The Theft of the Spirit is a book of hope - hope that by tapping into the ancient wisdom of Native Americans we can recapture the spirit we have allowed to be stolen and find spiritual health in a materialistic world.Carl A. Hammerschlag, the inspiring and successful author of The Dancing Healers, draws upon the richness of his experiences as a family doctor working with Native Americans to illustrate the importance of community and tradition and to show how through spiritual healing we can conquer the inevitable emotional pain and loss we all must endure in the course of living our lives.Rituals, symbols, and myths are the ways a culture shares its spiritual legacy, encourages community, and illuminates our deepest passion, awe, love, suffering, and pain. In The Theft of the Spirit. Dr. Hammerschlag paints a vivid portrait of the Hopi Indians - a people known for their deep spirituality and their elaborate ceremonies - and describes how the actual theft of sacred Hopi religious objects has contributed to the tribe's spiritual demise.A master storyteller, Hammerschlag shows how the Hopi experience is a microcosm for our society at large - and how when we, as individuals and as a civilization, lose faith in our governments, our churches, and our families, we become vulnerable and dispirited.The Theft of the Spirit is ripe with remarkable, moving, true-life experiences of people who faced ordinary traumas and extraordinary catastrophes and triumphed once they learned how to be the heroes of their own healing journeys. Through his stories, Hammerschlag shows how we can all grow beyond fear and illusion to a new strength of spirit and self when we face our uncertainties and create our own individual rites of passage.Each vignette is personal and redemptive and will move you to make your own life less painful and more significant. Each will challenge you to look beyond your old assumptions to new realities for a richer, more meaningful life. Read Less