We live in a material age in which little attention is paid to the living soul that is the primary reality of a human life. To become the people we want to be and to live the life that is our potential, we need to learn the ways of the soul. That’s what this Online Retreat offers: a guide to the dimensions and ways of inner spiritual reality, as taught for millennia within the Jewish tradition. This program was developed by Dr. Alan Morinis and Dr. Shirah Bell of The Mussar Institute.
It’s no coincidence that neglect of the soul has happened in the same era as the Holocaust, global warming, rapid extinction of species, many wars, and all manners of exploitation in both personal and social life. Our world is the way it is because we generally lack an understanding that we are souls and life is a journey of the soul. If only people would appreciate the spiritual nature of their own lives, then all the material advances we have made would be matched by a flowering of love, ethics, arts, kindness, and beauty.
Jewish thought provides a detailed and extremely practical mapping of the soul, and these teachings are the focus of this study. To help you internalize them, Mussar spiritual practices will be suggested. Mussar is a body of wisdom, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the universal questions people ask about life. This retreat is designed to engage those of any or no religious/spiritual tradition over questions like:
• Why do I keep doing . . . . ?
• Why do I cause pain to myself and others?
• What steps can I take to bring my life closer to my spiritual potential?
• Are there lessons I can learn from the experiences of previous generations?
Five themes are explored:
• The three key levels or dimensions of soul
• Body vs. soul
• The role of desire in spiritual life
• What is love?
• What happens after I die?
This retreat consists of 12 emails, each of which includes three core elements to guide your learning and practice:
• Short text reading and commentary, drawing on the teachings of Jewish masters through the ages.
• Audio, written, and experiential practices guided by Alan Morinis or Shirah Bell.
• Reflection questions to deepen the learning and provide guidance in applying the concepts to everyday life.
Dr. Alan Morinis founded The Mussar Institute in 2004. For the past 14 years the nearly-lost Jewish spiritual discipline of Mussar has been his passion, a journey recorded in the book Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (Broadway 2002). His guide to Mussar practice, entitled Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, was published in May 2007 and Every Day Holy Day in 2010. Dr. Shirah Bell, a Certified Spiritual Director, directs the Mussar Institute's basic course offering, Everyday Holiness and leads Mussar classes in Seattle, Washington, as well as mentoring individuals in Mussar and spirituality.
(4 CEHs for Chaplains available.)
Available On-Demand
(choose your own start date and frequency)
$39.95
