In-Person/Online Hybrid Event, March 11, 2023: A Field Guide to Western Mysticism

If questions like these tickle your curiosity, then you just might enjoy this day-long program on the many faces of western spirituality! We’ll give Buddhists and Hindus and Taoists the day off, and focus instead on wisdom traditions and spiritual lineages out of the western tradition, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam… but also the indigenous and esoteric traditions associated with Northern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas! There’s no way we’ll cover all of the spiritualities associated with these regions, but we’ll definitely hit the highlights… and most importantly, we’ll approach all of this from the perspective of contemporary spirituality, which is to say: we’ll be reflecting on how all the many spiritual and wisdom paths of the west can inform, enlighten, and maybe even entertain those of us who are spiritual seekers today!

This course is not designed to tell you what to think or believe, and it’s not really for anyone who is invested in believing that their religion is “the one true path” while all the others are misguided. Rather, we will try to find what’s good and true and beautiful in all the paths we explore, while also being honest about their various limitations as well. The point behind this program is not to promote any one particular point of view, but rather to celebrate the beautiful diversity of western spirituality — with a spacious understanding that everyone’s home in the western tradition will be unique. So come, learn about the past, and explore how the wisdom of old can bring blessings and insights to you today!