Previous courses have included …

Howard Thurman was a mentor to many, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is thanks to him that the Movement discovered nonviolence: after a life-changing visit with Gandhi in India, Thurman introduced Dr. King and his colleagues to this powerful way of resistance. This theologian was so impactful that Dr. King was known to carry his book, Jesus and the Disinherited, with him during his many marches, boycotts, and travels. If you feel the world’s brokenness but long for hope, this session is for you. This course encountered Thurman’s soul-stirring spirituality, a way of living that bridges contemplation and action, silence and justice, love and liberation.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Abraham Heschel was one of the 20th century's most influential Jewish theologians. He is credited with reviving the biblical prophets for modern times and revealing the prophets’ mysticism and activism. Heschel famously declared, "Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive." His radical spirituality focused on the interior work that results in wonder, awe, radical amazement, and spiritual audacity.

“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.”

A razor has a sharp intellect, intense selflessness, passion for justice, and unflinching honesty. Simone Weil was a brilliant philosopher and political activist who had profound experiences of the divine. She called for a spirituality of deep attention to the world. While highly admiring Catholicism, she was an undaunted critic of the institution.

“The mysteries of faith are degraded if they are made into an object of affirmation and negation, when in reality they should be an object of contemplation.”

As a young rebel turned monastic superstar, Thomas Merton pioneered interfaith dialogue, helped birth the contemplative renewal in the Christian West, and was a vocal peace and social justice advocate. His autobiography became a best seller when he was 31. Restless, intelligent, and passionate, Thomas Merton was endlessly curious while maintaining levity.

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”

Did you know Crazy Horse’s nephew was a Catholic mystic? He was born into the ancient Lakota traditions. A vision in his childhood set his life direction, becoming a revered healer in his tribe. Yet Black Elk's spiritual path took an unexpected turn when he embraced Catholic Christianity. This course led us to discover the extraordinary life of this inter-spiritual healer and explored many things about Black Elk, including:

How Nicholas Black Elk braided together past and present, pipe and rosary, justice and healing.
The vision that widened Black Elk’s calling to heal the whole world, not just his people.
Why the rosary became so popular among the Lakota people–and the power it can hold for all of us.
Why we need Indigenous wisdom now more than ever before.

“Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere.”

Caryll Houselander was a colorful, chain-smoking therapist who didn't fit in anywhere. Except for one place—right at the heart of divine Love. Called “eccentric” by her friends, Houselander remained a mystery, even when her writings became international bestsellers. Within decades, the world forgot about her. But her profound spiritual insights are igniting a revival.

“God did not make a mistake in making you, and there is something that you alone can do.”

This class was an encounter with one of the visionaries of this Earth moment! Sage, monk, shaman, poet, geologian, path-finder and guide to a new Earth future - the world-class seer Thomas Berry embodies and teaches a way to realize our cosmic vocation by way of a New Story and an urgent summons to take up The Great Work of healing our desolating relationship with Earth by embodying a cosmology of peace. Meet the wisdom keeper of the age to come as we practice our way into new modes of intimacy and communion with all our kin in this still unfolding, mysterious universe.

“It is not possible to save the world by trying to save it. You need to find what is genuinely yours to offer the world before you can make it a better place. Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community it your greatest opportunity and challenge. The offering of that gift - your true self - is the most you can do to love and serve the world. And it is all the world needs.”

Previous courses have included …

How Nicholas Black Elk braided together past and present, pipe and rosary, justice and healing.

The vision that widened Black Elk’s calling to heal the whole world, not just his people.

Why the rosary became so popular among the Lakota people–and the power it can hold for all of us.

Why we need Indigenous wisdom now more than ever before.