We all love a bargain – and are all inclined to congratulate ourselves when we find one. I certainly do…especially when it comes to my weakness around nice clothes. But how often do we stop to remember that our “bargain” is possible only because someone has made our briefly-desired object for far less money than […]
Countless people draw on work for identity as much as income. But this can leave people feeling immensely vulnerable to others’ decisions and whims. Far greater freedom can come from consciously deciding that no matter what your work is, what most positively affects your wellbeing are the values you seek to express through your work […]
Dear Network friends Today I am writing to share news of the two retreats that I am delighted to be offering in October. The longer, more “newsy” newsletters I usually send give you a variety of information and it’s easy to miss details of special events. The early October retreat (3-6, 6-9 October) is at […]
Please enjoy this short, heartfelt talk from Dr Stephanie Dowrick on what it means to “grow in spirit” even and sometimes especially when your circumstances are hard or especially challenging. No, this is not “easy” – but it is slowly possible – and the benefits will resonate throughout our lives. On the day she gave […]
“If one saw that underlying thread that connects all religions, one would see that all religion is one, as truth is one, as life is one, as God is one.” Hazrat Inayat Khan was an Indian musician and Sufi master who died in 1927 at the age of 44, having brought the message of universal […]
Interfaith service, Sydney, this Sunday 21 July 2013, 3pm * A year in the life of the Universal Heart Book Club * Visiting Mudgee Readers’ Festival? * Buddhism & Psychotherapy Conference, Brisbane, not just for Buddhists and therapists! * October retreats * Regular inspiration on FACEBOOK * beautiful words from Francis of Assisi Dear friends, […]
Francis Spufford’s Unaplogetic is quite unlike any other book I’ve read on the contemporary experience of being Christian and I cannot recommend it too highly. Since reading it I have been pressing copies on a great variety of readers – with considerable success. At the very least it offers a dimension to Christian experience that […]
Dr Stephanie Dowrick begins this powerful talk on thanksgiving and living fully as well as “thankfully” by quoting Mahatma Gandhi on what we share: our unity with all of humanity, with “our human and divine family” as well as the profound possibility that each of us is “enough”. She also reflects on the sublime opportunity […]
In this short video talk, you can hear Dr Stephanie Dowrick giving the Sunday “sermon” at Pitt Street Uniting Church in Sydney. She uses her commitment to spiritual and social inclusivity and harmony to draw our attention to key universal “messages of love” while inviting us also to be “messengers of love”. On 21 July […]
Dear Universal Heart friends “Beauty of spirit is contagious” * Interfaith service, Sydney, Sunday 16 June, 3pm – celebrating 7 years of services * Links to supportive talks and articles * Book Club news * Bookstore support * Events including Sydney writing workshop, July, October Retreat at Mana, & Writing Retreat in Kyoto Welcome to […]
This short talk on wisdom – and its relevance in contemporary life – by Dr Stephanie Dowrick begins with a famous teaching from the Wisdom of Solomon. Stephanie uses it as a springboard to invite us to think freshly about wisdom and particularly about the wisdom we learn first-hand: from the experiences of our own […]
Stephanie Dowrick is the author, among other books, of Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love. This talk on the vital theme of forgiveness was recorded at the Happiness & Its Causes Conference in Sydney, in 2007. Stephanie spoke after His Holiness the Dalai Lama had spoken to a packed and highly receptive audience. The talk […]