|
The Center to BE recommends these books for the Spiritual Journey
Spirituality
Beauty, The Invisible Embrace: Rediscovering the True Sources of Compassion, Serenity and Hope, by John O'Donohue
Irish author John O'Donohue (Anam Cara) discusses the subject of beauty -- the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart. He reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us toward new heights of passion and creativity.
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster, 25th Anniversary edition.
Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline, explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found. They include the inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; the outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service; and the corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.
The Consolations of Imperfection: Learning to Appreciate Life's Limitations by Donald W. McCullough.
A personal and often humorous look at how losses in life can yield rich lesson
Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind by Roger Walsh, MD, PhD.
Each of the great spiritual traditions has a common goal: recognizing the sacred and divine that exist both within and around us. Using stories, exercises, meditations, myths, prayers and practical advice, this book shows how to integrate seven spiritual principles into a rewarding way of life.
Ethics For The New Millennium by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, "…those individuals whose conduct is ethically positive are happier and more satisfied than those who neglect ethics." The Dalai Lama shows how basic goodness and a universal moral system will ensure our survival through the difficult times in which we live.
A Faith Worth Believing: Finding New Life Beyond The Rules Of Religion by Tom Stella.
This book takes religious "truths" we may have learned in childhood and gives them new meaning in light of a lived understanding of the Divine Mystery.
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying. Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley, Bantam Books. Hospice nurses share their intimate experiences with patients at the edge of life in this moving and compassionate book.
The God Instinct: Heeding Your Heart's Unrest by Tom Stella
The author opens our minds to a new way of experiencing and understanding God's presence in our lives using insights about the realities of daily living and the wisdom gleaned from his own journey.
The Healing Earth: Nature's Medicine For The Troubled Soul by Philip Sutton Chard, Learn how time spent in forest, field, or backyard interacting with the living forces of nature can quiet minds, open hearts and heal souls. You will delight in this EcoPsychology author's wisdom, his stories and the ceremonies he suggests.
Heart: A Natural History of the Heart-Filled Life by Gail Godwin
This book is a journey that spans the history of human civilization, combining myth, art and religion to understand how humans have conceived of the heart through time. The author weaves her own stories of heartbreak and hope throughout and leads us to an understanding that we cannot let the head alone rule our lives.
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life by Parker J. Palmer
Another lovely book by this gentle, insightful author. He explains "circles of trust" as vehicles for inviting our souls out of hiding
Kitchen Table Wisdom By Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
The author who is a physician, therapist, professor of medicine, and long-term survivor of chronic illness, is also a down-home storyteller. Her collection of real-life parables guide us like a life compass, showing us what's good and lasting about ourselves as well as humanity. They demonstrate over and over our own capacity to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life by Philip Simmons.
The author finds meaning all around him and bravely illustrates the art of "rescuing joy from heartbreak" as he deals with the effects of Lou Gehrig's disease. Whereas our culture views falling as failure and defeat, Simmons reframes it as a spiritual art, a deepening into life that opens us to the grace that is always nearby.
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith. Barbara Brown Taylor. A spiritual memoir of a female Episcopal priest who had to leave her church ministry of 15 years in order to save her relationship with God.
Let Your Life Speak - Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer.
The author uses his own journey to describe "living the life that wants to live in me." This small, beautifully written book is a compassionate guide to seeking your true calling in life by listening to the voice within.
A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life by Wayne Teasdale
The author is committed to building a global "interspiritual" movement--where we all become monks in the world, collectively doing the right thing while honoring the many and diverse paths to God. As a lay monk, he discusses how each of us can pursue spiritual values in the modern world while holding a job, having a family and living in contemporary society.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
The author of The Power of Now describes how our ego-based consciousness interferes with our personal happiness and how transcending it is key to relieving conflict and suffering in the world. He shows us how to find truly fulfilling existence
No Future Without Forgiveness by Desmond M. Tutu
In 1995 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Desmond Tutu was appointed chair of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This book is his personal memoir of the work of that commission which sought to heal the wounds of the apartheid era.
The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
The author, a widely recognized Tibetan Buddhist nun, introduces a host of the "compassionate warriors'" tools and concepts for transforming anxieties and negative emotions into positive living.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle, 2000.
Miriam Ross recommends this book with the message: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. The author explains what "living in the now" means in language and style that is easy to understand. Readers learn to be more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness.
Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, And Delight In Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller,
Sabbath was created as an oasis of sacred time within a life of unceasing labor. Learn about using this time of sacred rest to refresh body and mind, restore creativity and regain inner happiness.
Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope by Joan Chittister, OSB,.
Using the story of Job and her own personal disappointments in life, the author explores the struggle that she says is part of every life, pointing out how such encounters can lead to growth and new direction. But even as she writes of the "gifts" of struggle, she is candid about its dark side and lasting impact.
Seeds of Hope: A Henri Nouwen Reader by Robert Durback, ed. , Bantam Books.
Although it does not contain his most recent writings, this anthology offers a choice selection of passages from Nouwen's work prior to the 1990's. The format lends itself to savoring small pieces of his vast spiritual wisdom in a slow and reflective way.
Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting, by Holly Whitcomb
This Milwaukee area author and minister shows us and how to welcome waiting as a spiritual discipline and to receive its spiritual gifts through stories, exercises and reflection questions.
Seven Whispers: Listening to the Voice of Spirit by Christina Baldwin.
Author Christina Baldwin (Life's Companion; Calling the Circle) is a self-exploration pioneer. She urges readers to connect with the spiritual world by explaining her own personal daily meditation which consists of seven phrases. Each chapter explores one of these "whispers": maintain peace of mind, move at the pace of guidance, practice certainty of purpose, surrender to surprises, ask for what you need and offer what you can, love the folks in front of you, and return to the world.
SQ : Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence by Dana Zohar and Ian Marshall
The authors explain that Spiritual Intelligence is the necessary foundation for both IQ and EQ. It is our ultimate intelligence. Only humans have SQ--the ability to be creative, change the rules, alter situations, and question why we are here.
Taming the Tiger Within, Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions by Thich Nhat Hanh, has small sayings for daily reading going from Anger to Compassion.
A Tree Full of Angels by Macrina Wiederkehr is a wonderful example of how to see God and the holy in the ordinary all around us.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson,
Two of the world’s foremost Enneagram authorities introduce a powerful way to use the Enneagram as a tool for personal and spiritual transformation
When The Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction For Life's Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd.
This popular author grapples with the sacred questions of life, with the journey and mystery of the human soul as it grows spiritually. She explores waiting as the passionate and contemplative crucible in which new life and spiritual wholeness can be birthed.
Women’s Spirituality
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is a funny yet insightful account of one year in which the author finds her spiritual self through gelato, meditation and island living.
Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh was written in 1955, but could be written today. It really speaks to the changes in a woman’s life and her corresponding feelings.
I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame by Brené Brown. Based on the author’s extensive interviews with women, she finds, for example, that only 1% think they are beautiful and that shame is widely prevalent in their lives.
I Will Not Die an Unlived Life - Reclaiming Purpose and Passion by Dawna Markova.
This book asks essential questions and looks for the answers not from analytical minds but from our heart minds where the soul resides and we connect with our inner wisdom. Join us on a journey of "what it would mean to live fully, sensually alive and passionately, on purpose.
In Sweet Company: Conversations with Extraordinary Women about Living a Spiritual Life by Margaret Wolff
Enjoy conversations with 14 women, including Olympia Dukakis, Sister Helen Prejean, Riane Eisler and Reverend Dr. Lauren Artriss. Each woman shares her thoughts on the spiritual life and relates her own personal journey.
The Friendship of Women: The Hidden Tradition of the Bible by Joan Chittister
This popular author explores the sacred dimension of women's friendship using the wisdom of the women of the Bible and showing how it reflects the friendship between God and creation.
The Hope for Wholeness: A Spirituality for Feminists by Katherine Zappone. Mystic, CT: Twenty-third 1991. A Woman's Journey To God by Joan Borysenko, PhD, The author offers moving, intimate stories of women who are struggling to find God; shares ideas for new rituals, ceremonies and prayers; and shows us how spiritual discontent can pave the way to a deeper, more meaningful faith.
Body Mind Spirit
The Alchemy of Illness by Kat Duff, Pantheon Books.
A woman explores the transforming and paradoxically, healing experience of being ill.
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Carolyn Myss, PhD.
A former journalist turned medical intuitive, Caroline Myss blends diverse religious and spiritual beliefs into a succinct discussion of health and human anatomy. This book fuses Hindu chakras, Christian sacraments, and the Judaic Tree of Life to form seven stages of power in the human body.
Finding the Still point: A Spiritual Response to Stress by Tom Harpur.
The author is an Anglican priest from Canada who has written extensively on religious and ethical issues. He shows how ancient wisdoms, combined with exciting new scientific discoveries and mind/body relaxation techniques, can meet today's stress crisis. Divorced from their spiritual underpinnings and/or religious understanding, modern techniques lack the potency they originally had. Central to a spiritual response to stress is the practice of spiritual meditation in its various forms.
The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety and Depression without Drugs and without Talk Therapy, by David Servan-Schreiber.
The author is a psychiatrist and co-founder of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Complementary Medicine who offers seven natural treatments for stress-related disorders.
Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress and Fear into Vibrance, Strength and Love, by Judith Orloff, MD.
The author uses stories from her practice of Energy Psychiatry to examine how we can increase and maintain positive energy in our lives. Specific practices are described.
The Power of Your Other Hand : A Course in Channeling the Inner Wisdom of the Right Brain, by Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D.
Through various drawing and writing exercises with your non-dominant hand you will explore and understand your thoughts and feelings on a completely different level, finding out things about yourself that have been buried or concealed including the wisdom of your true self, how to heal your body and your relationships and changing negative self-concepts.
Stand Like Mountain, Flow like Water, Reflections on Stress and Human Spirituality by Brian Luke Seaward,
The author, a psycho physiologist and expert on stress management, advocates finding balance in life as a way of overcoming stress. The title of this book is based on a tai chi saying. "To stand like a mountain suggests a sense of stability, resistant to the winds of change. To move like water implies the ability to go with the flow, rather than trying to change things we have no control over." Redefining stress as a disconnection from our divine source, he demonstrates how to utilize stress to promote spiritual growth, explaining how to develop inner resources of faith, compassion, courage, humor, patience, humility, and humor.
Peace
The Future of Peace: On the Front Lines with the World's Great Peacemakers by Scott A. Hunt
The author spent three years traveling across the globe -- often under arduous conditions -- to seek out the wisdom of the world's leading peacemakers. He talks with them about the causes of human suffering and the antidote to violence. These great leaders show us a different path, proving not only that the cessation of war is possible, but that the removal of hatred and violence from our hearts is possible as well . . . they show us that the promise of peace remains intact.
Gandhi's Hope: Learning from Other Religions as a Path to Peace by Jay McDaniel
Five challenges faced by the world's wisdom traditions are explored: to live compassionately, to live self-critically, to live simply, to live ecologically, and to welcome religious diversity.
Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh. The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life with a forward by Dalai Lama. A good easy read.
New Cosmology
The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto
By examining the structure of water at the moment of freezing we can learn much about living a life of love and gratitude and the impact that has on all created things.
Sacred Eyes by L. Robert Keck, Ph.D.,
You are invited to view the human journey and your own life with Sacred Eyes. This book explores the meaning and purpose of human evolution and looks deeply at this unique time in history. We live in an era of profound human transformation the purpose of which is spiritual maturation.
A Theory of Everything : An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality by Ken Wilber
The "M Theory," or the "The Theory of Everything" is explained as "a model that would unite all the known laws of the universe into one all-embracing theory that would literally explain everything in existence."
Leadership
Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time by Margaret J. Wheatley, 2005
The best-selling author of Leadership ad the New Science has collected and updated essays which describe in very spiritual terms her thoughts on organizational change in a chaotic world.
Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership by Joseph Jaworski
The author is founder of the American Leadership Forum and espouses the value of servant leadership, which calls for leadership that is relationship-oriented, creative, and constructive. Synchronicity is an inspirational guide to developing the most essential leadership capacity for our time: how we can collectively shape our future
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret J. Wheatley.
The author shows how conversation is central to healing everything from personal relationships to organizational dysfunction to world discord. The intent is to encourage and support you to begin conversations about things that are important to you and those near you. "Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives" by Wayne Muller.
Prayer
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, by Cynthia Bourgeault,
The author is an Episcopal priest writing in an accessible way about finding God "within" through the practice of Centering Prayer.
God Hunger by John Kirvan,
A small but powerful book of meditations and prayers. At the root of all our longing is a profound hunger for God, the same hunger that has for centuries motivated the world's great spiritual teachers, a hunger only God can fill. This book provides 50 challenging experiences for the soul built around the core spiritual insights of ten great Western mystics (Christian, Jewish, and Islamic).
Prayer Is Good Medicine by Larry Dossey, M.D.,
Prayer does not take the place of medicine, but can be a powerful means of healing. This book inspires a new appreciation for how prayer can bring about healthful change and discusses the many forms of prayer available to us.
The Promise of Winter: Quickening the Spirit on Ordinary Days and in Fallow Seasons
reflections by Martin Marty; photographs by Micah Marty. Seeing how the journey through the "winter" times of our souls can lead us to the discovery of a God for all seasons.
Eco-Spirituality
Befriending the Earth: A Theology of Reconciliation Between Humans and the Earth with Thomas Clarke, SJ. Mystic, CT: 1991
Belonging to the Universe by Frijof Capra and David Steindl-Rast, NY: Harper Collins 1992
Meditations with Meister Eckhart by Meister Eckhart
Ed. By Matthew Fox. Sante Fe: Bear & Co. 1983
My Name is Chellis & I’m in Recovery from Western Civilization by Chellis Glendinning. Boston: Shambala. 1994
Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics by Diarmuid O’Murchu. NY: Crossroad. 1997
The Rights of Nature: A History of Environmental Ethics by Roderick Frazier Nash. Madison WI: University of Wisconsin 1989
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. NY: Fireside 1989
She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. NY: Crossroad. 1992
Transforming Grace: Christian Tradition and Women’s Experience by Anne E. Carr. San Francisco: Harper & Row. 1988
Fiction
Blue Water a novel by M. Manette Ansay. It is a story of two families united by tragedy, the accidental death of one family's six year old son, Evan. Primarily, it is the story of how Meg, the mother of Evan, copes with his loss. As the book cover aptly states, "it is a "compelling affirmation of the human potential for forgiveness, redemption and loss."
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Alexander McCall Smith. The first of a series of really fun, warm and empowering novels in which the heroine uses her wisdom, courage and acuity to actualize her dream of becoming the first lady private detective of Botswana.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this warm coming-of-age story of a young girl set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. Incorporating the legend of the Black Madonna and a brave, kind, peculiar trio of sisters, this is the story of people who have compassion for each other and who dare to be the people that they should be.
Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption. Paulo Coelho. A provocative story of how a young woman (and others) moves from existential ennui, despair, and encounters with her sexuality to newness of life.
www.worldprayer.org
The world in linked through prayer. Includes meditations to music.
www.spiritualprogressives.org
An interfaith movement of social commitment and justice.
ww.core-elcentro.org
The Website
of CORE/El Centro a Milwaukee non-profit natural healing center that provides
personal and global healing through the integration of body, mind, and
spirit.
www.beyondword.com
Beyond Words was founded over 20 years ago and is known for publishing high quality books that are either the "first of" or "the best of" a genre.
We invite you to explore our body, mind and spirit books as well as our young adult and children's titles. We also have some interesting wellness products and will be adding to that category in time, bringing you the best of what's available in related products to some our books.
www.geraniumfarm.org
"Down to Earth Support for Living". This is the website of Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, an Episcopal priest, spiritual director and author in Manhattan. It offers daily spiritual messages.
www.ronrolheiser.com
Features weekly columns by Ronald Rolheiser, author of The Holy Longing and The Shattered Lantern.
www.isabellacatalog.net
A catalog-website filled with lovely and unusual books and gifts for reawakening the spirit.
www.commondreams.org
News reporting and political commentary for the Progressive Community.
www.shainanoll.com
The website of singer-composer Shaina Noll who was the featured presenter at the 2004 benefit event for The Center to BE. Read about Shaina and order her CDs here.
www.religioustolerance.org
This large religious web site (over 2,500 essays and menus) promotes religious freedom, tolerance and diversity as positive cultural values. Maintained by a multi-faith group, it reports on controversial religious topics trying to explain all sides to each topic fairly and objectively.
www.codepink4peace.org
CODEPINK is a women initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement that seeks positive social change through proactive, creative protest and non-violent direct action.
www.yesmagazine.org
Website featuring Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures and other publications of the Positive Futures Network (PFN) an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people's active engagement in creating a just, sustainable, and compassionate world.
http://www.heartbeatscatalog.org
Heartbeats Religious Gifts Catalog of Inspirational Gifts made by World Artists. Heartbeats - a ministry of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary – offers a unique networking opportunity for women, minority and developing world artists to market their works to the world.
http://www.NCRonline.org
S. Joan Chittister writes a regular column which can be found at this website of the National Catholic Reporter.
www.spiritleader.org
This is the website for The Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago. ISL is one of the oldest centers in the world offering a course in personal spiritual growth and training in the art and skill of spiritual direction. ISL collaborates with The Center to BE in presenting Awakening Compassion as a Spiritual Resource for Leaders.
www.dorisklein.com
The artwork of watercolorist Doris Klein, CSA is displayed in this Online Gallery . Each piece includes a reflection written by the artist as well as descriptive information on the size, media and availability of the original paintings. Doris' work draws on themes of spirituality from a woman's perspective and the feminine face of God.
www.earthlight.org
Earth Light, The Magazine of Spiritual Ecology, offers this website which
features essays and art work from its recent issues. Those who follow
the writings of Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme and others interested in the
need to "live and work in touch with earth and spirit", will find much
to enjoy here.
www.sojo.net/index.cfm
Sojourners is a Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice. Their Sojourners Magazine is featured on this website along with information about their other publications and activities.
www.beliefnet.com
A wide-ranging and eclectic site of spirituality, religion, culture and health featuring news items, reflections, essays and much more.
www.speakingoffaith.org
This is the website of the National Public Radio program, Speaking of Faith, produced by Minnesota Public Radio. The programs do not always have "religion" itself as a subject, but grapple with common and larger themes of American life-asking how perspectives of faith might offer illumination.
www.spiritualityhealth.com
An extensive site related to Spirituality; Health magazine containing
articles, book and movie reviews, courses, events, discussions and more.
www.workplacespirituality.com
A website which encourages experiences and thoughts about the idea and practice
of spirituality in the workplace.
www.jesuit.ie
An Irish website by Jesuit priests featuring "Sacred Space", a daily on-line
prayer page.
www.gratefulness.org
“In each of us there is a spark that can reverse the trends of violence and
depression spiraling within us and in the world around us. By setting in
motion the spiral of gratefulness we begin the journey toward peace and
joy.” Includes poetry, essays, book recommendations and daily practices
to encourage gratefulness.
www.upperroom.org
The website of Upper Room Ministries which publishes the spirituality journal,
Weavings. Includes Christian reflections, articles and other resources
“to help believers of all ages and denominations move to a deeper level
of faith and service.”
www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth
This section of the larger website of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is a
collaboration with Veriditas, the World-Wide Labyrinth Project.
Veriditas is committed to reintroducing the labyrinth in its many forms
as a spiritual tool. Includes on-line labyrinth, labyrinth locator,
and labyrinth related events and programs.
www.ninegates.org
Describes Nine Gates Mystery School, in intense spiritual journey that takes one
to the depths of life’s mysteries.
www.associatesforlife.com
A resource for helping the individual restore balance and harmony on all
levels of being: body, mind and spirit.Includes information about
consulting services, nutraceutical products and energy work.
www.watershedonline.ca
Watershed Online is designed, written, edited, and financially sustained by a creative
non-profit community in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. " to consider and apply
the insights of literature, spirituality and cultural studies." It features
an online magazine.
www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html
This is a Jesuit-focused website out of Creighton University which includes
daily reflections, an on-line retreat, links to other spirituality sites
and more. Very current and thought-provoking.
www.healingnature.com
Psychotherapist and author, Philip Chard, who presents Healing Earth workshops with the
Center to BE, has a website at www.healingnature.com. It features an archive
of his newspaper columns, photographs and reflections.
www.capacitar.org
The stories of people whose lives have been touched by the body wisdom practices
taught through CAPACITAR are featured on this website. CAPACITAR is an
international program which teaches individuals to heal, empower and transform
themselves, their families, their communities and their societies. The
Center to BE collaborates with this California-based organization to present
the intensive program, Training in Healing and Transformation in Wisconsin.
www.myss.com
The vision of Myss.com is to develop as a primary Internet gateway for people
seeking holistic methods for achieving good health. The mission, as currently
articulated, is to facilitate a lively interactive Internet community through
which people can: learn about holistic, energy and intuitive medicine,
spiritual direction, including Carolyn Myss' philosophy and those of other
professionals; buy education resources and health aids that help people
heal themselves; and contribute to the development of the field.
 |
| The
labyrinth is a spiritual tool for walking meditation and reflection. Its
winding yet defined path allows those who walk it to surrender and experience
time with the Sacred. Walking the path allows us to create a space in which
to put aside our linear, hurried lives and clear the way for peace and
calm. |
 |
|
The
sacred design of labyrinths can be found in many different traditions dating
back thousands of years. Unlike a maze, it contains one continuous path
which is followed to the center and then is used to return.
The
Center to BE uses a 36-square foot canvas Chartres-style (eleven circuit)
labyrinth. Open Labyrinth Walks and Mini-retreats are scheduled periodically
in Fond du Lac and Milwaukee.
The
labyrinth is available for daily or weekend rental to qualified groups
or organizations. The labyrinth must be used for spiritual reflection under
the guidance of an experienced leader. It is to be used indoors onlySuggested
donation for rental of the labyrinth is $100 per day or $200 per weekend.
To
schedule dates for leasing the labyrinth, contact the Executive Director
of The Center to BE at 414-672-5932 or mwilbur.centertobe@sbcglobal.net.
Spiritual
Direction or Spiritual Companioning is a process with a rich tradition.
In it, one person, through the grace of the Spirit, helps another to develop
a deeper relationship with God through an awareness of the presence and
movement of God in his/her lived experiences. This process extends over
time and is used by women and men of multiple faith traditions.
Many
people long to know God more intimately, although they may not be able
to name it that way. They may want a place to tell their stories in order
to help make sense of their lives. They often desire to find a way to understand
how God is working in them and through them. Spiritual companions can provide
a loving, non-judgmental and confidential environment in which all this
and more can be explored.
God/Spirit
is the true director in this process. Spiritual companions serve as God's
human instruments and will:
-
Listen,
offering a safe space in which to speak and be heard. Putting thoughts,
feelings, questions and experiences into words can often help clarify what
is puzzling or frightening. Any discomfort with talking about "spiritual"
matters is diminished greatly in this process.
-
Help
people to notice how God is present and acting in their lives. Sometimes
another set of eyes can see the subtle ways that God's grace is at work
through ordinary and extraordinary events.
-
Help
people respond to God. When people are called to change, the response is
not always clear or easy. Spiritual companions can provide encouragement
and support.
-
Guide
people in practices to enhance their spiritual growth. These practices
may include prayer forms, suggestions for reading, help with journaling,
and assistance with discernment.
-
Love
and pray for those with whom they walk. Those companioned will receive
loving acceptance in this relationship and will know that they are prayed
for.
It
is important to understand what spiritual direction is not:
-
It
is not therapy, although the issues discussed might be the same as those
brought up in a therapeutic setting. The focus is not on "fixing" something
that is "wrong".
-
It
is not friendship although the individuals involved will often develop
a caring relationship. Friendship implies a mutuality in which each person
in the relationship gives to and receives from the other. In the spiritual
direction process the focus is exclusively on the "directee" and that person's
relationship with God.
-
It
is not about religion or theology. The process transcends the distinctions
among religions and emphasizes how God is found in personal experience.
-
It
is not time-limited, highly structured or goal-oriented. It is a process
which unfolds at its own pace and generally extends over an extended period
of time. The benefits are personal and internal; they are "the fruits of
the spirit" which may include a greater sense of peace and a heightened
awareness of God in all things.
-
It
is not an appropriate choice for everyone. Those entering into the process
must be open and willing to explore their relationship with God. It requires
a commitment of time to meet with the spiritual companion and to pay attention
to the movement of God in their lives.
The
Center to BE assists individuals in beginning this process by answering
questions about the reasons for spiritual direction, what the process involves,
who spiritual directors are and the impact the process may have on their
lives. We maintain a list of religious and lay persons who serve as spiritual
directors with an inclusive approach to spirituality. The Executive Director
also serves as a spiritual companion.
|
|
