Parent as Mystic, Mystic as Parent

From the author of The Call comes an exquisite memoir on the mystical act of parenting. Although Spangler possesses numerous gifts as a writer and spiritual leader (he is a former coleader of Scotland's spiritual community Findhorn), his most meaningful life work has always taken place within the boundaries of marriage and parenthood (he is the father of four children). So it was only fitting that this self-described "freelance mystic" finally shed his wisdom and humor upon this sacred and mundane act. "We may think of mysticism as the dimension of complex issues of theology and spiritual cosmology, but it is really much simpler," explains Spangler. "It is, at heart, about learning how to recognize and work with the connectedness of the world, the wholeness of all things. Love is at its root, and love is equally at the root of what we do as parents. It is in the spirit of this common rootedness that the parent embodies the mystic and mystic the parent."

In sharing his parenting challenges (such as staying present in the presence of a flailing, crying baby or trying to honor a daughter's yearning to become a racehorse jockey), Spangler has packaged a book so tender and profound that parents cannot help but be inspired to bring their highest and most joyful selves to every interaction of parenthood. --Gail Hudson