WHAT is Shalom Quest?
- Shalom Quest explores spirituality in safe brave spaces: online or in person. Everyone is welcome; especially if you are looking to find your own unique personal life path that is true for you.
- Shalom Quest engages with every basic human need, based around what you believe and how you behave, focusing on those universal life-giving values that flow across every global culture.
- Shalom Quest offers the ancient concept of shalom as a way to give focus to this values approach, because its radical vision of peace is totally inclusive, deeply personal, liberating and empowering.
- Shalom Quest offers conversation not conversion; mutual support, deep respect, a commitment to help you find your path, where you can thrive while also touching the lives of others for good.
Here’s a short introduction …
SHALOM QUEST IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING DEVELOPED
AND SO IS THIS WEBSITE
Would you be willing to support Shalom Quest?
Shalom Quest depends on your generosity
Here are our four key Asks
Ask 1: SUPPORT
Make a regular gift to help us build and maintain our base
Ask 2: INVEST
Help us find capital investment for two further films at £10,000 each
Ask 3: CONVENE
Host watching the film, encourage discussion, then give us feedback
Ask 4: ASSIST
Donate some of your time to help us with communication or administration
WHY Shalom Quest?
Shalom Quest is responding to…
- The anxiety and powerlessness which today’s global crises – climate, conflict, culture – are creating:
“Students used to come and ask, ‘How should I live?’
Now they ask, ‘Why should I live?’ “
– Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life for the University of Southern California
- The search for meaning by those rejecting religion from the outside or struggling with it on the inside:
“We live in an age of bewilderment, the old stories have collapsed,
no new story has yet emerged”
– Yuval Noah Harari, historian in ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century ‘(2019)
- The individuals exploring solo spirituality, liberated but lonely, questioning yet often lacking direction or support:
“More and more of us are alone in our spiritual lives.”
– Angie Thurston, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the ‘Sacred Design Lab’
HOW Shalom Quest is shaped … ?
Shalom Quest is presented as three themed units. Each theme is a question, which groups together four other questions related to that theme. Each theme (set out below) shows the areas Shalom Quest covers. Always remember that each of the questions is simply the beginning of a conversation, and Shalom Quest conversations have no restrictions whatever and unlimited possibilities!
Shalom Quest Themes
What is spirituality?
What about meaning?
What about relationship?
What about different paths?
What about your path?
What is community?
Why isn’t life fair?
Why is there suffering?
What about leadership?
Is there a way ahead?
What is wellbeing?
Does Earth matter?
Who am I?
Can planet and people thrive?
Is there reason to hope?
WHAT are Shalom Quest aims and ethos … ?
- Creating safe brave spaces where people can share their different spiritual journeys with others
- Supporting conversations with free-to-use high quality easily accessible resources and advice
- Affirming spirituality as foundational to every experience of living, its meaning and relationships
- Assuring people spirituality never requires a belief in god, but of course it can embrace that choice
- Centring all universal lifegiving values at the heart and expression of every authentic spirituality
- Focusing on shalom: the ancient concept of peace that holds all values within its inclusive vision
- Encouraging choices towards a spirituality that is true for you, and the person you really want to be
- Nurturing mental wellbeing in these troubled times with sensitive listening and quiet reflections
- Inspiring social involvement because genuine spirituality always finds expression in activism
- Enabling different learning styles within diverse cultural, educational, and physical limitations
- Asking open questions that invite, disarm and empower, stimulating even more open conversations
- Respecting every question so honouring the genius of each person’s insights and perspective
- Questioning answers, truth-tests tradition: Is it accurate? Motivating? Is re-expression urgent?
- Questions are more about setting a direction than simply providing correct reliable information
- Sensitive to how past religious language can leave deep raw wounds with powerful negative impact
- Awakening interest among those for whom spirituality offers no value or attraction whatsoever
HOW is Shalom Quest experienced … ?
Well, this is really a question for you to answer for yourself!
Shalom Quest is spoken of as ‘safe brave spaces’ (either actual or virtual), but the most important question of all is, “What environment would you personally find most helpful for you, as you explore and develop your own unique spiritual path, something absolutely true to who you are within yourself?
Shalom Quest resources may have a certain shape or pattern, but this must never restrict the flexibility and sensitivity with which you might choose to use them yourself, and how you might share them with others. Do remember that our resources are always as relational as they are personal.
Shalom Quest resources may be accessed online whenever you wish, so they are accessible wherever you are. Wherever and whenever you choose to use them, we hope you find them helpful. Please do give us feedback. What other resources might you find helpful?
- You may want to use Shalom Quest quietly and on your own:
- Perhaps ‘nesting’ with its ethos and ideas, giving yourself the space ‘just to be’
- Weaving it into a favourite activity, or making it part of your rhythm of life
- Simply following on your mobile for ‘snatched moments’, as when using public transport
- You may want to explore Shalom Quest casually with others:
- Meeting up for a coffee-n-chat at a local café with a friend (or more)
- Putting out ‘spirituality ideas’ on social media and watching or engaging with the reaction (whilst being aware that social media interactions aren’t always the safe brave spaces that Shalom Quest is best suited for!)
- A table-talk conversation over a shared meal, perhaps responding to a clip from our video
- You may want to share Shalom Quest purposefully and regularly:
- It is not a ‘course‘ in any conventional sense; but deciding to follow the themes in a systematic way, meeting up regularly to talk with others, is one good way to share the ideas
- Storytelling and sharing around a significant value theme, then experimenting with it for a week (perhaps a month), then sharing your experiences with others can be very powerful
Shalom Quest resources may be accessed online whenever you wish, so they are accessible wherever you are. Wherever and whenever you choose to use them, we hope you find them helpful. Please do give us feedback. What other resources might you find helpful?
First steps, two options:
In the safe brave spaces, your experience will always be unique to you
Our understandings may often be different
Yet exploring lifegiving values together is something we can all share
Your deep inner flow toward
personal formation …
– think different –
Who is the person you really want to be?
What is your identity?
Who are you? What values inspire you?
What is your character?
What strengths and weaknesses make you who you are?
What is your next step?
How do you want to grow and change?
… empowers you to make outward
physical transformation
– live different –
What is the change you really want to see?
What is in your heart?
What is your vision for persons and planet?
What is in your hand?
What qualities and skills are you able to offer others?
What is in your reach?
What opportunities can you see and grasp?
Only you have the answers to these questions,
but each response becomes another step along your path
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace, on your path of peace, to you
– Ancient Celtic blessing (adapted) –
find your path