Spiritual Direction Colorado's 2012 Spirituality Conference

Faith beyond Faith: Exploring the Promise of Inter-Spiritual Living -- with Rabbi Rami Shapiro, 

award winning poet, essayist, and liturgical writer

Dates. Friday evening and Saturday, January 13–14, 2012, The Arvada Center. Click for details.

Topic. We are living in the second century of the 2nd Axial Age--a time of great religious turmoil and potential spiritual advancement.

The realization that compassion is the core message of all religions was the heart of the 1st Axial Age (800–200 BCE). At the heart of our own age--the 2nd Axial Age--is the realization that religions must transcend the zero-sum worldview of sacred and damned, chosen and not chosen, believers and infidels, enlightened and unenlightened. 

Can we embrace a nonzero-sum world where spiritual practice rather than religious dogma is the focus of religious life? Spiritual practice aims at expanding our sense of compassion beyond our in-group to embrace all living beings. Rabbi Rami will help us explore the theory of Axial Ages and its unique message for spiritual seekers.

Guide.  Rabbi Rami Shapiro, PhD, is an award winning poet and essayist, whose liturgical writings are used in prayer services throughout North America. He has written over a dozen works of translation, biblical commentary, and nonfiction. Rabbi Rami is a graduate of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and holds a doctoral degree in Judiac studies from Union Graduate School. A congregational rabbi for 20 years, Rami is currently Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at Middle Tennessee State University, and directs "One River" (www.one-river.org), a contemplative conversation. Rabbi Rami serves on faculty of the Upper Room Spiritual Formation Academy. His most recent books are The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness, The Divine Feminine, and Ethics of the Sages. Visit Rabbi Rami Shapiro's website www.rabbirami.com.

Program.

• Friday, 7:30 pm
  The Second Axial Age: The Birth of Global Spirituality in a Still Tribal Religious World.
  Rabbi Rami will explore the history of the 1st Axial Age, the emergence of the 2nd, and the promise and challenges it offers us.
  
  
• Saturday, 9:30
  From Serial Monologue to Unscripted Dialogue: The Interfaith Challenge.
  Rabbi Rami will examine the different kinds of interfaith gatherings and highlight the the type of gathering that speaks to the emergence of a global spiritual renaissance.
  
  
• Saturday, 1:10
  From Dictators to Directors, the Emerging Paradigm of Spiritual Direction.
  Rabbi Rami will suggest the essential role spiritual seekers and directors play in the 2nd Axial Age and the responsibilities that places on each.

Location. The Arvada Center for the Arts