously or consciously. Creating authentic power requires consciously choosing intentions that create consequences for which the chooser is willing to assume responsibility (responsible choice), which requires emotional awareness, and which intuition can assist.
Zukav distinguishes the “Old Male” (five-sensory, protector, provider) and the “Old Female” (five-sensory, child bearer, homemaker) who join in marriage in order to enhance probabilities of survival and comfort from the emerging “New Male” (multi sensory, intuitive, emotionally aware) and the “New Female” (multi sensory, capable in all chosen endeavors) who join in a new kind of relationship in order to create authentic power and assist each other in creating authentic power. He calls this relationship “spiritual partnership” and defines it as “partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth.” According to Zukav, “spiritual growth now requires relationships of substance and depth” and only spiritual partnerships are able to support all multi sensory individuals (not only couples) in creating authentic power.
Zukav posits the “Universal Human” as the ultimate potential of the emerging multi sensory humanity – a human who is “beyond nation, religion, race, sex, and economic status; a Citizen of the Universe whose allegiance is to Life first and all else second.”
Publications
- Spiritual Partnership (2010). New York: Harper One. ISBN 978-0-06-145850-7.
- Soul to Soul (2007) ISBN 0-7432-3700-5
- Self-Empowerment Journal: A Companion to The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003), co-author Linda Francis. ISBN 0-7432-5746-4
- The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice (2003), co-author Linda Francis. ISBN 0-7432-3698-X - New York Times best seller
- Thoughts from the Heart of the Soul: Meditations for Emotional Awareness (2002), co-author Linda Francis. ISBN 0-7432-3728-5
- The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness (2002), co-author Linda Francis. ISBN 0-7432-3496-0 - New York Times best seller
- Thoughts from the Seat of the Soul (2001) ISBN 0-7432-2789-1
- Soul Stories (2000). ISBN 0-7432-0637-1
- The Seat of the Soul (1989). ISBN 0-671-25383-2 - number 1 New York Times best seller 31 times and staying on that list for close to 3 years
- The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics (1979). ISBN 0-553-26382-X - winner of the American Book Award for Science
6 million copies of Zukav's books are in print and translations exist in 24 languages.
Related work
- Other talks, workshops and events
- Is a member of, participates in or advises the following: Club of Budapest, World Business Academy, Native American Earth Ambassadors, CoCreate with the Earth Foundation, EarthSave, and the Intuition Network, Earth Day 1990, the chair of the Government and Politics Strategy Group for the Campaign for the Earth.
Honors
- World Business Academy Pathfinder Award for Contribution to the Ongoing Evolution of Knowledge and Consciousness within the Global Business Community.
- American Journal of Psychotherapy and Albert Einstein College of Medicine Einstein Award in Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to the Psychosocial Growth of Humanity.
- St. Christopher Foundation Christopher AwardChristopher AwardThe Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
for “Lighting One Candle Instead of Cursing the Darkness.” - Zukav was honored with the Award for Clear Telling of Deep Wisdom by the New York Open Center http://www.opencenter.org in 2001 for his book, Seat of the Soul, and for his co-founding of Genesis: The Foundation for the Universal Human.