Awakening to Spirit: On Life, Illumination, and Being Book

Awakening to Spirit explores the nature of spirituality in the postmodern age as a personal journey within a living, responsive cosmos. In a world of multiple religious traditions, spiritual ambiguity, and widespread secular atheism, Lee Irwin offers a non-traditional view of spirituality that's intrinsic to personal growth and development." "He presents Ten Principles that reflect stages of spiritual growth and culminate in a mystical encounter inherent to an experiential view of contemporary spirituality. Various physical, emotional, imaginative, intellectual, and psychic aspects of spiritual development are considered, leading to a discussion of spiritual maturity, old age, and self-renewal. Social relations, compassionate love, and responsible, mature human relationships are emphasized. Altered states of consciousness (dreams, visions, mystical experiences) are presented as a valid, necessary means for an understanding of Spirit, and many ideas from contemporary cosmology, process theology, parapsychology, and western esotericism are integrated into the book.

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Irwin (religious studies, College of Charleston) suggests ten nonsectarian principles that he believes reflect the necessary stages of spiritual growth, emphasizing the various physical, emotional, imaginative, intellectual, and psychic aspects of spiritual development involved in working towards each of the principles. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)