Term 04 DEVELOPING YOUR OWN SPIRITUALITY UNIT 4 - Oct 19 - Nov30 2010
Michael Whelan SM, PhD;Spirituality is living relationships – with the One, however you name that “Mystery”, with yourself, with other people and with the world in which we find ourselves. Our humanity is constituted in and through relationships. The quality of our lives is best measured by the quality of our relationships.
Religion is spirituality concretized in symbols, rituals, lifestyle, institutional structures etc. Spirituality without religion is truncated. Religion without spirituality is soulless.
Mysticism is the experience of being one with the One. It is the ultimate expression of relationship, of our deepest reality therefore. All human beings are called to be mystics, to grow in the awareness that the whole of existence comes together in unity in the One. Mysticism is the heart and soul of all authentic spirituality and religion.
Experience is the great teacher. Central to our growth to adulthood as a human being is the ability to listen effectively to what is actually happening within us and between us and others. The most practical and fundamental question you can ask at any time is: “What is happening?” In practice, spirituality is for the most part an act of listening.
A deepening dialogue between personal experience and various sources of wisdom lies at the heart of “Developing Your Own Spirituality.” The course will explore various themes firstly as human realities and then specifically from a Christian point of view. The Gospels will be a constant point of reference.
Processes will include lectures, interaction, recommended readings and open forums. For those who so choose, facilitated group processes with selected readings are also available. These small groups provide an opportunity to enter the discovery process in a more personal and concentrated way. Participants in the groups will be required to purchase books of readings. NOTE: It is essential to reserve a place in the group beforehand if you wish to participate in the group work.
Terms: Four, seven week terms
(approximately follows the School Terms as set down in NSW).
Students may join this course at the commencement of any one of the four terms during the year.
Content:
Term 1: Introduction, The Formation Mystery, The Distinctively Human, The Formation Field, Form Potency, Tradition and Culture, Forms of the Self and Transcendence.
Term 2: Crises in Life Formation, The Structural Self, The Three Pillars of Christian Life Formation, The Thinking Person Part I, The Thinking Person Part II, The Willing Person Part I, The Willing Person Part II
Term 3: Person as Remembering, Person as Anticipating, Person as Imagining, Person as Feeling, Personas Consciousness, Dispositions, Obedience.
Term 4: Moralism versus Mysticism, Idealization, Detachment, Appraisal, Social Presence, Work and Leisure, Compassion.
Contact: secretary@aquinas-academy.com or phone 02 9247 4651
Details
Cost: $160 or $266 (includes reader) for those doing the group work
Where: Level 5, 141 Harrington Street, Sydney 2000
When: 7 Tuesday Evenings, 5pm/6pm - 8pm October 19 - November 30 2010