DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Hello dear members! Boy do I have some wonderful things to report about this past month. First, we’ve made contact with a few more writers and artists who may be joining our volunteers to provide interesting content for you. Also, I was interviewed recently by John Hockenberry of “The Takeaway” for Public Radio International and WNYC, with the New York Times and WGBH Boston (link here). We talked about consumerism around the holidays and how we can begin to make a change.
You probably have received some kind of notice about our new social network just for members. This tool will be very helpful in all of us getting to know one another better, chatting, posting on a whole new forum, and so on. If you’re not signed up to it yet, you can go here, upload your pic, edit your profile, and join the conversation! For those who would rather not, no worries – we kept the social network separate from all the other benefits of membership, such as the member area of the main website and these newsletters.
Starting in February, we’re going to hold a monthly member’s meeting at 7pm (Central Standard Time) on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (Tu, Feb 19th is our first). I hope you’ll log on to the Society’s social network at that day and time to hang out, meet everyone else, discuss our philosophy and practice, and our organization!
Lastly, I have some other great news. The Society now has a modest rolling fund that is being used to help those in need. Right now we’re helping a group of women in the DR Congo invest in food for there shops in order to become self sufficient and feed their children. Thanks to you, the members, we have been able to do this. If you’d like to help further, anyone can donate directly to this fund. For more information, and/or to donate, please see this page: http://
There are some other things, such as new articles, new resources, and more, which you can read below. That’s all for now. Please drop me a line sometime! I’d love to hear how you are doing.
With love and thanks 🙂
Daniel Strain
Executive Director
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE SOCIETY MEMBER NETWORK
Check out the latest on our network – forums, events, etc. Join in!
– Forum Discussion: Ever had a “religious experience” from music?
RECENT ARTICLES
Articles the Society has publicly published recently, as part of our mission to help others by sharing helpful wisdom and practices for better lives. If you’d like to get notice of these as they are released, please subscribe to the Society blog by clicking here if you haven’t already.
Living Life Intentionally
Jennifer Hancock describes what is required to live life intentionally…
Distractions to Spiritual Practice, Pt 4
In the final part of this 4-part series, DT Strain describes how obsession with fixing the world, noble and important though it is, can be confused with spiritual practice…
Do You Believe in Love?
Some ancient thoughts on divinity can be surprisingly naturalistic when we look to the concepts behind the terms…
Managers of Human Nature: A Job Description for Spiritual Naturalists
Job descriptions help us know what we’re supposed to be doing. So what’s the job description for Spiritual Naturalists?
What is Spiritual Transformation? (Pt 1 of 2)
The purpose of a spiritual practice is happiness through self-transformation. But what does transformation mean within a naturalistic view?
What is Spiritual Transformation? (Pt 2 of 2)
In the second part of this series, we continue with the question: Is extraordinary transformation possible?
Working Toward Liberation
What is ‘attachment’, why is it related to suffering, and how can we deal with it?
How do Humanists do Spirituality?
Jennifer Hancock gives the Humanist perspective on self improvement, coping with tragedy, and cooperation with those of other belief…
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
There are many stories, articles, and items of interest around the web from our partner organizations and others in which our members may be interested. In this new section of the SNS Member Newsletter we’re listing a few of the high points for you! If you come across an item of interest your fellow members may be interested in, please email us!
http://blogcritics.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.theatlantic.com/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Don’t forget, if you haven’t already you can like our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more content and up-to-date info. You can also check out our Local Chapters page (here) to meet spiritual naturalists in person, or start hosting a local gathering if there isn’t yet one in your city by contacting us. Thanks so much for your kind support and your membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society!