Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart

By Ram Dass with Rameshwar Das; Sounds True Publishing

Considering his long-standing advice to “be here now,” the spiritual author and teacher Ram Dass has always been ahead of his time.

During the ’60s, the Harvard psychology professor and early psychedelic experimenter who was born Richard Alpert in 1931 became one of the seminal voices introducing Eastern thought to Western awareness. Marked by his self-deprecating humor and facile way of distilling complex concepts into three words or less, Ram Dass’s teachings over the following decades have always felt more friendly than intimidating.

His new Polishing the Mirror, a slim, elegant volume written with Rameshwar Das, brings a light tone to recapping the lessons learned, wisdom gained, love realized, and new challenges awaiting as the end of this life nears.

Dedicated to Neem Karoli Baba, his “Maharaji” who still infuses every moment of Ram Dass’s life, the book contains personal anecdotes and wide-ranging quotes produce an engaging primer on “how to live from your spiritual heart.”

Polishing the Mirror produces giddy ecstasy at being in the presence of an evolved spirit who also happens to be a gentle friend reminding you to go easy on yourself. Better yet are the moments when the author disappears altogether and the words on the page become the reader’s inner dialogue.

After all, as he quotes from Ramana Maharishi, “God, guru and Self are One.”