Pastoral counseling list includes Moore's books

Marcus McKinney, director of Clinical Pastoral Training for St. Francis Care in Hartford, Connecticut offers a reference list of books for people involved with pastoral counseling. He includes books by Thomas Moore, James Hillman and Carl Jung.

Care of the Soul:
A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life
Thomas Moore
1992 HarperPerennial

Dark Nights of the Soul:
A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life’s Ordeals
Thomas Moore
2004 Gotham

The Kingdom Within:
The Inner Meaning of the Sayings of Jesus
John Sanford
1987 HarperSanFrancisco

The Invisible Partners:
How the Male and Female in Each of Us Affects Our Relationships
John Sanford
1980 Paulist Press

Healing Through the Dark Emotions:
The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, Dispair
Miriam Greenspan
2003 Shambhala

Insearch : Psychology and Religion
By James Hillman
1994 revised Spring

The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling
James Hillman
1997 Warner Books

The Force of Character and the Lasting Life
James Hillman
1999 Random House

A Terrible Love of War
James Hillman
2004 Penguin Press

The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart
A Poetry Anthology
Robert Bly, Michael Meade, James Hillman editors
1992 HarperCollins

Modern Man in Search of a Soul
Carl Jung
1995 Harvest Books

Memories, Dreams and Reflections
Aniela Jaffe, editor
1989 Vintage

African American Pastoral Care
Edward Wimberly
1991 Abingdon Press

Persona : Where Sacred Meets Profane
Robert H. Hopke
1995 Shambhala

The Shadow in America : Reclaiming the Soul of a Nation
Jeremiah Abrams, editor
1994 Nataraj

Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman
2001 Jewish Lights

Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the
Dark Side of Human Nature
Edited by Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams
1991 Tarcher-Putnam

To recommend books, please e-mail Dr. McKinney:
mmckinne@stfranciscare.org

Healing and medicine include soul of illness

Hay House promotes Thomas Moore's appearance on Sunday 22 November, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at its I Can Do It! Tampa 2009 conference. Promotion for Moore's concurrent workshop, The Soul of Medicine, includes:

"While we don’t fully understand the extent to which healing depends on attitude; a sense of meaning; a healing atmosphere; spirituality; and the support of family, friends, and community, it has been shown time after time that healing needs to focus on more than the body. The future of medicine is more than new technical developments and research discoveries; it lies also in appreciating the state of soul and spirit in illness!"

Hay House publishes Moore's latest book, Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, and is scheduled to release Moore's The Soul of Medicine in 2010.

Intimate, open conversation may be therapeutic

Wisdom Magazine offers an excerpt from Thomas Moore's Writing in the Sand, Chapter Five: Everyone a Healer. The passage includes Thomas Moore’s observation:

"As a therapist, I have seen many people get better physically and in every other way just through intimate and open conversation. I don’t judge them and I don’t tell them how they should live. I listen to them and in their suffering welcome them into the human race. We all suffer. I help them get a perspective on their pain and I laugh with them about how we complain and wish for an ideal life. I have no doubt that the body can be healed by spiritual compassion."

Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, published by Hay House, is available now.

Andrle asks Moore about Jesus and the Gospels

WOSU public media Open Line host Fred Andrle interviews Thomas Moore on Thursday 28 May 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in a segment titled "Jesus as an Example". Moore talks about his new book, Writing in the Sand, and shares with listeners that "Jesus and the Gospels offer a spiritual path to everyone ... a vision of love and understanding that goes beyond narrow judgments of right and wrong."

This is Fred Andrle's penultimate broadcast for Open Line. He has hosted the program on WOSU 820 AM for the past 20 years.

Hampstead Town Hall hosts talk in September

Re-Vision, Centre for Integrative Psychosynthesis in London, U.K., posts details about Thomas Moore's public talk, "Magritte’s Head: Our Precious Ignorance and Foolishness" to be given on Wednesday 9 September, 2009. It will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hampstead Town Hall. Moore is the patron of Re-Vision and spoke for the centre in 2007.

Tickets are limited for this 9 September 2009 talk.
Book early to avoid disappointment.
Cost: £25 minimum suggested donation (£20 for students and graduate members of Re-Vision)

To apply for this evening talk:
- Send a cheque for £25 with details including email address, or
- Send details through Contact on the linked site and give a minimum donation of £25 through Paypal by clicking the Donate link on the Re-Vision web page.

You can also download and return a Gift aid form that allows Re-Vision a tax rebate on your donation. It costs nothing extra.

Infuse a spiritual drive with the milk of kindness

Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul column, "Yoga and Tea" in the March-April issue of Spirituality and Health, is freely available online. Moore suggests the spiritual be bound to the soulful:

"Tea and yoga complement each other well. It’s wonderful to succeed and have some money and get somewhere in life but only if you keep your friends, enjoy a satisfying marriage or partnership, have a real home, and feel comfortable with yourself. The spiritual path is a dangerous one; on it many have lost their humanity.

My rule for spiritual practice is simple: You can go as high as you want in your yearning for perfection, as long as you have an equally deep base on the ordinary comforts of everyday life.

I always have some misgivings about the ambitious spiritual leaders I meet. I admire their achievements, but I wonder if they have a joyful home life and are deeply forgiving and have close friends and love their work. I wonder if they have time for their children and time for play. I know that they meditate, but do they also make music, paint, and tell good jokes? Do they eat for pleasure as well as purity of mind? Do they appreciate the ordinary, imperfect life?"

Moore recommends educators, politicians and business leaders adopt approaches that include pleasure, friendship, and comfort.

Moore: Looking for Jesus in the 21st Century

According to publisher Hay House, "Most people are familiar with the Gospels of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus, but how many of us have looked into their deeper meaning? In his new book, Writing in the Sand, renowned scholar Thomas Moore finds striking new insights in the rich stories and imagery of the Gospels, recasting Jesus not as a teacher of morals and beliefs but as a healer and a spiritual visionary. Read on as Moore shows us in this highly original take on the Gospels, a more human Jesus whose teachings act as a guide to creating a happier and more meaningful life."

Thomas Moore writes the following for Hay House's email newsletter, under the Barque headline above:

"The good news is that we are creating a new world order in which the first task is to heal each other.

The Buddha begins his teaching with the simple observation that there is suffering in the world. Jesus similarly focuses on the sickness of the soul that affects people individually and socially, physically and spiritually. This perception of sickness is central, and healing is his signature activity. Jesus does not teach how to be virtuous, how to be saved, or how to be a good church member. He says nothing about memorizing dogma or following a strict set of moral rules. Instead, he continually demonstrates how to be in this world as a healer.

I know a Christian minister who is an instinctive healer. Everywhere he goes, he sees need when it is present. Where others overlook a person in distress, he stops to find out what is wrong. He has a Gospel instinct and knows intuitively that the role of minister is to heal.

I know several ministers who don't have this gift. It doesn't come with ordination. I do have a Buddhist friend who responds similarly, and, to my mind, his healing reactions place him in the kingdom Jesus envisioned. He is a Buddhist by affiliation, but his way of life is precisely in tune with the way Jesus taught. He found his way into the kingdom through Buddha.

The Gospels use several words for healing, but the main one is therapeia, "therapy." Plato used this very word in the dialogue Euthyphro, where Socrates defines it as "service of the gods." When you heal, you are doing sacred work. The Gospels appeared 400 years after Plato, and yet they, too, emphasize the word therapeia, a word so important that it could identify the Gospel spirit wherever it appears. If you want to live the Gospel philosophy, you have to know what it takes to be a healer.

I understand that this word healer sometimes seems romantic, but in fact it represents a cold, clear, harsh reality. People suffer — emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. They need help. From time to time we are all in need of healing, and we are all called to be healers.

There was a time in my life when I needed healing. I had just gone through a divorce. I was fired from my job as a college professor — the only career I wanted at the time and one in which I had invested years of study. I was so upset that I felt sick and sores appeared in my throat and mouth. In reaction, I became too dependent on a few close friends, and many people around me pitied me and told me, essentially, to grow up. But another friend, James Hillman, a Jewish man who had written many things critical of Christianity, visited me and gave me some food, a glass of wine, and some thoughtful, friendly counsel. I have never forgotten his generous response. From my point of view, he was a healer in the spirit of the Gospel.

Healing is an altruistic action, in the root sense of the word — other . You think about the other person's welfare. You are profoundly convivial, meaning that you "live with" others, not just for yourself. You heal because of your empathy for the suffering of the other.

In the Gospels, Jesus never frets about himself. He is always in response mode, noticing suffering of all kinds and responding to it with a healing word or touch."

The Hay House newsletter continues, "'Thomas Moore's groundbreaking reinterpretation of the Gospels shines a new light on the profound teachings of Jesus, offers readers a long-awaited, modern, practical application of the scripture, and illustrates the 21st-century relevance of Jesus' visionary philosophy,' says Deepak Chopra. Delve deeper into Thomas Moore's Writing in the Sand: Jesus & the Soul of the Gospels , available now at HayHouse.com. Thomas Moore is perhaps best known as the author of the New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul. His other works include Soul Mates and Life at Work. You can meet Thomas Moore this Fall when he makes a rare appearance to talk about the Gospels and healing at Hay House's I Can Do It! Conference in Tampa."

This description outlines Moore's presentation in Tampa on Sunday 22 November 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.:

The Soul of Medicine
Through stories from Thomas Moore’s patients, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers, Thomas speaks to the importance of healing a whole person—body, soul, and spirit, a person with emotions, history, family, and work rather than simply treating a body. He gives advice to both healthcare providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity during illness and treatment. Providing spiritual guidance for dealing with feelings of mortality and depression, Thomas encourages patients to not only take an active part in the healing process, but also to view illness as a positive passage to new awareness and possibilities for life.

While we don’t fully understand the extent to which healing depends on attitude; a sense of meaning; a healing atmosphere; spirituality; and the support of family, friends, and community, it has been shown time after time that healing needs to focus on more than the body. The future of medicine is more than new technical developments and research discoveries; it lies also in appreciating the state of soul and spirit in illness!

Check out a recent a Barque: Thomas Moore Work post for an interview with Thomas Moore on Hay House Radio.

Listen to Moore talk about a university's soul

Ashley Dischinger describes Thomas Moore's presentation at Elon University on April 23, 2009, provides a link to a minute-long YouTube video, and shares this photograph of Moore, in her blog entry for today. Dischinger writes,

"Moore quoted the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclites in reference to the infinite possibilities that the soul has to offer.

“Heraclites says this: ‘You can never discover the limits of the soul,’” Moore quoted. "'No matter how many roads you are to take, so deep is its mystery.' So you can’t even define the soul."

Heraclites was one of the first people to discuss the soul in terms of death. Moore stresses the importance of thinking about the soul in these terms, though he admits it carries an "unfathomable depth." Still, he encourages the audience to reflect deeply about the state of their soul because "the closer you get to yourself, the closer you get to your soul."

Moore then applied this mentality to the idea of the university. He sees education as having the potential to offer more than just the obvious tools to students willing to learn.

"There is something of great depth in the soul of this place," he said. "We will never figure out what we are doing and who we are in this place. It will remain mysterious and that’s a good thing."

But rather than allow the mysteriousness give to frustration, Moore believes the university should strive to preserve its history. In this way, he says the university will maintain, rather than lose, its individuality and depth.

"This place is going to be like no other university," Moore said. "Don’t compare yourself to Harvard or the other places. Your soul can be lost. So it’s very important to maintain your individuality as a university."

According to Dischinger, Moore also "emphasized the importance of the university doing its best to prepare students beyond a shallow, intellectual education."

University education may be therapy for soul

Elon University’s student newspaper, The Pendulum, reports Thomas Moore’s presentation last night, "The Soul of the University."

Reporter Rebecca Smith quotes Moore, "Education, if it touches the student's soul, is a kind of therapeutics, in the sense that you are not just teaching and instructing the person, but the education itself can nurse the soul," Moore said. "It can give ideas to the student that will actually help them deal with life, and find out who they are. Education can do this, and maybe should do this."

"He said that the soul has a dark side, but that people often do not mention this darker side. He said he does not romanticize this soul and referenced his psychoanalysis work. Moore said the people who call him are all going through tough times, and that attention to our souls primarily happens when things are going badly.

"When it comes to the soul of the university, let's not romanticize it or sentimentalize it," Moore said. "Let's realize that people are having wonderful days and going through wonderful experiences, and they are going through terrifying and terrible experiences, and going through loss."

Smith touched on Moore’s references to the value of ignorance, the role of art, and contributions to community.

According to Smith, Moore also said he was at Elon University "to celebrate the career of Richard McBride, who is retiring at the end of this academic year." McBride is the university’s chaplain.

What is the difference between spirit and soul?

Today, Daphne Michaels, president and founder of the Vibrational Health Institute, posts Thomas Moore’s three-paragraph response to "What is the difference between spirit and soul?" on her eponymous blog. Moore talks about time and direction.

Moore speaks at Elon University this Thursday

Elon University promotes Thomas Moore’s appearance, Thursday 23 April 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Whitley Auditorium, when Moore will talk about "The Soul of the University":

"An education in soul would include preparation for a life work, contributing to society, making a home, marriage, raising children, illness, dealing with emotional and relationship issues, and developing a spiritual sensibility ... It would culture a person, give him depth, and prepare her for citizenship, leadership, and a rich life."

The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life is sponsoring this free event. The university's web site offers directions to the campus. Read an earlier Barque notice about this engagement.

Publishers Weekly reviews Writing in the Sand

Publishers Weekly reviews Thomas Moore’s newest book, Writing in the Sand: Jesus & the Soul of the Gospels in its newsletter's Non-fiction — Religion section for 13 April 2009:

Writing in the Sand by Thomas Moore
Hay House, $22.95 (168 pages)
ISBN 978-1-4019-2143-3

"Drawing on his background in theology, world religions, art history, psychology and mythology, author and psychotherapist Moore (Care of the Soul) proposes a fresh way of looking at the Christian gospels for those who once loved the texts, but no longer find them challenging. Moore believes the Jesus of the gospels was calling people to be open to life rather than attach themselves to a fixed teaching. He reframes the wedding feast at Cana — said to be the scene of Christ's first miracle — as "the first lesson in Jesus spirituality: Be human, understand the importance of play and simple sensual pleasures and listen to your family. Then go deeper." In Moore's reading of the gospels, Jesus himself is earthy and spiritual — a man clearly on the side of moderate sensual delight. Fans of Moore's previous books and readers who share his view that Jesus was not concerned with creating a religion or a plan for self-improvement, but was instead interested in a restructuring of the human imagination, will find plenty to ponder. (May 1)"

Moore: "To incorporate" is more than "to know"

On page 10 of the March 2009 (42:3) Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association newsletter, Rev. Wayne Walder interviews Thomas Moore, this year's featured speaker at 2009 Convo in Ottawa, Canada, November 11-16, 2009.

Moore talks about teaching his daughter, his early years, the role of a holy person, and showing appreciation. He also asks a question about UU approaches for Walder to answer at the end of the interview.

During the interview, Walder asks about competition, fear and jealousy among ministers, "We have a shyness or a fear of being criticized by our colleagues. There is of course, a wonderful support system among our colleagues, AND a significant amount of jealousy, competition, and mistrust. People are shy about bringing their insights into the light."

Moore responds,

"When you spoke, I was thinking of a group I was with when I was in my 30’s and 40’s – a group in Texas that was a group of psychologists trying to create an outgrowth of Jung’s psychology. We were not a formal group but we knew who was in our group. One thing I really noticed, there was a great appreciation for each other. There was a great wish for each other’s success. We all wanted the others to succeed, I think. That was one thing that was really strong.

This was unusual for me because I had been teaching at a University where the opposite was the case. At the University there was all this envy and jealousy and whenever you succeed, your job was threatened. It was a very strange situation. I was in that position myself, I saw some need, I responded to it. I had very large enthusiastic classes. And it shocked me that my colleagues hated that – they wanted me to fail. And I thought what kind of an organization is this where the people in it want me to fail? It’s a very strange situation. And that’s where the envy and jealousies came through. It’s so different from this other group – just the opposite. What was the difference? It’s really hard to say. One difference in the Jungian group was that we were all engaged in creating something."
[...]
"When I stuck my neck out where the world thought I was crazy, I would get a letter from one of my friends in this group telling me how great they thought I was. They told me how much they appreciated my ideas. Those letters and that support meant everything to me. I didn't have to have it from others in the world, but if I got it from my peers, it meant everything. And it kept me going. What I’m saying, I think is, you might consider putting together some "habits of appreciation". If people could understand how important it is to hear appreciation for their work, in a very real way, they might do it. I don’t mean just standing up and giving someone a gold watch, that kind of thing. But in a very real way, saying: "I’m behind you," "People may not understand what you’re doing, but I’m really behind you on this." I think that kind of thing within a community would help tremendously."

At the end of the interview, Moore talks about UU ministers modeling what they learn and want to teach others. Moore says, "If you incorporate wisdom or spirit into yourself, and are transformed by it, people will notice. I don’t think personally – and this is based on my own experience – I don’t think it’s necessary to have vast knowledge of all these different resources. What I have to be able to do, what you might consider, is to notice how "what you are learning", melds with "what you already know". Because then what we know and what we learn can come together as a new dimension of "who we are". When I do that, I’m not trying to find one more thing to use as an example. I’ve become deeper. What I discover also helps me give more colour and depth to what I already know and can teach."

A Unitarian Universalist minister on sabbatical responds to the interview, showing her appreciation for Moore’s observations.

Barque begins its fifth year of foolishness today

Tom Gilbert writes about Holy fools in the Albuquerque Christian Examiner, ending with a quote from Thomas Moore’s Care of the Soul: “The path of soul is also the path of the fool, the one without pretense of self-knowledge or individuation or certainly perfection."

Gilbert includes Symeon of Emesa, Basil, and Francis of Assisi as fools for Christ. He writes, "Most of us would consider being called a fool an insult. Fools are senseless, careless and lacking wisdom. However, fools can play an important part in our gaining perspective about life. Medieval kings found value in the jester - someone who hid his wisdom behind riddles and jokes. A holy fool can give us insight into the spiritual dimension. This is worth exploring."

Barque: Thomas Moore celebrates its anniversary on April Fool's Day. It foolishly began 1 April 2005.

Become soulful through a liberal arts education

On Monday 6 April 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the Whittemore Theater at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont, Thomas Moore talks about "A Liberating Education: Learning How to Be a Person with Soul":

"Today we are all caught unconsciously in the myth of our times: modernism. We believe in fact, information, training, data, research, and numbers. Something is wrong with an education constrained by this mythology. It has no soul," says Moore. "But there is an alternative, a new way of imagining how and what to learn. In this new, ancient form of learning, the arts and ideas come back and along with them a sense of belonging to community. We become cultured persons rather than just informed and skilled workers."

This free event is open to the public.

Explore the edges with Moore in the U.K.

Re-vision, the Centre for Integrative Psychosynthesis hosts a conference Friday 11 September - Sunday 13 September, 2009 featuring Thomas Moore. "Sacred Margins: psychotherapy at the interface" explores ". . . liminality, the borders between worlds, described by anthropologist Turner as betwixt and between and by Winnicott as transitional space. Psychotherapeutic approaches that explore such border territories require the therapist to be able to dwell in this twilight zone where their rational mind has no passport. These sacred margins are the subject of this conference."

According to conference information, Moore "has deep concerns about the utilitarian direction in which psychotherapy is currently headed."

Questions explored during the conference include:
- How does psychotherapy interface between the inner and outer worlds?
- Can the language of transference adequately describe the subtle phenomena encountered at the borders of consciousness?
- Does regulation weaken psychotherapy's capacity to tune into the undercurrents of the collective?

This event is at the Node conference centre, near Hitchin, Hertfordshire. A maximum of 100 delegates will be able to attend. Because residential places are limited, book early. A booking form may be downloaded and forwarded to organizers.

COST:
Conference fee including residential £280
Conference fee for non-residential with food £200
Early-bird discount of £30 for applications received
before 1 May 2009.

On Wednesday 9 September 2009, Thomas Moore presents an evening talk, "Magritte’s Head: Our Precious Ignorance and Foolishness" at Hampstead Town Hall.

Celebrate the beatitude of quietude, solitude

Thomas Moore’s column, "My Quest for Silence" in the January-February 2009 issue of Spirituality and Health is available online after free registration. Moore writes,

"The effect of hearing a waterfall cascading in the woods is similar to catching a glimpse of a sunset at the just the right moment. It’s captivating. It captures you and takes you to a refreshing place that you rarely find in the rush of daily life.

We might think of this as a form of synesthesia: where one sensory experience evokes an entirely different one. Listen to Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite and try not to picture beautiful scenery. Eat a perfect square of dark chocolate and don’t say anything about velvet. The same is true of sound and quiet. A certain painting may be quieter than an empty room and another as noisy as Times Square.

We can use this property of aesthetics to give our world the peace and quiet our souls need. We could make the most of architectural quiet — empty corners, lofted ceilings, muted colors — this last one a good expression of synesthesia. We could avoid placing noisy transportation near living spaces. We could give more attention to the noise that machines make."

He observes, "We live by a philosophy that hasn’t seen the connection between noise and immorality, illness, and existential angst. Silence resides in our vast unconscious. We are not aware yet of its value and purpose."

Moore jokes about getting a job with an automaker (he’s a Detroit native) to perfect a quiet car. Given the auto industry today, he may be hired if such a vehicle proves to sell well. Spirituality and Health invites readers' comments at the end of the column.

Read Moore's 2005 contribution to Resurgence magazine, "The Silence of Sounds."

Moore becomes intimate about life on May 3

Thomas Moore speaks at OneTaste in San Francisco on 3 May 2009 as a featured guest in The Intimate Life program. His updated page for this event describes his presentation:

VENUS: the Forgotten Face of God
"The sphere of Venus, the Italian goddess of old, contains sensuality, sexuality, romantic love, and the beauty of nature. Our modern myth of modernism has little room for Venus, and so it is through her realm that we can recover soul for ourselves and our society. But this change would entail a radical extension of values. It would ask us to confront our sexuality and fulfill it, remove the excessive commercialism from our towns and cities, and teach our children the joy of life rather than the virtue of working hard. We would once again understand the spiritual contributions of the arts and heal our bodies by giving them the pleasures and comforts they need."

Read an earlier Barque announcement for background about The Intimate Life series.

OneTaste participants are warmly invited to join Barque: Thomas Moore Forum, an open space for sharing your views and reflections about Moore's work. All that's required is registration on the site.

Attend Moore's event in San Diego, 2 May 2009

Thomas Moore's publisher updates its description for his 2:30 p.m.workshop at the I Can Do It! event in San Diego on 2 May 2009. Moore talks about his new book, Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, published by Hay House.

Read an earlier Barque post with the description for Moore's presentation.

Learn about ecology of the soul in May 2009

Schumacher College updates its description for the course, Nourishing the Soul: Archetypes, myth & meaning scheduled for May 5-15, 2009. Thomas Moore and his wife teach the second week of the course, Ecology of the Soul: Deepening Everyday Life through Art, Yoga and Discussion.

"Ecology usually refers to protecting the natural environment. Ecology of the soul is the process of tending deep values of connection, beauty and community. Soul is not the same as spirit. Soul is what makes a person or a thing fully what it is and connected to the world. Through meditation, daily yoga, lecture/discussion and the arts (50% lecture/discussion, 50% experiential), this course explores ways to live soulfully, focusing on the following themes:

Monday – Ways to live soulfully – image and the poetic life
Tuesday – Desire and pleasure
Wednesday – Enchantment, community and beauty
Thursday – The imperfect life – depression, anger and failure
Friday – Calling, dharma and opus

No previous experience with art, meditation or yoga is necessary.
Advance reading:
Care of the Soul or The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore."

Program exploring intimacy features Moore

Thomas Moore participates in The Intimate Life program sponsored by OneTaste, an organization in San Francisco and New York. Starting 14 April 2009, this program explores aspects of personal intimacy at the San Francisco location and online. OneTaste is offering a special introductory cost of $20 for its new Long Distance Members to access The Intimate Life course and the Media Section of its site. Registration is to be available soon.

"OneTaste presents a unique once a month journey of inquiry into what it means to live an intimate life. Through provocative lectures, experiential exercises and extensive support networks, gain the insight and tools to experience the deep connection, aliveness and intimacy you’ve always desired."

"Each month, OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone will be joined by leading teachers in the field of intimacy to discuss evocative questions: What is true intimacy? How does one cultivate intimacy in the face of trauma and suffering? What does it take to be a powerful, yet intimate leader? These sessions will be recorded and posted to the web for access by on-line students the following week and will be augmented with bi-monthly newsletters, curriculum workbooks and online buddy systems for ongoing investigation, integration and support."

Barque readers may remember Moore blogging about a rewarding visit to OneTaste during his 2008 book tour promoting A Life at Work.

The love sickness, Jealousy, teaches maturity

One day before Friday the 13th and two days before St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th, Thomas Moore writes about the purpose of jealousy, "Schooled in Jealousy" for WebMD. Based on his own experiences, Moore suggests "Jealousy forces you to consider one of the great conundrums that every person faces: how to want another person madly and at the same time grant her her freedom as a person with her own life and fate. You can't learn this from a book or a counseling session. Jealousy can teach you, but only if you are able to go through it to the end."

Moore’s advice is under the heading, "Modern Love: Sex, Relationships & Your Health — Psychology Today experts talk, share and give advice on mating, dating, and relating." Readers are invited to post comments about Moore’s observations.

Moore speaks at Elon University on April 23

Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life sponsors Thomas Moore’s appearance in Whitley Auditorium at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina on Thursday 23 April 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Moore talks about "The Soul of the University" and according to him,

"At all levels of education currently we tend to provide for the mind and, to some extent, for the body, but little for the soul. An education in soul would include preparation for marriage, illness, a life work, making a home, raising children, contributing to society, dealing with emotional and relational issues, and developing a spiritual sensibility. Rather than creating an entirely new curriculum, it would involve studying any subject for its contributions to meaning, values, and vision. It would also be sensitive to the poetic, symbolic, metaphoric, and ritual aspects of life through a deep understanding of the arts and spiritual traditions. It would culture a person, give him depth, and prepare her for citizenship, leadership, and a rich life."

This lecture is free. Call the Truitt Center at 336 278-7729.
Elon is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, east of Greensboro and northwest of Raleigh/Durham.

Diminish sexual anxiety in the healing arts

Today, Thomas Moore posts "Sexual Anxiety" on his Psychology Today blog, Care of the Soul. He talks about responses to his lecture last week for "pastoral counselors, hospital chaplains, and theology professors, and their students" and focuses on the reaction of two students who apparently were offended when he mentioned in passing, "the Gospel of Philip, where it is said that Jesus kissed Mary Magdalen (according to the Leloup translation)." Moore writes,

"During my thirty years of practicing psychotherapy, I heard person after person telling the story of how their sexuality was repressed, depressed, and suppressed by their religion. I saw the harm this repression did to their marriages and their outlook on life. Cumulatively, I see its negative impact on American life.

The repression of one's sexuality leads to a certain kind of depression and that in turn leads to meanness of spirit. You see it at PTA meetings, local government meetings, and in comments of the public after news items online. You see it in a widespread absence of civility in our society, in a compulsive interest in sex online and in the media, and in sexist and abusive treatment of women."

Moore shares an exercise he presents when speaking with church groups, "I ask them what it would take from their spirituality to be comfortable with their sexuality, and what it would take from their sexuality to be fully engaged spiritually. If either our sexuality or our spirituality are anxious and troubled, then both are going to be weakened. We need to work out a way to be anxiety-free both in sexuality and spirituality."

Psychology Today encourages readers to comment on blog posts. Join the discussion.

Spring celebrates Irish culture and psychology

The latest issue of Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture, Vol. 79, focuses on the theme of "Irish Culture & Depth Psychology". It includes an interview with Thomas Moore; an excerpt, introduced by Moore, from the work of the late Irish writer John Moriarty; and an article about W.B. Yeats by James Hollis. Barque reported this publication in a post early last year.

According to author biographies provided, Thomas Moore’s "grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland, and he has lived, traveled, and taught frequently throughout Ireland."

The New York Center for Jungian Studies plans two study tour programs in Ireland:
March 26 – April 2, 2009
Dublin and Galway
“The Archetype of Home”

April 19-26, 2009
County Mayo and Sligo
A Study/Tour in Celtic Mythology

They are open to the general public as well as mental health professionals (Continuing Education credits are available).

Houston hosts talk about soulful spirituality

This Thursday 29 January at 7 p.m., Thomas Moore talks about "Deepening Our Spiritual Life" at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. St. Mark's is located at 3816 Bellaire Blvd., between Stella Link/Weslayan and Buffalo Speedway. Contact the church office at 713 664-3466 for more information. Although this event is free, a $10 donation is suggested to help defray expenses. The presentation is sponsored by Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Moore says, "Talk about spirituality usually aims rather high: the pursuit of virtue, knowing the mysteries, self-improvement, the perfect person and the perfect community. But spirituality also needs depth: emotional substance, spirituality in the world and in everyday life, and a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the teachings. In other words, spirit needs soul. In this gathering, we'll consider concrete ways to become 'soulfully' spiritual."

Broadway releases A Life at Work as paperback

Following Barque’s July 2008 announcement, Random House's Broadway Books issues Thomas Moore’s book, A Life at Work in paperback today, 6 January 2009.


Click on the upper right corner of this Random House widget for full-text searching of the book's contents.

Moore shares richness of stories in Ottawa

Web sites of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada promote conference activities for 11-16 November 2009 in Ottawa, Canada.

Thomas Moore headlines this event:
Tell a tale ... Touch a life ... Transform the world ...

"This year's CONVO is deeply rooted in the belief that our stories are foundational in our lives and are containers for our meaning. As we hear the stories of other people we begin to understand why these people are the way they are in this world... All sessions and worship will be rooted in the story medium. There will be opportunities to attend workshops which will help you learn about storytelling - how to tell a story and how to make it your own."

During the week-long conference, Moore will speak to the entire group for a total of four hours about leadership. Twenty-five lucky registrants, chosen "by lottery of those who sign up during the regular registration period" will receive an additional in-depth workshop of 12 hours with Moore throughout the week.

Registration opens online 10 January 2009.
No on-site registrations will be accepted.

Moore explores ways to nourish the soul

Schumacher College describes its course "Nourishing the Soul: Archetypes, Myth and Meaning" to be offered 5 - 15 May 2009. Thomas Moore teaches during the course’s second week:

"In the second week, participants will engage in a variety of practices which help to cultivate deep values of connection, beauty, and community. Through in-depth discussion and exploration, together with practices such as meditation, art and yoga, the course will investigate ways to live soulfully."

Moore will co-teach during this week with his wife, Joan Hanley.

Publisher shows Writing in the Sand cover

Publisher Hay House Inc. releases cover art for Thomas Moore’s next book, Writing in the Sand: Jesus & the Soul of the Gospels, to be available May 2009.

Title: Writing in the Sand: Jesus & the Soul of the Gospels
Author: Thomas Moore
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Hay House Inc.
Release Date: May 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401924131
ISBN-13: 978-1401924133

Moore will talk about this subject at Hay House Inc.’s I Can Do It! San Diego event on Saturday 2 May 2009, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Check out registration information.

Moore answers questions about life, work

On 12 November 2008, Dawn Light posts the transcript of an interview with Thomas Moore, in which he talks about a life’s calling, education, retirement, and reactions to his books. Part of this interview is published in the September-October 2008 issue of New Visions Magazine. These three excerpts include Moore's answers to questions about education, readers, and work.

Dawn: What do you think of the current educational system?
Thomas: Not much.
Dawn: Well, you’re home schooling your daughter, so that says a lot right there.
Thomas: Well, it does say something, yes. My kids grew up in a Waldorf School. They went to a Waldorf School all the way through so all along I’ve been very interested in education. The thing about contemporary public education, and of course much private education, that I object to is that it’s seen as training for a job. Here we run into that same issue: a job versus a life work. I would think that an educated person is someone who understands something about the world, about their place in community and gets initiated into culture, the closest culture where it might be; learning about history and really learning it and arts and how to be with people and nature, a full education. Today we do training, we don’t really educate. So we get nervous when a child can’t use a computer. We’re not so worried whether they can be married or raise children or be responsible and intelligent participant in society. That was an old Greek idea. The ancient Greeks thought that was the heart of education: was to educate people so that when they got older they could really make a contribution to society. We don’t seem to see that. We think it’s more important that our kids develop a skill so that they can make a good living at it and have a certain level of income. I think that’s really a sad situation and leads to all kinds of problems. Testing is the big thing, and you can’t test for a real education.
****
Dawn: When people do read your book has anyone reported that they found a sense of relief or satisfaction or less stress?

Thomas: People say that about all my books. One of the things that they say that’s very positive is that they feel like they were given permission to go ahead and do what they really felt they need and want to do. I talk to them when I give talks in bookstores and other places. I talk to them about the importance of desire. To find out what desires are really deep and require attention: otherwise you’d feel depressed for not following it through. People do feel assured and given permission and accepted for who they are, from the books, that’s for sure. Now one of the things that I can just tell you, it’s not important but very often people tell me they really appreciate my musings in the books and I hate to hear that. I feel like I’m really trying to develop a very careful, precise approach to things from a deep level and a lot of people take it as musings: just sitting around musing about things. So that’s not very pleasing to me. I hear that too. But I think the important thing is that people do feel that they’ve got permission to really move more passionately into their lives.
****
Dawn: ... So what gives you the most joy in life?
Thomas: Well that’s really hard to say. I think one of the things that comes to mind is, I love my work, for one thing. I really love my work. I hate to have — to have a day where I can’t work. I don’t like holidays very much. Part of it is that I’m able, now, to work at home. I’m with my family. I can teach my daughter in the mornings now. I’m connected to the family. My wife also works at home. She’s a painter and she has a studio here. I guess that’s the — really, the best thing.
Dawn: You love your life.
Thomas: Yes.

Honour other's complexity and vastness

The Keene Sentinal posts a story about Thomas Moore’s public talk and continuing education workshop planned for the end of this week in which he will discuss spiritual principles and healthy relationships. The article quotes Moore,

"In my 30 years as a therapist, I’ve done a lot of work with couples," Moore said. "Some of that work was to help people get through some of the troubles they have with marriage and relationships. Ninety-nine percent of the people I’ve ever encountered have some confusion about relationships. A lot are trying to work out relationships with their families.

"My key idea for relationships is that we need to honor the complexity and vastness of who the other person really is," he said. "That’s our biggest mistake. We expect others to be who we want them to be, not who they are. It takes a spiritual perspective to stand back and be engaged in what is beyond you. It’s the opposite of watching out for your self."

Santa and Jesus in Belfast talk, Dec. 11

The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) promotes Thomas Moore’s 7:30 p.m. appearance in Belfast on Thursday 11 December, 2008. His talk, "Santa, the Holy One" will be delivered at:
Nazareth House,
516 Ravenhill Road,
Belfast, BT6 0BW

"I think Santa Claus and gift-giving do indeed express the spirit of Christmas and are, fully in accord with the birth of Jesus, in the true Christmas spirit. I’d like to make those connections and affirm our celebration of the sacred time of light from darkness." — Thomas Moore

This evening lecture is sponsored by CORI and Drumalis. Admission is £5. The public is warmly invited. Moore will lead the Advent Retreat at Drumalis in Larne starting December 12.

Hay House describes talk, 2 May 2009

On August 20, Barque announced Thomas Moore’s appearance in San Diego on Saturday 2 May 2009. Hay House updates its I Can Do It! 2009 - San Diego event by filling in descriptions for the day's presentations. Thomas Moore’s 2:30 p.m. session, Writing in the Sand: The Spirituality of Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, is included:

"Open the Gospels and read them as if for the first time. As you read, use your knowledge of the world's spiritual and religious traditions. Bring an appreciation for myth, symbol, and depth psychology. Study the language carefully. Don't be influenced by what everyone else thinks or by the way the stories and teachings have always been interpreted. Do these things and you will find a radical spiritual vision, a love of the world and humanity, and a new way of understanding and living life. Contrary to the way these texts are often presented, you will find an appreciation for cultural and religious diversity, an emphasis on healing rather than morals, and a reconciliation of your spirituality and your sexuality. You will not get bogged down in belief, institution, authority, guilt, moralism, exclusivity, or sexism. You will find a spirituality for today–challenging, comforting, contemplative, and joyous."

Public invited to free lecture in Keene, NH

An earlier Barque post noted Moore's appearance in Keene, New Hampshire, hosted by Antioch University New England. The university announces, on its site, this evening with Thomas Moore as the concluding presentation of its Fall Speakers Series. The public is invited to attend these free events.

Thomas Moore’s talk, "Building Successful Relationships Using Spiritual Principles" is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday 4 December 2008 at:
Best Western Sovereign Hotel
Grand Ballroom,
401 Winchester Street,
Keene, NH

The next day, Moore participates in a program restricted to psychotherapists.

Naropa hosts weekend workshop, Opus

Boulder, Colorado’s Naropa University hosts a non-credit weekend workshop with Thomas Moore, Opus: Finding Your Life Work, on Friday 21 November to Sunday 23 November, 2008.

"The workshop will include psychological, relational and spiritual aspects and will involve discussion, a personal inventory and dream work. Doing work that engages your mind, heart and soul is a first step to personal fulfillment, meaning and peace. But a life work is more than the right job. It involves reconciling with family influences, good and bad, surrounding work; dealing with past experiences of your own; and having a vision and a deep sense of values. It involves connecting the parts of your life: home, friends, neighbors, hobbies, sports, travel and a spiritual practice."

Registration for the full event is $325 U.S. with a 15% discount if you register by Friday 31 October ($276.25 U.S.). If attending only the Friday evening talk, the cost is $15 with a discount price of $10 for seniors and students.

SCHEDULE:
Fri 21 Nov. . . . 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sat 22 Nov. . . 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sun 23 Nov. . . 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The link above allows you to register online. Register now at the reduced rate, before finalizing your Hallowe’en plans for this Friday.

BetterListen! sells four talks on iTunes

An earlier Barque post announced that BetterListen! offers Thomas Moore’s lecture, Humanizing Medicine, on iTunes. Three additional titles are available now as downloads. Next year, these four talks may be purchased on CD.

Humanizing Medicine
Time: 75 minutes
Thomas Moore talks about extending the scope of medicine to include "spirituality and deep matters of soul, emotions, fantasies, dreams, the physical healing environment, and the relationship of caregiver and patient."

The New Epicureans
Time: 118 minutes
Thomas Moore shares "the roots of his work and approach to philosophy and living," before exploring "how our sexually repressed society contributes to violence and dysfuntion in the current age."

A Magical Life
Time: 137 minutes
Thomas Moore "restates the principals of magicians in the past, who advised tapping into the less obvious, less mechanical, less literal potencies of nature. In this magic, we bring the heart into play and regard the most ordinary aspects of daily life in their sacredness."

Soul and Everyday Life
Time: 181 minutes
Thomas Moore considers this approach: "The soul is greater than the smallness of our problems and our pasts. It is a part of our whole experience of the universe, and caring for the soul is not about introspection. Nor is it about understanding the mistakes our parents made."

Visit BetterListen! for more information about buying these digital downloads of Thomas Moore.

Moore talks about United States election

Thomas Moore responds to a Barque Forum discussion about the presidential election in the United States. His response includes,

"I always think about the words we use. Politics is from polis, the assembly or community of citizens. Politics begins in each of us finding a way through our narcissism to making real and frequent contributions to the community. Today that has to include the global community. I've never understood American politicians making "national interest" the bottom line. It would be like any of us making our own self-interest the final criterion of our behavior."
. . .
"Elections say as much about the citizens as about the potential leaders. Our country has not done well in choosing leaders, and I think the main reason is that we do not truly educate our children. A democracy requires [an] educated citizenry that knows how to choose good leadership and is motivated by common cause. We are far from this ideal."

Read Thomas Moore’s full response on the Barque: Thomas Moore Forum. Register with this free network to participate in the discussion.

Spiritual principles to guide relationships

The Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce lists Thomas Moore’s Thursday 4 December, 2008 appearance at:
Best Western Sovereign Hotel
401 Winchester Street
Keene, New Hampshire
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Chamber's description for "Building Successful Relationships Using Spiritual Principles," says Moore "believes the only way to deal effectively with emotional problems is to include intelligent and open-minded explorations of spiritual life. Some aspects of spirituality are eternal and never change; others shift with cultural developments. According to Moore, we are in serious need of a spiritual intelligence equal to the complexity of life in the new century."

Sponsors of this free event are Antioch University New England's Applied Psychology Department and MAPS Counseling Services. For more information, contact:
Jan Fiderio
Telephone: 603 283-2107
janet_fiderio@antiochne.edu

Moore is at Syracuse University tomorrow

Thomas Moore speaks tomorrow, Wednesday 22 October 2008, at Syracuse University in Hendricks Chapel at 7:00 p.m. For more information, see the University Calendar’s description of this event,"Healing Body, Soul, and Spirit with Thomas Moore."

Podcast with Moore covers economic crisis

Listen to Shannan Taylor speak with Thomas Moore about "his spiritual take on the economic crisis, fear, depression and work" in a podcast [13:53 minutes].

The file, "Author Thomas Moore on the Economic Crisis", is at
http://shannantaylor.podbean.com/2008/10/21/author-thomas-moore-on-the-economic-crisis.

The unicorn and the world's spirituality, Oct. 25

In a recent radio interview about his latest book, A Life at Work, Thomas Moore mentioned that he'll be speaking at the Mind Body Spirit Expo at the Valley Forge Convention Center near Philadelphia on Saturday 25 October 2008 at 12:30 p.m. He told the radio hosts that in his talk, The Unicorn in the Garden: The Spirituality Of The World, he will discuss spirituality in daily life. See an earlier Barque post and the Barque sidebar for links to this engagement.

Moore's talk about A Life at Work available now

 

Today's archived program is available for free playing and downloading now. Scoll the list for today's date and description, A Life's Work: Thomas Moore.

Enjoy Moore's listening presence on October 23

On Thursday 23 October 2008, Thomas Moore is the featured speaker at the 18th Annual Central New York Spiritual Care Day sponsored by InterFaith Works. This year’s theme is Listening Presence. A 2-page .pdf registration brochure contains additional information about the event.

LOCATION
Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church
5299 Jamesville Road
Dewitt, New York 13214

SCHEDULE
08:30 - 09:00 a.m. Registration
09:00 - 09:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
09:30 - 10:30 a.m. Thomas Moore: SOUL TO SOUL - Hearing the Unspoken in Another
10:30 - 11:00 p.m. Break
11:00 - 12:00 p.m. Conversation with Thomas Moore
12:30 - 01:30 p.m. Lunch

COST
$25 per person includes morning coffee, speaker, and lunch*
$20 per person includes morning coffee and speaker*
*Due to limited lunch seating please register early

Listening Presence
"A great deal is said about communication, which tends to mean rational and logical exchange. But the real trick is to listen to nuance, what is implied, and the mysterious material that can’t be spoken. This is soul to soul dialogue, essential in any counseling of depth and in any intimate conversation. Spiritual matters in particular rise out of the realms of mystery and require a receptive mind and heart that are open and free and in love with the unexpected."

Online radio program features A Life at Work

Darien and Darius, on Blogtalk Radio, host an It's All about You program based on Thomas Moore’s recent book, A Life at Work, on Monday 6 October, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. Listen to the hour-long program about creating your Opus in work and life. The call-in number for the program is 718 508-9628. It's All about You "is about building global prosperity through creativity and inspiration. To create the life we want with the right attitude, a proper thought system, and inspired action. To discover new ways to develop human love, trust, forgiveness, and gratitude." Earlier programs are available online.

The meaning and shape of our lives, Oct. 15

The University of Southern Maine’s Public Affairs office issues notice of Thomas Moore’s presentation on Wednesday 15 October, 2008, starting at 7:00 p.m. Moore will answer, "How Can We Find the Meaning and Shape of Our Lives?" See the Barque sidebar for location and additional links.

Tickets:
$15 Public
$10 USM students, employees, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members
Ticket Availability:
Call 207 780-5900,
Online at www.usm.maine.edu/cce/evenings.htm,
or at the door

After the event, Thomas Moore will stay to sign books that will be available for purchase.

St. Francis Hospital hosts journey to wellness

NBC30.com, "Connecticut’s news leader," just posted notice of the St. Francis Hospital event, "The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection: Our Journey to Wellness", featuring Thomas Moore, on Saturday 4 October 2008. Presentations focus on living with cancer. Advance registration is required by September 27. An earlier Barque post includes details.

Talk about soul and spirit in Concord, Oct. 30

At the end of next month, Thomas Moore offers a session for people in caring professions. The New Hampshire Council of Churches is promoting, A Conversation With Thomas Moore: Caring For Our Soul And Spirit, sponsored by the Havenwood-Heritage Heights Clinical Pastoral Education Program. Moore’s event will be held at:
Havenwood-Heritage Heights
Havenwood Campus
33 Christian Avenue
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

The presentation is Thursday 30 October 2008, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., to be followed by a reception until 5:30 p.m. Registration is $25 U.S. Because space is limited, please reserve your seat now. The above link provides payment options and contact information.

Join Moore on Marco Island in February 2009

Information about Thomas Moore’s 2009 symposium on Marco Island for the New England Educational Institute is now available online. Barque usually notifies readers about Moore’s Cap Cod summer offerings. Here's an opportunity to participate in his Spirituality and Care of the Soul in Psychotherapy symposium, from February 16 to 20 2009, in Florida. It will convene at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort on Marco Island from 9:00 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. Fly into the Fort Myers Airport, approximately a 40-mile drive from the island.

"In this symposium, participants will establish an idea of the very nature of healing and ways of becoming an effective healer. Participants will explore biographies of men and women who were and are effective doctors, nurses, and counselors as well as figures from the world's religions, mythology, alchemy, literature, and film and how they offer deep insight into healing. Participants will view filmed interviews of healers, and examine poetry, fiction, and the visual arts in order to obtain a complete picture of the qualities needed to be a healer. The "shadow" side of being a counselor or medical professional – problems of eros, power, money, belief, insecurity, and burn-out – will also be addressed." This offering is primarily for "psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, nurses and allied mental health professionals."

Click on Moore’s symposium title, above or in the Barque sidebar, for a description of daily topics, accommodation, tuition and related information.

If you're coming to the Mind Body Spirit Expo

As noted earlier on Barque, Thomas Moore is speaking at the Mind Body Spirit Expo at the Valley Forge Convention Center on October 25. The Wellbeing newsletter for September offers a $2 coupon to use toward the Expo admission price.

Mind Body Spirit Expo
"Fall is just around the corner and we're gearing up for the annual Mind Body Spirit Expo at the Valley Forge Convention Center near Philadelphia, October 24-26. This year's keynote speakers include Gary Zukov, Bernie Siegel, Thomas Moore, James Twyman and Michelle Livingston. In addition to 80+ vendors, the Expo features dozens of lectures on topics such as reiki, intuition, nutrition, meditation, angels, and ayurveda. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.mindbodyspiritexpo.com. Use our coupon to receive $2 off the admission price."

Scroll to the News & Events section at the bottom of the newsletter page for an active link to receive the coupon.