Journey to the Island of the Sun: The Return to the Lost City of Gold

Starting where his and Jendresen's The Four Winds left off, California psychologist Villoldo reunites with mentor Antonio Morales Baca, a Quechua Indian shaman known as Don Jicaram, to seek the legendary Lost City of Gold of the Incas, Vilcabamba. Traveling on foot through mountains and jungle from Cuzco, Peru, to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, the men follow a spiritual journey, exploring the four paths of the Medicine Wheel, which lead deep within the human psyche through dreams and meditation to spiritual enlightenment. The first-person narration moves from the current quest to significant moments in Villoldo's life (e.g., the death of his father) and includes often poetic diary entries. When Villoldo compares his personal spiritual discoveries to the conventions and tenets of Western religion and psychology, the latter consistently come up short. While at times meandering, this is a moving testament to interior ways of knowing. Author tour. (June)