"In this insightful, profoundly helpful, compelling book, Fiona Gardner draws upon her skills as a psychotherapist and theologian to explore Jesus's invitation to become as little children. This innovative book, so helpfully exemplified at every turn by reference to the story and writings of Thomas Merton, puts before us the vital necessity of finding again the spirit of the child - the child mind - as the path of spiritual maturity is pursued." John Moses, Dean Emeritus of St Paul's Cathedral, London "In this beautifully written, richly textured, and carefully nuanced study, Fiona Gardner plumbs the meaning of an important, yet long-neglected, theme in Thomas Merton's writings: the child mind. ... This book will enrich your understanding of Merton, deepen your appreciation of the spiritual traditions that helped form him, and, perhaps, even cause the child mind within you to awaken." Christine M. Bochen, Professor of Religious Studies, William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies, Nazareth College "(Gardner) is a psychotherapist and spiritual director and is well acquainted with Merton's writing, having been the chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain. She points out that the process of becoming involves growth towards a beginning to be. ... I have found this book immensely stimulating and valuable" Sr. Mary John Marshall, O.S.B., The American Benedictine Review, 68:3, September 2017 "Fiona Gardner authoritatively yet sensitively draws on the poetry, journals, and correspondence of Thomas Merton and has expanded her own previously published lectures and articles to produce a work that is as fascinating as it is much-needed. It is, I think, one of the best introductions to the life and writing of Thomas Merton I know." The Heythrop Journal, Volume 58, Issue 5, Sept 2017 "Only Mind Worth Having is worth reading for those interested in Merton's Spirituality and his psychological underpinnings, but also for the rich collection of quotations and resonances with philosophers, theologians, psychologists and spiritual thinkers." William Kondrath, Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2018, Volume 100, Number 3, pp.638-64 'this is a book that not only re-examines these familiar words of Jesus from a multitude of angles, it also requires of readers honest self-examination in the light of their own memories of childhood and current experiences of adulthood' -Ted Harrison, Aberystwyth, Theology vol.121 no.1, pp.64-5 "The book gets really interesting as the author suggests the sorts of experiences and activities through which we are most likely to re-find the 'child's mind' and become our true self." Peter Chave, Reform Magazine, pp 36, February 2017

In The Only Mind Worth Having, Fiona Gardner takes Thomas Merton's belief that the child mind is "the only mind worth having" and explores it in the context of Jesus' challenging, paradoxical, and enigmatic command to become like small children. She demonstrates how Merton's belief and Jesus' command can be understood as part of contemporary spirituality and spiritual practice. To follow Christ's command requires a great leap of the imagination. Gardner examines what it might mean to make this leap when one is an adult without it becoming sentimental and mawkish, or regressive and pathological. Using both psychological and spiritual insights, and drawing on the experiences of Thomas Merton and others, Gardner suggests that in some mysterious and paradoxical way recovering a sense of childhood spirituality is the path towards spiritual maturity. The move from childhood spirituality to adulthood and on to a spiritual maturity through the child mind is a move from innocence to experience to organised innocence, or from dependence to independence to a state of being in-dependence with God.
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An imaginative engagement with Thomas Merton's view of childhood spirituality, suggesting that a rediscovery of the 'child mind' is the route to a mature relationship with God.
Foreword by Rowan Williams Acknowledgments 1 Introduction to Jesus' Command, to Thomas Merton, and to Ideas about the Spirit of the Child PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING 2 Infancy and Rebirth 3 Thinking about God as Parent and God as Child 4 The Influence of Monastics, Saints, and Theologians on Thomas Merton's Thinking on the Child Mind 5 Child's Mind is Buddha's Mind 6 The Shadow and the Disguise: The Adult Life of Care PART TWO: RE-FINDING 7 The Enchanted World, the Tendency towards Dis-enchantment, and the Possibility of Re-enchantment 8 The Secret Life of the Wounded Child 9 Finding Spiritual and Psychological Healing 10 An Invitation to Look and Find Paradise PART THREE: BECOMING 11 Dancing in the Water of Life 12 Poetry: The Language of the Child Mind 13 The Divine Play of God: Play and Creativity 14 The Internal Landscape of the Child Mind and Models of Spiritual Maturity 15 Epiphanies of the Child Mind Afterword Bibiliography Index
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"In this insightful, profoundly helpful, compelling book, Fiona Gardner draws upon her skills as a psychotherapist and theologian to explore Jesus's invitation to become as little children. This innovative book, so helpfully exemplified at every turn by reference to the story and writings of Thomas Merton, puts before us the vital necessity of finding again the spirit of the child - the child mind - as the path of spiritual maturity is pursued." John Moses, Dean Emeritus of St Paul's Cathedral, London "In this beautifully written, richly textured, and carefully nuanced study, Fiona Gardner plumbs the meaning of an important, yet long-neglected, theme in Thomas Merton's writings: the child mind. ... This book will enrich your understanding of Merton, deepen your appreciation of the spiritual traditions that helped form him, and, perhaps, even cause the child mind within you to awaken." Christine M. Bochen, Professor of Religious Studies, William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies, Nazareth College "(Gardner) is a psychotherapist and spiritual director and is well acquainted with Merton's writing, having been the chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain. She points out that the process of becoming involves growth towards a beginning to be. ... I have found this book immensely stimulating and valuable" Sr. Mary John Marshall, O.S.B., The American Benedictine Review, 68:3, September 2017 "Fiona Gardner authoritatively yet sensitively draws on the poetry, journals, and correspondence of Thomas Merton and has expanded her own previously published lectures and articles to produce a work that is as fascinating as it is much-needed. It is, I think, one of the best introductions to the life and writing of Thomas Merton I know." The Heythrop Journal, Volume 58, Issue 5, Sept 2017 "Only Mind Worth Having is worth reading for those interested in Merton's Spirituality and his psychological underpinnings, but also for the rich collection of quotations and resonances with philosophers, theologians, psychologists and spiritual thinkers." William Kondrath, Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2018, Volume 100, Number 3, pp.638-64 'this is a book that not only re-examines these familiar words of Jesus from a multitude of angles, it also requires of readers honest self-examination in the light of their own memories of childhood and current experiences of adulthood' -Ted Harrison, Aberystwyth, Theology vol.121 no.1, pp.64-5 "The book gets really interesting as the author suggests the sorts of experiences and activities through which we are most likely to re-find the 'child's mind' and become our true self." Peter Chave, Reform Magazine, pp 36, February 2017
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780718894412
Publisert
1900
Utgiver
Vendor
Lutterworth Press
Vekt
364 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
153 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
242

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Fiona Gardner is a psychotherapist, spiritual director and writer. She is the author of The Four Steps of Love and Precious Thoughts among other books and articles. Formerly chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland and co-editor of The Merton Journal, she is on the board of the International Thomas Merton Society and was awarded a "Louie" in 2015 at the ITMS Centenary Conference.