About

Our purpose is to provide resources for spiritual seekers who are keenly interested in experiencing the ultimate reality, or God. Our equally important goal is to counteract the tide of bogus spiritual teachings and less-than-upstanding teachers that contribute to the at-times contemporary spiritual wasteland, which is frequently steeped in materialism and politics, and is far removed from the divine. We oppose the watering down of mysticism, the secularization of spirituality, and the intellectualization of the mystical experience, which is ineffable and wholly non-rational. We encourage aspirants to employ a discerning mindset by using discrimination and critical thinking in their spiritual searches. We take an eclectic and universal approach, expressing reverence and respect for all traditional mystical paths.

We reference the time-honored teachings from mystics of all religious traditions, especially Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism. Two of our main philosophical sources are the Christian mystical tradition and the principles of Vedanta, as well as additional sources both Eastern and Western. Two of our primary inspirations are Jesus of Nazareth and Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), who championed an all-inclusive religious approach. However, we do not promote any one church, nor do we proselytize. We also source modern philosophers, from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Søren Kierkegaard to Gerald Heard.

Since 2001, John Roger Barrie has served as literary executor of influential author, historian, and philosopher Gerald Heard (1889–1971). He is the creator and publisher of geraldheard.com. He has overseen reissues of 17 classic Gerald Heard titles, both nonfiction and fiction. In addition, he served as a regional freelance writer and editor for many years.

For more than four decades, Mr. Barrie has practiced spiritual disciplines from many different religious traditions and has studied with and received blessings from numerous spiritual teachers. Raised a Catholic, he has intentionally followed the spiritual path since 1974, branching out thereafter to embrace an interfaith approach while maintaining his Christian roots. His interfaith approach incorporates teachings and practices from several spiritual paths, including the rich mystical traditions from his native Catholicism, and the universal principles advanced by the respected, interfaith-oriented Ramakrishna-Vedanta tradition, of which he is an authorized lay instructor. However, he does not promote himself as a spiritual preceptor, preferring instead the more informal role of one who enjoys sharing authentic spiritual teachings and resources with fellow wayfarers on the path.

Hailing from a background in Christian mysticism and interfaith mystical paths, and more then forty years of association with two distinguished lineages — the Ramakrishna-Vedanta line of succession and the legacy of Gerald Heard — Mr. Barrie’s decades-long emphasis on experiential spiritual realization and his firsthand familiarity with diverse spiritual traditions has imbued him with a fluent knowledgebase and practical outlook when addressing the subtleties of the mystical path.

John Roger Barrie lives in Northern California with his wife. Sign up for his blogposts, and follow him on Twitter.

We welcome your feedback at Explorations in Contemporary Spirituality.