David Richo is a psychotherapist and teacher who combines Jungian, transpersonal, and mythic perspectives in his work. He is the author of many books including Daring to Trust. Visit his website at www.davericho.com.
In this timely work, Richo argues that religion and spirituality do not have to be at odds as suggested by some who say defiantly, "I am spiritual but not religious." He points out that four components of religion — belief, morality, ritual, and devotion — have contributed to many people's development of personal spirituality. Religious and spiritual maturity can be developed through five resources: modern theological and biblical research, Buddhist practices, mystical theology, archetypal psychology, and evolutionary perspectives.
Huston Smith says that religions are to spirituality what universities are to education. You can get to your goal without the forms (religions, universities), but you will be traveling uphill. A major challenge of the day is to give up what Richo calls egoic religion and replace it with spiritually aware religion. Easier said than done, given the baggage of the patriarchy and the long tradition of control and lack of respect in some religious institutions for the spiritual quests of lay persons.
What does Rico's vision of adult faith look like? It accepts life's givens, is open to many traditions, appreciates metaphor, sees prayer differently, and is free from superstition and an obsession with religion. After walking us through a minefield of explosive issues such as good and evil, the dark side and mystery, Richo concludes with a call to a cosmic faith.
