“Focus on your own lives on spiritual values such as compassion, kindness and loving relationships, friendships and family life, etc. It will positively affect your second half of life, including your retirement years. And it will be a gift to future generations.”
When Marc Mullinax began teaching at Mars Hill University two decades ago, the school’s Southern Baptist roots were still plain to see in the student body. “I would say eight or nine people out of every 10 in my classes strongly identified as Christian,” says Mullinax, a professor of religion and philosophy. “We had a […]
By day, Patrick Hanaway and his wife, Lisa Lichtig, are physicians at their integrative and functional medicine practice, Family to Family, in Weaverville. By night, the couple are stewards of a different type of healing practice: They are fire keepers with Sacred Fire Asheville, the local chapter of an international nonprofit. Since 2002, Hanaway says guests […]
In his new book, local author Ryan Bush builds on the philosophies of Buddhism and Stoicism to describe a system for rewiring the brain’s response to external events, a method he dubs psychitecture.
Marshall’s wind phone offers a unique conduit for connecting with those who have died or are absent.
Local author Rebecca Lile shares a message of God’s love for everyone in her new children’s book God’s Diner.
Open Coven, a new collective designed to assist fledgling as well as experienced artists in discovering the sacred process of making art, offers indoor and outdoor workshops this fall.
In her new book ‘Earth Works: Ceremonies in Tower Time,’ Byron Ballard forecasts dark days ahead as patriarchy gasps its last breaths. But she also offers hope with practical strategies for rebuilding from the waste.
Local end-of-life activist Greg Lathrop questions whether we cheat ourselves of the chance for a more meaningful life if we spend our days running from the inevitability of death.
Three local musicians share an interest in helping people in the community explore the healing power of sound and music in workshops and retreats.
Are you prepared to die wise? According to speaker, activist and death educator Stephen Jenkinson, it is our life’s work to learn how to do so. In collaboration with Third Messenger, an Asheville organization dedicated to facilitating conversation about death and dying, and in conjunction with the release of his latest book, Die Wise: A […]
“The irony is that a reductive materialist worldview is arguably what has caused humanity to view the Earth as our own personal grab bag and dumping ground in the first place.”
Rainbow Community School’s “More than Mindfulness” conference explored ways to make education a sacred experience and assist children in developing their spiritual identities. Event coordinator West Willmore announced the formation of the new Rainbow Institute, which will promote holistic education.
The Center for Spiritual Emergence and local therapists provide care for individuals undergoing a spiritual or existential crisis. Providers rule out psychotic episodes and medical conditions to help those undergoing a powerful, life-changing experience of a spiritual nature.
Churches are a special type of building — funded, operated and occupied by a community of users who must balance such priorities as care for the community, evangelism, education and worship. Even as these considerations remain crucial, many faith communities are also increasingly aware of ethical and faith-based imperatives to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. As Asheville’s […]
“Perhaps the most salient distinction to make is not between the religious and spiritual camps, but between groups within them.”
Wild Goose Festival is a spiritually-charged four-day gathering held in Hot Springs from Thursday to Sunday, July 9-12.
This past Ash Wednesday, Episcopal priests and clergy left their churches and convened on the streets of downtown Asheville, West Asheville and at the High Smith Student Union at UNCA to offer passers-by an ashen cross on their forehead, a traditional rite of Ash Wednesday.
For many leaders and members of the local spiritual and faith community, the crux of spiritual experience comes in standing up for something larger than themselves.
In a response to an announcement from a Nevada-based Hindu activist condemning Asheville Brewing’s Shiva IPA, co-owner Mike Rangel says the company has used the image sensitively after consulting with local and state Hindu leaders, and has no plans to drop the beer.
A determined and inspirited contingent of Asheville’s faith community made itself heard last Monday, May 20, when over 20 faith leaders held a press conference at the foot of the courthouse steps to speak out against a plethora of laws that are being proposed and passed by the North Carolina General Assembly this year.
