This may come as a shock to those of you who know me – an Earth-based spiritual edgewalker who’s clenched her teeth, swearing silently “I will not bolt, I will not bolt” when she hears a minister edging too close to standard-issue Christian doctrine, and who shies away from enmeshing dogmatic constructs like poison ivy.
And who, for years, has been seeking to bridge the psychological chasms between a “heretical” childhood vision of the Divine conscious oneness of creation, versus evangelical-charismatic teen and college years, versus a near-vocation to the convent, versus an adult life drawn to Earth-based and indigenous spirituality, along the way witnessing too many spiritual manipulations and abuses across too many denominations, and grieving helplessly over the injustices done to the First Peoples of the world as Western Civilization proceeds on its rapacious way, mowing down primeval cultures and ecosystems like blades of grass.
That search finally found its fulfillment in the ancient/post-modern Creation Spirituality teachings of theologian/author/activist Matthew Fox…and never more so when he said that the Earth, women, GLBT people, people of color, and indigenous nations are being crucified on the cross of modern Christians’ shadow-Christ. This priest, I knew in that moment, saw what others could or would not. Two years later, I was managing his website and helping to promote his work.
Even so, it was a stretch for me to attend the first in the newest series of trainings that he and author Andrew Harvey are co-directing, the Christ Path Seminar: was this just Christianity in a sneaky new wrapping, a new form of pious deception, I wondered? No – knowing the integrity that both of them demonstrate, that was impossible.
It was a worthwhile and healing stretch, as it turned out, as I listened to the two authors deconstruct the pop-Christ for a deeper, truer, more integral cosmic Awareness, and reframe Jesus from a schmaltzy best friend/copilot to a potent advocate for justice and compassion for all, and especially for the most vulnerable. I found myself reconnecting to my earlier, forgotten experiences of Jesus-connection, forgiving and integrating the see-sawing spiritual path of my past. Yes, I was (and am) still a solitary, Earth-based, spiritual edgewalker, but a door that had been shut in my soul was now ajar.
So why am I sharing this?
For the past six months, I’ve been promoting the Christ Path Seminar. True to Drs. Fox and Harvey’s teaching techniques, these weekends engage participants, on-site and online, in learning and practices for the mind, body and spirit, exploring questions such as:
- How can we integrate science and spirituality to create a vibrant and viable cosmology for our time?
And true to Drs. Fox and Harvey’s commitment to the Gift Economy, making this transformational content available to all, registration for the trainings – both on-site and online – is only $50 plus whatever donation you choose to add, based on the value of your experience.
If you want to get a sense of the passion and eloquence of these two master-teachers’ offerings – enough to make this Earth-based “spiritual anarchist” come back for more! – check out the DVDs of their first Christ Path weekend – just $50 for the full 12-DVD set, 20 hours of recorded content.
But more important, do sign up for the upcoming weekend, “Cosmic Christ and Youth – the Occupy Generation,” featuring guest speaker Adam Bucko of the Reciprocity Foundation – a transformational educational refuge for homeless youth in NYC. Adam Bucko recently collaborated with Matthew Fox in the soon-to-be-published book, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation (Sacred Activism)
I guarantee – there will be no altar calls, but lots of challenges to your preconceptions and invitations to step beyond them into a new, broader and deeper experience of the Divine. Truly a worthwhile and inclusive experience to be savored again and again, whatever your faith tradition.