Care of the Soul

Care of the Soul draws on Jungian archetypal psychology, Renaissance thought, and classical mythology to argue that many modern troubles—depression, jealousy, failure, and a sense of meaninglessness—are not problems to be solved but symptoms of a soul that needs attention. Thomas Moore, a former monk and practicing psychotherapist, proposes caring for the soul as a daily practice: paying close attention to symptoms, honoring beauty, dwelling in myth and ritual, and engaging with the ordinary textures of life rather than seeking transcendence.

Moore defines soul not as a religious abstraction but as a quality of depth, relatedness, and substance in experience. Drawing on Ficino, Jung, Hillman, and Greek mythology, he moves through depression, narcissism, love, jealousy, illness, work, and creativity—treating each as a domain where the soul speaks through symptom and image. The book argues that modern culture's drive toward cure, efficiency, and literal-minded problem-solving is precisely what suppresses the soul.

Care of the soul begins with observance of how the soul manifests itself and how it operates. We can't care for the soul unless we are familiar with its ways.

Part I, Chapter 1

First lines

The great malady of the twentieth century, implicated in all of our troubles and affecting us individually and socially, is "loss of soul." When soul is neglected, it doesn't just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence, and loss of meaning.

Contents

Reception

Care of the Soul spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list after its 1992 publication and sold over one million hardcover copies. It introduced a broad general audience to ideas from Jungian and archetypal psychology—particularly the work of James Hillman—and helped establish soul and depth as terms in popular spirituality. Reception among academic psychologists was mixed: practitioners in analytical and archetypal traditions generally welcomed it as an accessible translation of clinical ideas, while critics from evidence-based disciplines found its approach literary and impressionistic. Some reviewers noted that the reliance on classical mythology and Renaissance sources could make the practical application difficult to discern. The book is regularly cited as one of the most influential American spiritual books of the 1990s and has been translated into numerous languages.

Frequently asked

What is Care of the Soul about?

Thomas Moore argues that many modern difficulties—depression, jealousy, addiction, meaninglessness—are symptoms of a neglected soul rather than problems to be fixed by therapy or religion. The book proposes caring for the soul through close attention to symptoms, beauty, myth, ritual, and the textures of everyday life.

How does Thomas Moore define "soul" in this book?

Moore describes soul as a quality or dimension of experiencing life—not a thing but a way of being in depth. It has to do with relatedness, heart, and personal substance. He draws on Jungian and Renaissance sources rather than on conventional religious theology.

Is this a self-help book?

Care of the Soul is not a conventional self-help book. Moore explicitly rejects the goal of solving emotional problems or achieving cure. Instead, the book invites readers to deepen their engagement with experience as it is, treating symptoms, darkness, and difficulty as meaningful expressions of the soul rather than obstacles to overcome.