Have you read Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love? Forgiveness is always a potent topic – but never more so than in times of social upheaval and stress. This book – one of Stephanie’s most loved – is not about forgiveness only. It also looks at the priceless qualities of courage, fidelity, restraint, generosity and […]
A prayer for peace What is peace? Peace is a continuous act of creation. Waking up to the reality that life is precious in all of its forms, we come to see that we are guardians of one another and of the earth. Seeing each other through the eyes of peace, we find compassion. With […]
Stephanie Dowrick is proud to be an ambassador for IWDA and BCNA. The International Women’s Development Agency undertakes practical, co-operative projects in partnership with women from around the world, working for women and their families suffering poverty, ill-health and personal and gender oppression. This is a small organisation doing invaluable work among the world’s most […]
Interfaith in action You are welcome to enjoy these images taken by Peter Damo – and to join us for the monthly services or weekly meditations. We are receiving so much appreciation for the inclusiveness and sacred depth that the services offer, and also for the exquisite music we enjoy from Kim Cunio and Heather […]
Sydney Choosing Happiness all-day workshop Sunday 1 October 2006 Stephanie will offer a one-day, very practical interactive workshop based on her most recent book, Choosing Happiness: Life & Soul Essentials. This will be suitable for people of all ages and stages and will focus on the key psychological and spiritual attitudes and skills that promote […]
Sydney Choosing Happiness all-day workshop Sunday 1 October 2006 Stephanie will offer a one-day, very practical interactive workshop based on her most recent book, Choosing Happiness: Life & Soul Essentials. This will be suitable for people of all ages and stages and will focus on the key psychological and spiritual attitudes and skills that promote […]
Monday, 6 March (2006), is World Day of Prayer. For most people, I suspect, it will be business as usual. Those who regularly pray will do so; those who pray only when pushed, will probably not. Yet prayer remains a fascinating phenomenon. Certainly it is one of the most significant acts that links human beings. […]
The recent initiative (March 2006) to increase mental health spending is good news. It makes sense, too, for increased attention to be paid to the effects of recreational drugs on mental health. But in thinking about the correlations between drug use and mental health it is crucial that we don’t leave out alcohol, simply because […]
Long before I became a writer, I was buying far more books than I could afford. Because the number of book buyers in Australia is so small compared to Britain or the USA, I still buy as many books as I can in “”real”” bookshops to ensure their survival. Nevertheless, there are temptations on the […]
At a time when beauty so often tips into fetish and may be considerably less than skin deep, it is worth remembering how genuine the human longing is for beauty. And that being in the presence of beauty can be healing as well as restorative. A socially conditioned sense of aesthetics pushes what we respond […]
For the second time in less than two years, I have been on retreat in India. I am aware that taking time out like this is a privilege. Getting up in the chilly dark for 4 am meditation was, in those circumstances, easy and a joy. But the privilege that struck me most forcibly of […]
“, Direct suffering takes a huge toll on many people’s lives. But often the people supporting those who are suffering are also under considerable stress. ,”It may be that your loved one has a chronic illness; a disability that can only worsen. Perhaps your loved one has lost a job and can’t find another; has […]