“I will betroth you to me forever,
I will betroth myself to you in righteousness, by following laws,
in loving kindness and in mercy.
And I will betroth you to me in faith
and only then I will know G-d. “

“Nature speaks. The pivotal act of drawing closer to nature is to learn how to listen,” says painter and art therapist, Peter London. (1) The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cries out for our attention.

For so long I had been longing to have my connection to the Divine deepen. Finally, God said, “Well then, notice that it has, and I can help you with more.”

I came to the mental health field—and even to the intersection of mental health and spirituality—wanting to help, intending to be of service. What I have come to realize is that many people in recovery from mental illness possess a deep spiritual wisdom from which I can learn a great deal.

In an age when storytelling was the primary way to teach, Jesus was a master at telling stories, or parables, that convey the core of a teaching. The parable of the Good Samaritan (1) is more than a story. It is an archetype—a universal story that is played out over and over around the world.

“Through the stairway of existence
We have come to God's Door.”  
—Hafiz (1)

The Sufis are the mystics of the Islamic tradition. As mystics, they seek direct knowledge of God, an elimination of the veils between the individual and the divine (2). 

1
“Mysteriously existing before Heaven and Earth.
Silent and empty.
An unchanging Oneness.
An ever-changing presence.
The Mother of all Life.
Without wishing to define it, I say it is ‘The Whole.’
It is really it is impossible to really give it a name,
But I call it ‘Tao.’ ”
(Lao Tzu)