Spiritual Rebel

A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective and Higher Purpose

Sarah Bowen

Paperback
978-1-948626-04-0
US $15.95
eBook available
June 2019

Spirituality that draws on ancient wisdom and modern pop culture to help anyone connect with their true calling

"A lighthearted, upbeat take on questions that have churned within human minds for millennia."―Spirituality & Health Book Review

“With a balance of careful scholarship and refreshing irreverence, Spiritual Rebel offers a treasure map to the best of the wisdom traditions.”―Mirabai Starr, author of Wild Mercy

“A must-read for anyone seeking to find or deepen their spiritual path.”―Francesco Mastalia, author of Yoga: The Secret of Life

Bringing together insights from a wide range of traditions―from Taoism to Jediism to Yoga to Science to Christianity and more―Spiritual Rebel encourages readers to explore their own personal spiritual style and life purpose.

Mining the world’s philosophical, scientific, and wisdom traditions, Spiritual Rebel offers a three-week program of unconventional spiritual practices. Each day readers choose from a variety of creative activities to try out including forest bathing, meditation with animals, visio divina, kirtan, sacred reading, and visiting spiritually charged locations, just to name a few.

Throughout the book, Sarah divulges juicy tidbits from her own spiritually rebellious journey. A preacher’s kid originally inspired by the Force of Star Wars, she confesses her challenges with her birth religion, descent into addiction, and recovery into a life where everything can be sacred.

Combining pop culture with ancient wisdom, Spiritual Rebel draws on the interfaith wisdom of Wayne Teasdale, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Dr. Andrew Newberg, A.H. Almas, David Spangler, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, John Muir, Dr. Qing Li, Sarah Wilson, Leonard Felder, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Diane Berke, Thich Nhat Hanh, Madeleine L'Engle, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Krishna Das, Phyllis Curott, Belden C. Lane, Albert Einstein, and many others.

An indispensable guide for seekers, those in spiritual communities, agnostics, atheists, mystics, and the spiritual-but-not-religious, Spiritual Rebel is for anyone who desires meaningful experiences without having to commit exclusively to one path or fear they might be “doing it wrong.” The diverse collection of interspiritual practices and resources will inspire the Force within you, by whatever name you call it.

Sarah Bowen is a multifaith spiritual educator and speaker, and an aspiring Jedi.

As a member of One Spirit Interfaith Seminary’s faculty, Spiritual Directors International, and several recovery communities, she seeks to help others connect with the higher power of their own understanding. Passionate about the world’s great faith traditions, Sarah is a graduate of One Spirit and has studied at Chicago Theological Seminary, Emerson Theological Institute, Chopra Center, and Omega Institute. She is especially interested in the intersection of animal welfare and spiritual values and a fierce advocate for all creatures, and she currently serves as an animal chaplain.

Before starting her spiritual journey, Sarah spent a few decades as a designer and brand strategist in New York City. Her first book, Void If Detached: Seeking Modern Spirituality Through My Father’s Old Sermons (Epigraph Publishing, 2017), has received several awards.

Sarah splits her time between New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and the Hudson Valley, where she lives with her artist husband Sean Bowen, two rebellious black cats named Deacon and Buba-ji, Picasso the rescued goldfish, Max the squirrel, and a backyard full of yet-to-be-named critters.

Connect at thisissarahbowen.com or follow her on Instagram @modernreverend.

“Spiritual Rebel makes discovering spirituality fun! In this modern-day approach, Sarah's wisdom, wit, and knowledge take us on an illuminating journey of discovery. A must-read for anyone seeking to find or deepen their spiritual path.” —Francesco Mastalia, author of Yoga: The Secret of Life

“Part interfaith instigator, part spiritual sister, Sarah Bowen will kindly and impishly guide you to the next step of your journey to your own true heart.”—Barbara Becker, blogger All Beings Everywhere

“Sarah Bowen’s Spiritual Rebel is a Jedi-infused, interspiritual smorgasbord of personal-universally attuned stories and activities that can be tried out, tossed out, worked through, and which will awaken and encourage the depth and breadth of ourselves to flourish, even in the chaos of our times. Accessible, a little snarky, a little sweet, Sarah brings us along on a great journey of larger-Self discovery!”—Leslie Reambeault, LCSW, eco-spiritual psychotherapist, interspiritual mentor, and author of the forthcoming Meeting Death: Mapping the Territory for Therapists and Spiritual Companions

“Spiritual Rebel will become a must-read. Sarah’s experience with her religious heritage and her spiritual path will resonate with so many who, like me, have experienced religious trauma and yet still yearn for a deeper connection. The daily practices are practical, powerful, and enlightening. Sarah has a gift of writing, is a gift in spirit, and this book is sacred.”—Karla Kamstra, owner and founder of The Bridge Spiritual Center

"Sarah is a skillful writer who weaves her spiritual knowledge throughout this book while providing simple and practical advice on ways to deepen your own personal spiritual journey. You will want to keep this book within arm's reach so that you can refer to it often."—Reverend Joie Barry, founder of The Gathering of One

“In sum, I found Spiritual Rebel to be a humorous, slightly irreverent, concise guide for people who are searching for meaning—and aren't we all?”—Judy Ranniger-Meza, LCSW

“Spiritual Rebel is a fresh and timely take on religion and spirituality, particularly appealing to those who have outgrown more traditional approaches to 'finding God.' Sarah Bowen is a remarkably engaging writer, using pop culture references in an inviting, highly personal approach that from the first page invites you join her in the exploration of the diverse teachings that many of the world’s religions and spiritual teachers provide. She weaves together the parallels and archetypal characteristics of these teachings that are both provocative and sensible, appealing to the deepest sense of one’s involvement and participation in the Great Mystery. I highly recommend this for anyone who is exploiting new avenues for their spiritual discoveries.” —Dr. Steven Farmer, author of several best-selling books and oracle cards including Animal Spirit Guides and Healing Ancestral Karma

"Asking readers to 'rebel' against spiritual strictures, Bowen draws heavily from the lessons of Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity, but also from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Matrix in an effort to help readers in 'cultivating spiritual moments' through meditation, 'amazing' (pausing to relish nature), listening to music, and even yawning..." — Publishers Weekly

"Do you desire some sense of peace and calm in your life yet resist joining any kind of spiritual group? Has traditional religion left you morally outraged? Or are you simply too busy to read copious sacred texts? If the answer is yes to one or all of the above then this book is for you. Sarah Bowen takes you on a journey through which she finds her own sense of deconstructive spiritual freedom, and invites all to find their own way in and through real living examples in everyday life. Come on, give it a try!" —Meghan Don, Author of The New Divine Feminine: Spiritual Evolution for a Woman's Soul and Meditations with Teresa of Avila: A Journey Into the Sacred

“[Spiritual Rebel] offers wonderful ways to deepen spirituality without compromising your truth. Bowen’s delightful book smashes assumptions and stereotypes while managing deep respect for diverse beliefs. As soon as I finished it, I knew I wanted to read it again and again." —Tami Meise, Media Review in Guide for Spiritual Living: Science of Mind Magazine

“Bowen’s delightful book smashes assumptions and stereotypes while managing deep respect for diverse beliefs. As soon as I finished it, I knew that I wanted to read it again and again.”—Science of Mind

“A spiritual guidebook for the modern-day seeker. Bowen takes the reader on a journey of finding and redefining their beliefs.” —Reedsy

"Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, exceptionally insightful and ultimately inspiring, Spiritual Rebel is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Spirituality collections.” – Midwest Book Review

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