The Tao of Elvis

Book excerpt: "The Tao is great, the king is also great."--Lao Tzu "I'm a soul, a spirit, a force. I have no interest in anything of this world. I want to live in another dimension entirely."--Elvis Presley "Elvis thought the Tao was just another name for God."--Larry Geller, Elvis's spiritual adviser and friend Elvis Presley was an intensely spiritual man. Gospel was his music of choice, and his life--from innocence to addiction, from obscurity to fame, from "Hound Dog" to "Love Me Tender"--was one long quest to balance opposites. "The Tao of Elvis" is the first attempt to illustrate Elvis's Taoist nature and interpret his never-ending search for purpose and meaning. Highlighting Elvis's journey from light into dark, Jungian expert and Elvis scholar David Rosen explores and examines his life through the structure of the Tao Te Ching. In reflections on forty-two Taoist concepts--one for each year of Elvis's life--Rosen reveals how the Tao, a mysterious force, was and is operating through America's king. Like the Tao, Elvis is everywhere.