Moore comments about writing A Life at Work

Thomas Moore’s new book, A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You were Born to Do became available yesterday. Moore comments about writing this book, saying that life work extends beyond job or career. Register with the Barque: Thomas Moore Forum to share your reactions to Moore’s latest offering.

A Life at Work:
The Joy of Discovering What You were Born to Do
by Thomas Moore
Published: February 26, 2008
Dimensions: 208 Pages
Published By: Broadway Books
ISBN:0767922522

Free evening event at Sonoma State University

On Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 7 p.m., Thomas Moore will discuss A Life at Work at Sonoma State University, under the auspices of the Institute of Imaginal Studies. This event is in the Cooperage, a large room used for campus events (Link includes map).
Cooperage Room
1801 East Cotati Ave
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Moore's appearance is free. To reserve a space, call the Institute at 707 765-1836, or register online.

Moore is a contributing faculty member of the Institute of Imaginal Studies. According to a promotional flyer for this event, he "explores the often difficult process — the obstacles, blocks, and hardships of our own making — that we go through on our way to discovering our purpose, and reveals the joy that is our reward. He teaches us patience, models the necessary powers of reflection, and gives us the courage to keep going."

Moore's Santa Rosa reading is a benefit event

Thomas Moore’s reading from his new book A Life At Work: The Joy of Discovering What You were Born to Do, on Thursday 6 March in Santa Rosa, California will assist the Numina Center for Spirituality & the Arts.

The $15 tickets are available at Copperfield’s Books, 2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa 95404, online at www.copperfields.net, or at the door.

The reading will start at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of the Incarnation, 550 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, and will be followed by a reception for the author and a book signing. A map of the church is linked to Copperfield’s Books notice of the event and on the Numina Center's site.

"Numina was founded and is centered at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa. We are grounded in our delight in imagery and the senses, joy in color and sound, and pleasure in drama and poetry. Our conviction is that any aspect of creation can point beyond itself to the divine. The spirit of God may be found wherever the full dimensions of life are being explored. We are dedicated to that exploration through the arts."

Call Copperfield’s Books at 707 578-8938 or the Numina Center at 707 579-3079 for more information.

BookTour shows maps to Moore's appearances

 BookTour links to information and maps about Thomas Moore's first two A Life at Work tour stops in Vermont, on February 27 in South Burlington and on February 28 in Manchester Center.

Check for updated links to Moore's tour appearances in the Barque sidebar.

Moore to speak about the arts on February 15

According to Thomas Moore’s site careofthesoul.net, he’ll speak about "The Therapeutic Value of the Fine Arts" at the Kundalini Art Gallery and Yoga Studio in Wilton, New Hampshire at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 15, 2008.

Kundalini, opened by Moore’s wife Joan Hanley and Susan Quaglia Brown in 2006, is at 51 Main Street, Wilton. This site hosted a public art installation of mud murals in the spring of 2007 to draw attention to world sustainability issues.

"I define religion at its best as a positive and effective means of relating to the mysteries that define our lives: love, death, birth, illness, marriage, and work, to name a few. A twenty-first century mentality sees these not simply as areas of normal living which one must deal but also as mysteries. A twenty-first century religion sanctifies them with sacraments, rituals, sacred stories, and sometimes guardian spirits. The arts serve this kind of religion by giving us strong images for contemplation, for reflecting on the life-defining mysteries, and for educating ourselves so we can live them out more creatively." - Thomas Moore

Quoted from Thomas Moore's column in the January - February 2008 issue of Spirituality and Health magazine on the Abbey of the Arts blog.

Call 603-654-8155 for more information about Moore’s talk next week.

New resources available for A Life at Work

Before the start of their e-course, Practicing Spirituality with Thomas Moore beginning February 11, 2008, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat have posted a review, excerpt and interview about Thomas Moore's newest book, A Life at Work on their Spirituality and Practice site:

Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Thomas Moore's
A Life at Work
Broadway Books
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780767922524

Excerpt about mystery and work from A Life at Work
"A life work is nothing less than the mystery of who we are. It can't be equated with a job or a career. It isn't just an emotion, nor is it an illusion. It is of the greatest importance for feeling complete and tranquil. Yet it is impossible to define and control."

Interview with Thomas Moore about A Life at Work
Frederic Brussat asks Moore about "spiritual practices we can each use to go deeper in our own quests for our life's work."

The Barque sidebar shows Moore's current travel plans for his author tour.

E-course based on Thomas Moore's writings

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been corrected to show the new start date for the e-course, Monday 11 February, 2008.

At Spirituality and Practice, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat offer a spirituality e-course for $19.95 (U.S.), starting February 11, 2008, based on Thomas Moore’s writings.

The course description reads,

"Care of the soul," [Moore] has written, "requires craft — skill, attention, and art. To live with a high degree of artfulness means to attend to the small things that keep the soul engaged in whatever we are doing." This is exactly what we will be doing in "Practicing Spirituality with Thomas Moore," a 40-day e-course beginning Monday, February 11, 2008 and running through March 21. Each daily email will offer a brief quotation from Moore's writings and a practice suggested by this teaching. In addition, subscribers to this e-course will be invited to participate in a private "Practice Circle" where you can dialogue with other participants from around the world about your experiences with the practices."

Barque readers who sign up for the e-course may want to share some of their discussion in the Barque forum for members not participating directly in this online offering.

Chapter One excerpt from A Life at Work online

Random House offers "Getting Nowhere", Chapter One of Thomas Moore’s new book A Life at Work, free to readers online. It opens with Sappho’s "Pain penetrates me drop by drop."

The publisher's main description page for A Life at Work includes:

"Moore reveals the quest to find a life’s work in all its depth and mystery. All jobs, large and small, long-term and temporary, he writes, contribute to your life’s work. A particular job may be important because of the emotional rewards it offers or for the money. But beneath the surface, your labors are shaping your destiny for better or worse. If you ignore the deeper issues, you may not know the nature of your calling, and if you don’t do work that connects with your deep soul, you may always be dissatisfied, not only in your choice of work but in all other areas of life. Moore explores the often difficult process — the obstacles, blocks, and hardships of our own making — that we go through on our way to discovering our purpose, and reveals the joy that is our reward. He teaches us patience, models the necessary powers of reflection, and gives us the courage to keep going."

Rabbi Lawrence Kushner recommends the book by writing, "Forget about the color of your parachute, here is a book that teaches you how to fly. Through ancient parable, contemporary therapy, personal vignette, and, above all, an uncommon sapience, Moore deftly guides through life’s greatest quandary: Why have I been created? Give this book to yourself."

Biographical information at the bottom of the publisher's page describes this Thomas Moore. The byline link at the top of the page redirects to a different author.