About spiritual matters people are usually too serious. We all know what it's like to feel foolish, but we may not realize how beneficial the fool in us can be. By not understanding the fool, we overlook the wit and word-play in spiritual stories and teachings.

A good case can be made that Jesus was a humorist, and stories about the Buddha are full of wit. Sufi stories are often simple jokes, and Jewish commentaries on the scriptures can make you smile if not laugh out loud.

If you would like to lighten up and deepen your approach to the spiritual life, join Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, as he brings both fun and erudition to this e-course on "The Holy Fool."

Moore's roots in religion and archetypal psychology inspire him to look for the deep myths that work quietly in the background of our surface activities. One of those is the Fool, without which the spiritual life is incomplete. Embracing the fool — making mistakes, living with imperfection, and valuing our illusions — puts us in touch with our humanity.

Through 12 email lessons, Moore unveils the fool in Jesus, Socrates, Erasmus, Nasrudin, Emily Dickinson, and others, while covering such themes as:

• to be truly spiritual, you have to be foolish,
• how to be positive about those moments when you feel foolish,
• how to develop a comic view of life to offset the usual tragic one,
• the spiritual teacher as stand-up comedian,
• laugh at yourself and find freedom.
You will also be able to listen to the recording of a one-hour teleconference, held when this e-course was first offered, in which Moore answers questions and shares more examples of the Holy Fool.

Through writing and creative projects given in the emails, you'll be encouraged to look closely at the arc of your life and notice where foolishness has had a role. You'll get to know your own fool better by making a visual or poetic sketch.

There is a difference between being foolish and allowing the fool his place. We invite you to embrace the Holy Fool and discover how doing so is a route to joy.

(4 CEHs for Chaplains available.)

Available On-Demand
(choose your own start date and frequency)

$49.95

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