The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart by Cameron, Julia; Eichner, Mauna - 1996

New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam Publishing Group. 1996. First Edition. Hardcover. Brand Newin Fine DJ; Marfree, acidfree F/Fine gift qual illus 1stEd; not written-in, underlined, clearance or discard. Usually mails within 12 hours. ; 1.24 x 9.23 x 7.66; 368 pages; From Publishers Weekly: In her bestselling The Artist's Way (1992) , Cameron offered a 12-week program aimed at recovering one's creativity. Each chapter ended with exercises designed to help a reader glimpse his or her inner artist, which, Cameron said, had been buried alive under a mountain of negative conditioning. Now Cameron urges readers to go deeper still. As before, she urges them to write three daily "morning pages" of stream-of-consciousness prose and to take themselves on a weekly "artist's date, " a solo outing designed to help them get better acquainted with their inner selves. But here, Cameron gives new emphasis to her advice about the value of a daily 20-minute walk: "The job of your adult self, for the course of this book, will be to walk your creative child back to health. " All the exercises here -from the considerable task of writing one's narrative history to doll-making; from creating collages representing difficult relationships and mulling over the common themes of favorite movies-- are intended to make readers feel deeply. "A pilgrimage is a physical process, " writes Cameron. "What this means is that the tools of The Vein of Gold will be more deeply felt, and therefore more deeply resisted, than the tools of The Artist's Way. " The book is divided into "kingdoms" -of sight, story, sound, attitude, relationship and spirituality. Each leads readers closer to their own "vein of gold"- to that territory of experience and possibility that, Cameron says, is indelibly theirs. For those seeking the wellsprings of creativity, this book, like its predecessor, is a solid gold divining rod. 125, 000 first printing; major ad/promo; BOMC and QPB featured alternates, One Spirit main selection; simultaneous Putnam Berkley audio; author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Jour: Coauthor of the best-selling The Artist's Way (Tarcher, 1992) , Cameron here assists her readers in broadening their creativity by guiding them on a journey through seven kingdoms. Her analogy of mining for gold --mining for the heart of creativity-- works very well. To stimulate creative energies while walking a path to emotional growth, Cameron suggests beginning with writing a morning meditation. Chapters on patience, courage, and spiritual gifts are all interesting, each chapter ending with a list of tasks to practice. Each page is festooned with a quote from a writer, artist, or spiritualist. A solid bibliography and discography round out this rich self-help guide to developing spiritual, creative lives. -Lisa S. Wise, EBSCO, Springfield, Va. .