James Twyman – Radical Wisdom for Radical Times

St. Francis of Assisi is considered one of the most radical peacemakers the world has ever seen. Why did he risk his life for what appeared to be an impossible dream?

To apply this story to your own life, James will guide you to consider: how willing am I to enter into a space where discord seems to be dominant, while offering the possibility of peace?

In this first session, you’ll be inspired by St. Francis’ journey, and you’ll discover ways we can apply lessons from St. Francis to a world that is very much in need of spiritual peacemakers.

In this module, you’ll take first steps toward peace, as you:

• Learn how St. Francis was the first inter-religious peacemaker because of his visit to the Sultan al-Kamil of Egypt in 1219 during the Crusades
• Hear stories from James about St. Francis’ life, plus practical ways anyone can use the teachings to create a more peaceful world
• Understand how we can take the lessons from St. Francis’ life and use them to wage peace in the modern world and in our own lives
• Learn St. Francis’ principles for living simply, and discover how to adapt them to your life
• Explore the freedom in not caring what others think

Similar to Siddhartha the Buddha, St. Francis had everything the world claimed was needed to feel rich. And yet after a long illness around the age of 25, he realized that his riches never brought him the richness he actually desired. Thus began a “stripping process” in which he literally stripped naked in front of the entire town of Assisi.

The lessons he taught medieval Europe still apply today: If you want to enjoy life to the fullest, you must give away everything that is not essential and live as simply as possible. Can you devote yourself to a simple life path that helps you achieve what your soul is longing for, as opposed to what your ego craves? If so, the path of St. Francis will speak directly to your heart.

In this module, you’ll:

• Understand why simplification is a major theme today — just look at the tiny house and minimalist movements
• Gain courage to just go at your own pace — while there is much to admire about the fierceness of St. Francis’ vision of simplicity, it was often too intense even for his own brothers
• Explore how St. Francis’ passion came from Lady Poverty (simplicity) as the great lover he was as devoted to as a knight would be to the lady of a castle

St. Francis once said that God wanted him to be a new kind of fool, to let go of the societal constraints that forced him to “fit in” or deny the freedom of fully expressing himself.

The Holy Fool is an archetype that applies not only to Francis, but to mystics from many spiritual traditions. It takes great courage to stand up and appear different or out-of-step.

In this module, a misstep… may not be so bad, as you:

• Break down the common fears and concerns we all have about “looking silly” in front of others, going beyond those fears to embrace a deeper vision for yourself
• Explore ways you can risk going outside the norm and deepening your experience of… everything
• See why James is most excited about sharing this module — considering the fact that he is often called a Holy Fool himself — as he enters a tiny enclosure to spend a year as a modern anchorite
• Find and claim the courage to be out of step with society

St. Francis knew the power of the spiritual fire we’re all called to embrace on the path of inner awareness. He inspired thousands of men and women to leave their homes and everything they owned to live lives dedicated to service. He was on fire with love, and that fire ultimately initiated a time of great inspiration known as the Renaissance.

In this module, you’ll ignite the same fire, as you:

• Learn ways to transform your life and the lives of the people around you
• Understand how you can use that fire to burn away everything that no longer serves your spiritual awakening
• Clarify how to find the others who will support you and who will need your support in return on this flaming path of service

How many times have you seen a statue of St. Francis in a garden or a meditation area? Most people know St. Francis from the legends regarding birds, wolves, and all of nature. Francis related as easily to the animal kingdom as he did to the humans he saw around him every day.

However, these depictions just scratch the surface of his devotion to the environment. St. Francis became the patron of ecology because his entire life was dedicated to seeing ALL creatures as holy. As is common in Indigenous experience, animals and plants are our sisters and brothers; our various environments are just larger rooms to St. Francis.

In this module, you’ll:

• Discover what it was about the saint that made it easy for him to relate to nature, and centuries later to become an inspiration for people who are passionate about conservation and protecting our environment
• Deepen your understanding of how you define yourself in relation to “nature” — are you part of it, or on the outside looking in?
• Learn ways we can bring simple lessons from nature right into our own lives
• Further develop your own passion to impact a world that often seems uninterested in preserving our environment

One of the most famous prayers in history begins with the words “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” In reciting and meditating upon the Prayer of St. Francis, you will become an instrument of peace in your daily life. Just merely living this prayer in a million small ways can change the “big world,” just as it did in Francis’ time 800 years ago.

In this module, you’ll receive the gifts of the journey, as you:

• Read and understand this potent piece of timeless spiritual literature
• Learn the steps to complete surrender, just a simple instrument being played by a master musician of peace
• Receive a tangible experience of actually being that instrument

In a world of do, do, DO!, there has been an understandable counter-emphasis on just being. “I’m a human BEING, not a human DOING” is an often-heard phrase in mindful circles.

Then what is to be said for action? There is a simple formula… Being + Doing = Creating. We are being called upon these days to be more creative than ever when it comes to stimulating our personal lives, society, and culture into thriving. But how much being ? How much doing ?

Finding a balance between action and prayer has been one of the biggest challenges for nearly every spiritual path.

In this module, you’ll return from the journey with gifts for your family and the world, as you:

• Examine how to achieve a balance between being an active promoter of higher consciousness and diving deep into your own devotional practices
• Discover how St. Francis himself was never sure if he found this balance and wavered between a very active ministry and a deep desire for a completely contemplative life
• Understand how thirsty humanity is to discover new ways to achieve this balance
• Begin to use your contemplative practice to initiate a new kind of action in the world — one that is not opposed to anything, but merely embraces fully what actually delights the heart