The year was 1971. We sat in a classroom with desks in straight rows. The high school guidance counselor walked in as a hush fell in the room. After dumping books and papers on the desk, he went to the chalk board and wrote, “Know Thyself.” The “guidance” class required… Read More »Exercise and Self-Knowledge: Dimensions of the Spiritual Path
He paged through the book he just purchased. Thoughtfully, he looked up at me and said, “Spirituality it something important. I really believe that. I can see it in the lives of other people and the difference it makes for them. I hate to admit this, but I really don’t… Read More »Igniting the Inner Spark
The alarm went off far too early. At 5:30 a.m., it was still as dark as midnight. With everything packed in the car and with a travel mug full of hot coffee, at 6:30 a.m. I got up to speed heading south on Interstate 55. As the sun crested the… Read More »A Vibrant Spirit of Community
It’s morning. I complete my bathroom ablutions and sip some coffee. Making my way to the study, I pause to light a single candle centered on a small table. Sitting in a large, wooden straight back chair, I begin. Sometimes I start with a chant and other times a favorite… Read More »Self-Transcendence and Sustainable Spirituality
What’s better for the environment: using paper bags that could increase deforestation or plastic bags that result in debris everywhere from city streets to water ways? Is it more environmentally friendly to use energy to wash a dirty plate or to use a throw-away paper plate? What about sending greetings… Read More »Sustainable Spirituality: The Foundation for Green Living
In 1524, Ignatius of Loyola, one of the notable spiritual writers of the Christian tradition, articulated a method for spiritual growth and development which integrated reflection on the the Bible, visualization, and self-examination. His, approach, captured in the book, The Spiritual Exercises, conveys the timeless model developed by Ignatius that… Read More »Book Review: Walking Through Illusion
In the mid 1980’s, I read a novel by May Sarton: Anger. Because her autobiographic work, The Journal of a Solitude, touched me deeply, I hoped her novel exploring expressions of anger would help me sort out my own experience of anger. Anger is an emotion which has complicated my… Read More »Anger: A Signal for Change
We live in a time of great uncertainty. More people are unemployed in the United States than have been since the Great Depression. The number of families living in poverty has reached the level of the 1960’s when Johnson declared a war on poverty. The country is divided politically, economically,… Read More »Sustainable Spirituality: Re-Thinking Our Life Together
