Spiritual Formation

Join us in contemplating America's past and possibilities through classic and contemporary literary voices. The We the People Book Club is a year-long program designed to give you an opportunity to strengthen your vision of democracy and your connections with others.

We affirm two principles. First, reading itself is a spiritual practice. Second, when this inner work inspires engagement with our neighbors and communities—as happens in book clubs—it becomes deeply democratic.

Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition, a way of life, and a method to connect with nature and all of creation. Carl Greer states in his 2014 book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: “As is the case with Jungian psychology, shamanism is concerned with the unseen forces that influence us . . . . Jung believed that if we can learn to identify and consciously work with the forces that are currently influencing us at an unconscious level, we can be less affected by them and experience greater psychological health.”

The Parliament is the oldest, largest, most diverse and inclusive global interfaith event. Join us in Toronto for The Promise of Inclusion, the Power of Love: Pursuing Global Understanding, Reconciliation, and Change. Fetzer is title sponsor for the Sacred Music Concert on November 4; our program staff will be presenting in sessions on democracy and spirituality; and we will be supporting our partners throughout the conference. Look for live-streaming details.

This is the first meeting of the Inner Work for Social Change Advisory Group, convened by Fetzer and Synergos. They will be working through 2020 to strengthen the knowledge base and networks that enable inner work, spiritual development, and effective leadership to converge to create positive social change. Working with others internationally, they will create a series of case studies, video resources, and other tools to support leaders and changemakers interested in learning how to pragmatically apply these approaches. Fetzer Program Director Kurian Thomas is coordinating this group.

This is the flagship conference for interdisciplinary investigations of the mind, meditation, and other contemplative practices. The 2018 symposium explores mindfulness, compassion, and contemplative practice with leading researchers, renowned teachers, and practitioners from around the world. Learn and practice at this intersection of contemplation, research, and daily life.

Founded on the 40-year legacy of the Independent Sector Conference, Upswell is dedicated to turning empathy into action. Gather with community organizers, social entrepreneurs, government officials, corporate social responsibility practitioners, and staff from nonprofit organizations and foundations in Los Angeles Nov. 14-16. The goal of this big-tent approach is to forge strategic partnerships, address big challenges, exchange lessons learned, and explore current best practices.

The summit offers two days of insight and inspiration and 30+ purpose-driven leaders. Xiaoan Li, a Fetzer Institute program officer presents on Fetzer’s democracy work Nov. 18.

Join us in contemplating America's past and possibilities through classic and contemporary literary voices. The We the People Book Club is a year-long program designed to give you an opportunity to strengthen your vision of democracy and your connections with others.

We affirm two principles. First, reading itself is a spiritual practice. Second, when this inner work inspires engagement with our neighbors and communities—as happens in book clubs—it becomes deeply democratic.

Leaders from retreat centers across North America gather to build relationships and identify areas of future collaboration to strengthen a retreat center network.

How do people in America view and practice spirituality within and outside traditional religions? How do we exercise our spirituality in American civic life and in our ongoing needs and challenges? Advisors gather to develop a study to aid in understanding the language of religion, faith, and spirituality and the role it plays in daily life in America.