Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers

The 1,500-year-old spiritual philosophy known as "Desert Wisdom" offers a compelling resources for facing contemporary challenges. Gregory Mayers presents this ancient thought and lifestyle by introducing traditional Wisdom Stories in which characters, actions, and sayings address deep, universal human needs. The lessons emerge from what the author calls "experiencing the wall in life… the emptiness that drains off the meaning and joy of living." These writings, direct accounts of desert monastic life gathered and used by the monks themselves, are brief, loosely-connected passages that range in length from a few sentences to a page or two. The stories are followed by Mayers' provocative interpretations that blend contemporary psychology and contemplative practice with wisdom traditions around the world. Readers with a special interest in the evolution of spiritual consciousness, as well as those who want to look at monastic wisdom for the first time, will find much here to nourish and enlighten their way.