Caring for soul within a formal spiritual tradition

Wayne B. Arnason shares "Sermons: Care of the Soul" with readers of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Worship Web. In this sermon he explores associations with the word soul and draws on Thomas Moore's 1992 classic, Care of the Soul for some of his images.

Arnason writes, "The soul is a messy thing for Unitarian Universalists. We are burdened by whatever childhood definitions or images of soul we have had imposed upon us or picked up by osmosis. We are handicapped by a vacuum of contemporary reflection on the soul by any scholars, theologians, or scientists that we trust, precisely because the word itself carries so much baggage. We are intimidated by the possibility that we will be greeted by other Unitarian Universalists with the same chilly reception I received at Cedar Hill when I dared to suggest in my paper on Science and Religion that the soul might be an idea worth considering."

He then explores some of Moore's associations with the word. Arnason also considers Carl Jung's observation: "The soul is for the most part outside the body."

Our politics need an infusion of enchantment now

"Enchanting Politics" , re-posted this month on Judy's Homegrown Blog, looks at local community involvement and an approach of service. Judy writes:

"The premiere expert in enchantment might be Thomas Moore, author of The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, among other books dealing with the soul. His definition of enchantment is: 'the transhuman voice or music rising from deep within nature or culture that seizes us with awe and spellbinding pleasure.' I have to admit; that’s about as far from how politics makes me feel most days.

Here is the problem: there is no soul in politics anymore. It is so devoid of anything real or essential, that it makes us cringe or recoil or even worse, it angers us."

While exploring a preferred approach for politicians, she suggests, "All of us eventually need to become political, if we are to have a life of meaning. "

Moore talks about making masterpieces of life

Bonnie Bright, founder of Depth Psychology Alliance, listened to Thomas Moore's 30 April 2013 teleseminar and shares her notes: "Making a Masterpiece of Your Life: Summary of a Teleseminar by Thomas Moore".  Bright summarizes Moore's discussion of beauty,  the meaning of mastery and the role of art.

At the end of the call Bright asked Moore, "how to cope with the extreme devastation of the planet we see all around us on a daily basis in media and in nature."  She continues, "Moore’s response was to reinforce the idea that [you] can do or hold many things at once. You can be concerned about the devastation AND you can appreciate the beauty... One reason we are treating nature badly is that we personalize it by thinking hierarchically, that humans are the top of the pile. It takes more of an artistic sense for people to appreciate nature. Maybe it would be helpful for us when we are deeply disturbed to paint or photograph nature. Turning something into art gets it into yourself, gets it into us, he said. Turning more to nature as art might help develop that relationship. We need more art and spirituality. "

Read Bright's complete description and enjoy the accompanying nature photographs.

Care of the Soul helps to resolve family relations

From the meditating town, Fairfield Iowa, Kartika writes about family in her post, "Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore: Reconciling the Past". She includes passages from Moore's book that fuel her desire to reconcile with a brother.