Show Me Your Way

Howard A. Addison

Description

An ancient spiritual practice rediscovered—and re-imaginated—for today.

This fascinating introduction to an ancient spiritual practice is for all of us who are searching for fresh spiritual insight. People of all faiths—and even those with no particular religious involvement—are discovering spiritual direction.

Traditionally identified with Christianity, but also resembling the relationship between teacher and student in Buddhism, sheikh and disciple in Islam, and rebbe and Hasid in Judaism, spiritual direction is a distinct kind of relationship for enhancing spiritual growth. And its renewed popularity has led to a now uniquely accessible modern phenomenon: interfaith spiritual direction.

Howard Addison presents personal accounts from the lives of people representing a broad spectrum of religious and spiritual traditions to show how we can find guidance and inspiration from people of other faiths—without ever leaving our own. This one-of-a-kind guide explores:

• Where to find spiritual guidance within your own faith community or beyond it.
• How spiritual direction can help you, even if you come from no formal religious background.
• Why and when it may be appropriate to seek a spiritual guide from a faith other than your own.
• What interfaith spiritual direction means for the future of religion and spirituality in our world.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Spirituality
• Christianity
• Religion
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 19 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594734946
• Langue: English

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T O S ISTER B ARBARA
Her mouth opens with wisdom;
Kind guidance is upon her tongue.
-P ROVERBS 31:26
C ONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Preface
P ART O NE -T HE S EARCH
1. Brewing Spirits: A Hasidic Tale
2. Seekers
P ART T WO -T HE Q UEST FOR G UIDANCE
3. What Is Spiritual Direction?
4. Looking Beyond Your Own Faith
5. Blessings and Drawbacks
6. Where Shall the Seeker Search?
P ART T HREE -T HE S HAPE OF T HINGS TO C OME
7. Contemporary Spiritual Trends
8. Meeting an Interfaith Spiritual Guide
9. The Modern Spiritual Paradox
Epilogue-The Next Hundred Years: A Parable of Hope for the Future
Resources for Spiritual Direction
Notes
Glossary
Recommended Reading
About the Author
Copyright
Also Available
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A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
T he Hebrew name for one who is Jewish is Yehudi or Yehudiah. These male and female terms are both derived from the same root as the word todah , thanks. Since my own faith places gratefulness at the core of our spiritual identity, let me take this opportunity to thank those whose guidance and support have made this book possible.
At a critical point in my past I attended two seminars sponsored by the Alban Institute, an interfaith center located in the Washington, D.C., area. There I was introduced to both spiritual direction and the Enneagram system of personality type. These two disciplines are now among the most crucial supports to my spiritual and professional life. I will always be grateful to Reverend Roy Oswald, an Alban senior consultant, for those seminars and his teaching.
The writings and spirit of the Reverend Dr. Tilden Edwards and Sister Rose Mary Dougherty inform almost every page of this book. It has been a privilege to study with them at the Shalem Institute. Both this text and I are richer for their continued friendship and guidance.
Speaking of guidance, since 1995 I have been fortunate to have had two wonderful spiritual directors. Sister Elizabeth Hilman of the Cenacle House in Lantana, Florida, helped make my academic interest in the inner life become an everyday reality. Sister Barbara Whittemore is the epitome of a spiritual friend. Our monthly sessions at the Cenacle House in Highland Park, New Jersey, bring insight and depth to moments of exaltation and help illumine even the darkest nights of the soul.
Let me thank the staff of SkyLight Paths for their support. Its publisher, Stuart Matlins, took a chance on me some years back when I was a fledgling author. Jon Sweeney, the associate publisher, was the first to suggest the topic for this book. I am also grateful to Sandra Korinchak, vice president of editorial operations, and to my editor, Dave O Neal who has a wonderful feel for both the world of literature and the world of religious faith.
This book would not have come to fruition without the sharing and courage of those who agreed to be interviewed for its pages. Special thanks to Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar of Kazi Books in Chicago, Dr. Beatrice Bruteau, and Claude d Estr e, who served as expert resources in the philosophy and practice of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism respectively.
Finally I must thank two people: Donna, my friend and coworker, whose research assistance, editorial suggestions, encouragement, and manuscript preparation are absolutely invaluable; and Adina, whose enthusiasm and faith in this project rivaled and sometimes even exceeded my own.
-H OWARD A. A DDISON
March 2000
P REFACE
I t was in the summer of 1998, at the New Age International Trade Show in Denver, that Jon Sweeney, associate publisher of SkyLight Paths Publishing, suggested that I write a book on interfaith spiritual direction. Jon knew that I had been in spiritual direction for some time with an order of Catholic sisters, and he wondered just how prevalent the practice of interfaith spiritual direction might be. He asked me to think about it.
Well, I did, for three months, until I decided to go ahead with the research and writing that have led to this book.
I would be less than candid if I didn t admit to having some qualms about the project. In my religious practice and in my heart I am something of a traditionalist. I have spent much of my life trying to present Judaism in a meaningful way, trying to encourage Jews to remain Jews and become more committedly so. Claude d Estr e, a Buddhist of Russian Orthodox descent who works with people of all backgrounds as an interfaith spiritual guide, told me he feels that ninety percent of all people actually belong in the faith of their birth. I pretty much agree with his assessment and hope that individuals are able to find the inspiration and solace they need within their own traditions.
As I ll try to show in the pages that follow, there is much to be gained when people of faith share perspectives with each other while respecting each other s boundaries. However, in the free religious marketplace of melting-pot America there are also certain hazards: In the race for market share and profits, modern commercialism tends to trivialize the symbols and observances that historically have differentiated the great religions. Holiday greeting cards with Christmas trees and menorahs framing the caption Happy Whatever do violence to two sacred traditions and their respective messages.
Another danger is the perpetration of fraud. In their attempt to gain converts, certain missionary groups are not above hijacking the religious language and observances of another faith. Rather than openly publicize their own message, missionaries sometimes wrap their beliefs in the celebrations, music, and holy days of the tradition whose members they are targeting so as to lure the unsuspecting. The Bill of Rights does guarantee freedom of religion and the right to choose among faiths. However, we should be able to make informed choices based on honest presentations.
On a more personal note I wondered if the appearance of this book might undermine other aspects of my work. For the last several years I have been slowly trying to introduce aspects of contemplative spirituality into mainstream Jewish denominational life. Despite my own commitment to traditional observance and my investigation of the legitimate biblical and kabbalistic roots of such practices, I feared the publication of this book might raise further suspicion. After all, if Rabbi Addison is receiving spiritual guidance from nuns, how can these innovations be genuinely Jewish?
But as the weeks went by I became more convinced that this was a text I had to write. As I will describe in Chapter 4, my upbringing on Chicago s South Side was intensely Jewish. However, in a real sense, that Jewish identity was shaped by my relationship to another tradition-Christianity. Since my parents were not yet observant during my earliest years, I did not actually realize that I was Jewish until I was five. It was then that I asked my parents why I wasn t attending kindergarten at Saint Felicity s with the other kids on my block. I think it was that question as much as any other factor that first galvanized the Addisons efforts to live more fully as Jews.
During my adult years, my doctoral studies at the Jesuit-sponsored Fordham University and at the United Church of Christ s Chicago Theological Seminary enriched my understanding not only of philosophy and religion but of Judaism as well. They gave me a new set of interpretive tools by which to evaluate and internalize the lessons I had learned at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Seminars sponsored by the Alban Institute and the Shalem Institute, two interdenominational Christian centers near Washington, D.C., deepened my appreciation of spiritual inwardness and inspired me to search for similar faith expressions within historic Judaism. These seminars also introduced me to two disciplines that have become vital to my own spiritual journey. One is the Enneagram system of personality type, about which I wrote my earlier book, The Enneagram and Kabbalah: Reading Your Soul (Jewish Lights, 1998). The other is the lifechanging counsel that I derived from spiritual guidance, which will be discussed in the pages ahead.
A few words about terminology: There are a variety of words used to describe spiritual direction and those who participate in it. The enterprise itself has been called spiritual direction, guidance, companioning , and friendship. Historically these have represented a continuum of authority. Direction has been the most prescriptive and least egalitarian, bordering on the master/disciple relationship. Spiritual guidance reflects a difference of experience more than of authority-a veteran traveler along the spiritual path would use his or her acquired insights to help point the way for relative newcomers. Companioning and friendship indicate greater mutuality, that of equals offering counsel and support to each other.
In this text direction and guidance , and director and guide will be used interchangeably for stylistic clarity. The terms companion and friend will be reserved for the mutual counsel of peers.
The term seeker(s) will be used in two different ways. One will reflect the general sense of those who are searching for meaning and