September 2012 Newsletter

The Spiritual Naturalist SocietyMEMBER NEWSLETTER
September 2012
Visit your Society’s website at www.SpiritualNaturalistSociety.org

 

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Hello everyone! This is the first monthly newsletter to members of the Society. Our official launch took place back on September 18th and since then it’s been exciting to see the response. You have probably already checked out the member’s area on the website. These are your archives so please feel free to suggest additions to the content and to discuss items from them with the rest of the members on the forums. Click here to read how we’d like the forums to also serve as a think tank. Our hope is that the website becomes your virtual temple of sorts – a place where you can come, not only for informative content, but for inspiration and mutual support from a growing community as we all develop our life practice. Future plans include lectures, videos, and further resources. Soon we hope to find organizers to help host local chapters in more cities. As always, please contact us to let us know if you’re interested in volunteering, either as a local chapter organizer, or as a writer or otherwise, and tell your friends about the Society! In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy our articles and other materials – and one another. If you have questions, concerns, or input please feel free to contact me. Take care and may the next month deliver gifts of wisdom and compassion!

Sincerely,
Daniel Strain
Executive Director

 

MEMBER ARCHIVES: LATEST ADDITIONS
The following are some of the most recent pieces added to the membership’s growing archive of inspirational and educational materials. Please feel free to discuss what you think about these with the other members in the Society forum!

Buddhism 101
A naturalistic summary of Buddhism by Ted Meissner

Evolutionary Christianity
By the author of Thank God for Evolution, Rev. Michael Dowd

 

HOT TOPICS ON THE FORUMS
Please join us on the forums to discuss these current topics!

Foreshadows of Mindfulness, by Rick Heller
Mindfulness is a common practice in Buddhism, and is defined as paying attention to the present moment with an attitude of acceptance, friendliness or non-judgment. Yet I find that this definition doesn’t help me communicate what mindfulness is to a person who may not ever have knowingly experienced mindfulness… (read more and converse)

Introduce Yourself!
Click here to post a little about yourself and read other members’ introductions.

 

RECENT ARTICLES
Articles the Society has 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.

Love Naturally
Love Naturally
“Love they neighbor as thyself” is one of the finer sentiments contained in the Bible. But it’s not commonly practiced. Rick Heller explains how Buddhists cultivate it…

How do you understand nature?
How Do You Understand Nature?
B.T. Newberg continues his series: What is nature exactly? And how can it suggest how we ought to live?…

What is more important: Honesty or Compassion?
Is it possible to think too much?
If all you do is think and not act, you accomplish nothing. On the other hand, living life intentionally requires thinking…

Saving the marriage of science and myth
Saving the Marriage of Science and Myth
Marriage is hard. Humanistic Paganism bills itself as a naturalistic “marriage” of science and myth. Zeus and Hera were constantly bickering. Are all marriages doomed to failure?…

 

 

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!