One Path, Many Paths

A Dialogue on the Role of Religion in Modern Times

Adam Bucko and Zachary Markwith

Seven Pillars’ founder and board member, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, recently sent a letter to Adam Bucko and Zachary Markwith, two individuals with “a deep sense of the sacred, but…quite different approaches to religion and tradition,” inviting them to participate in a dialogue about the relationship between religion and spirituality. Pir Zia was inspired to send the invitation after reading the recently published manifesto, “New Monasticism,” written by Rory McEntee and Adam Bucko. Both Adam and Zachary embraced the opportunity to discuss this question and the first installment of their correspondence is published herein. read more »

Icons of Compassion and Service

Br. Robert Lentz

"The Seven Pillars'" exploration of Our Sacred Heritage "chronicle[s] the legacy of the prophets of the world’s great religious and indigenous traditions, extending beyond the official mythic figures to include others who also embody numinous aspects of human character. Thus we can more fully appreciate the fullness of our own potential as bearers of the sacred in our culture today."

Brother Robert Lentz' icons are known throughout the world for their message of beauty and peace. While always striving to remain true to the essence of Byzantine iconography, Br. Lentz adapts traditional conventions in order to minister better to the emerging Church. This gallery contains 20 of Br. Lentz' icons, selected to represent a spirit of compassion and service. see the gallery »

Reciprocity Foundation

Gallery of Images

This inspiring gallery comes from the Reciprocity Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Taz Tagore and Adam Bucko to help homeless, runaway, and foster care youth from all five boroughs of New York City to realize their full potential. Below the gallery you will find more information on Reciprocity and an excerpt from Adam Bucko's article My God Lives on the Street. see the gallery »

An Artist Explores “The Seven Pillars”

Said Osio

In this evocative gallery, artist Said Osio offers a visual exploration of "The Seven Pillars" process through the use of neo-sacred imaginal art. Osio's gallery inaugurates a series of creative engagements with "The Seven Pillars" by talented artists. see the gallery »

Living Wisdom Tour: Pillars of Sophia Benefit Concert

Photos by Jane Feldman

This gallery features images from "Pillars of Sophia," a Benefit Concert hosted by Seven Pillars House of Wisdom on Wednesday January 30th, 2013 at a private loft in New York City. This intimate, unplugged gathering, which acted as the symbolic launch of our Living Wisdom Tour, was inspired by “The Seven Pillars,” a process of illumination that facilitates the emergence of living wisdom within each of us. see the gallery »

Our “Something Extra”

Laurie Lane-Zucker

Spring has nearly sprung here in New Lebanon, New York. It is a time of year when we awaken to the blossoming of new life. It also offers an opportunity to take a fresh look at the challenges we face on the path ahead. Often, when one begins to experience the aural tingling of migratory birdsong, the visual enticement of budding greens, and the caress of sunlight infused with first warmth along the nape of the neck, it can be jarring, indeed despairing, to be reminded of life’s requisite loss and pain. Its unbearable lightness of being. read more »

Following the Old Indian Path

Laurie Lane-Zucker

Several months ago, on an exquisite early autumn morning, I dropped my children at the school bus before beginning my first commute to the Seven Pillars House of Wisdom’s office in New Lebanon, NY, where I had recently accepted a staff position. As they crossed the parking lot, I watched closely to make sure they were being wary of the other cars, and that those drivers were wary of them. Trailing his twin siblings, my youngest turned back, waved and smiled before he disappeared up the bus’s first step. read more »

Sacred Investing

Charles Eisenstein

In a sacred economy, investment has a meaning nearly opposite of what it means today. Today, investing is what people do to preserve or increase their wealth. In a sacred economy, it is what we do to share our wealth. Excess wealth, whether inherited from family or from an earlier time in one’s own life, is a dharma, a call to service. To squander it on baubles, to give it away senselessly, or to devote oneself to its increase are all ways of refusing that call. read more »

Reflections on the NYC Peacewalk

Jack Kornfield

On a misty Sunday afternoon, Central Park became a temple of Peace for the many hundreds who joined or observed the NY Silent Peacewalk in support of peace in the Middle East. There were intermittent soft showers, the smell of autumn leaves, lovers holding hands, homeless people on park benches, and beside them a stream of nearby traffic and taxis. In the midst of it all we walked as peacewalkers carrying a palpable, reverent, dignified and joyful silence. read more »

Poetic Offerings

William Irwin Thompson

"The Dragonfly and the Hummingbird," "Mystcism and Science" and "The Dark Winter Afternoons in Portland" read more »

Seven Pillars Receives $15,000 Matching Grant for Holiday Giving

As momentum propels us toward more possibilities for innovative, collaborative programming, our budget must also grow to support this expansion. We need your help to make this happen.To realize our exciting plans for scalable and sustainable activities, one of our funders has offered a Matching Grant of $15,000 that will be applied dollar-for-dollar to all contributions received by December 31, 2012. Your financial investment is key to the success of Seven Pillars House of Wisdom in this pivotal year. read more »