<p><em>The Great Sweetening: Life After Thought</em> invites the spiritual seeker to ask 'What am I? Am I what my ego and mind tell me I am? Or am I consciousness itself?&rdquo; This collection of essays explores how the sense of self is created by thought patterns, memory, and beliefs. Jan Frazier gently shows how the ego uses the mind to keep this self seeming real and worthy of the enormous attention it receives. She offers helpful guidance about how to relate to mental activity so that painful thoughts no longer imprison. The compelling reality of the self thus begins to soften, making it possible to sense the larger reality within every person. The profound peace that is universally longed for is innate to our humanity. It&#39;s only because the mind-made self seems to be what we are that this sense of well-being is not realized, not experienced in moment-to-moment life.</p>