Christmas Offerings
St. Francis and more
LATEST SPIRIT MATTERS EPISODE
Just in time for Christmas, a conversation about St. Francis of Assisi. My latest guest on Spirit Matters is Craig Bullock (aka Isha Das), the Spiritual Director of the Assisi Institute in Rochester, New York. In his work with students, Craig integrates mystical Christianity and the Kriya Yoga tradition, having been trained by Roy Eugene Davis, who was a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda. He has an advanced degree in religious studies from the University of Notre Dame and another in clinical psychology from Duquesne University. A retired psychotherapist, he is the author of several books, including Open Wider the Door: The Integration of Kriya Yoga and Mystical Christianity, Extravagant Love: Reflections of a Catholic Yogi, and his latest, Merchant to Mystic: The Hero’s Journey of St. Francis of Assisi. We talked about his work integrating eastern and western spirituality and, mainly, the profound spiritual journey of St. Francis and the lessons we can all derive from his story.
Listen to the interview here, atop the Spirit Matters homepage.
REMINDER: GITA SERIES COMING UP
As I announced previously, starting in the new year I’ll be devoting the monthly online gatherings of paid Substack subscribers to an exploration of the Bhagavad Gita. We’ll go through the Gita from start to finish, discussing passages selected for their practical relevance in our times. I know of no more profound source of universal wisdom than the Gita. First session, January 6, 7:30-9:00 EST. No registration. No prerequisites. Just tune in. I’ll send a Zoom link to paid subscribers prior to.
LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY SHOPPING?
Would it bad karma for me to recommend Karmic Relief as a Christmas present? The Gita says that the details of karma are unfathomable, so the jury is out. But intention matters, and the intent of my book is to help people understand karma and apply its laws to make their lives (and others’) better. By that logic, gifting a copy (paperback, Kindle, or audiobook) should be good karma. But it’s surely not good karma to oversell it, so here’s the Amazon link and one more request: If you’re so inclined, please add a good review on the Amazon page.
TWO MORE SONGS
I left these out of the collection of Christmas tunes I posted the other day.
Merry Christmas Baby, by Charles Brown and Bonnie Raitt.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by The Pretenders.