My family emigrated from the former Soviet Union to the US when I was 10, and our cultural heritage of ritual celebrations comes from that background. The most important Soviet celebration was New Year’s Eve, a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. A few hours before midnight, close family and friends gathered together. There was always a big New Year’s tree with a bright red star on top, and a huge dinner table piled with delicious food. We... Read more

The Winter Solstice is upon us, and the year is in its darkest phase. In many ancient societies the return of the sun and rebirth of the world was by no means seen as a guarantee. Monuments were built, sacrifices made, and ceremonies held to ensure that the sun would once again return to the sky, the world would thaw, and life would go on. Today, barring a disaster of unconscionable scope, we can be assured that the days will... Read more

Episode 4: How does one apply Spiritual Naturalism to real world problems? Find out in this exciting episode, as the hosts tackle a real life problem as they hear it for the very first time. See how embedded spiritual principles come out in a real life struggle dealing with the challenges of a new job in a less than optimal situation. Click here to get Email notices of new episodes and SNS articles Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society... Read more

“The Self is the ear of the ear, the eye of the eye.  It is the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, and the life of life.  Not clinging to any of the senses, not attach to any thought in the mind, the wise become one with the deathless Self.”  (from the Upanishads) “Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal... Read more

It may be the most wonderful time of the year for some people, but for many of us it is stressful. We have to deal with family, money issues, buying gifts, and the never-ending busyness. Whether you celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or HumanLight day, it can be a stressful and busy time of the year. I want to give you three tools to help you through it. First, we can always return to our breath. It is... Read more

Episode 3: An interview with Rick Heller, author of Secular Meditation: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy. You can get this book through the Society’s Amazon store HERE. Click here to get Email notices of new episodes and SNS articles Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society See a full episode list at our main page for the Spiritual Naturalism Today podcast __________ The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual naturalism as a way of life, develop its... Read more

Since I was a small child, I have suffered bouts of depression. Most of the time I muddle through but a few times it has been crippling: the kind where you spend months in bed, looking down at yourself and thinking, “JUST GET UP. JUST DO IT.” But you don’t. Because you can’t. I’ve been in remission for a couple of years since my last big black hole, and I have a new medication combo that is working very well. I’m working,... Read more

Recently I stopped by a music store in town to buy banjo strings. I hadn’t been in the store for at least ten years. I remembered it as a hive of kids and grown-ups trying out guitars, pianos, and clarinets, browsing through racks of sheet music and instruction books, going in and out of the back rooms for lessons. This time, it was almost empty—partly the result of the guitar mega-store that had opened on the highway. The owner himself... Read more

Every spiritual path begins with a purification stage. In the mystic way of Christianity, we have the purgative way, the illuminative way, and the unitive way. In Buddhism, we have the three trainings of virtue, concentration, and wisdom. Purification is the foundation for any genuine spiritual path. But what is morality or ethics all about? Depending on your tradition, it is said to be love, kindness, or loving-kindness towards all others. But love is a heavily misused word. If we... Read more

Episode 2: Naturalists include Humanists, skeptics, Freethinkers, atheists, agnostics, and other rationalists, but how do Spiritual Naturalists approach knowledge and claims, as a part of their spiritual practice and what are the important differences in our approach? Click here to get Email notices of new episodes and SNS articles Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society See a full episode list at our main page for the Spiritual Naturalism Today podcast __________ The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual... Read more