When thinking of romance, some may look for modern advice. But people have been thinking about love for a long time, and sometimes ancient wisdom is still relevant.

Two new books look back in time at what Kabbalah and kama sutra have to say about love.

E-mail Leah your old-school love tips at lashafer@gmail.com.

How Kabbalah Can Help Your Soul Mate Find You

By Yehuda Berg ($12.95, Kabbalah Publishing)

Most people are familiar with Kabbalah because of all the stars wearing red bracelets and touting its insight into modern life. This book makes use of two of the more visible stars; The front cover has an endorsement from Ashton Kutcher, and he and his wife Demi Moore are mentioned in the dedication.

But Kabbalah is more than celeb hype; it's the mystical aspect of Judaism, a set of very old, esoteric teachings. According to author Yehuda Berg, it has everything to do with finding a soul mate. And if you're a woman, the power lays with you.

The basic idea: At the beginning of the universe, there was a Divine Force. It created a vessel, which was both female and male. But the presence of both genders made it shatter, and the pieces created the universe. So now we're looking for our soul mate from that period. It's a horrible oversimplification, which is why you should read this book. In it, Berg explains this mystic puzzle and makes it quite a bit less confusing.

The Karma Sutra:

Sex, Love, and Relationship Zen

By Shelly Wu ($13.99, New Page Books)

Most people think of sexual positions when kama sutra is mentioned. But sex, love and relationships were divine acts to the ancient Hindus, says author Shelly Wu, and the kama sutra teaches people how to embrace the pleasure the world has to offer us.

The book is a journey through the rules of kama sutra to help readers "awaken hope and help you take control of your love life."

That control comes from understanding the spiritual dynamics of relationships, many of which make perfect logical sense. For instance, "if he can live without you, you can live without him" seems like good advice for avoiding doormat status. The chapter on bad relationships advises against the one-night stand man, and being a victim or victimizer. We think our last therapist said the same thing.