Grounded Spirituality

by Jeff Brown Narrated by Jeff Brown

Overview

In this courageous, leading-edge book, Jeff Brown takes us on the spiritual ride of a lifetime.

In Part One, we join him on an engaging, often hilarious, and compelling personal journey through decades of tasting from a banquet of spiritual approaches. Through his direct experience, fierce exploration, and scintillating discernment, Brown exposes the fragmented, ungrounded, and dissociative notions of spirituality that have imprisoned our consciousness and obstructed our awakening since time immemorial. In his cuttingly straight style, he reveals that much of what we have been calling “spirituality” is actually a patriarchal, emotionally bereft construct that perpetuates our self-avoidance. He then proves to us-point by brilliant point-that true spirituality is a whole-being awakening that wonderfully embraces our entire human experience.

In Part Two of Grounded Spirituality, Brown engages in a riveting dialogue with an ungrounded seeker named “Michael.” Their dialogues unfurl in warmth, humor, playfulness, and personal story, threaded with challenging confrontation and cutting truth. Hands-on exercises are dispersed throughout, providing listeners with a direct experience of a new, inclusive model. Here the author lays down the tracks for a more balanced, heartfelt, and relational spirituality-one that leaves us “enrealed,” integrated, and purposeful.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

'Jeff Brown is an iconoclastic visionary about intimate matters. There aren't many of those around, since most modern geniuses seem devoted to seemingly more glamorous and critical matters like artificial intelligence, 3-D printers, and smart chips implanted in our brains. But the truth is--at least in my view--revolutionizing the way we do our inner work and craft our intimate relationships is the most important action we can take to transform the world. And Jeff provides potent ideas to help us do just that. His rigorous imagination is in service to creating a more emotionally intelligent culture.When I read his words, I get riled up in all the best ways. He disrupts my habitual thought grooves, which inevitably leads to unexpected healings and inspirations. These days the word 'soul' gets carelessly bandied around by many lazy and sloppy thinkers, but Jeff is not one of them. He is reverent and impeccable, an astute connoisseur of the soul and its needs.' --Rob Brezsny, author of the weekly column 'Free Will Astrology' and the book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia;

'Jeff Brown never disappoints, and his latest book, Grounded Spirituality, is no exception. Jeff is a uniquely human sage-preacher-man for the most cutting-edge,revolutionary, evolutionary take on human spirituality. There is nothing more needed in this broken world than the re-emergence of a human culture that deeply honors that which is real--the worthy dirt of this earth, the smile from a stranger, the tears we all shed at the moment of a loved one's death, our flesh and bones... these are the sacred meditation objects of Jeff Brown's Grounded Spirituality. In this book, Jeff offers his vulnerable and ever-so-human heart, through his own personal story of spiritual struggle and revelation. He also takes on the role of a wisened sage, reminiscent of an ancient Vedic teacher-student conversation style. Most impressively, this book places its finger on the exact pulse of cutting-edge spiritual development--a place that honors tradition, while at the same time, dramatically breaking from its harmful patriarchal shackles. While reading this book, I could feel the Goddess smiling.' --Katie Silcox, New York Times Best-Selling author of Healthy, Happy, Sexy--Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women;

'Anyone who has felt the least confusion on their spiritual path should immediately get a copy of Grounded Spirituality and start reading. With laser precision, Jeff Brown dissects what passes for wisdom in much of today's spiritual teachings, slices away the illusions, and lays bare the simple truth: to grow into your spirituality is to grow into your humanity, in all its connected, tender, messy, luminous embodiment. And simple as that truth is, Brown doesn't pretend that the path to a fully embodied humanity is a piece of cake. He renders the pitfalls and rewards of that journey poignantly clear in a fictionalized dialogue that carries the reader towards a personal renewal of their own sacred purpose. The clear-eyed passion that fueled this book helps bring us closer to the future we all need.' --Philip Shepherd, author of Radical Wholeness and New Self, New World;

'This is a crucial book that needs to be thoroughly read, explored and discussed. Jeff Brown eagerly invites us to look into the utmost importance of a grounded spirituality. At a time when much of spirituality has diverted us away from our true individual self, our authenticity, and our sense of social and ecological solidarity, this book orients us back to a spirituality rooted in our humanity and in our participation in the struggle of the world for greater freedom and justice. This book is a much needed masterpiece!' --Chris Saade, author of Second Wave Spirituality, and co-author of Evolutionary Love Relationships;

'With absolutely naked transparency, Jeff Brown, in Grounded Spirituality shares his complicated spiritual journey--the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. He recounts the twists and turns of his path without any narcissistic indulgence, but with an outpouring of broken-open vulnerability and courage. Jeff shows us that we are already divine, and our work is not necessarily to become 'more spiritual,' but to immerse ourselves in the life-altering process of becoming wholly human, wholly here, wholly present to our embodied existence on this planet.' --Carolyn Baker, author of Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and The Global Crisis, and co-author with Andrew Harvey of Return to Joy,and Savage Grace: Living Resiliently In The Dark Night of The Globe;

'Jeff Brown's wisdom in Grounded Spirituality--the idea that 'life is the only real spiritual teacher' --resonates deeply with my own lived experience and with what I have witnessed with my clients and students. He articulates so well how our truest path includes our stories, our emotions, and especially our bodies... that our bodies not only house our souls--they are inseparable from them while we walk this earth. The exercises woven with the story will support any seeker to become a 'finder.' I believe Alexander Lowen and John Pierrakos would proudly recommend Grounded Spirituality if they were still embodied. I know I will recommend it to my students.' --Kate Holt, RN, Core Energetics Practitioner and Teacher. Executive Director, Institute of Core Energetics;

'There are certain themes that wash through the works of Jeff Brown. They touch the reader with different colors and textures, but the intention remains the same. His message is grounded in human vulnerability with the desire, the longing, for a connection to the wonder of the Divine whilst remaining utterly true to our human nature. He is a breath of fresh air in these times of rapid and uncompromising change. This book is like a warm hand that reaches for yours with the promise of safe passage.' --Anaiya Sophia, author of Sacred Sexual Union, and Fierce, Fierce Feminine: One Woman's Journey to Find Her Authentic Voice;

'Jeff Brown, who has long been known for his bold,passionate, and grounded approach to life and spirituality, has written an epic saga about truth, freedom, spirit, and what it means to be divinely human. He blends wisdom, humor, and illuminating moments of autobiography into a lively conversation that takes people out of their heads and returns them to their bodies--where our messy human emotions live. This is a book that vibrates with life, sensuality, and a willingness to embrace our humanity without apology. Jeff's compassion for the human condition may well be the antidote for the kind of apathy that has torn people away from their tenderness and ability to care for themselves, one another, and our planet. But don't expect easy answers here--Jeff's generous account of his journey emboldens all of us to step wholeheartedly into the questions and accept the call to adventure that life is offering. This is a book I want every human being, young and old, to pick up and read!' --Kelly McNelis, founder of 'Women For One', and author of Your Messy Brilliance.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169524994
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	03/30/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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