Fetzer Institute

How can we move from an economy of extraction to an economy of #sharedflourishing? What if we reimagined our relationship with land, food production, and food access? What if our manmade urban structures reflected the abundance of creation? On a recent episode of This Great and Complicated Place, host Rich Pérez dove into the concept of who gets to eat what in America’s cities. From redlining to food gaps, resource dependence to neighborhood bodegas, Pérez breaks down, in his own words, “How a society can use urban design and the built environment to restrict access to resources that communities need in order to flourish.” Fetzer Institute is a proud sponsor of the This Great and Complicated Place podcast.

The concept of rest is deeply ingrained in many faiths. A Sabbath ritual can help you regularly center yourself on the Sacred as you manage the busyness of modern life. On a recent episode of The Real Question podcast, host Mauricio Bruce welcomed guest Serena to tackle one of the biggest struggles of the modern, tech-driven world: finding #rest. The host and the member of the What Matters cohort talked about the need to spend less time on phones and more time face to face with community, to trade scrolling for deep conversations, and to embrace joy instead of fear. From Sunday brunch traditions to growth and gardening metaphors, the episode shines a much-needed light on the temptations and addictions of the digital world and the challenges of disconnecting. If you struggle to turn off the news, leave shoptalk behind, and create a safe space to unplug and rest on a regular basis, this one is for you. Fetzer Institute is a proud sponsor of The Real Question podcast.

Retrospectives are an important part of the learning journey. Recently on the #HarryPotter and the Sacred Text podcast, hosts Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile provided an insightful wrap up of their months-long journey spent observing Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince through a spiritual and life-giving lens. Together, they highlighted: -Strengths, weaknesses, and other “character illustrative moments.” -The unique roles of some of the main characters. -Parallels between Dumbledore and Moses. -The ethical complexities of building human weapons. -The major takeaways from Harry Potter’s final year at Hogwarts. The thoughtful evaluation offers fresh insights on a popular book that has heavily influenced modern culture. It is a worthwhile episode to listen to as the show prepares to head into the seventh and final book of the series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Fetzer Institute is a proud sponsor of the Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast.

It’s Here! ?? A More Perfect Union by Adam Russell Taylor is now available! Grab your copy today! Keep up with Adam for all things new from Sojourners at @sojogram! #AMorePerfectUnion #BelovedCommunity #BookRelease #JusticeForAll #RadicalWelcome

Today we celebrate the game of baseball and our founder, John Fetzer, Detroit Tigers owner 1956-1983, with this poem, A Homily in the Church of Baseball. “You’ll see. We will be born again, as we always are, every year, every spring, always, always.”

Can we open ourselves to the sacred in every dimension of life? This week’s Sacred Meditation at the Fetzer Institute invites us into the practice of Keras Meditation, inspired by Father Thomas Keating. Keras Meditation has two core dimensions: vertical and horizontal. The vertical invites us into stillness and silence. We begin by welcoming a sacred symbol — a single word or phrase that rises naturally from within, like "peace," "love," or "I am enough." We then rest in the presence of that symbol, allowing it to guide us into deeper awareness and transformation. The horizontal invites reflection on sacred text. Together, we reflect on a passage from Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower: "Your teachers are all around you, all that you perceive, all that you experience, all that is given to you or taken from you, all that you love or hate, need or fear will teach you if you will learn." With each repetition, we listen for what resonates. Which words catch our attention? What lessons can we carry into our daily lives? Keras Meditation calls us to pause, reflect, and recognize that our greatest teachers are all around us — in moments of joy, challenge, love, and loss. How might you invite the sacred into your daily moments? #sacredmeditation #kerasmeditation #spiritualawakening #contemplativepractice #innerpeace #mindfulnesspractice #octaviabutler #fetzerinstitute https://lnkd.in/gZ-NHRWy

Last year, Sara C., Jen Bailey, and Michelle Scheidt — members of the Fetzer community — contributed to a powerful research project exploring the intersection of spirituality and systems change. Now, that wisdom is being shared with the world! The newly released guides offer: - Reflections on the role of spiritual practice in transformation - Stories and teachings from diverse traditions - Tools for integrating sacred experiences into social change work We invite you to read, share, and reflect on how spirituality shapes your change-making work. Access the guides here: https://lnkd.in/gzaxtW3s

How often do we pause to offer ourselves the same grace we extend to others? This week’s Sacred Meditation at the Fetzer Institute invites us into a loving-kindness (metta) practice—first turning inward with compassion, then expanding our care outward. We begin by offering love to ourselves, then to those we hold dear, those we find difficult, and ultimately, to all beings everywhere. Through this practice, we cultivate a foundation of hope, healing, and interconnectedness. As we dedicate time for the benefit of all, we affirm that we may: - know love - know grace - and be free from suffering. What would change if you led with loving-kindness today? #sacredmeditation #lovingkindness #leadwithgrace #connectionandhealing #fetzerinstitute

How often do we see rest as something to "earn" instead of something we’re already worthy of? This week’s Sacred Meditation at the Fetzer Institute calls us to rethink rest through the lens of liturgy, drawing on the words of Cole Arthur Riley’s Black Liturgies. This practice moves through prayer, breathwork, confession, forgiveness, and reflection — all centered around rest as an act of sacred defiance. We begin with breathwork, repeating this powerful reminder: "Inhale: I deserve more than exhaustion. Exhale: I return to myself." Through confession, we acknowledge the systems that push us to overwork and our own complicity in them. Forgiveness follows, not as permission to forget, but as an invitation to release guilt and self-loathing. This blessing lingers as we end: "Go in courage to lie down in sacred defiance of a world that would rather own your body than protect it." Rest is not laziness. Rest is sacred. How are you making space for it in your life? #sacredmeditation #blackliturgies #liturgicalpractice #restasresistance #spiritualawakening #mindfulnesspractice #fetzerinstitute

How often do we see rest as something to "earn" instead of something we’re already worthy of? This week’s Sacred Meditation at the Fetzer Institute calls us to rethink rest through the lens of liturgy, drawing on the words of Cole Arthur Riley’s Black Liturgies. This practice moves through prayer, breathwork, confession, forgiveness, and reflection — all centered around rest as an act of sacred defiance. We begin with breathwork, repeating this powerful reminder: "Inhale: I deserve more than exhaustion. Exhale: I return to myself." Through confession, we acknowledge the systems that push us to overwork and our own complicity in them. Forgiveness follows, not as permission to forget, but as an invitation to release guilt and self-loathing. This blessing lingers as we end: "Go in courage to lie down in sacred defiance of a world that would rather own your body than protect it." Rest is not laziness. Rest is sacred. How are you making space for it in your life? #sacredmeditation #blackliturgies #liturgicalpractice #restasresistance #spiritualawakening #mindfulnesspractice #fetzerinstitute