Child in the manger may be most radical reformer

Following publication of Thomas Moore's forthcoming Gospel: The Book of Matthew this year, is his new offering The Soul of Christmas to be released 30 September 2016. It may be pre-ordered now.

Moore "looks the Gospels, both canonical and non-canonical, comparing them to archetypal stories and ancient myths in order to understand his own beliefs and to gaze in wonder at the Holy Child. Christmas, says Moore, belongs to everyone. It has meaning only as a plan for the entire human race. Christmas shouldn’t be sentimentalized or turned into consumer frenzy: 'The child lying in the manger is perhaps the most radical of all spiritual reformers.'"

Format: Hardcover
Length: 160 pages
Publisher: Franciscan Media
Release: September 30, 2016
ISBN-10: 1632531208
ISBN-13: 978-1632531209
Price: $19.99 US

"The Christ Child reminds us of the infinite possibilities of life available to us, and we celebrate that vitality in the season of good cheer, gift-giving, and community. Christmas also offers an opportunity to get in touch with our own mystical side, to recreate the Nativity in our hearts. 'If we could but mix just a small measure of the child’s naïveté with an intelligent appreciation of the traditional Christmas symbols, myths, and images,' Moore asserts, 'we might be surprised at the profundity.' The enchantment of Christmas is a taste of what is possible if human beings could really love each other. The infant in the manger symbolizes new life, the potential all human beings have to be a new kind of being dedicated to agape, a love of the other — whoever that 'other' may be."

Save 25% on The Book of Matthew: order by April 4

Order Thomas Moore's Gospel:The Book of Matthew by April 4, 2016 to save 25% of the regular price.
Regular price for this new hardcover book: $19.99
Pre-order by April 4 price: $14.99

Use Coupon Code MATTHEW25 at Checkout

 Gospel: The Book of Matthew,
a new translation with commentary:

“In my translation there is no suggestion that readers should believe in anything, join an organization, or abandon their cherished religious and philosophical ideals. I see no reason why a Christian, an agnostic, a Buddhist, or even an atheist would not be charmed and inspired by the Gospels. Anyone can freely and without any worries read the Gospels and be enriched.”

— from the Introduction to Gospel

"...  His translation is fresh, clear and inviting, and his commentary, enlightening and sometimes surprising.”

— George W. E. Nickelsburg, professor emeritus, University of Iowa

Meet Thomas Moore in London UK, 19 June 2016

Attend a full day workshop with Thomas Moore in London, England on Sunday 19 June 2016. Alternatives hosts Moore's program, How to Live a Soulful Life:

"It isn’t enough to have an active spiritual life. The deep soul is also important, where we tend deep relationships, a sense of home and belonging, an awareness of the poetics of ordinary life and its layers of meaning. A soulful life expresses our humanity and individuality. It’s a life of attachments, bonds, loves and the struggles involved in all of these. This deep soul serves as a solid human base for a creative and visionary spirituality. The soul advances through loss and failure as well as learning and experience. There can be no real wisdom without a soulful perspective on life." 

Venue: 
Heythrop College
23 Kensington Square,
London W8 5HN
United Kingdom

This event requires a ticket. Buy online from the linked page:
Standard fee: £65 Concessions: £50

Thomas Moore in London UK, Sunday 19 June 2016! Alternatives event How to Live a Soulful Life: https://t.co/yL71lFwwiJ

— Barque: Thomas Moore (@Jessop) March 23, 2016

Moore: "We are suffering from our secularism"

Today Bonnie Bright, founder of Depth Psychology Alliance, shares "Spirit, Soul, and the Secular: An Interview with Thomas Moore" on Pacifica Graduate Institute's site. Bright writes:

"In his most recent book, A Religion of One’s Own, Thomas shares some ways to tap back into a sense of spirituality. When the topic arose, I asked Thomas his opinion about the role of formal religion, which seems to be waning in our modern world.

Tom surmises that existing institutions, including religions, need to be re-imagined to suit our times. His definition of religion is a 'creative and concrete response to the Mysteries.' Religion is not just an idea or belief, he insists, nor is it about perfecting ourselves. It’s about our relationship to the Mysterious 'other.'"

Listen to the interview (approximately 33 minutes) by clicking the link at the bottom of the Institute post.

Moore speaks at the Climates of Change and the Therapy of Ideas conference, April 21 to April 24, 2016 celebrating Pacifica’s 40th anniversary. This conference is full and registration is now closed. Call Pacifica's Public Programs Department at 805 969-3626, ext. 103 to be added to the wait list.

Audio program deepens a religion of one's own

On his Facebook page for A Religion of One's Own, Thomas Moore writes:

"I consider A Religion of One's Own one of my major books, along with Care of the Soul and Dark Nights of the Soul. Some people are apparently turned off by the word "religion," as though I were propping up failed institutions. A Russian man I met last October told me I had to use the word "religion," because the book is a re-working of that idea. I wonder if the book is a little ahead of its time, since people everywhere are looking for an alternative to religion as they've known it but can't imagine going out on their own. I'm almost finished listening to the audio program from Sounds True, A Personal Spirituality. I find that it fills in what is unspoken, unwritten in the book."

Meet Thomas Moore in Manchester CT, June 11

You are invited to a free lecture and discussion with Thomas Moore on Saturday 11 June 2016, 7:00 p.m.: Finding Ground for Your Spirituality.
This evening is presented by:
Pastoral Counseling Training Program
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center
Dr. Marcus M. McKinney, Director

It will be held at:
Unitarian Universalist Society: East
153 Vernon St. West
Manchester, Connecticut
Rev. Josh Pawelek, Pastor

To register please call Unitarian Universalist Society: East (860) 646-5151 and leave your name and contact information. Click here for directions.

Where is polite political discourse in the U.S.?

Thomas Moore writes "The New Vulgar" for Huffington Post. In this piece he focuses on U.S. presidential hopefuls:

"But here I'm not interested in the f-word as much as the kind of vulgarity we have seen in the recent election debates and in the speeches and reactions of certain politicians. They not only speak with profound vulgarity, they seem to think vulgar thoughts and equip themselves with a vulgar political and social philosophy. "
...
"The new vulgar appeals to the raw emotions, to the feral soul or reptile brain that has yet to be educated and brought up in humane society. Sometimes it's pleasant to have the rodent side of the self roused and brought into play. But not in the serious business of electing a president. Maybe on a camping trip with old buddies or among girlfriends."

Moore suggests, "... it's time to try out some old-fashioned politeness and an exquisite sense of what is appropriate."

Every day in our own lives we can each raise the level of discourse from crude to graceful.

— Thomas Moore (@thomasmooreSoul) March 10, 2016

Soul is not about wholeness, unity or integration

The 25th anniversary edition of Care of the Soul is shipping now with a new introduction by Thomas Moore. For his column in Spirituality & Health, Moore writes "Care of the Soul, 25 Years Later" that summarizes his approach to soul care.

"I emphasized certain gifts of soul: being a real individual, having a capacity for connection and love, living intimately, having a vision, being a real person and enjoying depth, and creating from a deep place within you. Soul is also at home amid variety and diversity. It doesn’t aspire to things like wholeness, unity, and integration. It speaks in dreams and a generally poetic style of speech. It appears best in stories and meandering conversations and communing with nature."

Today Moore's daily tweet urges us to consider this need:

Everyone needs psychotherapy — at least in the root sense of tending your soul.

— Thomas Moore (@thomasmooreSoul) March 2, 2016

Moore's 6-CD spirituality course available today

TODAY Thomas Moore's 6-CD program A Personal Spirituality: Finding Your Own Way to a Meaningful Life is available from Sounds True at the reduced price of $46.86 (33% off). The audio download, available immediately, is $36.72. Amazon.com also lists this product as shipping today.

A Personal Spirituality: Finding Your Own Way to a Meaningful Life
Author: Thomas Moore
Audio CD Publisher: Sounds True
Available: Unabridged edition March 1, 2016
ISBN-10: 1622036093
ISBN-13: 978-1622036097
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.8 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces  

Barque coverage
8 Aug 2015 "Moore offers personal spirituality course on CDs"