The Eloquence of Silence has lessons for today

Thomas Moore's most recent book is The Eloquence of Silence, published in 2023. At the time David Crumm talked with Moore in this Read the Spirit article in which Moore shares his thoughts on emptiness and his meaning of the word hope. Read it before the release of Moore's next book about Thoreau and theology.

Celebrate Plato's birthday with Course 4, Nov. 7

Course Four of Imaginal Psychology with Thomas Moore is open for Registration. It begins Friday 7 November 2025, the date celebrated as Plato's birthday in Renaissance Florence when people were encouraged to talk about soul. Topics in Course 4 are:
1. Artemis: The Goddess of Integrity and Naturalness
2. The God Dionysos: Loss of Control and Extraordinary Vitality
3. Coupling/Uncoupling: Loving Another and Tending Self
4. The Soul of Things
5. James Hillman’s Anima: Living the Soul
6. A Religion of One’s Own: Living with the Mysteries of Life

Course 4 begins its live sessions on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 12 pm ET.  During the hour-long presentation participants are encouraged to ask questions which Moore answers during the following 1/2 hour online. Short readings are sent to participants for the first lesson on Friday 7 November 2025. The live session is recorded and made available soon after the webinar. They remain accessible for 360 days. You are encouraged to participate in 24/7 conversations among participants in chat form throughout the week.

Register for Imaginal Psychology course 3 now

Registration is now open for Imaginal Psychology Course Three with Thomas Moore. Topics for this course are:
1. Aphrodite/Venus
2. Senex/Puer: Timeless Youth and Age
3. Work as Opus of the Soul
4. How Images House Spirit
5. Natural Magic
6. Emptness: Eastern Non-Attachment and Natural life
Course 3 begins its live sessions on September 10, 2025 at 12 pm ET. Short readings will be sent to you on the previous Friday, September 5, 2025. All live sessions are recorded and made available soon after the presentation and remain accessible for 360 days. You are encouraged to participate in 24/7 conversations among participants in chat form.

Sign up now.

Imaginal Psychology course 2 starts June 27, 2025

Register now for Thomas Moore's Imaginal Psychology Course Two that starts with readings for Lesson 1 on Friday 27 June, 2025. Topics for this course include:

1. Eros and Psyche
2. Working with dreams
3. Hermes, guide of souls
4. Anima Mundi: Soul of the world
5. Alchemy basics
6. Psychological polytheism

The series of six courses is now called Imaginal Psychology. Previously it was known as Soul Psychology. Each course has six weekly lessons. You get five or six brief (one page to a page and a half) readings on Friday. The following Wednesday is a live session in which Thomas Moore gives a talk on the theme of the week for approximately one hour. Participants are encouraged to comment and ask questions during the presentation. Thomas Moore then scrolls through the chat to answer questions for approximately one-half hour.

Ruzuku is the platform for the series. It mainly uses a chat-style, type-in format. Students are encouraged to engage in active 24/7 conversations also in chat style. Each course ends with an hour-long Zoom gathering. After taking six courses, you qualify for an attendance certificate signed by Thomas Moore.

Watch a podcast with guest Thomas Moore

Last year Thomas Moore spoke with Leanne Whitney for New Thinking Allowed in a podcast titled Connecting to Soul with Thomas Moore. In this hour-long episode, Moore talks about his interests and current work based on Henry David Thoreau. While Whitney asks intelligent questions, Moore considers his answers thoughtfully, touching on the work of the Transcendentalists, James Hillman, and Carl Jung.

Keynote mental health speaker on July 31, 2025

Thomas Moore is a keynote speaker at the Lowcountry Mental Health Conference in 2025 in Charleston, S.C. He presents on Thursday, July 31 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Care of the Soul: A Therapeutic Way of Life. This conference is for mental health professionals and community members with an interest in mental health issues.

Continuing education contact hours are available for helping professionals that include:
--Counselors 
--Social Workers
--Marriage & Family Therapists
--Psychotherapists
--Psychiatrists & other physicians
--Psychologists
--Nurses
--State Agency Professionals
--Addiction Professionals
--Healthcare Leaders

More information and conference registration is available at Conference Schedule.

Soul Psychology Course One starts April 25, 2025

A new series of Soul Psychology begins Friday 25 April 2025 with Course One of Thomas Moore's online program that offers six courses with six lessons in each course.

Topics in Course One are: 
1.What is the soul?
2. C. G. Jung
3. Myth and Psyche
4. Archetypal Psychology
5. Complexes
6. Metaphor, image and symbol

Ruzuku hosts the program that weekly includes brief readings, a 1.5 hr. live online session with Moore and asynchronous chat among participants.
Register now.

Soul Psychology course six Valentine's Day 2025

Course Six of Thomas Moore's online Soul Psychology series begins Friday 14 February, 2025.

Topics for these six lessons are:
1. Living with Art
2. Hephaistos: Enchanting the World
3. The Soul of Sex
4. Insights from Fairy Tales
5. New England Soul: Emerson, Dickinson and Thoreau
6. Aging: Becoming a Real Person

Register now on the Ruzuku platform. The Soul Psychology series of six courses may start with any course.

Join online: Spiritual emptiness in everyday life

Pacifica Graduate Institute hosts Thomas Moore's online course via Zoom Spiritual Emptiness in Everyday Life starting Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

Themes for each week are:
Week 1: The meaning of emptiness in the Heart Sutra and other classical sources
Week 2: Developing a secure and effective ego that is also relaxed and open
Week 3: Helping children and others be open and not anxiously in control of others
Week 4: Learning to let life happen, to live by inner guidance rather than by strict expectations

Tuition:
US $112.50 – Senior Rate (65+)
US $125.00 – General Rate

Archetypal Psychology of Relationships starts now

Join Thomas Moore's online Soul Psychology series today with readings for the first lesson in Course Five. This week's live webinar is Wednesday, Dec. 4 2024 at 12 noon ET. The webinar is recorded for multiple viewings.

The six lessons for Course Five are:
1. The Archetypal Psychology of Relationships
2. Jesus as an Archetypal Figure
3. A Depth Approach to Creativity
4. A Psychology of Shadow
5. Dark Eros: Sado-Masochism in Daily Life

Register now for Soul Psychology Course 5 on the Ruzuku platform.

Study fairy tales with Moore through November

Spirituality & Practices offers Thomas Moore's course on Fairy Tales beginning next week, from November 4 to November 29, 2024.

"Thomas Moore takes one fairy tale at a time and offers some of his ideas about it with the hope of opening up your thoughts. He thinks of fairy tales as being much like dreams. We don't want or need a solution to it or a final interpretation. It's more useful to let the tale spark discussion on issues central in human life, such as challenges we all have in our jobs, relationships, spiritual explorations, and the quest for meaning."

You are encouraged to join the discussions in the online Practice Circle during this month-long e-course. For each tale, Moore offers a spiritual practice related to its themes. You alsowill have access to the hour-long teleconference with Thomas Moore that was held in 2019.
Tales and topics in this course:
1. What is a fairy tale and why are they important?
2. Rapunzel
3. Jack and the Beanstalk
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. The Blue Light
6. Rumpelstiltskin
7. Fire and Ice
8. Cinderella
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Three Feathers
11. The Ugly Duckling
12. Little Red Riding Hood

Register at SpiritualityandPractice.com/FairyTales2024.
Tuition: US $69.95

Soul Psychology course four begins Friday the 13th

 Register now for Thomas Moore's Soul Psychology Course Four that begins Friday,    Sept. 13, 2024 with selected readings. The first live webinar is Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Topics for this course are:
 1. Artemis (Diana)
 2. Dionysos
 3. Coupling / Uncoupling
 4. The Soul of Things
 5. Anima
 6. A Religion of One's Own

The course includes directed readings, live webinars, on-going chat exchanges, and a one-hour concluding Zoom session with Thomas Moore.

Thomas Moore wins Nautilus gold book award

Thomas Moore's recent book, The Eloquence of Silence: Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness wins gold in the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards category 20: Psychology / Mental & Emotional Well-Being. New World Library publishes Moore's book.

Study with Thomas Moore starting July 12, 2024

Thomas Moore continues his series of Soul Pyschology courses, starting 12 July 2024 with readings for Lesson 1, Course 3. Topics during this course are:

1. Aphrodite as Myth and Inspiration
2. Senex/Puer: Youth and Age
3. Work and Opus
4. How Images House Spirit
5. Natural Magic
6. Emptiness (Non-Attachment)

Register now on the Ruzuku platform.

Curing sadomasochism through transformation

Spring Publications announces the third revised edition of Thomas Moore's DARK EROS: Curing the Sadomasochism in Everyday Life  available for purchase. In his new afterword Moore writes:

"The Marquis de Sade wrote obscene and disgusting books — I don’t call them novels — that are dismissed and condemned when read literally. But if you can treat everything he writes as metaphor, as an image speaking about a more subtle level of experience, you may find that Sade is a psychoanalyst far ahead of his time. It’s as though he writes in code, asking you not to read him simplistically, but to explore the largely hidden human desires we all have for things like revenge, secrecy, control, and manipulation. Just because we think them doesn’t mean that we act on them. But the dark thoughts and feelings are significant and require our acceptance. We may think that psychology helps us get free of such negative emotions, but Sade tricks us into seeing them not only as necessary but, in a deeply felt way, desirable."

This edition contains a foreword by Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig. 

Register for Soul Psychology, Course One now

Although you don't need to start at the beginning, it is an excellent place to start. Thomas Moore offers his Soul Psychology Course One, Lesson One readings on Friday 15 March 2024.

 This six-week course includes:

 1. What is the soul?
 2. The Psychology of C. G. Jung
 3. Archetypal Psychology
 4. Mythology and the Psyche
 5. Psychological Complexes
 6. Metaphor, Symbol and Image

Course 1 begins with a live session on March 20, 2024 at 12 Noon ET. Readings will be sent to you on the previous Friday, March 15, 2024.

Register now.

Thomas Moore speaks at Harvard University

Thomas Moore delivers a keynote address for Harvard University's World Congress on Moral Injury, Trauma, Spirituality, and Healing on Monday 11 March 2024.

"The World Congress on Moral Injury, Spirituality, and Healing is bringing together thought leaders from across the globe in a dynamic on-line format to share research and insights on the institutional, and social drivers of moral injury. Our esteemed speakers will share a diverse perspective on strategies for the prevention of moral injury, and evidence-informed practices for healing those who are suffering from moral injury, anxiety, PTSD, and depression."

The Program Overview includes the speakers for this three-day event hosted by Harvard's Human Flourishing Program.

Start the new year, 2024 with Thomas Moore

Course Six of Thomas Moore's online Soul Psychology series begins Friday 5 January, 2024.

Topics for this six-week offering are:
1. Living with Art
2. The Myth of Hephaistos: Enchanting the World
3. The Soul of Sex
4. Insights from Fairy Tales
5. Emily Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau as Teachers of Soul
6. Aging: Becoming a Real Person

Registration is open now on the Ruzuku platform. Please sign up.

Participants may start with any course during this six-course series.

Watch Moore's PBS Special about Christmas soul

In his recent Patheos column, "The Joys of Finding Christmas Within", Tom Rapsas quotes Thomas Moore's book The Soul of Christmas about being a mystic.

Rapsas writes,"Moore tells us 'We are all potential mystics' able to achieve a direct connection with a power greater than ourselves. And it doesn’t have to be that hard. 'Just stand still in the presence of a beautiful sunset and your mysticism will be activated.'"

Moore's book about Christmas and the winter solstice, The Soul of Christmas shares how this time of year is for everyone, not just for the followers of Jesus. His 1997 PBS special about Christmas with the late Scottish musician Johnny Cunningham, featuring traditional Celtic music may be watched now on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md3hLy0xMww.

Sit with Moore's latest, The Eloquence of Silence

Thomas Moore promotes his new book, The Eloquence of Silence: Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness in online book talks and interviews. Watch three recent events about this book.

VIDEOS

Banyen Books and Sound shares a youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnh-1Q8pzqc. This talk is approximately one hour and 16 minutes.

Book Passage also talks with Thomas Moore in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sttIMgP71M. It is 53 minutes long.

Brian James talks with Moore at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qndGXTlHI18 on Medicine Path podcast #109. This exchange is approximately one hour and 11 minutes.

PODCAST
A recent podcast with Brian Pearson is at https://www.brianepearson.ca/post/the-eloquence-of-thomas-moore. Pearson writes:

"Thomas Moore is still at it with his newest book, The Eloquence of Silence. It was my great pleasure and privilege to have a conversation with him about it for The Mystic Cave. At eighty-two, and freed by Zoom from having to travel to audiences around the world (they now come to him, online), he was gracious, generous, and sparkling with insight. We explored the deep experiences of loss, absence, and emptiness. We also spoke of his old friend and mentor, James Hillman, another 'Soul man.'"

The conversation is approximately 50 minutes. 

Soul Psychology course 4 starts July 28, 2023

Join Thomas Moore's online Soul Psychology program for Course 4 beginning with the first lesson readings on Friday 28 July, 2023. The first live webinar on Wednesday 2 August at 12 noon ET will be recorded for later viewing. Each course has six lessons. Lessons for this course are:

1. Artemis
2. Dionysos
3. Coupling/Uncoupling
4. The Soul of Things
5. James Hillman's "Anima"
6. A Religion of One's Own

The registration link will be added when it's available.

Therapists invited to attend Zoom presentation

Friends of Jung South hosts Thomas Moore on Zoom, Saturday 6 May, 2023 for his presentation Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET.

"Participants will be able to:
— Appreciate the origins of the word “therapy” and its root meaning.
— Develop a sophisticated understanding of narrative, image, symbol, and myth in the context of therapy.
— Learn skills for creating a vessel or container in which another person may feel free and supported in exploring one's past and one's possibilities.
— Describe implications for clinical counseling and the therapeutic process."

"Therapy is largely about narrative and image, and it helps if the professional therapist is sophisticated about both of these things, as well as about transference, which this presentation will explore in some original ways. 

Therapy involves one person who has lived fully and has dealt with life effectively, and another open to becoming more complex and individual. Therapy can happen outside professional context, as when a parent deals therapeutically with a child who is acting out, or when a teacher helps a student handle emotions and relationships. Here, the relationship is much like what the Irish have called Anam Cara, a guiding, caring friend. 

In this time together, we will engage each other in memories of therapy and issues that can get in the way. We will also explore ways to prepare for this work and ways a therapist can care for himself or herself."

Tuition:
FOJS Member $60
New/Renewal Member $80 [$20 dues + $60 registration]
Non-member $70
Student $25

Join Moore online for Course Two this Friday

Thomas Moore's Course Two of the current Soul Psychology series begins this Friday 24 March 2023 with the release of the first set of readings for Lesson One: Eros and Psyche. The live webinar for this lesson is Wednesday 28 March 2023 at 12 noon ET.
Register now on the Ruzuku platform to respond to the introductory prompts for this course.

Moore's message includes: 

"I'm inviting you to join me for Course 2 in Soul Psychology — a deep exploration of dreams, myth and archetypal psychology. I have created a community of learning in which you can be exposed to great ideas and also gain insights into your own life. This course involves reading, conversation, live lectures and participation in an online community. 

On Fridays during the course you receive short readings. Then on Wednesdays at noon ET (USA) I offer a live presentation on those lessons. The online presentations are recorded and you have access to them for 180 days. During the courses you can participate in a 24/7 conversation among participants in which I respond to questions and comments, as well."

Themes for Course Two are:
EROS AND PSYCHE
WORKING WITH DREAMS
HERMES, GUIDE OF SOULS
ANIMA MUNDI: THE WORLD'S SOUL
ALCHEMY: THE BASICS
PSYCHOLOGICAL POLYTHEISM

Register for free summit with Moore on Mar. 31

Thomas Moore is a featured speaker during JungPlatform's Narcissism FREE Summit that starts Thursday 30 March 2023. Moore is the first speaker on Day 2 at 9:00 am PT  (12:00 pm ET).

"Thomas Moore uses the myth of Narcissus as his guide. Narcissism is the lack and felt need for self-love and appreciation. As a symptom, it points to what is needed. So the narcissistic person shows his or her pain by being a pain to others. He tries to coerce others to see and appreciate himself. In the myth (Ovid) Narcissus at first is hard like marble and doesn’t respond to his friends. But he reflects on himself in a pool of water, at first not knowing the image is of himself. Then he discovers for himself that he is lovable. He turns into a flower, which is the opposite of marble. Ovid’s Metamorphoses always presents a special, metaphorical transformation. So a narcissist needs love. He isn’t full of self-love, he is empty of it."

His topic is Lack of Soul in Narcissism.

In this session you will learn:
* What’s meant by “a sense of soul”
* What happens when we’re disconnected from the soul
* How can we restore a sense of soul in our daily lives

Registration is free.

Join Course One of Moore's Soul Psychology today

The first video for Thomas Moore's Soul Psychology: Course One is available today. Course One runs for the next six weeks. Topics are:
1. Soul
2. C. G. Jung
3. Myth and Psyche
4. Archetypal Psychology
5. Complexes
6. Metaphor, Image, and Symbol

A group meeting on Zoom ends this first course.
Courses use the Ruzuku platform.

This first course's discounted tuition is $480 US.
Register now.

Watch two Moore videos for challenging times

Thomas Moore is the patron of Re-Vision: Counselling and Psychotherapy with a Soulful Perspective, based in London, England. During the recent pandemic, he delivered two online presentations to the Re-Vision community that may interest a wider audience. Each Youtube video is approximately one hour.

Thomas Moore: Liminality: An Opportunity for Magic
July 2020

Thomas Moore: Love in Times of Corona
The closing presentation for Re-Vision's Winter Conference 2021.
May 2021

Order Moore's new book now for 23 May 2023

Thomas Moore's new book is available 23 May 2023.

The Eloquence of Silence:
Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness
by Thomas Moore

Format: Paperback
Publisher: New World Library
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
Pages: 256
ISBN-10: 1608688666
ISBN-13: 9781608688661
Price: $18.95 US

Order now on Amazon.com .

"Moore gently prods us to consider that our constant multitasking may not be getting us anywhere. Listening to a podcast while taking a walk, or scanning an email while pushing a baby stroller, may mean missing the heart and soul of what is all around us, available to us anytime, no matter our circumstances. The awareness and embrace of the ubiquitous emptiness in our world and in our own lives, the daily recognition of quiet spaciousness, is not a retreat from reality but a rich and full welcome to all that is most meaningful and real."

Join Course 6 of Soul Psychology, Aug. 19 2022

Register now for Thomas Moore's Course Six of Soul Psychology that begins Friday, August 19, 2022 with the release of the first lesson's material. The first live webinar is Wednesday, August 24 at noon ET.

Topics for this course are:
1. The Soul of Medicine
2. Hephaistos: enchantment and craft
3. The Soul of Sex
4. Insights from Fairy Tales
5. The spirituality/psychology of Emily Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau
6. Aging: Becoming a person of depth

"The course gives you solid ideas about the psyche, using many rich resources such as C. G. Jung, James Hillman, the world's spiritual traditions and the arts. Then with open conversation among participants, with Thomas's comments, gradually you become more sophisticated in your understanding of the psyche and your own soul. The course is useful both personally and professionally."

Tuition: $635 US

How may we live a therapeutic way of life?

The Jung Association of Western Massachusetts sponsors Thomas Moore online on 22 May 2022 to talk about A Therapeutic Way of Life. Echoing James Hillman, Moore says therapy is finding a new narrative using imagination. He refers to his new book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations.

Listen to Soul Psychology with Thomas Moore

Stefan Kruk talks with Thomas Moore about his past studies and current activities in this YouTube video for Alternative Psychology, posted earlier this year in April. Kruk speaks from Romania. This video is approximately 58 minutes. Moore describes soul psychology and his on-going online course series with the same name, Soul Psychology.

Small group study guide for Soul Therapy

Publisher HarperOne offers a free six-page small group guide for Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations by Thomas Moore. Brief quotes and questions appear under the headings:
The Material
The Vessel
Soul Stuff
Therapy in the World
The Therapist, and
Final Questions.

Moore discusses new book with Andrea Mathews

Listen to Andrea Mathew's interview with Thomas Moore, Encore Thomas Moore and Soul Therapy, for the Authentic Living programme of March 16, 2022. Moore shares his new book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations. He talks about myths, stories, symptoms, making a vessel, listening, transference, the meaning of childhood, and complexes. He emphasizes the therapist's presence and involvement in healing. This episode is approximately 54 minutes.

An earlier interview from August 2021 with Victor Fuhrman's Destination Unlimited is also available for listening. It is approximately 56 minutes.

Join a free webinar on Sunday 12 June at noon

Thomas Moore is giving a free one-hour webinar on his award-winning book Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations on Sunday 12 June 2022 at 12 noon ET. Register now.

This book recently received a Nautilus Book Award and is available in paperback.

The webinar is:

"A free course for psychotherapists and non-therapists on the deeper meaning of therapy, We consider the role of personal stories and mythic narratives, dreams and the special kind of listening these stories require. We explore transference as the wealth of fantasies that surround deep conversations and include the "therapist" within anyone who helps a friend or relative."

Sign up for Moore's next Soul Psychology course

Course 5 in Thomas Moore's Soul Psychology series is open for registration on the Ruzuku platform. In this six-week course he covers:

1. Depth psychology of relationships
2. Jesus as an archetypal figure
3. Kinds of creativity
4. Asklepios: God of healing
5. Dealing with Shadow
6. Dark Eros

Reading material for Lesson 1 is released Friday 17 June, 2022. The first live one-hour webinar for Lesson 1 is Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 12:00 ET.

"The course gives you solid ideas about the psyche, using many rich resources such as C. G. Jung, James Hillman, the world's spiritual traditions and the arts. With open conversation among participants, and with Thomas's comments, gradually you become more sophisticated in your understanding of the psyche and your own soul. The course is useful both personally and professionally."

Books by Thomas Moore that may be helpful preparation for Course 5 include Soul Mates: Honoring the Mysteries of Love and Relationship, Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations, and Dark Eros: The Imagination of Sadism. 

Tuition: $635 US

Publisher offers softcover Soul Therapy for $15.19

Publisher HarpersCollins issues Thomas Moore's award-winning book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations as a trade paperback on sale for $15.19 starting May 24, 2022. This is the book's initial softcover release. Visit the linked page to order the book, listen to an audio sample, and read selected sections.

In an email today, Moore writes:

"Soul Therapy is one of those books I have written that people will discover over time. To me it is a clearly written book for both professional therapists and ordinary people who occasionally find themselves having deep conversations with friends and relatives, and also for parents, doctors and teachers. I tried to summarize in non-jargon language the subtle awareness such people need to truly be of use to others. I also wanted to respond to questions I have heard from professionals over the years as I have taught psychiatrists and therapists of all stripes."

Soul Therapy wins 2022 Nautilus Book Award

Thomas Moore's recent book Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations wins a Nautilus Award, Better Books for a Better World in the Psychology category. Scroll to the top of page 7 in this list of award winners to see his entry or scroll to the bottom of this page to see the Psychology category.

April and May events with Thomas Moore online

Thomas Moore's presentations in April and May include:

1. Wednesday April 20, 2022
8:00 pm EDT
Steve Stein at Wisdom Feed +

Rebirth and Renaissance
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqd-GtrDMsHde7MMbnlqt4pvYnoBqD89Dv

2. Thursday April 21 and 28, 2022
11:00 am - 12:30 pm PDT (2:00 pm -3:30 pm EDT)
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Legacy of James Hillman parts 2 and 3 of the 3-part series.
https://retreat.pacifica.edu/legacy-of-james-hillman/

3. April 22, 2022
7:00 pm -9:00 pm CDT (8:00 pm - 10:00 pm EDT)
Presentation to Minnesota Jung Association

The Therapeutic Life
Registration for this lecture is via the Eventbrite listing: "The Therapeutic Life"
Registration closes at 6:00pm CDT on April 22. 

The Zoom link will be sent about an hour before the lecture begins.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mja-lecture-the-therapeutic-life-by-thomas-moore-phd-tickets-302220879787

4.Friday May 6, 2022
7:00 - 9:30 pm EDT
Charlotte Friends of Jung
Soul Therapy: Therapy in the Thick of Life

5. Friday May 13, 2022
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Western Massachusetts Jung Association
The Therapeutic Life

6. Tuesday May 24, 2022
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm PDT (8:30-10 pm EDT)
East/West Bookstore (Seattle)
Webinar: Soul Therapy
https://eastwestseattle.org/products/may-24-2022-tuesday-5-30-7pm-pdt-soul-therapy-with-thomas-moore-webinar

Online course with Thomas Moore begins April 13

Thomas Moore's next Soul Psychology course starts Wednesday 13 April, 2022 with a half-hour introduction at 12:00 Noon ET. This is Course 4 of his six course series. Weekly topics for this offering are:

1. The goddess Artemis
2. Befriending the Shadow
3. Coupling / Uncoupling
4. The Soul of Things
5. James Hillman's Anima
6. A Religion of One's Own

"The course gives you solid ideas about the psyche, using many rich resources such as C. G. Jung, James Hillman, the world's spiritual traditions and the arts. Then with open conversation among participants, with Thomas's comments, gradually you become more sophisticated in your understanding of the psyche and your own soul. The course is useful both personally and professionally."

LINK: https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/83184/about
TUITION: $635.00 U.S.

Soul Therapy is a 2021 award winner from S&P

Spirituality & Practice awards Thomas Moore's new book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations as one of its best Spiritual Books of 2021.

According to the announcement: 
"These are the titles that have most impressed and inspired us during the year. Since we only review books that we want to recommend to you for your spiritual journey, this selection actually represents the best of the best. Through diverse approaches, drawing upon the wisdom and practices of the world's religions and spiritual paths, these books explore the quest for meaning and purpose, wholeness and healing, commitment and community, contemplation and activism."

Study fairy tales with Moore starting 2 Feb. 2022

For  Spirituality & Practice, Thomas Moore provides a second course about fairy tales, Fairy Tales: The Hidden Magic of Life. This online course runs from Wed. 2 Feb. 2022 to Mon. 28 Feb. 2022 with e-mails on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"In this one-month program, he focuses on two advantages in reading fairy tales: to explore hidden powers that we can adopt and to find unexpected insights that can help us deal with life’s challenges."

"This e-course doesn’t “psychologize” fairy tales, as some writers do, but instead looks for the codes and patterns that shed light, in a way that old fairy tales can, on being human. Reading them, reflecting upon them, and discussing them, we discover fresh angles on the human adventure, plus many examples of clever and magical powers useful when we are facing overwhelming obstacles."

Moore presents these fairy tales:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Frog Prince
The Demoness (Africa)
The Gingerbread Man
Puss in Boots
The Valiant Tailor
The Three Pigs
The Mirror (Japan)
Hansel and Gretel
The Firebird
The Emperor's New Clothes

Tuition: $69.95

Moore's first e-course about fairy tales is available now on-demand from S&P. It was offered in 2019 and you may access the materials at your own pace for individual study. Tuition: $49.95

Soul Psychology Course Three starts 11 Feb. 2022

Register now for Thomas Moore's third course in Soul Psychology at https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/81485/about that starts with an half-hour live video introduction on Friday 11 Feb. 2022 at 12:00 noon ET. Reading materials for Lesson One are available on this date. Moore's first one-hour live lecture is on Wednesday 16 Feb. 2022. All webinars are recorded for later viewing.

The introductory video is Friday 11 Feb. at 12:00 noon.

Topics for Course Three are:

Wed. Feb. 16 ..... Aphrodite (Venus)
Wed. Feb. 23 ..... Senex / Puer
Wed. Mar. 2 ....... Work (Opus)
Wed. Mar. 9 ......  How Images House Spirit
Wed. Mar. 16 ....  Natural Magic
Wed. Mar. 23 .... Shunyata (Emptiness)

Wednesday webinars are recorded for later viewing. During the week you may interact with other participants in a chat format following questions posed by Moore based on the weekly readings.

"This course gives you solid ideas about the psyche, using many rich resources such as C. G. Jung, James Hillman, the world's spiritual traditions and the arts. Then with open conversation among participants, with Thomas's comments, gradually you become more sophisticated in your understanding of the psyche and your own soul."

Tuition: $635 USD
Discount applied for students of previous Soul Psychology courses.

Soul Psychology Course 2: Fri Dec. 3 at 12 noon

Thomas Moore's Soul Psychology: Course Two on the Ruzuku platform begins Friday 3 Dec. with a 1/2 hr. introduction and overview at 12 noon. Moore talks about the full program and these particular lessons. Readings are released on the Friday before the Wednesday live webinar. Participants chat throughout the week about the different topics and by responding to each lesson's prompts.

Dec. 3 Fri 12 noon ET Introduction: Live 1/2 hr. webinar

The following Wednesdays have a 1 hr. live webinar at 12 noon:
Dec. 8 ..... Eros and Psyche
Dec. 15 ... Dreams
Dec. 22 ... [Holiday Break]
Dec. 29 ... Hermes, Guide of Souls
Jan. 5 ...... Anima Mundi
Jan. 12 .... Alchemy
Jan. 19 .... Psychological Polytheism

"The course gives you solid ideas about the psyche, using many rich resources such as C. G. Jung, James Hillman, the world's spiritual traditions and the arts. Then with open conversation among participants, with Thomas's comments, gradually you become more sophisticated in your understanding of the psyche and your own soul. The course is useful both personally and professionally."

Tuition: $635.00 US

Three-part series by Moore about James Hillman

Join Thomas Moore in April 2022 for his three-part program The Life and Legacy of James Hillman, hosted by The Retreat at Pacifica Online via Zoom. Sessions are delivered live on Thursday: April 7, 21, 28, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time (1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time).

Over the course of these sessions, Moore discusses:

1. How did James Hillman make valuable additions and corrections to Jung’s work?
"Probably the best example of Hillman’s devotion to Jung and the thrust of his own thought is his book Anima, where one page is Jung writing about anima, the facing page Hillman’s own creative responses. Hillman critiques the use of gender in the concepts of anima and animus. He proposes polytheism instead of wholeness and unity. He suggests focusing on the individual rather than on types."

2. The central roles of Hermes and Aphrodite in James Hillman’s mythological psychology.
Hillman often invoked Hermes as the spirit of paradox, fresh thinking, surprise, ideas as revelations rather than rational conclusions. He felt that Hermes is essential to therapy for allowing insights to appear and for discoveries to be made.

3. How does James Hillman’s Archetypal Psychology translate into cultural renewal, a personal philosophy, and a psychotherapy?
Hillman suggests re-imagining our problems, social and personal, rather than trying to solve them on their own literal terms. He describes therapy as arriving at a new fiction of our predicaments. He understands that soul-making has to be a way of life.

Registration
$225 General Rate
$175 Pacifica Alumni, Full Time Students, & Senior Rate
$125 Pacifica Student Rate

The program link will be sent prior to the event.
For those unable to attend live, each presentation will be recorded and the link shared after the event.

Registration closes 6 April 2022.

Study online with Moore starting Friday 24 Sept.

Thomas Moore starts a new series of Soul Psychology with his Soul Psychology Course One 2021 Introduction on Friday 24 September at 12:00 noon ET. This live webinar is one-half hour with Moore outlining the structure and format of his series that consists of six courses, each with six weekly lessons.

On Friday during the course you can access brief, focused readings that take about an hour each week to study. On the following Wednesday Thomas Moore gives a live talk on the theme made available the previous Friday. The Wednesday webinar, at 12 noon Eastern Time includes Moore's talk and his responses to questions posed in the chat box at that time. It is one hour. During the week you can engage with other participants and Moore in chat format while responding to weekly prompts and questions. You determine how involved you want to be. Wednesday webinars are recorded for those unable to attend the live session and for review.

The Ruzuku platform is intuitive and easy to use.

Course One Tuition: $635 US
Discounts apply for previous participants.

Jung Platform hosts Moore in Sept. & Oct. 2021

Jung Platform hosts two FREE online programs with Thomas Moore in the next two months.

Tuesday Sept. 21 2:00 p.m. ET
Soulful Conversations

"The soul benefits from ongoing attention. One way we can take care of the soul is in our conversations. Thomas Moore will provide ideas and suggestions on how to listen closely, have a caring attitude, and see beneath the surface. How can you have deeply satisfying conversations — conversations that nurture the soul of both persons — with your friends, colleagues, and patients? Thomas Moore shows the way in this free live lecture."

Thursday Oct. 7 12:00 noon ET
Keynote Speaker
Jungian Psychology for a Soulful Life Summit

"Thomas Moore says,'Soul is not a thing but a quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart and personal substance.' In this session, Moore will take us on a way of seeing life that allows us to connect with the soul, especially in the everydayness of life."

Click the links for registration information.

Slow down for contemplation and insights

Earlier this year, Thomas Moore posted the essay "Reflecting on Reflection" on his website thomasmooreSoul.com. It recommends slowing down, integrating thoughts, emotions, passions, and considering wisdom teachers and writings.

Moore's online book launch for Soul Therapy

The New York Open Center hosts Thomas Moore's online book launch for Soul Therapy on Wednesday 4 August 2021 in conversation with Ralph White. How to Spiritually Care for the Soul of Others is a book event, lecture, and question/ answer session that starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time via Zoom.

Moore's "approach to therapy is rooted in a more philosophical and spiritual psychology that is suited to both the professional who wants to go beyond medications and behavior changes, as well as to the everyday person who feels called to help friends and relatives when life gets complicated but doesn’t know what to say."

"Each ticket includes your own hardcover book Soul Therapy: The Art & Craft of Caring Conversations. The book will be mailed after the event to participants with a current U.S. mailing address. We cannot mail the book internationally." If you are joining from outside of the U.S., there is an option for you: "Please email hello@opencenter.org before registering for this event."

Members: $34
Non-Members: $39

Moore talks about new book in 1.5 hr. webinar

Watch Nasos Papadopoulos talk with Thomas Moore in this webinar, ML177 Thomas Moore on Soul Therapy for approximately 1.5 hours. MetaLearn's description includes, "This conversation will give you a fresh perspective of therapy and help you separate the signal from the noise in a world of shallow conversations about mental health."

Soul Psychology course 6 starts on Wednesday

Thomas Moore presents a live webinar at 12:00 noon Eastern time on Wednesday 21 July for the first lesson in Course 6 of his Soul Psychology offering on the Ruzuku platform. Registration for the course is still open and will close soon. Topics for this course have changed slightly from earlier notices. They are:

July 21 .. Soul of medicine
July 28 .. Soul of sex
Aug 4 .... Fairy tales
Aug 11 .. Hephaistos: god of craft
Aug 18 .. Emily Dickinson & Henry David Thoreau
Aug 27 .. Soul of Aging

Moore draws on works of Carl G. Jung, James Hillman, Greek mythology, alchemy, and his own writings. The introductory webinar is available now for participants to view.

"Become a soul-sensitive human being, able to live a meaningful life and guide others with depth. The soul is central to our humanity, intimate connections, spiritual vision, mental health and joy. In this course you will be introduced to Archetypal Psychology and the value of the arts, myth, and dreams for healing. This course is the [sixth] of a series that leads to the possibility of a certificate of attendance in soul-centered psychology. You can start anywhere in the cycle of courses and complete the round of six."

TUITION: $211.66 US per month for 3 months ($635.00)

Moore answers questions about his new book

On The Mountain Life for 16 June 2021, Lynn Ware Peek and Pete Stoughton talk with Thomas Moore about "Building the Framework to be a Soul Friend" for KPCW. In this 26 minute chat, Moore describes his new book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations. Click the link and listen.

Study online with Thomas Moore starting in July

Thomas Moore's next Soul Psychology course starts 16 July 2021. This is the last course in the current cycle of six courses. Sign up for Course 6 on the Ruzuku platform. Topics are: 
Hephaistos: Craft and Beauty
The Soul of Sex
Fairy Tales
A Life in Art
Lessons in Soul: Emily Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau
Aging throughout Life

Tuition: $635.00 USD

Watch Moore talk about riches of nature

In this recent webinar for The Centre of Nature Connection, Georgina Langdale talks with Thomas Moore about nature and end of life care. Watch this 42 minute video on Youtube by clicking the link above.

Join Moore's next Soul Psychology course May 14

Thomas Moore's next six-week Soul Psychology course begins Friday 14 May, 2021 with a half-hour introduction at 12:00 Noon ET. Lessons for Course 5 are:

May 19 ... Relationships
May 26 ... Jesus as a Mythic Figure
June 2 .... Creativity
June 9 .... Asclepius
June 16 .. A Therapeutic Way of Life & Culture
June 23 .. Dark Eros

This course introduces you "to Archetypal Psychology and the value of the arts, myth, and dreams for healing. This course is the fifth of a series that leads to the possibility of a certificate of attendance in soul-centered psychology. You can start anywhere in the cycle of courses and complete the round of six."

Tuition: $635.00 USD

Register for free webinar on Sun 13 June 2021

Register for the free Zoom webinar Thomas Moore: Soul Therapy hosted by Banyen Books & Sound on Sunday 13 June, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 a.m. PT).

Moore talks about his new book Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations that is released by HarperOne Publishers on May 25. Order it now.

Publisher: HarperOne

Publication Date: May 25, 2021

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 304

ISBN-10: 0063071436

ISBN-13: 978-0063071438

In-person keynote speaker at mental health event

Thomas Moore is a keynote speaker at the Lowcountry Mental Health Conference planned for July 28-30, 2021 in Charleston, South Carolina. The conference provides "professional development training to mental health professionals" and offers in-person and virtual registration.

July 29, 2021; 3:45pm – 5:00pm
Psychotherapy as Care of the Soul
Keeping the Soul Thriving Through the Therapeutic Process

"Soul is our depth, the source of our identity and vitality. It needs care of those things important to it: family, home, food, friends, sexuality, work and creativity. Nurture these things, and the soul is content. Neglect them and the soul complains in the form of symptoms. Therapy can keep the soul thriving at a deep level through narrative and dream especially. It helps to be attuned to the deep myths and characters that live through us. The soul also needs big vision and experiences of transcendence. Techniques and theories are not enough to prepare a therapist for such a profound task. The arts and spiritual traditions offer further background for creating a therapeutic situation. In this keynote, Dr. Moore will discuss the ways in which therapists may help nurture the souls of those they serve.

Objectives:
– Through interactive discussion and presentation of case examples, participants will analyze and be able to distinguish soul and spirit, soul and psyche, therapy and care.
– Participants will be able to describe and show how dreams and myth play a role in therapy, and how practically to use them.
 – Through case examples and discussion participants will better define therapy to include attention to spirit as well as soul and see the therapist as a spiritual director to some extent.

July 30, 2021 Lunch Session 11:30am – 12:45pm
Alchemy, Dreamwork and Magic in Therapy
ROOM: Salon Room 2
CAPACITY: 90

"Therapy has an alchemical aspect that includes building a vessel, putting problems into a narrative “solution,” heating and cooling the process, dissolving and congealing the material, the prima materia. Dreamwork gives hints as to what is going on at a lower level and helps deepen life altogether. Magic is the power of the therapist to use words effectively and to create an environment in which emotional health rises out of conflict and confusion.

In this break-out session, Dr. Moore will explore the deeper therapeutic process using the themes of alchemy and magic as both metaphor and guidepost.

Objectives:
– Through in depth discussion and analysis, participants will reach beyond modernist assumptions to find value in dreams, alchemy and magic, and to apply this new information in their daily clinical work.
– Participants will apply skills in seeing the colors, processes and images of alchemy at work in therapy.
– Through small group discussions, participants will demonstrate deeper elements of therapeutic process as defined by Dr. Moore using the themes of alchemy and magic as both metaphor and guideposts to understanding the roots of life problems.

Watch Thomas Moore's free one-hour Q&A podcast interview recorded in October for this event.

Moore talks about work, soul, history, pandemic

Thomas Moore joins Nasos Papadopoulos for a two-part podcast for MetaLearning. Listen to the sessions now.

ML156 PART 1
Thomas Moore on Finding your Calling, Doing Your Life's Work and The Difference between Soul & Spirit
Learn more about the concept of calling, how to produce an impressive body of creative work in your career without retiring to a cabin in the woods and the distinction between soul and spirit and why it matters for everyone.
40 minutes

ML157 PART 2
Thomas Moore on Fostering Creative Collaborations, Exploring the Human Psyche and The Soul Impact of Working from Home
Discover the art of fostering creative collaboration, the core ideas and thinkers who have advanced our understanding of the human psyche and how the pandemic and online communication has affected the soul aspects of our work experience.
44 minutes

Watch Moore in two brief Facebook videos

If you have a Facebook account, you may enjoy these two short videos hosted by Marcus McKinney who talks with Thomas Moore. McKinney is currently with Day Kimbell Healthcare.

Feb. 25 2021
Soul Therapy
Moore's new book Soul Therapy will be released 25 May 2021 by HarperOne Books.

Mar. 6 2021
The Nation's Soul

Each video is less than 1/2 hour.

Medicine Path's Care of the Soul Part 2 interview

Last month, Medicine Path uploaded its audio podcast with Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul Part 2. This audio interview is approximately 48 minutes and offers fresh insights:
— Moore's views of eldership and aging
— keeping youth and age together 
— approaches to Greek mythology 
— Moore's friendship with James Hillman and Hillman's death
— the nature of the soul
— Moore's forthcoming book Soul Therapy

Care of the Soul Part 1 was uploaded almost a year ago, on March 1, 2020. It is a visual podast, approximately one hour.

Brian James curates Medicine Path's offerings at https://medicinepathpodcast.com.

Speaking as Elder for Pacifica Graduate Institute

Thomas Moore is keynote speaker at the online conference, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. It occurs Friday 12 November, 2021 to Sunday 14 November 2021, hosted by The Retreat at Pacifica Graduate Institute via Zoom. 

Keynote: The Fulfilled Elder: Thomas Moore 

"The key to a sense of peace and fulfillment in old age is to have been an Elder from the beginning and to remain young in later years. If you have really lived, accepted the opportunities life has given you, and fostered a relationship with the infinite that saturates you and your world, then old age, with all of its challenges, will feel like a blossoming. You will feel it even more as you present the story of your soul to others and offer them guidance."

Learning Objectives:
1. Connect the imagination of aging with the actual lived experience.
2. Explore the spirituality that naturally can arise in old age.
3. Learn deep ways to leave a legacy, foresee the future, and be a good ancestor.
4. Describe how to be a noble teacher in old age.

Conference Registration 

- $225.00 Pacifica Student Rate
- $275.00 Pacifica Alumni, Full Time Students & Senior Rate
- $325.00 General Rate

Next Soul Psychology course begins March 12

The fourth course in Thomas Moore's Soul Psychology series begins Friday 12 March, 2021 with an one-half hour live introduction by Moore at 12:00 noon ET. This course is six weeks with new readings posted on Friday. The live lecture with Q&A chat follows on Wednesday.

Live introductory session: Friday 12 March, 2021 12:00 noon ET 

1. Wed March 17    Goddess Artemis
2. Wed March 24   Shadow: Archetypal & Personal
3. Wed March 31    Coupling / Uncoupling
4. Wed April 7        Beauty & the Soul of things
5. Wed April  14     James Hillman: Anima
6. Wed April 21      A Religion of One's Own

Ruzuku hosts the course. Registration is now open. Registration closes once the course begins. Students of a previous course receive a discount. Students who have completed the six-course series receive a greater discount. Completion of six courses with consultation may lead to a certificate of attendance.

S&P hosts Moore's Gospel course for Lent 2021

Spirituality & Practice promotes Thomas Moore's on-demand Gospel course for Lent 2021. This program "was originally offered during Lent in 2011 and is formatted to run from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday:" The Spirituality of the Gospels

"Using his fertile imagination, drawing upon his own translations of the Gospels, Moore offers fresh interpretations to deepen and enliven anyone's spiritual life. Calling the texts "intelligent, challenging, and incredibly inspiring," Moore encourages us to take to heart the distinctive imagery of the Gospels and the many insights to be found there about the central themes of the human adventure.

He explores how Jesus gives us a rounded and ripe sense of the kingdom of God; challenges our long-accepted ideas about purity, wealth, and power; and gives us parables that turn things upside down. Sayings by and stories about Jesus model a path of love, empathy, sharing, self-possession, sensuality, and treating all people well."

Fee: $65.00

Watch Moore webinar about Covid-19 Dark Night

Watch Thomas Moore's two-hour webinar for Seattle's East West Bookshop recorded Friday 22 January, 2021: "Caring for your Soul in this Dark Night". Moore talks about our current times, helpful approaches, and historical aids. He shares personal stories to illustrate his insights and he answers questions posed by those attending the live event. Moore's discussion is warm and far ranging, touching on mythology, Jungian psychology, religion, and our need for intelligence.

"He describes this unusual experience as a liminal state, strangely out of the ordinary and yet still a rite of passage. He offers hope and strategies for redeeming the pain, fear and unsettling feelings of this global and local nightmare, making it count as a period of growth rather than just a problem to get through. It's all about how you imagine it and see your life advancing because of it."

Soul Therapy book cover for 25 May 2021 release

Thomas Moore's new book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations, published by HarperOne, is available 25 May 2021.

The book is divided into five sections:
1. What therapy or “soul care” is and how it works;
2. What soul work is required of the helper to be able to address the needs of others;
3. How to access and move forward the spiritual dimension;
4. How to apply this work to specific areas, such as work, marriage, parenting, or teaching;
5. How to deal with other issues that arise, such as developing a therapeutic style, dealing with one’s shadow, and the need for self-care.

Publisher : HarperOne
Date: May 25, 2021
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0063071436
ISBN-13 : 978-0063071438

New Soul Psychology course starts Friday 8 Jan.

The third course in Thomas Moore's second Soul Psychology series begins Friday 8 January, 2021 with an one-half hour live introduction by Moore at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. This course is six weeks with new readings posted on Friday. The live lecture with Q&A chat follows on Wednesday.

Live introductory session: Friday 8 January, 2021 12:00 noon ET 

1. Wed 13 Jan 12:00  Goddess Aprodite
2. Wed 20 Jan 12:00 Senex & Puer
3. Wed 27 Jan 12:00  Alchemy: Part 2
4. Wed  3  Feb  12:00  Images house spirit
5. Wed 10 Feb  12:00  Natural Magic
6. Wed 17  Feb  12:00  Emptiness (Shunyata)

Ruzuku hosts the course. Registration is open now. Registration closes once the course begins. Students of a previous course receive a discount. Students who have completed the six-course series receive a greater discount. Completion of six courses with consultation may lead to a certificate of attendance.

Give the gift of the season for everyone, a classic

This year Thomas Moore shares a Christmas message about his classic book, The Soul of Christmas: "Christmas is one of the most holy and meaningful of times, but people don’t always understand its depth and universality.

Some think it is mainly for children, but it also appeals to the child spirit in adults. It evokes the eternal, archetypal and mythic child. C. G. Jung, the spiritually oriented Swiss psychoanalyst, writes that images of a child point to all beginnings in life, all kinds of renewal and possibilities. So Christmas is about the eternal child, in us and in our culture, its new beginnings and its hope for a peaceful world.

Some think that Christmas is too commercial, but maybe they don’t realize that gift-giving is a perfect ritual expression of its very essence.

Some are confused about whether they should honor Christmas since they are not Christian. Yet the roots of Christmas lie far deeper than Christianity. Christmas is a religious or spiritual festival, but it comes from a religious sensibility deep in every human being, and it belongs to everyone.

Santa Claus is a truly holy figure, an example for all of us at this time. His name, Santa, means saint or holy person, and he embodies one of the main virtues and values of Christmas: the spirit of giving and generosity. He offers an example of how we might behave if we relaxed the narcissistic fantasy of ownership and the hoarding of money and property that is such a pillar of modern life.

Christmas is a liminal time, an unusual period when the normal ways are turned upside down, allowing us to reassess our values. Santa teaches radical generosity and an economic system of gift-giving. Santa’s way is not communistic or socialistic but an example of giving of yourself rather than always trying to take and possess.

The story of Jesus’s birth, so beautiful and inspiring, also speaks to everyone who holds an image of a better world motivated less by narcissistic self-interest and more by generosity of heart. Jesus as infant is our world in the infancy of its maturing toward universal love.

A few years ago I wrote a book that was published by Franciscan Media, appropriately by monks dedicated to the selfless and heart-centered philosophy of St. Francis. In this book I explore many “symbols” of Christmas — the tree, the star, animals, a stable, a struggling mother — and show how anyone, no matter what their background and beliefs may be, can deepen their appreciation for this meaningful season.

Yes, we may become too frazzled by shopping, even online. But these excesses don’t take away the essential beauty of this annual ritual that is tied closely to the short, dark days of December and the return of light, a sign of hope and the end of emotional darkness.

Here are links to purchase my book, The Soul of Christmas, which might brighten and deepen your experience of this inspirational season. Buy at Franciscan Media or Amazon.

Wishing you a beautiful holiday,
Thomas Moore