Minister, author, philosopher, theologian, educator, civil rights leader, and one of the most important figures in African American history, Howard Thurman was born in Florida and grew up in a world of segregation. Read more

Connecting with the “deep soul” –
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook

Abraham Isaac Kook was one of the greatest figures in 20th century Judaism. Considered a prodigy as a child, Kook (pronounced cook) became a rabbi at the age of 23, serving first in small communities in Latvia and Lithuania. In 1904, when he was 39, he moved to Palestine (prior to the formation of Israel) and established a Jewish academy (yeshiva) in the seaport town of Jaffa. Read more

“Rapturous Joy Transcending Any Other”

We know about the Buddha’s life chiefly through legends, written down several centuries after he lived. Born Siddhartha Gautama in present-day Nepal, he was a prince who lived an opulent life, shielded by his father, King Suddhodana, from the world’s travails. Read more

“It is in the purest thing that the soul is capable of”

Meister Eckhart was considered the most knowledgeable scholar of his time and was one of the most popular and beloved preachers — people flocked to hear his bold, fresh sermons. Read more

“Sitting in a Timeless Stillness”

The English novelist E.M. Forster called him “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation.”1 D.H. Lawrence began his working life as a teacher while also writing poems, short stories, and a novel. Publishing his work early, he was able to devote himself full-time to writing. Read more

“Transcending all knowledge” – St. John of the Cross

Born near Avila, Juan de Yepes Álvarez entered the Carmelite order when he was 21 and moved to Salamanca, in western Spain, where he studied philosophy and theology at the university there. At 25 he was ordained a priest. Read more

“We are laid asleep in body, and become a living soul” – William Wordsworth

ON A FRESH MORNING IN EARLY JULY, a 28-year-old man sets out on foot from his home on the southwest coast of England. A writer, he loves walking, traversing the countryside for days at a time. On this excursion, he and his sister are heading up the scenic Wye River Valley, just across the border in Wales, with its many low, forest-blanketed hills. Read more

Emily Dickinson: “The Soul’s Superior instants”

Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson traveled outside her home village only a few times, outside of Massachusetts but once. After the age of 42, she rarely left her house and yard. She never married. She deliberately chose a life of Read more

Albert Einstein – “There Is Neither Evolution Nor Destiny; Only Being.”

Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. The totality of his work converges into one supreme goal: to understand the unity underlying nature’s diversity. Read more

“Why don’t you try wandering with me to the Palace of Not-Even-Anything” – Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi, also known as Chuang Tzu, is esteemed alongside Laozi as one of the founders of Daoism in China. His writings also influenced the growth of Chinese Buddhism. Read more