Incarnational Spirituality
A contemporary response to our Time

These times call for a contemporary spirituality that honors the sacredness of incarnation.  This sacredness manifests in the unique life of each individual, in the co-creative life of a group, and in the sanctity of the earth itself.  It means honoring the physical world and its qualities as fully as the spiritual and transcendental realms.  Incarnational Spirituality expresses the integrative synthesis of the transpersonal and the personal, the universal and the local, the individual and the group, and the sacred and the ordinary.

Incarnation is about creating a living chalice of consciousness, relationship, spirit, and action. It is about the holding of spirit in the midst of matter; it is about holding matter in the presence of spirit. It is about holding oneself in a loving wholeness and others likewise. It is about holding the earth in honor and respect, in partnership and collaboration. Incarnational spirituality offers a set of ideas, principles and techniques to assist in these acts of Holding.

Whatever other causes there may be or appear to be, our failure to hold in these ways, our failure to be incarnated in a holistic manner, is a contributing factor in the problems and challenges our world faces. 

Rectifying this failure is the spiritual challenge of the contemporary world and it calls for individuals who can:

• Discover the sacredness within their own lives
• Stand as an agent of blessing and transformation in the world
• Practice the art of co-creativity
• Offer individual gifts into spiritual service, enhancing self, other and the world
• Pioneer an emergent, loving, holistic spirituality

The goal of Incarnational Spirituality and its educational platform, is to support and empower such individuals.

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Overview of Lorian Education

Incarnational Spirituality is a vast area of learning, practice and application.   The programs that explore it and offer instruction and insights fall into two categories:  Core programs and Application programs.

Core programs are those offered by the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality and include the Path of the Chalice, the Certificate of Incarnational Study program, and the Lorian Ordination Program. These programs focus on the foundational elements of Incarnational Spirituality.

You can find more detail about these programs by clicking either a menu button or this link to the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality catalog.

Application programs are those offered by the teachers and faculty of the Lorian Association that apply the principles of Incarnational Spirituality, often within specific professions. The theme and focus of an Application program may not be Incarnational Spirituality itself, but these programs all draw on the foundational elements and principles taught in the Core programs, elaborating and developing them in particular ways according to the intent of the teacher. Such programs may be single events, such as a workshop or lecture, or they may be ongoing trainings within a specific discipline or application. It is in these Application programs that Incarnational Spirituality configures itself to the diversity of the world. An individual may discover Incarnational Spirituality through one of these Application programs and then be inspired to delve more deeply by taking one or more of the Core programs.

You'll find current offerings or Core and Application programs listed in the Lorian Association Newsletter and in the Calendar.

Discovering Incarnational Spirituality

There are four ways of discovering and learning about Incarnational Spirituality and what it has to offer to you.

General Reading:  The Lorian Bookstore, found on the Lorian Association website, has many books, card decks, and self-study modules on Incarnational Spirituality and related topics.  The simplest way to discover Incarnational Spirituality is to browse the material that is available and read what attracts you.

Individual Classes and Workshops:  The second way is to take a class or workshop offered by one or more of the Lorian faculty.  These classes are most often presented online but face-to-face workshops in various locations are offered from time to time as well.  As described, they may be “Core programs” or “Application programs.”   The basic introductory Core class is Incarnational Spirituality and the Way Forward; this class is offered online regularly throughout the year. Check the Calendar to find a schedule of upcoming classes, workshops and other events such as special conferences or seminars.

Facilitated Self-Study: The third way is to study the five-part Path of the Chalice.  This set of flexible learning modules may be studied individually or together as a coordinated program of individual development, integration and practice.  This set of classes can be done entirely at an individual’s own pace.  They can be done entirely at an individual’s own pace.  A facilitator is available if desired to assist in the integration and understanding of the material and its specific application within the individual’s own unique life and circumstances.

Pre-Ordination Certificate Study: The fourth way is to enroll in the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality and to take the Path of the Chalice Program for a Certificate of Incarnational Study.  This Certificate is a pre-requisite for taking the Lorian Ordination Program.

No matter what level you choose to engage with Incarnational Spirituality, the objective of all our programs is not to promote another philosophy in the world but to give you a toolbox that you can use to build a strong, whole, integrated, and spiritually attuned incarnation, one that blesses you and blesses the world we all share.

In addition to these core programs, from time to time we offer stand-alone classes and workshops.  Information on these special events is given on the website Home and Calendar pages, and announced in our Lorian Association Newsletter.

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Introductory Materials - Getting Started

For an introduction to Incarnational Spirituality, we recommend the following.

Books

Read one or more of the following books.

• The Call of the World, by David Spangler
• An Introduction to Incarnational Spirituality, by David Spangler
• The Gathering Light, by Jeremy Berg
• Apprenticed to Spirit, by David Spangler

With the exception of Apprenticed to Spirit, these books are available from the Lorian bookstore.  Apprenticed is available from Amazon.com or other fine bookstores.  All are available in e-pub format for reading on Kindle, Nook, or Ipad.

Online “Open House”

A regular free online seminar lasting three days is Orientation to Lorian Education.  It is open to anyone interested in a very brief survey of our programs.  We think of it as an online open-house where you can talk with Lorian associates and faculty and get a sense of what we’re about and what we have to offer.
Cost:  Free

Class

Material introducing the principles underlying the Path of the Chalice will from time to time be offered as a six-week introductory online class using the book An Introduction to Incarnational Spirituality as a text.  This survey class provides an overview to the entire Lorian educational program as well as to Incarnational Spirituality itself. It introduces some of the ways that we can align with and nurture the awakening of a new consciousness within ourselves and begin to experience the rich possibilities of our time.  It presents the incarnational worldview and teaches practical means for accessing the spiritual resources that arise within each of us simply as a result of living our lives as incarnated humans.

Cost is $195

Click here to see next scheduled class dates.
Click here to register.

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The Path of the Chalice

The core progam for Incarnation Spirituality
A self-directed study program with the options of tutoring from a Lorian faculty person

The Path of the Chalice is the central Core program in Incarnational Spirituality.  This material may be studied in two ways. The first is through self-study, which a person may do entirely at his or her own pace as well as selecting the order in which the material is studied. The second is through the Certificate of Incarnational Study program which adds three requirements to the study: participation in the overview class to Incarnational Spirituality, participation in Four Integration seminars and a series of writing assignments. If you are interested in a fuller description of the Certification study, click here for the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality catalog.

We call this program The Path of the Chalice since at all levels, incarnation is an art of building containers—“chalices”—which can hold varying degrees and intensity of spirit and sacredness, both individually and collectively.  At the heart of this program, you are learning how to identify, create and maintain such “chalices” within yourself, in your immediate environment, with others, with the world at large, and with the subtle realms of spirit. 

The Path of the Chalice material is ordered into the following five segments. Each includes books and other materials by David Spangler and others designed to augment a participant’s spiritual understanding and practice. The sections, for this program, are most effectively studied in the order presented and are designed as a one year or longer course of study

1.  An Overview of Incarnational Spirituality
This Section provides an overall context for the practice of Incarnational Spirituality. It introduces some of the ways that we can align with and nurture the awakening of a new consciousness within ourselves and begin to experience the rich possibilities of our time. It gives an overview of the incarnational worldview and teaches practical means for accessing the spiritual resources that arise within each of us simply as a result of living our lives as incarnated humans. The study module includes specific practices in blessing, manifestation, and inner attunement. The overview positions your personal development and creativity in relationship with others, and in service to the world..

2. The Generative Self – Creating the Chalice of Self
The Generative Self focuses on the nature of the self as seen through the lens of incarnational Spirituality and nurtures a new relationship between yourself and the world.  The section speaks to your own sovereignty, boundaries, creativity, and a new perspective on incarnation, sacredness and the generative nature of the self. Work with the card deck is a meditative process that enhances awareness, connectivity and creativity.

3. The Engaging Self—Creating the Chalice of Blessing
The Engaging Self builds on the idea of the Generative Self and looks outward into the realm of relationship and the creation of “Grail Space,” a specific and powerful co-created “chalice” for holding sacredness in the environment. The incarnating self extends itself into the world through connection and engagement, and how it does so greatly determines how it may discover and release its spiritual potentials. The material in this area expands into many areas of relationships with others, including subtle activism on behalf of humanity in general and the art and practice of blessing. This work focuses on practices of engagement with others and the world that enhance and expand wholeness in our daily lives and work. Materials offer perspectives and practices in shaping energetic relationships that are healthy, clear, and life-giving.

4. The Subtle Self—Creating the Chalice of Spirit
The Subtle Self expands the level of engagement and connection into the realms of subtle energy that form an invisible but interactive part of our physical environments. It explores the nature of the subtle realms of spirit that form the Earth’s “other half,” but focuses on those manifestations of these realms that are closest to our physical life. If the subtle worlds are a vast ocean, then the subtle environment is like the beach where that sea meets and intermingles with the land. Practical tools, particularly in what might be called “subtle energy hygiene,” are offered on how to “walk the beach” and work with the subtle energies that surround us. This section also works to develop an understanding of the inner landscape of Earth’s invisible “other half.” The emphasis here is on how a practitioner of Incarnational Spirituality might safely engage with helpful Beings from the subtle realms and form co-creative alliances. It includes the stories of several "practical” mystics and the lessons they can offer for building a solid appreciation for the diversity of non-physical life that contributes to the vitality and beauty of our world. 

5. The Work of Gaia—Creating the Chalice of Service
The Work of Gaia focuses on bringing the study of the first four sections into practical acts of service and blessing for the world. Exercises help to develop the tools of imagination, attunement and inner resources of love, compassion and blessing. suggested subtle activism projects provide a framework to help one direct individual acts of blessing so that connectedness, balance and wholeness are restored in that person or in that situation. The emphasis is on translating the ideas of Incarnational Spirituality into an incarnational practice.

As described above, there is no formal registration for the Path of the Chalice, and the cost is only for the materials themselves, such as books or self-study modules.  You simply begin studying in your own timing and at your own pace the materials in the sections. 

However, if you wish to gain a Certificate of Incarnational Study as a prerequisite for applying for the Lorian Ordination Program, then there are specific requirements to be met while studying the Path of the Chalice materials. These are:

Overview of Incarnation Spirituality Class

Regularly throughout the year, members of the Lorian faculty will offer a six-week online class called “Incarnation Spirituality and the Way Forward”. This is a required class for certification and provides an overview of Incarnational Spirituality.
Cost = $195.00.

Four Integrative Seminars

Twice a year (Sept-Jan and Feb-May) members of the Lorian faculty will offer online seminars devoted to the practice and application of Incarnational Spirituality in four content areas corresponding to sections 2, 3, 4 and 5. These Seminars are interactive with Lorian faculty for one week each of the four consecutive months but can be accessed throughout the entire four month period. The emphasis is not on teaching or explaining elements of Incarnational Spirituality but on sharing and improving the understanding, practice and application of the content of the four sections. Integrative
Seminars are $225.00 and include the main textbook, the corresponding self study module and the Seminar.

To earn a Certificate the candidate must participate in the “Incarnation Spirituality and the Way Forward” class, all four of the Integrative Seminars, and fulfill the writing requirements for sections two through five.

Writing Requirements:

There are three writing requirements for each of the five segment on your understanding of the material. Cost is $75 for reviewing the final papers submitted for each section. Within three weeks of submission of the writing assignment the participant will be formally notified by the LCIS if they have demonstrated completion in a particular section. If not the reasons will be stated and suggestions given for completing the section. One additional review, if needed, is included in this fee.

Total cost for the Certificate of Incarnational Study = $1,395.00
($195 + (4 x $225) + (4 x $75))

Tutoring:

A participant can choose from one of the faculty in this catalog as a tutor at any time or request that one be assigned. Scheduling between a tutor and participant will be mutually arranged between them. Session fees are paid directly to the tutor with no LCIS involvement in the transaction. This relationship is optional, private, and has no required number of sessions. It is guided by the interest and expressed need of the individual. The function of the tutor is to support the participant in their work with
the study materials and to read and respond to the participant’s written essays as they work on their writing requirement.

For a full description of the Certificate of Incarnational Study, click here for the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality catalog.

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Ordination

The Lorian Association offers an eighteen-month Ordination track for those called to spiritual service as an agent of Incarnational Spirituality. It emphasizes attunement to the spirit of wholeness in our world, holding space for others as a celebrant of the sacred and serving as an agent of the spirit of incarnation in daily life and practices. An Application is required, outlining the reasons the candidate is seeking ordination and their understanding of their spiritual call. A prerequisite is Lorian’s Certificate of Incarnational Study.

Ordination grants the individual the right to perform marriages, funerals and to act as a minister and agent of Incarnational Spirituality and its principles. It reflects a spiritual call to service and engagement with the world based on incarnational principles. Applicants will be considered based upon their commitment to further these principles in their lives.

Since honoring the uniqueness of each individual’s incarnation is a cardinal principle of Incarnational Spirituality, as much as possible the Lorian ordination program is configured to the individual candidate and the work that he or she wishes to do in the world. In effect, candidates are involved in designing their own ordination in partnership with the Lorian faculty as a way of tapping the innate sacredness and priestliness of their own souls.   Ordination is the unfoldment of a seed of incarnational consciousness and planetary attunement that an individual discovers during his or her study of the Path of the Chalice and plants within himself or herself in the work of qualifying for a Certificate of Incarnational Study.  It is an affirmation of the connection between a candidate and the spirit and intent of Incarnational Spirituality as uniquely manifest in his or her own life and aspirations.

Click here for additional information.

Cost: $3,000. Travel costs and accommodations for the workshops, the ordination ceremony and incidental costs are additional.

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Survey Courses

As the name implies Survey Courses are short overviews of a particular subject important to Incarnational Spirituality. They provide a way to gain a quick understanding of the concepts involved. You get them online.

Most courses (not all, see details listed) include:

• one or more audio recordings by David Spangler - about an hour long, and
• An E-Document (PDF file) of 8-10 pages on the subject

NOTE: When you complete the payment process, click the link to return to Lorian Association to immediately see your Survey Course. In addition, within a day or two, you will receive the link to the module via email to give you access to the same page containing full navigation to these resources. Alternately you can email us at lorianeducation@msn.com to register.

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Survey Course	Description
The Incarnational Way - Survey Course To access the survey course, click here.	This FREE survey course contains a 16-page e-document entitled, Incarnational Spirituality, A Short Introduction by David Spangler, two audio recordings entitled Incarnational Way, 1A and 1B, and 2 charts illustrating some of the concepts introduced. To access the survey course, click here.
Subtle Activism Kit - Survey Course To access the survey course at no cost,click here.	This FREE survey course contains a 16-page e-document entitled, Subtle Activismby David Spangler, three audio recordings entitled Subtle Activism Commentary, Blessing Exercise, and World Work Oil Spill.
Subtle Awareness - Survey Course Cost is $15	We live our lives in the midst of an invisible world of energies and presence. We are not totally unaware of it; it impinges on us in many subtle ways. But for the most part it goes unnoticed and unremarked. Yet within it are resources of creativity, insight, healing, and partnership with life around us. With this survey course you will receive: An e-document entitled The Four Faces of Home by David Spangler Two audio recordings entitled Subtle Perception, 2A and 2B Six charts illustrating some of the concepts introduced in the material
Subtle Energy Health and Safety - Survey Course Cost is $15	This survey course consists of an e-document by David Spangler entitled, Subtle Hygiene and one audio recording entitled, Energy Hygiene Introduction also by David Spangler.
Partering with Unseen Allies - Survey Course Cost is $15	This survey course consists of two audio recordings entitled, Partering with Allies by David Spangler, and six charts illustrating the concepts introduced in the audio recordings.
Subtle Activism - Survey Course Cost is $15	With this survey course you will receive: An e-document entitled Energy Activism by David Spangler Two audio recordings entitled Subtle Activism, 5A and 5B Four charts illustrating some of the concepts introduced in the material
Manifestation - Survey Course Cost is $15	When you purchase this survey course, you will get two audio recordings, entitled Manifestation, A and B. These recordings are from an introductory talk given by David Spangler to an IONS gathering in Sacramento, CA in December 2007. Books and Card Deck can be purchased through the Bookstore.

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Faculty

The following faculty members are those who may be available to act as facilitators in Incarnational Spirituality, as well as offering a variety of classes and workshops in their own specialties and fields of work.  All are ordained in Lorian.

David Spangler, MCS is Director of the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality. He is a mystic, writer and educator in the integration of spiritual values, energy and presence into everyday life. He was co-director of the Findhorn Community and has taught extensively for over 40 years.  Since 1965, David has worked clairvoyantly with a group of spiritual beings. They identified themselves as part of an inner school whose purpose was to explore and develop a spiritual teaching around the process of incarnation. This teaching is intended to empower incarnate persons living in the physical world to lead lives of greater blessing and capacity and to be sources of blessing and service for the world as a whole. 

Freya Secrest, MSD is the Managing Director of the Lorian Association. She is a Spiritual Director, adult educator and Lorian priest. She lived at the Findhorn community in Scotland for three years, subsequently teaching with Dorothy Maclean on themes of cooperation with Nature in the United States and Canada. She helped to cofound the Lorian Association in 1974.  She lives in Everett, Washington where she loves spending time learning from her garden.

Dan Paulson, MA, has worked with the tenants of Incarnational Spirituality for over twenty years, applying them to his work as a counselor, educator and community developer. He is a Lorian minister and has been involved in spiritual education, as well as green living education throughout his life, as well as serving as dean of a college and on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations. Dan lives in Traverse City, Michigan.

Jeremy Berg, MCS lives in Everett, WA and is owner of the Lorian Press and Starseed Publications. He is the author of The Gathering Light, artist for The Card Deck of the Sidhe, a Lorian priest and a workshop presenter. He holds an architectural patent for earth sheltered structural systems featured on the cover of Popular Science magazine, has taught at both the secondary and post-secondary level and has been a college dean and vice president. He is part of the Lorian education development team.

Julie Spangler is a founding member of Lorian and has applied the principles of IS within her work as a Certified Counselor, parenting coach and Personology practitioner for many years. She began her spiritual work at the Findhorn Community developing the guest program and singing with The New Troubadours. She is ordained as a Lorian minister and currently lives in Issaquah, Washington with her husband, David, and a variable number of their four children.

Rue Hass, MA, is an ordained minister/priest of Incarnational Spirituality.  A former university teacher, she has been in private practice for 25 years as a Spiritual Life Path Coach and Intuitive Mentor, using transformational energy methods such as EFT (“tapping”). From 1974-1981, she was a staff member of the Findhorn Foundation, an international center for spiritual and holistic education in Scotland. Rue lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Tim Hass, MS lives in Boulder Colorado. He has been a therapist involved in intensive mental health work over the past 30 years. He has also facilitated training and helped setup Mental Health Programs around the US as a private consultant recognized by NAMI. He lived for four years at the Findhorn Community in Scotland where he served on the Core Group and Director of Personnel, has studied many spiritual and shamanic paths, and is ordained as a Lorian minister/priest.

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Engaging Incarnational Spirituality

How can you enter this stream of teaching? Here are several suggestions on how you might choose to interact with the material depending on your life situation.

1. Read the articles and booklets available free on this website, or find an introductory book from the bookstore. 
2. Sign up for our mailing list, which includes Lorian’s free e-newsletter and David Spangler’s monthly essay, “David’s Desk.”
3. Download the free or inexpensive Survey Courses to learn some introductory concepts of the deeper trainings offered.
4. Order View from the Borderlands, an esoteric quarterly which includes periodic webinars. Click here for additional information.
5. Engage in a program of self-study using the Self-Study Modules. Click here.
6. Investigate one of Lorian's other educational offerings. Lorian sponsors online classes (such as Overview of Incarnational Spirituality or Orientation to Lorian Education), face-to-face talks, workshops and forums around specific themes or books.
7. Explore Lorian's advanced training and longer-term programs such as the Certification of Incarnational Spirituality and then perhaps Ordination.
8. Sponsor a Lorian workshop, talk or study group in your area.
   

Contact us for further information:  email info@lorian.org, call (425) 374-7069, or write:

The Lorian Association
P.O. Box 1368
Issaquah, WA 98027

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