The following resources are written within the discipline of spiritual practice education. They track some of the insights and understandings I have gained as I have continued to engage in the sacred work of being human. The resources are offered for readers to reflect upon within the light of their belief system.
an attitude of rational curiosity
an attitude of rational curiosity
Our sacred stories: the essential pathway for meaning and belonging
As well as the drive for knowledge about the world, we humans also have an innate longing to discover meaning and belonging in the world. Therefore, as well as being explorers of the outer world, we humans also have an innate desire to explore our inner world. Inner exploration is the domain of spirituality. Spiritual… Continue Reading
The path of self knowledge
The path of self knowledge weaves its way through each persons world view. Therefore, where the path leads is determined by a world view. Due to a significant change in my world view, I was no longer sure where the path of self knowledge led. This article offers a general understanding of the nature of the path of self knowledge and my personal reflection on where it has led within a world view of conscious evolution and a framework of evolutionary spirituality. Continue Reading
Spiritual mentoring ~ beyond god or religion
Western culture is undergoing yet another transition in terms of its Story of meaning making. In response to the loss of a cultural Story, we are each required to discern our own internal source for meaning and belonging. Many will seek to discern their internal source via an existing model of spiritual mentoring which is… Continue Reading
The Land I Now Inhabit
To be human is to give meaning to life through a particular Story about how the world came into existence and our place of belonging within it. For the past sixteen years or so I have walked between lands, in that I have lived between Stories of meaning. Now I have come to a resting… Continue Reading
Standing in our own ground, openheartedly
The philosopher Ken Wilber has argued that we are living in a time in history when all of the world’s cultures are available to us. The availability of the world’s cultures has given rise to an information overload of seemingly competing spiritual practices and belief systems to draw from. We truly are living in a… Continue Reading
The question of free will
What can one do with the question of free will when so much has already been written about it? Why add to the endless speculations on the topic? I chose to write this paper in response to a conversation on free will which gave rise to the following question for me: “I do not think… Continue Reading
Is authentic Self dead?
This paper offers my understanding of the nature of authentic Self in the twenty-first century. It is a personal reflection on the topic, written in response to a shift in my understanding of death and questions which arose within me in response to reading Yuval Noah Harari’s book entitled Homo Deus. Is authentic self dead Continue Reading
Love is . . .
The orientating reference point for this reflection on the nature of Love, comes from the writings of Anne Hillman: We stand at an evolutionary juncture, called to awaken to a new kind of Love. This Love is not a feeling, it is a great power. Awakening to this radically different Love may be gradual or… Continue Reading
The nature of hope
The word hope is often used in everyday language: “I hope the traffic isn’t too bad, I’m late for an appointment.” “I hope you get that new job.” “I hope it doesn’t rain today.” “Hope you have a good day.” But what do we mean when we use the word hope? Is hope a form… Continue Reading
Faith or non-faith: is that the question?
Recently I was involved in a conversation where the terms faith and non-faith were mentioned. For those individuals who found their sense of identity, purpose and belonging with a religious tradition, the term faith was ascribed. The term non-faith was ascribed for those who did not. Even though the term non-faith was in no way applied pejoratively,… Continue Reading
A method for discerning personal inner truth
Recently I wrote an article entitled: The nature of truth in an age of perspectives. As a follow-on, this article offers one method for discerning personal inner truth. The method draws particularly from research undertaken by Bernard Lonergan in the field of human consciousness. method for discerning personal inner truth Continue Reading
The nature of truth in an age of perspectives
Within a western cultural context there is no longer a singular truth for the way we collectively give meaning to our living and our dying. Such a cultural shift has given rise to the notion that the term truth has been superseded by the term perspective. Within such a context, truth and perspective are viewed… Continue Reading
Reflections on the sacred work of being human
Within each new era of human history, the sacred work of being human entails: discerning the call of that particular era to discover and take up our human identity and purpose . . . reflections-on-the-sacred-work-of-being-human Continue Reading
A contemporary experience of grace
With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling: we shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot According to the belief system of the author of this article, the nature… Continue Reading
Nurturing resilience within the carer journey
A common occurrence within the carer journey is that an individual is often thrust into the role without prior warning or preparation. Under such circumstances, caring for a loved-one living with a long-term physical and/or mental disorder may stretch the carer’s resilience to breaking point. How may resilience be nurtured? Nurturing resilience in the carer… Continue Reading
Vitality in daily life
Watch a child at play. They seem absorbed in a source of vitality and joy drawn from simply being in the moment. As the child grows into adulthood they seem to lose connection with that source of vitality. Even though they may still experience extraordinary moments of vitality, ongoing connection is often hindered by the… Continue Reading
The nature of spirituality
According to Thomas Merton, “our greatest journey in life is interior.” Such an interior journey is named as a spiritual journey. Even though the spiritual journey requires us to journey within, the focal point of such journeying is the way we live and act in our daily life; our outer world. Download Resource (PDF) Continue Reading
A New Faith Community
Many, many people experience belonging within a current world religious tradition. A religious tradition which offers them a coherent Story of meaning from which they find identity, purpose and belonging. However, for a growing number of people this is no longer the case; they no longer find their place of belonging within a particular religious… Continue Reading
MA Essay: The question of God’s grace in a face of woundedness: a theological reflection
The title of this essay arose within me while I was on a flight from India to Melbourne. At the time, I was reflecting on the place of grace in relation to God’s action within humanity. The face of an Indian girl I had witnessed floated across my mind. Tears welled in my eyes and… Continue Reading
MA Essay: A Beginner’s Guide to Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology
The question is posed: “Is Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology merely relevant for the halls of academia?” In other words, is the study and application of Lonergan’s method solely the prerogative of theologians? Theologians, who write and publish books which other theologians read, critique and then publish their own findings. Theologians, who lecture student theologians… Continue Reading
MA Thesis: The contribution of a spiritual director to the spiritual journey of a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Foundational to the topic of this thesis is the question, “Can major depression be a true spiritual dryness through which we may takes steps towards God?” The question is posed by Madeleine Kelly in Life on a Roller-Coaster: living well with depression and manic depression. Kelly lives with a form of manic depressive illness. Manic… Continue Reading
Listening for the heartbeat: a contemplative experience
“We’re off to Mongolia.” Finally we had made the decision and could tell people. “Why Mongolia?” was the usual reply. Why indeed, for we knew little about the place. However, there was a reason. The reason was a photo. A photo we’d seen in the travel section of a newspaper. A photo taken in Mongolia.… Continue Reading
Living in gratitude
The call to practice gratitude within daily life continues to gain momentum within mainstream western society. However, what does it mean to practice gratitude? Is gratitude simply a matter of verbalizing thankfulness for needs and wants met? While the practice of giving thanks is important, such words may be nothing more than platitudes if they… Continue Reading
The question of grace in a new Story
We are now experiencing a turning point in human history; a turning point in which the old Story of how we humans viewed ourselves-in-the-world has been broken open and a new Story is emerging. A new Story no longer revolves around questions of sin, redemption, and the afterlife. Therefore, does a new Story of human… Continue Reading
Resources list
- Our sacred stories: the essential pathway for meaning and belonging
- The path of self knowledge
- Spiritual mentoring ~ beyond god or religion
- The Land I Now Inhabit
- Standing in our own ground, openheartedly
- The question of free will
- Is authentic Self dead?
- Love is . . .
- The nature of hope
- Faith or non-faith: is that the question?
- A method for discerning personal inner truth
- The nature of truth in an age of perspectives
- Reflections on the sacred work of being human
- A contemporary experience of grace
- Nurturing resilience within the carer journey
- Vitality in daily life
- The nature of spirituality
- A New Faith Community
- MA Essay: The question of God’s grace in a face of woundedness: a theological reflection
- MA Essay: A Beginner’s Guide to Bernard Lonergan’s Method in Theology