For the Mystically Inclined
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About the Book
There is a mystical dimension within each of us, a realm of soul and spirit that may or may not find expression in conventional religious terminology. Nothing contributes more to one's innermost sense of vitality and place in the cosmos than this mystical consciousness waiting to be cultivated. The poems in For The Mystically Inclined bring this mystical consciousness to bear on a wide variety of subjects and situations, ranging from evolution to animal friends to sports, from Native Americans to insects to Jesus, from natural highs to current events to rural themes, from the imponderables of war, addiction and death to relationships with ancestors, lifepartner and children. Not surprisingly, the spotlight also falls on the three areas of activity to which the author devotes most of his waking hours: parenting, counseling and writing. There is no logical sequence to the chapters in the book. The reader is invited, therefore, to begin wherever she or he is prompted, reading as little or as much as feels right. Following the lead where the resonance is strongest cultivates the mystic within.
About the Author
Originally from Cincinnati, Charles Finn spent ten years in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) upon graduating from high school. With degrees in English Literature and Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, he became a high school teacher and then a mental health counselor before relocating with his wife in 1979 to the mountains of Virginia. He lives near Fincastle with his family and commutes to nearby Salem where he is a professional counselor. Finn has written poetic reflections on a variety of subjects over the years and has compiled a number of books for publication. Circle of Grace: In Praise of Months and Seasons and Natural Highs: An Invitation to Wonder have both been published by Winston-Derek and are available for purchase from the author. Currently he has turned to prose and is working on two Civil War-related books, one focusing on the centrality of the slavery issue in the build-up to the war and the other on the process of healing, still unfinished, after the war. All of Finn's writings bear upon the spirit-journey. His own has been grounded in Catholicism and richly nourished by Jesuit, Taoist, Native American, Creation-Centered and Quaker spiritualities.