The Spiritual Seeker S Guide

"Elizabeth Lesser offers up a rich cornucopia of lessons for the soul in The New American Spirituality, a warm and fascinating account of a modern pilgrimage." --Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., author of Emotional Intelligence In the crowded field of books dealing with spirituality, psychology, and religion, what has been missing is a comprehensive, authoritative guide to the many choices facing spiritual seekers today. The New American Spirituality fills that need. This encouraging, empowering "user's manual" for the soul teaches you how to chart a unique and personal path through the diverse landscapes of the American spiritual quest. In 1977, Lesser cofounded the Omega Institute, now America's largest adult-education center focusing on wellness and spirituality. Working with many of the eminent thinkers and practitioners of our times in the fields of religion, psychology, mysticism, science, and healing, Lesser found that the hunger for a spiritual life can be satisfied by a rich blend of the world's wisdom traditions. In The New American Spirituality she synthesizes the lessons she has learned from different belief systems, and intertwines them with illuminating stories from her life as a seeker, teacher, daughter, wife, and mother. She answers pertinent questions--how do you determine what is right for you from the many strains of the modern spiritual search? how do you assess a teacher or practice? how can you gauge your progress?--while warning of the tendency to miss out on real growth by merely dabbling in the latest fads. Recounting her own trials and errors and offering meditative exercises as well as references to some of the world's great spiritual teachers, Lesserprovides directions through the four landscapes of the spiritual journey: the mind: developing awareness, learning meditation, easing stress and anxiety the heart: finding what one really loves, dealing with grief and loss, becoming fully alive the body: returning the body to the spiritual fold, healing, coping with aging and the fear of death the soul: naming God for ourselves, exploring other realms of consciousness, trusting the mysterious nature of the universe, developing compassion and forgiveness Warm, accessible, and wise, The New American Spirituality is a cross-disciplinary sourcebook for the millions of Americans who, whether or not they participate in an organized religion, wish to incorporate a more meaningful, joyful, and individualized spirituality into their daily lives.

This one-stop guide details the history, ideology, and practices of over 100 religions and spiritual traditions and teachers from around the world. From Christianity to Krishna Consciousness, from Alcoholics Anonymous to Zoroastrianism, this guide briefly describes each group's major tenets, tells who to call for more information, and includes suggestions for further information. An unbiased reporting.

Explores the effects on mental health of varied spiritual practices, bodywork techniques, and nurturing therapies

In 1977, Elizabeth Lesser cofounded the Omega Institute, now America's largest adult-education center focusing on wellness and spirituality. Working with many of the eminent thinkers of our times, including Zen masters, rabbis, Christian monks, psychologists, scientists, and an array of noted American figures--from L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson to author Maya Angelou--Lesser found that by combining a variety of religious, psychological, and healing traditions, each of us has the unique ability to satisfy our spiritual hunger. In The Seeker's Guid, she synthesizes the lessons learned from an immersion into the world's wisdom traditions and intertwines them with illuminating stories from her daily life. Recounting her own trials and errors and offering meditative exercises, she shows the reader how to create a personal practice, gauge one's progress, and choose effective spiritual teachers and habits. Warm, accessible, and wise, this book provides directions through the four landscapes of the spiritual journey: THE MIND: learning meditation to ease stress and anxiety THE HEART: dealing with grief, loss, and pain; opening the heart and becoming fully alive THE BODY: returning the body to the spiritual fold to heal and overcome the fear of aging and death THE SOUL: experiencing daily life as an adventure of meaning and mystery

Do you roll your eyes at Be positive! Be happy! and Just let it go!? Are you tired of the Universe being responsible for everything? Feel like a failure because you can't manifest everything you want in an afternoon? Don't worry, you're not crazy. You may just be wriggling free from the hypnotic grip of spiritual bullshit. And fair play to you; it can be strangely compelling. The truth is that the spiritual path is as nuanced and frustrating as it is beautiful and fulfilling. The danger is that as we enthusiastically rush to share our new found spiritual wisdom, we unwittingly pass more and more bullshit around. So how do you clear the crap off your spiritual path? Join life-long spiritual seeker (and finder) Sue Fitzmaurice as she wades valiantly through a monumental pile of it in search of answers. Packed with insight and more than a few belly laughs, let The Smart Seeker's Guide to Spiritual Bullshit be your life raft and guide. Dear Seeker, sanity lies within.

The spiritual impulse is nothing new, but the perplexing availability of so many belief systems--from throughout the world and throughout history--is unique to our time. For today's spiritual seeker, clear directions are essential. The Seeker's Handbook is meant to be used as a tool, much like a compass, for guiding individuals along the paths of spiritual growth.

A liberating, modern-day approach to personal growth and spirituality for guru-avoidant spiritual seekers based on a process of self-inquiry.