GOALS AND OUTCOMES
The primary goals of this course are:
- to present a spirituality deeply rooted in life
- to explore diverse ways God’s spirit speaks to us and through us to others
- to learn how to render the secular sacred anytime and anywhere
The primary outcomes of this course are:
- a mapping of our spiritual journey
- a recognition of how to discern and name the Sacred in our lives
- an understanding that our spiritual journey and our everyday lives are one
EXPECTATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
If you are taking the course for credit, you are expected to:
- read all the books on the course reading list
- participate fully in class discussions and activities
- complete interim assignments
- contribute creatively to the final class session
- complete and submit the self-assessment Grade Sheet
If you are auditing the course, you are expected to:
- read as much as you choose or are able to manage
- participate in class discussions and activities
On the day that grades are due, students taking the course for credit must submit to the instructor either a Grade Sheet or a signed Incomplete Form (available online or from the registrar).
Grades are due January 12, 2007
READING LIST
Blythe, Teresa A. 50 Ways to Pray. Practices from Many Traditions and Times. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006.
Cooper, Howard. The Alphabet of Paradise. An A-Z of Spirituality for Everyday Life.Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2003.
Cunningham, Bailey. Mandala. Journey to the Center. New York: DK, 2002.
Ford, Marcia. The Sacred Art of Forgiveness. Forgiving Ourselves and Others through God’s Grace. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2006.
Guerrero, Diana L. What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality. Inspiring Lessons from Wild and Tame Creatures. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2003.
Lindahl, Kay. The Sacred Art of Listening. Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2002.
Teasdale, Wayne and Howard, Martha, eds. Awakening the Spirit, Inspiring the Soul.
30 Stories of Interspiritual Discovery in the Community of Faiths. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2004.
Wakefield, Dan. Releasing the Creative Spirit. Unleash the Creativity in Your Life. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, 2001.
Winter, Miriam Therese. eucharist with a small “e.” Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005.
“The thread that weaves together
what may seem at first to be
unrelated images and concepts
is the circle, the mandala –
a form that is itself a whole,
while simultaneously part of another whole.
Like a wheel within a wheel,
our lives are lived within the whole of life itself….”
Bailey Cunningham / Mandala: Journey to the Center
COURSE SYLLABUS
Session One September 12 The Divine Milieu
Reading: Mandala, Cunningham
Session Two September 19 Journey to the Center
Reading: Mandala, Cunningham
Session Three September 26 Sacred Story
Reading: Awakening the Spirit, Teasdale and Howard
Session Four October 3 The Sacred Art of Listening
Reading: The Sacred Art of Listening
Session Five October 10 Spirituality of Everyday Life
Reading: The Alphabet of Paradise, Cooper
Session Six October 17 The Creative Spirit
Reading: Releasing the Creative Spirit, Wakefield
Session Seven October 24 Life Lessons from the Wild
Reading: What Animals Can Teach Us, Guerrero
Session Eight October 31 The Sacred Art of Forgiveness
Reading: The Sacred Art of Forgiveness, Ford
Session Nine November 7 Let Us Pray
Reading: 50 Ways to Pray, Blythe
Session Ten November 14 Celebrating the Liturgy of Life
Reading: eucharist with a small “e,” Winter
“There are many pathways
to and from
the sanctuary of the heart.
How precious are those that,
step by step,
lead to an inner light.”
Miriam Therese Winter / eucharist with a small “e”
