The
Sacred Art of Soul Making:
Balance
and Depth in Spiritual Practice
Part
1. Orientation
Introduction
Basics: Heart, Energy, and Will
The Structure of the Soul
A Path of Fits and Starts
Dimensions of Balance in Spiritual Practice
Ecology of the Sacred
Inner Energies
Vital Energy
Automatic Energy
Sensitive Energy
Conscious Energy
Creative Energy
Love and Compassion
Transcendent Energy
State and Station
Stages of the Path
The Spiritual Group
Teachers and Paths: True or False?
Part
2. Body
The Energy Body
Relaxation
Our Body, Our Temple
Managing Bodily Excesses
Conscious Movement
Conscious Breathing
Energy Breathing
Conscious Speech
Awareness of Pain
Fasting
Part
3. Heart
Motivation: Our Need to Walk the Path
Self-Acceptance
Destructive Emotions
Fear
Greed
Loneliness, Neediness,
and Vulnerability
Jealousy
Envy
Shame
Low Self-Esteem
Self-Efficacy in Spirituality
Equanimity
Opinions
Preferences
Art
Tolerance
Distance and Intimacy
Kindness
Generosity
Patience
Forgiveness
Gratitude
Listening
Respect
Harmlessness
Prayer
Cultivating Faith
Awareness of Death
Healing the Emptiness
Joy
Recreation
Part
4. Mind
The Role of Ideas in Spiritual Life
Thoughts and Thinking
Counting
Meditation
Porosity
Arrogance
Questions: Doubt, Investigation, and Contemplation
Layers of Reality
Part
5. I Am
Attention
Commitment to and Confidence in the Spiritual
Path
Determination
Seeing
Obstacles
A Meditation: Earth and Sun
The Illusion of Presence
Presence
Stabilized Presence
A Meditation: Three-Centered Presence
Participation
The Illusion of the Ego
Humility
Group Egoism
Who Am I?
Non-Clinging: Letting Go of Attachments
Mindfulness
Stillness
We Are: The Illusion of Separateness
Peace
Non-Dual Awareness
Promises
The Sacred Vow
From the Center
A Meditation: Climbing Jacob's Ladder
Transmission and Initiation
Integrating Body, Heart, and Mind
Purification
One-Pointedness
Total Engagement
Being
Living As Intention
Will and God
A Meditation: The Eyes of God
Part
6. Beyond Ourselves
Our Relationship With Time
A Contemplation: The Dimensions of
Emptiness
Conscience: the Perception of Wisdom
What is Our Responsibility?
Awareness of Intentions
Do the Right Thing
Justice: As We Sow, We Reap
Excellence
Dharma: The Evolving Pattern of the Spirit
What Is My Calling?
Tikkun Olam: The Spiritual Purpose of Life
Why Are We Here?
A Meditation: Why Am I?
Sanctuary
Is God Inside or Outside of Us?
Approaching the Divine
Surrendering to the Divine
Part
7. Weekly Inner Work
Introduction to Weekly Inner Work
Inner Work for the Current Week
Archive of Weekly Inner Work
Part
8. Coda
The Seven Pillars of Spiritual Practice