The Conversation - The Sacred Art: Practicing Presence in an Age of Distraction (The Art of Spiritual Living)
Diane M. Millis is founder and director of the Journey Conversations Project, a partnership of educators and other leaders dedicated to preparing and equipping people to facilitate conversations for discovery and discernment. She is also an inspirational speaker, organizational consultant, and spiritual director specializing in the fields of spirituality, communication, and family studies.This timely, practical, and inspirational paperback is a volume in the SkyLight Path Series "The Art of Spiritual Living." Millis laments the loss of true presence due to our reliance on digital devices to keep us connected. Face-to-face conversations enable us to go deeper with sharing that explores our heartfelt yearnings and truth. To accomplish this we are called to encounter the sacred within ourselves, within others, and between ourselves and others. A foundational goal of these three-dimensional conversations has been expressed long ago by Douglas Steere in Gleanings: A Random Harvest:"To 'listen' another's soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another."For Millis, the best word to describe the essence of the sacred art of conversation is "namaste," the Sanskrit greeting which has been translated as "the divine in me greets the divine in you." We were very happy to see the author's emphasis on noticing as a way of praying along with her discussion of creative individuals who have modeled this approach for us, such as novelist Frederick Buechner, poet Ted Kooser, and photographer Jim Brandenberg.We were also impressed with chapters on cultivating attention, receptivity, and compassion through conversation. Millis concludes with three substantive appendixes that offer contemplative practices for conversations, more guiding principles and questions for appreciatively focused dialogue, and conversation catalysts for sustaining conversations over time.(Frederic and Mary Ann BrussatSpirituality & Practice2013-04-22)"An important book ... that can help us recover a vital but endangered everyday spiritual practice.... Reading this book was like having a true conversation with the author, and with myself, one that will help me share its gifts with the larger world."—Parker J. Palmer, author,Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life SpeakandThe Courage to Teach"Beautiful ... in so many ways.... I am deeply grateful that this book appears now, when its wisdom and practices are most needed to restore the sacred to our relationships."—Margaret J. Wheatley, author,Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, PerseveranceandLeadership and the New Science“Moves beyond the technique of conversation to focus on the heart-and-soul experience of intentional, sincere human connection.... Will be a trusted companion for those walking the inner path of dialogue.”—Robert R. Stains Jr., senior vice president, Public Conversations Project“Be prepared for a journey into the heart of relationships. [It] affirms the holiness and life-giving nature of conversation and offers excellent reflection questions and practices to guide us on the way. This book touched my soul.”—Kay Lindahl, co-founder, Women of Spirit and Faith; co-editor,Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power“This is a book you will linger with—as you do, after a meal, over a cup of coffee, when the conversation is as nourishing as the food.”—Sharon Daloz Parks, co-author,Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World; former associate professor, Harvard Divinity School and Weston Jesuit School of Theology“Exquisite.... Diane Millis writes with the grace, wisdom and caring of a wise and skillful spiritual director, leading us all to touch the sacred within ourselves, within others and in the midst of all of our conversations.”—Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, St. Paul, Minnesota“A beautiful book filled with exquisite insights, practices and stories. They illuminate our heart and mind and awaken us to Presence.”—Imam Jamal Rahman, author,Spiritual Gems of Islam: Insights & Practices from the Qur'an, Hadith, Rumi & Muslim Teaching Stories to Enlighten the Heart & Mind“Integrates the author's intensive study of spiritual guidance with her personal and professional experiences [and] offers both inspiration and practical guidance to restore the art of conversation as a sacred activity.”—Dr. Aostre N. Johnson, professor of education, Saint Michael’s College“Plunges us into that holy space from which we can connect with God, with ourselves and especially with others at a depth we would have thought impossible. Our conversations will never be the same after reading this book—they will be infinitely richer.”—John Backman, author,Why Can’t We Talk?: Christian Wisdom on Dialogue as a Habit of the Heart“Diane Millis knows that our conversation reveals us to others, and, done right—caring more important than understanding, talking balanced with restraint and periodic silence—reveals to us depths we didn’t know we have. She has learned much from others, and shares her own practical wisdom, most forcefully and poignantly demonstrated in the transition from 'broken apart’ to 'breaking open.’”—Patrick Henry, retired executive director, Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research; author,The Ironic Christian’s Companion: Finding the Marks of God’s Grace in the World“Profound ... teaches us how conversation—listening, speaking, and even silence—can help us genuinely connect to others and even ourselves through our hearts, deepening our relationships, recognizing God within us and God between us.”—Sara Hacala, author,Saving Civility: 52 Ways to Tame Rude, Crude, and Attitude for a Polite Planet