Igniting the Inner Life

Hohm Press Pages: 256 pages Size: Paperback, 5.5 X 8.5 inches ISBN: 978-1-935387-17-6 Make a pilgrimage from “out there” to “in here.” The inner life is the intrinsic spiritual dimension of existence. To “ignite” it is to make a pilgrimage within—to move from “out there” to “in here” in the orientation of life, work, choices and relationships. This book is directed to those with a focus on spirituality, self-understanding, contemplative prayer, God, or the awakening of the heart’s knowledge, regardless of the religious tradition they follow. Every major religious or spiritual tradition contains recommendations for building and maintaining an inner life—through silence and solitude, through prayer, mantra and ritual, through sacred reading and contemplation, through poetry, nature and symbolism. This book is designed to remind us of what we know about the life of our souls, and yet easily forget in the busyness of contemporary life. We can stop and slow down; we can move quickly and work hard while still maintaining our sense of self, our clear intention; we can bless others rather than judge them; we can practice seeing ourselves more clearly and build a foundation of self-appreciation and forgiveness. Igniting the Inner Life will serve as a welcome friend to any pilgrim who wants to move deeper within. It will encourage long term but weary travelers to take that next step, and point out common detours or dead ends along this interior highway. Each chapter contains one or more contemporary poems to uplift the reader. The book concludes with suggested practices and prayers to rekindle the heart’s intentions. From the Text: “What if my life were forever reinterpreted as pilgrimage? What if I chose, deliberately, to pare down my necessities in order to travel with fewer encumbrances? What if I chose traveling companions from among those I knew would keep me awake and alert because of their good spirit and their dedication? What if I honored my companions because they had promised to walk the path, whether they stumbled along or not, or even whether they liked the particular scenery or not? What if I looked at everything that happened to me along the way as being a potential gift, and grace, and miracle, and instruction in the tenderizing of the heart? Ah, what then!”