Transcendentalism Yesterday and Today

About the Book

Transcendentalism isn’t just a phase in Unitarian Universalist history, it is an on-going source of inspiration for Unitarian Universalists today. Drawing upon ancient wisdom and modern knowledge, Transcendentalist spirituality is at once timeless and timely. The Transcendentalists sought to cultivate the soul through such practices as walks in nature, contemplation, solitude, reading, simple living, religious cosmopolitanism, and action from principle. Unitarian Universalists today will find these practices congenial to their own spiritual growth. The Transcendentalists show us that by concerted effort we can become receptive to insights that will elevate our spirit and motivate us in our efforts to make society more just and to protect the natural world.

About the Author

BARRY M. ANDREWS is the Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock on Long Island. He is the author and editor of numerous books on Transcendentalist authors, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. His most recent titles are Transcendentalism and the Cultivation of the Soul and American Sage: The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (forthcoming), both published by the University of Massachusetts Press. He and his wife, Linda are currently living on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.