Greetings Brothers!

Let's celebrate MARCH, and the coming of SPRING!

I have been sharing my latest book find with everyone I know, so I thought I ought to mention it here as well. Is Your God Big Enough? Close Enough? You Enough?: Jesus and the Three Faces of God by Paul R. Smith with a foreword by Richard Rohr and afterword by Ken Wilber. I think this will resonate with you if you are reading this newsletter. I find Smith’s discussion on mysticism very understandable and compelling. I love his definitions of the Kingdom of God and Holy Spirit. I also appreciated his openness to the reader’s difficulty or disagreement with his material.

While I am mentioning books, I will also highlight The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe by Richard Rohr. This is Richard’s latest book out today. “Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus’ last name? Too often," Rohr writes, "our understandings have been limited by culture, religious squabbling, and the human tendency to put ourselves at the center.”

Be sure to check out and listen to Another Name for Every Thing — A Podcast with Richard Rohr, a twelve-part conversation series on the themes of his new book. Richard is joined by two students of the Christian contemplative path, Brie Stoner and Paul Swanson, who seek to integrate the wisdom of The Universal Christ amidst diapers, disruptions, and the shifting state of our world.

If you are reading this newsletter, then you have also been seeing notices about The Enneagram: Along the Journey of Illumination. I know that we have been promoting this heavily, and I don’t want to say too much more. But let me emphasize that we strongly believe in this retreat and are committed. We need your support and participation. Please spread the word. Brad Pickel, who is Illuman’s administrator, will be sharing his extensive knowledge of the Enneagram in some unique ways, showing how we can use this tool in Illuman’s Journey of Illumination for our own spiritual transformation. He will use teaching, Council, music, film clips, ritual, and Gurdjieff movement to give us a full picture of this spiritual tool.
 
Brad most recently led an Enneagram retreat co-sponsored by Illuman of PA. Paul Meister, Convener of Illuman of PA shares, “The testimonials I received verbally after the retreat and the written ones that are rolling in via email now are a testament to how well it went. Brad was nothing short of superb in his delivery of the nine types and the welcoming atmosphere he created. It was very powerful for me to observe the connections and interactions that people had throughout the weekend.”

The newsletter would not be complete without a reminder to keep the Young Men’s Rites of Passage this July 25-28, 2019 in mind. We need your help in locating prospective initiates and serving as an elder on the rites.

So read up, listen up, and show up. Ho!
Chuck Rihm, Convener
Ohio Chapter of Illuman

MEET OTHER MEN COMMITTED TO BECOMING BETTER, MORE AUTHENTIC MEN.