I love this book, Return to The Sacred: Ancient Pathways To Spiritual Awakening by Jonathan H. Ellerby. Ph.D. (CA: Hay House, 2009). Sometimes books just seem to fall into our hands as we most need a message. That happened to me with this one. Not accepting traditional religions or any organized group or one set of beliefs/rituals, I pray/meditate/commune with my Creator in any number of unorganized ways. While this book didn’t make me want to change any of that, it provided a framework for me to be more comfortable with my current choices and opened up new possibilities.

First, Dr. Ellerby defines Spirituality, and I love his line, “We are spiritual beings having a human experience – not the other way around” (38). This is one of my favorite new syaings.

He also explains that “Spirituality isn’t a quick fix or a magical escape. But it can teach you how to meet life’s choice and challenges with clarity and intention” (42). A good reminder for us all. Becoming spiritual does not mean the end of problems, but a higher outlook provides a better way to handle and view our dilemmas.

Second, Dr. Ellerby is very clear that we all need a spiritual practice. I agree. “Spiritual practice is essential to spiritual growth” (23), and “The mind can only take us so far into the world of spirit” (17).

In his insistence that we have a spiritual practice, Dr. Ellerby is not dogmatic about how that practice should look. He simply advises that we choose a path that is right for us. Permission to choose is comforting and part of a practical spirituality that deviates from traditional dogma. This flexibility does not justify lack of action, but allows us to define our own way to the Sacred.
Finally, Dr. Ellerby presents 12 Master Paths, or different types of spiritual practices. He doesn’t just tell us we need to have a spiritual practice; he provides all of the possible roads we might choose. Each one has an ancient past, and most are known to us in some form.

Ceremony and ritual, sacred movement, music and sound, prayer, meditation, and sacred study are six possible paths. The next group consists of devotion, sacred service, guru, aesthetic practice, death practice, and a life path.

Fear is our greatest barrier to any spiritual practice. We are often afraid to trust anything beyond the realm of science or reason. Trust becomes the key ingredient in choosing, and then following, a spiritual practice.

Spiritual growth requires spiritual practice, and this book provides direction and answers.