A little snarky, a little sweet, Sarah Bowen proposes a God-optional approach to spirituality that is alive, flexible, and positively addictive.
Bringing together insights from a wide range of traditions—from Taoism to Jediism to Yoga to Science—Spiritual Rebel is a personal approach to finding a deeper perspective and higher life purpose. Offering three weeks of unconventional practices—including forest bathing, yawning, hiking, cat-gazing, mindfulness, and sacred crashing to name just a few—this book helps not only seekers, but also agnostics, atheists, and the spiritual-but-not-religious, curate meaningful spiritual moments throughout the day, dipping in without having to commit, never having to fear they might be “doing it wrong.”
Rather than relying on adherence to a specific belief system, Spiritual Rebel encourages readers to clarify the beliefs that are personally meaningful, redefine outdated concepts, mix-and-match practices, experience connection, and ask curious questions. What if the Force seems more real to you than Jesus? What if your higher power appears in fluorescent orange with a loud thumping beat? Can Siri help us find something G*d-ish?
Approaching spirituality from an edgy, vivid, and interfaith/interspiritual perspective, Sarah Bowen explores the world’s philosophical, scientific, and religious traditions, mining them for juicy tidbits and practices. Drawing on the wisdom of Wayne Teasdale, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Dr. Andrew Newberg, A.H. Almas, David Wallace, David Spangler, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, John Muir, Dr. Qing Li, Sarah Wilson, Leonard Felder, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Diane Berke, Thich Nhat Hanh, Madeleine L’Engle, C.S. Lewis, Anthony Strano, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Krishna Das, Francesco Mastalia, Joshua Coombes, Belden C. Lane, Lindsay Mack, Albert Einstein, and many others (including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda), Sarah Bowen is a bookworm who can’t stop reading, an unrelenting researcher, and an inspiring spiritual tour guide. As a result, Spiritual Rebel contains a diverse collection of practices and resources to inspire the Force within you, by whatever name you call it.
Combining pop culture with ancient wisdom, Spiritual Rebel appeals to the individualism of Millennials, the cynicism of Gen-Xers, and spiritual eclectics of any age. Whether you are at the beginning of your spiritual journey or already meditate, chant, pray, practice yoga, embrace nature, practice mindfulness, or some other practice, you will find new ways to connect with something bigger than yourself and seek your true calling. Hang on, it’s going to be quite a ride.