So far in this series on practices and behaviours we can use to grow in faith, we've explored two ways of engaging transcendence (through 'spiritual' experiences and beauty), two ways of expanding the mind (through dialectical epistemology and value metabolism), and ways of bringing what is hidden into our awareness (especially through dream work and … Continue reading Growing with Intention: ‘Perfecting the Universe’ (or, Bearing Good Fruit (again))
A recurring theme in the Sunday lessons this Summer has been the question of insiders and outsiders. We saw this playing out in the Acts of the Apostles of few weeks ago, when Peter received a lesson from the Holy Spirit that the rules of engagement had changed and that the old ritual markers of … Continue reading Insiders and Outsiders: A Reflection Mark 7.24-37 and James 2.1-17
This series exploring engines of our spiritual growth has shifted this week to look at practices designed to bring our unconscious into conscious awareness. The other day, I focused on the murky but fascinating world of our dreams. Today, I'm going to turn to shadow work, the process of becoming aware of, accepting, and integrating … Continue reading Growing with Intention: Shadow Work
The most recent post in this series on Growing with Intention introduced making what is unconscious conscious as an engine of our spiritual development. Today I'd like to look at one specific way we can work with this idea, dream work. Spending time engaging with our dreams is the paradigmatic approach to working with the … Continue reading Growing with Intention: Dream Work
[Note: This reflection on today's Gospel reading was originally posted on February 13, 2019. It reflects on precisely what's been on my heart lately, so I thought I'd post it again in full. I hope you will read it and find it meaningful today.] “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can … Continue reading Spotless (Repost): A Reflection on Mark 7.14-23
Matthew Root 