When Body Eloquence came into my hands, I was mesmerized by the cover art. The colors, design, texture come together so perfectly, it’s as if the book were fully formed as a whole in a single instant. I was reluctant to open it and risk disappointment, but when I finally started turning pages, I found that the ethereal beauty was more than just skin deep. Even the table of contents is poetic and intriguing!

Author Nancy Mellon has built a work of art based on two seemingly unrelated elements—storytelling and body organs. "All the world’s story patterns and characters are inscribed within the human body," she writes. "Our organs are gathering places of wisdom." The focus of Body Eloquence, then, is to help us get better acquainted with our livers, kidneys, and gall bladders as a prelude to accessing that wisdom. Mellon’s approach to this is to use storytelling as a healing art "that can draw out the innate wisdom within us."

Each chapter addresses a different organ, describing their physical and spiritual roles from Eastern and Western perspectives through the use of stories drawn from different times and cultures. Mellon shows us ways of creating the stories our bodies need to heal and move forward, spiritually and emotionally, and sometimes physically, with her totally unique concept. Take the thymus, for example. I don’t believe I’ve given a single moment of thought to that particular gland, and yet Mellon informs me that "Ancient Greeks thought of the thymus as the seat of the soul... [it] supports our sense of physical abundance and well-being."

Similar background for each of the organs gives the reader a holistic view of the inner body, and a deeper insight into the way we use or abuse our bodies. The suggestions Mellon provides for exercises, music, yoga poses, along with story templates guide readers to a better understanding of the need for integration of mind and body. The gentle rhythm of words instills awe and appreciation for the marvelous intricacy of the human body. "Your body has been listening to you all your life," Mellon points out. "...whatever is going on in your mind and emotional life at this moment is a story that you are telling your body."

Body Eloquence is a sublime experience, engaging the reader in a wholesome, natural, and unique approach to addressing our disconnection from our essential selves and regaining the universal human right to know ourselves.