Many people believe we are living in dark times. What can we learn from an absence of light? Bestselling author, retired Episcopal priest and professor Barbara Brown Taylor shares some ideas in Naples Wednesday.
Brown Taylor speaks in metaphor about darkness and light. She discusses those states literally – as in walking around her farm in north Georgia in the dark, with all her senses alive – and figuratively, as in experiencing mentally difficult times and learning spiritual lessons from them.
"The most important learning was to live with uncertainty and to be willing to keep going when I'm not sure where I'm going. What I learned in the dark that I could not have learned in the light is that I cannot do things all by myself. I need very much to have someone take me into a cave and sit with me in a dark place and walk me across a territory of my life I've never been in before," she said.
She did go sit in a cave, among other experiences. It’s all part of being comfortable with darkness and not knowing exactly what comes next in life. This is her manner of spiritual growth.
"I would describe myself today as a seeker of the divine in all of its manifestations," Brown Taylor said. "I am a spiritual seeker whose primary language is Christian, who has encountered the thorns in that, as well as the blooms in that. And I am committed to being in a community of seekers who are not stopped by any boundaries.…I'm an Episcopal priest who enjoys acupuncture and yoga and going on barefoot, forest bathing adventures."
The thorns caused her to walk away from direct ministry, but not from God, whom she calls “she,” although she realizes that doesn't work for everyone.
Whatever the gender reference, "I do think the spirit is just alive and on the move, and I'm giving my absolute best effort at keeping up, you know, with where it's going, what it's doing."
Brown Taylor is the author of "Holy Envy," "An Altar in the World," "Learning to Walk in the Dark" and other books. She has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on "Oprah's Super Soul" and has appeared in conversation with Krista Tippett on NPR's "On Being." In 2014, Brown Taylor was named to Time's list of the 100 most influential people.
Brown Taylor will speak at the First Presbyterian Church of Naples Wednesday at 5 p.m. at an event titled "Festival of Light." Dinner and "crafts for all generations" begins at 5 p.m., followed at 5:30 by music in the sanctuary. Brown Taylor will speak at 6 p.m., with a question and answer session and book signing to follow.
For more information, go to fpcnaples.org.
