Spirituality
Journey of a Global Nomad: Breaking Down and Breaking Through
Article
I am a young woman currently on a global pilgrimage—a philosophical, cultural, and spiritual inquiry that is deeply intertwined with the engagements of everyday life. I’m a critical thinker, a poet, and a passionate activist who is committed to creating a future of global sustainability for all. I am currently in the process of deconstructing much of my own identity as a North American woman, along with the unconscious filters and biases that have been intimately woven into that identity, so as to consciously re-construct/re-birth my ‘self’ as a Global Nomad, as a daughter born of the liminal, and as a grandmother of the entire cosmic process.
Collective Presencing: A New Human Capacity
Article
This is the first in a series of articles introducing the phenomenon and practice of Collective Presencing, a new capacity evolving in humanity at this time. Great thinkers have foreseen its coming—we recognise it in Aurobindo’s descent of the supramental and Teil-hard de Chardin’s noosphere. But what exactly do those terms mean? Where these gifted individuals intuited and envisioned the birth of this new collective capacity at the dawn of the last century, we are now starting to be able to describe it from experience. While many might recognise the phenomenon from transpersonal group work and other such practices, so far as we are aware, this is the first attempt to articulate it as a path and a set of capacities that can be intentionally developed.
Kosmos Journeys: A Sacred Journey to Mount Kailash
Article
In far western Tibet there is a solitary mountain that has been considered sacred for over a thousand years. Ancient texts describe it as the spiritual center of the universe. Mount Kailas is a revered pilgrimage site for Hindus, Bon, Jains and Buddhists.
Another Turn on the Axis: Religious and Spiritual Evolution in the 21st Century
Article
In 1798, the German cleric Friedrich Schleiermacher gave in to the urgings of a circle of prominent friends—every one contemptuous of religion—and began to write. Eight months later, he completed the manuscript of On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers, his compelling attempt to reconcile the human religious intuition with the rationality so prized by the philosophers of the Enlightenment (and by his skeptical friends).
Archetypes of Humanity’s Collective Future
Article
The first step in building a promising future for humanity is to visualize it together. As the bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Although many people can visualize a future of catastrophe and ruin, far fewer can imagine a future of opportunity and renewal.
Spirituality and the Global Commons
Article
Long ago, the 'commons' simply meant the place we villagers shared and the resources of which we all partook. Here we pastured our small flocks, gathered herbs and mushrooms, and hunted game. And we were protected by an unspoken and unwritten understanding. No individual or group could draw down the resources of the commons to the detriment of the community.
Contemplation and Global Change
Article
In 1969, horrified by the war in Vietnam and the bombing of Cambodia, I left graduate school in search of a way of living on the planet that didn't require us to kill each other. I was deeply confused by what I perceived to be the utter disconnection between my own values and behavior and those of the people who were planning, funding and fighting that war.
Tension in Barcelona:Parliament of World’s Religions 2004
Article
On July 7-13, some 8000 persons gathered at the Forum Barcelona, Spain, for the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The 2004 theme was Pathways to Peace: The Wisdom of Listening, The Power of Commitment.
Embracing Spiritual Economics
Article
In every era of human history humanity has faced a unique challenge. Not long ago, the challenge was to reconcile science and religion. And, as we all know, that reconciliation process was not problem free; e.g., in fact, many people died because they argued that the Earth was round!
Global Spirituality and Global Consciousness
Article
Spirituality can refer to living a life of service, living an ethical life, having a transcendent experience or an altered state of consciousness, faith in and growth of relationship with a higher source, or even a belief and trust in nature and science. It can refer to the basic moral intuition for the pursuit of goodness, truth and beauty.