Flesh and Spirit: The Mystery of Intimate Relationship
by Jaquelyn McCandless. M.D. and Jack Zimmerman, Ph.D.

This book is like a great piece of jazz.  It takes a lot of chances, goes off into surprising directions, yet returns frequently and satisfyingly to the theme, which I will oversimplify as "The awakening path of erotic relationship as a spiritual practice."

F&S explores some of the patterns and evolutionary underpinnings of erotic relationships, and then blossoms into a stunning bouquet of practices for interrupting those patterns and growing beyond their influences.  Central to these is the practice of council, an adaptation of the Native American practice of the same name.  In regular council sessions, couples are encouraged  to communicate with total honesty, passion, and respect, and to delve deeply together into their relationship.

The authors explore the energy patterns (or "subtle body") surrounding each of us, and provide numerous exercises and practices for increasing our awareness of this energy, with the goal  of co-creating, through an interpenetration of the two bodies' energy fields,  what the authors call "Third Presence".  The Third Presence anthropomorphizes the couple's combined wisdom, spiritual direction, sexuality, and energy fields and provides a dynamic focus for the work.

There is a wealth of detailed information in this book.  Jaquelyn is a board-certified psychiatrist, and a medical specialist in anti-aging.  Jack is an educational consultant and counselor.  Together they bring an awe-inspiring array of experiences and wisdom to bear on the questions of sexual practice and techniques, co-creation,  and spiritual awakening.

The writing style is personal and candid, giving a wonderfully accessible feel to the information and suggested practices and exercises.

Anyone in a serious relationship will find a great deal of value in this book.

-- reviewed by David Rodman