Elements of Interspiritual Living
We have been given the gift of life in this perplexing world to become who we ultimately are: creatures of boundless love, caring, compassion, and wisdom.
Wayne Teasdale
Start Date: October 16, 2023
Duration: 4 weeks
Tuition: $40.00 US
Facilitators: Diane Berke, Susan Soleil, and Kate Sheehan Roach
Registration: Open Now!
Course format: This course, offered in partnership with ProSocial.World, will take place over a span of four weeks, with four 90-minute sessions taking place on Mondays. In addition, we will offer four optional 60-minute reflection sessions on Fridays for those who would like to engage in further reflection. All sessions meet via Zoom and will be punctuated with breakout room discussions, poetry, music, and contemplative practices. Monday sessions will be recorded and made available to all participants.
Zoom session dates
Course Sessions: Monday October 16, 23, 30, and November 6: noon PST - 90 minutes
Optional Reflection Sessions: Friday October 20, 27, November 3, and 10: noon PST - 60 minutes
Course Description
In his 1999 book The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions, Wayne Teasdale coined the term “Interspirituality” and enumerated nine elements of a mature mystical life and contemplative character.
Teasdale’s Nine Interspiritual Elements are a call to action, especially his prescient emphasis on the need for systems that support greater awareness of the inherent unity among all people and our shared responsibility to care for the planet. Indeed, our very survival may well depend upon our personal and collective ability to recognize and reflect upon the interconnected nature of all creation. Wayne Teasdale’s collaborative relationships with other spiritual pioneers such as the 14th Dalai Lama and Trappist monk Thomas Keating, as well as his role as a trustee for the Parliament of World Religions, placed his work at the crossroads of many religious lineages. Himself steeped in Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions, Teasdale embodied the Interspiritual ethos.
For more on Teasdale’s Nine Elements of Interspirituality, please watch this 5-minute video.
Join us for a month-long journey led by Diane Berke, Susan Soleil, and Kate Sheehan Roach, who introduce insightful material through dialogue, contemplative inquiry, and spiritual practice in ways that leave Wayne Teasdale’s Nine Interspiritual Elements emblazoned on your heart.
The benefits of this course include:
- A window into the Interspiritual world Wayne Teasdale first imagined in 1999.
- Opportunities to explore how to incorporate Nine Interspiritual Elements in your life.
- Gatherings designed to foster deep listening—to others and to your own heart.
- Contemplative practices, poetry, and music designed to nurture the soul.
Course Outline
Week One: Introducing Wayne Teasdale’s Nine Elements in the context of Interspirituality
The first Monday session offers a brief overview of all Nine Elements and introduces the emerging concept of Interspirituality, which Teasdale defined in The Mystic Heart:
“The real religion of humankind can be said to be spirituality itself, because mystical spirituality is the origin of all the world’s religions. If this is so….Interspirituality—the sharing of ultimate experiences across traditions—is the religion of the third millennium.”
Week Two: Ethical Capacity, Solidarity with the Cosmos, Deep Non-Violence
The second Monday session explores the first triad of Elements 1, 2, & 3 as they relate to the foundations of spiritual life: embodying an ethical life, recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings, and acting according to an innate commitment to “do no harm.
Week Three: Humility, Regular Spiritual Practice, and Mature Self-knowledge
The third Monday session explores the second triad of Elements 4, 5, & 6 as they relate to humility of heart and mature self-knowledge, two attributes that must be cultivated through genuine transformation through meditation or other contemplative practices.
Week Four: Simplicity, Service & Compassion, Justice & World Transformation
The fourth Monday session explores the third triad of Elements 7, 8, & 9 as they relate to living a simple life, cultivating compassion, and engaging in spiritual life with a realized sense of justice, equity, and boundless love.
Recognizing that these Nine Interspiritual Elements are lifelong aspirational virtues (and certainly NOT endeavors a person might complete in one month!), the optional Friday reflection sessions offer interested participants further opportunities to engage in practices, guided meditations, deep listening exercises, and discussions of real-life applications designed to deepen your understanding and support you on the Interspiritual path.
About the Facilitators
Rev. Diane Berke
is the Founder and Spiritual Director of One Spirit Learning Alliance. Ordained in 1988, she is a respected pioneer in the field of Interspiritual education. Diane is certified by the Center for Courage and Renewal as a facilitator for the Circle of Trust work developed by Parker Palmer. She has led retreats and workshops on spiritual development for more than 35 years and has a private practice as a spiritual counselor/companion.
Susan Soleil
works in deep collaboration with the Charter for Compassion and ProSocial.World.
In that capacity, she supports people all around the world who are striving to make their corners of the globe more compassionate, while working to tip the scales of cultural evolution in favor of much needed change. Susan uses the tools of ProSocial Spirituality to further her own growth and evolution and is excited to share them with others through the Charter Education Institute.
Kate Sheehan Roach
serves ContemplativeLife.org and ProSocial.World as Director of Spirituality Initiatives. A historian by academic training, Kate has spent the past decade working with spiritual writers and teachers as a developmental editor and program director. She is a certified Centering Prayer facilitator who serves on two committees for Contemplative Outreach, and she is a member of the North American Leadership Council for the United Religions Initiative.
