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Seeking the Sacred: Transforming Our View of Ourselves and One Another

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Seeking the Sacred: Transforming Our View of Ourselves and One Another

Can you imagine the world we’d live in if we dared to see all of life as sacred?

Part intimate memoir, part commentary, this is a book that’s urgently needed. Especially at a time when religion is increasingly viewed as irrelevant, as the cause of violence, or as making exclusive claims to “truth”. Meanwhile, “spirituality” is often reduced to a sentimental ignoring of social realities. Yet the urge to understand life beyond the material is deep within our human family.

Here, with an optimism about human nature that is profound and hard-won, Rev Dr Stephanie Dowrick suggests that only an authentically inclusive spiritual vision will change the way that we see ourselves – in order to keep one another safe.  She returns to her profound theme of identity, as well as reverence and the ubiquitous “Golden Rule”, and speaks directly to those seeking spiritual depth and meaning in their own lives. She fearlessly addresses some of the most urgent social questions of our day, including our longing for greater peace within and without. This is a book rich in ideas and diverse experiences. It describes Stephanie Dowrick’s own spiritual evolution and reflects on deeply moving stories from others.

“The modern world is desacralized, that is why it is in crisis. The modern person must rediscover a deeper source of his [or her] own spiritual life.” C.G. Jung

Published by Allen & Unwin, Sydney; PenguinRandomHouse, New York. Print edition, e-book and audio available.

ISBN: 9781741759730

Allen & Unwin  November 2010

“The modern world is desacralized, that is why it is in crisis. The modern person must rediscover a deeper source of his [or her] own spiritual life.”

—C.G. Jung

Imagine the world we would live in if we dared to see all of life as sacred.

At a time when religion is increasingly viewed as irrelevant or as the cause of violence, Stephanie Dowrick most powerfully persuades us that only an authentically inclusive spiritual vision is ambitious enough to change the way that we see ourselves  and keep one another safe.  In this intimate, highly personal book, she speaks directly to those seeking spiritual depth and meaning in their own lives. She also addresses some of the most urgent social questions of our day:

  • How do our beliefs shape the way we view our strengths and respond to one another?
  • Are spiritual or religious teachings a cause of social unrest – or can they be a solution to it?
  • Are we capable of resisting violence as a “solution” and learning to “do no harm”?
  • Could spirituality be the “saving grace” our world so urgently needs?

This is a book rich in ideas and also stories. It includes an account of Stephanie Dowrick’s own spiritual evolution, and deeply moving stories from others.