Spiritual practice . . . is in essence the practice of maturity. The spiritual path leads us to the places we are meant to occupy in this world. Robes, chanting, ceremony, meditation, text study, and all the rest may be valuable in their own right, but their real purpose lies in the service of the path toward maturity. In spiritual practice we use these traditional techniques and practices as vehicles to warmly connect us so that we can help each other to find the true, lasting, and ongoing maturity that each of our lives requires. . . . Truly growing up and into the fullness of our humanity is the great underlying theme of all religious teaching.
— Norman Fischer, Taking Our Places