Spiritual Exploration Reading
Meeting Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:30 PM
Note, this group will reconvene on February 7th. We are switching from Mondays to Tuesdays for the new year.
Tuesday Afternoons with Rev. Sanderson
I do a lot of reading (actually nowhere near as much as I would like). What I would like to do this coming year is to share what I am reading with people from our church (and other churches in town) who might be interested in exploring and discussing what I feel are interesting and relevant topics.
Since it is basically my reading time, I claim the right to pick the book or article. I’m not sure what it will be from time to time, but I do know that it will probably having something to do with the relationship of Jungian psychology, quantum field theory, chaos theory, Hinduism, Buddhism, and/or Taoism to Christian spirituality.
The theme of our group this winter/spring will be how the insights of ancient Chinese mysticism can shape our understanding of God. We will read Lao Tsu’s collection of eighty-one poems, the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu was a contemporary of Confucius. When Mahayana Buddhism moved into China from India in the 5th century C.E. it discovered a strong resonance with the teachings and meditative practices of Taoism, the spiritual path or Way that was articulated by Lao Tsu. These two religious streams merged in a spiritual path that was called C’han. C’han, when it was brought to Japan centuries later, evolved into what we know as Zen.
Since there is quite a variation in the various translations of this work, the one we will be using in class is a relatively new one by Stephen Mitchell, one of my favorite translators. Please make sure to obtain this translation, which is available in paperback.
The Tuesday afternoon study group meets every Tuesday from 2:30 – 4:00 PM in the Vestry. Everyone is welcome!
Thursday Evening Spiritual
Study & Growth
A program of study and discussion led by Rev. Sanderson
Meeting Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Note, this group will reconvene on February 9th.
Exploring Jungian Psychology And The Christian Faith
The theme of our Thursday evening Spiritual Study and Growth Group this winter/spring will be the relationship of Jungian psychology (the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung) to the Christian faith. We will begin our study with an overview of Jung’s understanding of the psyche and then explore the archetypes of persona and shadow. We will read and discuss two books in particular: Robert Louis Stevenson’s short novel, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Robert Johnson’s Owning Your Own Shadow. Johnson, who is both a Jungian psychoanalyst and an Episcopal priest, is especially gifted in being able to take Jung’s profound insights into the grounding of religious beliefs and doctrines in the archetypal structures of the collective unconscious and present them in a way that makes them easy to grasp.
The Thursday evening study group meets every Thursday from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Vestry. Everyone is welcome!
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