The Magic of Dreams: A Study of the Transcendent Function
In the throes of his Red Book period, Jung wrote an essay on what he called the Transcendent Function (1916) in which he laid out the workings of the unconscious, the transformative energy in symbols, and the means of accessing such energy -- namely the dream. Using real life examples drawn from his newly published book, “My Journey to Ironman: Endurance Sports as a Means of Individuation,” Dr.
What’s Next for the Spiritual Care Providers Network?
This fall, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab will release an online reader focused on the work of African American chaplains. The online reader is envisioned as a reference for chaplains, students, and educators interested in examining the interplay between race and the history of chaplaincy in the United States.
Creating Sacred Space Virtually
Last year, the Fetzer Institute hosted a series of virtual convenings to harvest what folks were learning about creating meaningful sacred space using online tools, resulting in a report called "Creating Sacred Space Virtually." While this effort was a direct response to the pandemic, many facilitators and retreat centers are finding that virtual programming might be here to stay, primarily for reasons of accessibility.
Conversation Circles for Chaplains of Color: Updates, Innovations, and New Groups
This January, The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL) launched Conversation Circles for Chaplains of Color as part of our work with the Fetzer Institute to support and build networks for spiritual care providers. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial reckoning, and the legacies of racial violence, we decided that our first circles would honor and support the work that chaplains of color do to provide spiritual care for individuals and challenge racial structures.
Resources for Practicing and Healing Democracy
Each of us has the power to shape our democracy. Working together, we can transcend the labels that polarize us and realize what unites us. We can cultivate sacred connections with our neighbors and build a shared vision for our communities and our country. We invite you to join us in the actions below, most of which are created by our inspiring partners who are working to bring people together across divides and help heal our democracy.
Fragile Recordings: Reflecting on Social Media and Other Communication Marvels
The world is already split open, and it is in our destiny to heal it, each in our own way, each in our own time, with the gifts that are ours. —Terry Tempest Williams in When Women Were Birds
March Practice: Myth of the Separate Self
“We are in trouble to the degree that we adhere to the myth of the separate self,” warns Rev. Ed Bacon, rector emeritus of All Saints Church in Pasadena. In the video below, Rev. Bacon shares a poignant example from nature that illustrates how we are not only inextricably linked, we are part of a larger whole. Watch.
This month, we invite you to consciously live as part of a larger whole. How does this affect how you move through the world? Your daily activities? Your interactions with others and nature? Your purchases? Or even your time alone?
Resources for Grieving
Each person's grief is as unique as their fingerprint. But what everyone has in common is that no matter how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed. —David Kessler
Death, loss, and grief are profound, inevitable experiences that will affect every one of us. They also hold the potential for deep spiritual awakening and learning. To honor the profound loss of life due to the pandemic we offer these resources on grieving from A Network for Grateful Living, Spirituality & Practice, On Being, and more.
Guide to Exploring Spirituality and Civic Life
The Guide to Exploring Spirituality and Civic Life is based on findings from the Institute’s “What Does Spirituality Mean to Us? A Study of Spirituality in the United States,” released in fall 2020. It includes key findings, related activities, questions, actions, and other resources to help you explore your own spirituality and how it relates to your civic life.
Conversation Circles for Chaplains of Color
Just shy of a month ago, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL) launched the first in a series of Conversation Circles for Chaplains of Color as part of our work with the Fetzer Institute to support and build networks for spiritual care providers.