This is the second in a 4-part series which explains, in each part, one of four deceptive distractions to a core purpose of spiritual practice: cultivating, with applied practices, wisdom and a character that is more capable of flourishing. That is, addressing fear, anger, and greed; compassion for all beings and an inner happiness not [Read More...]

Recently I have noticed some recurring concepts in many of the discourses I’ve been attending in our local Spiritual Naturalist chapter and various other discussions. These have to do, not with obvious distractions, but with things that often draw our attention and may be worthy endeavors, but may seem like they are central to spirituality [Read More...]

“Love they neighbor as thyself” is one of the finer sentiments contained in the Bible. But it’s not  commonly practiced. One reason may be that the Bible doesn’t provide any good tips on how to actually love someone you don’t really like. The Buddhist practice of loving-kindness or metta meditation provides a mean to do [Read More...]

Today’s article is by guest writer and our Society Advisory Board member, Rev. Michael Dowd. The Society brings together religious and spiritual naturalists from all backgrounds, from Humanist to Pagan to Buddhist and more.  Rev. Dowd has expressed a fully naturalist Christian path in his book, Thank God for Evolution! and his other writing and [Read More...]

A discussion of morality and values – asking the question, which is more important? Honesty or Compassion? Both are important and both can benefit your life here and now, but is one more important than the other?   Subscribe to The Spiritual Naturalist Society Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society __________ The Spiritual [Read More...]

Over the course of my comparative studies, there are some general traits I’ve noticed which seem to be shared between those wisdom streams and I thought it could be helpful to point them out. Here are some traits that are a sign of a good and healthy spiritual path… 10. Aim of True Happiness Good [Read More...]

We are experiencing a new Copernican shift that is revolutionizing our spirituality.  It is undermining our sense of humanity as something privileged in the universe, the sole possessor of “soul”, standing above the beasts and apart from the inert dust of soil.  It is questioning our free will, our magical power to move ourselves amidst [Read More...]

A friend told me last week that he recently, and suddenly, became an atheist—and wished he wasn’t… I had seen him move from conservative Christian, to a Christian with a more liberal belief about scripture, to something even more general over the past few years. He said he was thinking a few days ago and [Read More...]

Author’s note: This is our first post here on Patheos.com. Many thanks to them for having us and to Patheos readers for reading! We hope the content our writers provide will be interesting and helpful and look forward to hearing from you!   Many may not have heard the term yet, but Spiritual Naturalism is [Read More...]