SQ: Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence

The standard IQ test measures rational intelligence--the skills we use to solve logical or strategic problems. For a long time, IQ results were considered the best measurement of a person's smarts and potential for success. But in the early 1990s Daniel Goleman pointed out that success is also dependent on emotional intelligence--the thinking that gives us empathy, compassion, and the ability to respond appropriately to pain or pleasure. Now, at the end of the 20th century, authors Danah Zohar and Dr. Ian Mitchell claim that there is another important Q to consider--the SQ, otherwise known as Spiritual Intelligence. In fact, the authors assert that "SQ is the necessary foundation for both the IQ and the EQ. It is our ultimate intelligence." They have an excellent point. After all, computers have high IQ, animals often have high EQ, but only humans have SQ--the ability to be creative, change the rules, alter situations, and question why we are here. Because the authors are well-researched and highly articulate, the entire book makes for intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually compelling reading. Chapters include "The God Spot in the Brain," "How We Become Spiritually Stunted," "Six Paths Toward Greater Spiritual Intelligence," and "Assessing My SQ." --Gail Hudson