Black Boy Paperback - 2008

"This gorgeous, transformative, welcoming book is for anyone who longs to feel more present, more alive, more joyful and aware of the holiness of daily life."--Anne Lamott, author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow

Welcome to the temple of your regular life.

So begins beloved spiritual guide Mirabai Starr's stunning exploration of finding the extraordinary in the everyday. In Ordinary Mysticism, she helps readers--especially those who are spiritual but not religious--discover their own inner mystic and let go of the limiting belief that spiritual life exists only in traditional places of worship. Mysticism, she explains, is a direct experience of the sacred--no church or clergy required. Our everyday life can be an encounter with the sacred if we pay attention. Starr explores the magic of mundane life, showing how a dedicated contemplative practice can be built from weeding in our humble gardens, a slow evening walk with a friend, or a full kitchen table surrounded by family. Embracing mysticism in our everyday is a way of being more alive in the world, an awakening to the interconnectedness between all things.

You can visit an ashram in the Himalayas or kneel in a church pew to connect to the spirit or examine life's big questions--but these aren't the only opportunities to discover the sacred. Life, Starr reminds us, is holy ground. Lyrical and tender, filled with profound wisdom and mind-opening insights, Ordinary Mysticism is about finding wonder in regular life, grounded in lessons from spiritual teachers across the centuries--from Julian of Norwich to Ram Dass. Starr combines their ancient wisdom with the story of her own personal and spiritual journey of finding meaning after loss--from surviving the heartbreak of her fourteen-year-old daughter's death to growing up amid the 1960s counterculture that introduced her to mysticism to her self-made spiritual practice of today. Alongside storytelling and age-old teachings, Starr offers gentle mindfulness practices and writing prompts to help our souls seek holy ground.

When you decide to walk the path of the mystic, the mundane shows up as miraculous, the boring becomes fascinating, and your own shortcomings turn out to be your greatest gifts. May we all find meaning and wonder in our most ordinary moments.

This lyrical and tender guide to modern mysticism reveals how to:

• The Sacred in the Everyday: Learn to recognize your life as holy ground, finding wonder in weeding the garden, walking with a friend, or simply paying attention to the present moment.
• Wisdom Across Traditions: Draw on timeless lessons from a diverse lineage of spiritual teachers--from Julian of Norwich to Ram Dass--woven together in an accessible, interfaith approach.
• Grief as a Sacred Path: Walk alongside the author on her own vulnerable journey through the heartbreak of her daughter's death to discover how loss can break you open to a deeper love.
• Writing as Spiritual Practice: Engage with gentle, reflective writing prompts and guided meditations at the end of each chapter, designed to help you uncover the secrets your own soul is waiting to reveal.