PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Alisa Kasmir is a native New Yorker who lived in Chicago and London before settling in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. There, often with the help of her Labrador Pippa, she has long practiced spiritual companioning with individuals, groups, and at a senior rehab facility. Alisa holds a degree in spiritual direction fromthe Titus Brandsma Institute in Nijmegen and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University. Alisa was a classical singer and is the mother of two nearly grown sons.
Reading Alisa Kasmir's book felt like having a long and contemplative conversation with a close spiritual friend, while taking a long and restful walk alongside the seashore. It reads as a dialogue, seeking words for what it is, exactly: living a spiritual life and sharing this with others. Dogs pass by cheerfully, shaking off the salty water, awake in the moment. Kasmir crosses boundaries of Jewish and Christian traditions, and her account also resonates with traditions unmentioned, like the Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic. I highly recommend this pleasant, musical, and personal read both to those working in spiritual direction, as well as for spiritual practitioners looking to share and mirror their own experiences. Dr. Annewieke Vroom, expert in comparative philosophy and religious diversity, lecturer at Utrecht University, the Netherlands In Genesis 22, the fascinating and shocking story of Isaac's sacrifice, Abraham says hineni three times, `here I am': the first time to God, the second time to his son, and the third time again to God. Alisa Kasmir names the willingness that these words express as the fundamental attitude of spiritual directors. By being open-minded and vulnerable, space is created for directors to perceive God's word in the narratives of their directees. Kasmir does not keep a monologue. Six seasoned spiritual directors affirm her argument with their own real-life experiences. Kasmir is expressive and succinct at the same time; she never loses sight of the common thread, hineni. Her story is inspiring and enchanting, pleasant for colleagues and for many others. Charles Caspers, Titus Brandsma Institute, Nijmegen I have read many interpretations of Genesis 22--the story of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son, Isaac. I probably suspected all that could be said had been. Then Kasmir comes at it from a fresh angle, like Emily Dickinson's `tell all the truth, but tell it slant. 'I will not tell you how you should or could or ought or must respond hineni to the one before you. Rather, I offer a mirror for your own approach, ' she says. Reading Kasmir may be for you, as it is for me, not just looking in the mirror, but going through the looking glass to a new adventure. Patrick Henry, former executive director, Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research
