The Seat of the Soul

In The Seat of the Soul (1989), Gary Zukav argues that the human species is undergoing an evolution into a new phase, one in which we retreat from ‛external’ power based on what we perceive with our sense and embrace ‛internal’ power based on our spiritual identity.

The introduction deals with what Zukav believes is an inadequate definition of the concept of evolution, arguing that the evolution we are taught in school is solely concerned with the physical and an organism’s ability to control its environment. Authentic power, Zukav concludes, is internal, stemming from joy and enthusiasm and respect for the world around us and the other living beings we share it with. This is what we as a species are currently evolving towards—from “five sensory humans” to “multi-sensory humans.”

Zukav explores the concept of karma, arguing that the soul exists outside of time and therefore is eternal. He says that most people examine evolution in terms of a single lifetime, but evolution is a constant that spans all of existence, and our souls have been engaged with that process throughout time. Part of our evolution into multi-sensory beings will involve perceiving these prior existences.



Zukav explains his concept of how our actions affect our existence both in our perceived present and in other times. The framework of the soul and its reincarnations are neutral, without positive or negative energy. Our actions in our various existences charge this framework with positive or negative energy. If we wish to evolve, we must start by paying attention to our own reactions and emotional energies so we know how our actions and decisions will shape the rest of our existence.

Part of being a multi-sensory human involves the realization that no one is truly alone; all human beings are in contact with each other and are able to communicate non-verbally with each other. Five-sensory humans do not have this awareness, but that doesn’t mean they are not affected by communications from other souls or intelligent beings. Five-sensory humans perceive these communications as ‛intuition’ or gut feelings, but they have been taught not to trust communications that do not come from the five senses. Multi-sensory beings, however, do trust these messages and thus learn and evolve faster.

Zukav then informs the reader that our perception of being made of ‛stuff’ like muscle and bone is part of the five-sensory human limitation. In reality, we are all made of Light, and our thoughts and perceptions alter the frequency of our Light. As we evolve, we become aware of this Light and the non-physical teachers that can help us on our journey; it is up to us to shape our Light with our attitudes and thoughts. Low-frequency Light results in pain and suffering, allowing us to learn how to adjust our Light to be powerful and positive.



Our intentions shape our reality. As a result, actions and thoughts that we find the most difficult are the most necessary because these intentions are doing the heavy lifting of changing the reality around us. It is necessary to stretch yourself beyond your fears to alter the reality around you as part of your evolution. Zukav explains that part of our intention is a spectrum between love and fear; all beings experience fear, and it is up to us to be compassionate towards others who are experiencing fear while also choosing love over fear in our own intention. The combination of choosing love and being compassionate will reshape our reality positively.

Zukav introduces the concept of choice, arguing that we always have a choice to make in how we shape our reality through our intentions, that the perception of having no choices is an illusion. We can choose to make healthy choices when reacting to others or we can choose to make unhealthy choices. Compassion, again, is vital in making the right choices, as is the choice to perceive and reduce the distance between us and other people.

Zukav posits the idea that addictions are actually the most frightening aspects of our personalities. The costs that our addictions exact from our lives are directly proportionate to the importance of defeating them. Zukav argues that this is part of the compassionate universe pushing us to see that our inadequacies and fears are so deeply rooted the only way to defeat them is to find something of equal or greater power.



Although our evolution and the work involved might seem isolated and lonely, Zukav cautions that it actually requires relationships. As we are all connected whether we are able to perceive it or not, we must approach all of our relationships with honesty and love, and learn to trust our intuition about people until we can clearly perceive the messages being sent to us.

Zukav tells us that humans have individual souls, while animals have group souls. He theorizes that group souls that produce high Light can advance to a higher level of consciousness in their next reincarnation, so dogs might become dolphins, and dolphins humans. Although humans have individual souls, our evolution is tied to the group; we are a micro within a macro, and thus we must be careful with our intentions, as they will affect the whole race. We must also take care to safeguard and improve the health of our soul—our mental and emotional health. We must realize that love is all that matters, that everything else is a construct—our true existence is in connection to one another in perfect love. In order to achieve true power, we must let go of outcomes and trust the universe—stop trying to guide things and allow ourselves to be guided; that is true power. Releasing our own power to a higher form of wisdom is the final stage of this new evolution.