In this courageous, groundbreaking book, author Jeff Brown takes us on the spiritual ride of a lifetime. The book opens with the author’s compelling journey through a variety of spiritual approaches. Through decades of dedicated exploration and discernment, Brown exposes the transcendent notions of spirituality that limit our human experience. In his fiercely authentic, no-holds-barred style, Brown reveals that what we view as ‘spiritual’ is often devoid of the gift that makes us most alive—our precious and unique selfhood. He demonstrates that true spirituality is a whole-being awakening, one that heartfully embraces our entire human experience: our feelings, our stories, our bodies, our relationships with others, and the earth that houses us. Brown then engages in a riveting dialogue with a fictitious spiritual seeker named Michael. Their conversations unfurl in warmth and humor, threaded with cutting truth and inspiring realization. Hands-on exercises throughout provide a direct experience of a vital new model. In Grounded Spirituality, the author lays down the tracks for an embodied way of being—one that leaves us ‘enrealed,’ integrated, and purposeful. Not awakened—but awakening. Not transcending our humanness—but finding meaning and spirituality within it, right in the heart of our imperfect daily lives. At long last, we can lay down our weary heads, burdened by the impossibility of transcending our human experience. Back to our roots, back into our bodies, back into all that makes us magnificently human. Home at last…

Endorsements:

“Jeff Brown is an iconoclastic visionary about intimate matters. There aren’t many of those around, since most modern geniuses seem devoted to seemingly more glamorous and critical matters like artificial intelligence, 3-D printers, and smart chips implanted in our brains. But the truth is–at least in my view–revolutionizing the way we do our inner work and craft our intimate relationships is the most important action we can take to transform the world. And Jeff provides potent ideas to help us do just that. His rigorous imagination is in service to creating a more emotionally intelligent culture. When I read his words, I get riled up in all the best ways. He disrupts my habitual thought grooves, which inevitably leads to unexpected healings and inspirations. These days the word ‘soul’ gets carelessly bandied around by many lazy and sloppy thinkers, but Jeff is not one of them. He is reverent and impeccable, an astute connoisseur of the soul and its needs.”
—Rob Brezsny, author of the weekly column Free Will Astrology and the book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia

“Jeff Brown never disappoints, and his latest book, Grounded Spirituality, is no exception. Jeff is a uniquely human sage-preacher-man for the most cutting-edge, revolutionary, evolutionary take on human spirituality. There is nothing more needed in this broken world than the re-emergence of a human culture that deeply honors that which is real—the worthy dirt of this earth, the smile from a stranger, the tears we all shed at the moment of a loved one’s death, our flesh and bones… these are the sacred meditation objects of Jeff Brown’s Grounded Spirituality. In this book, Jeff offers his vulnerable and ever-so-human heart, through his own personal story of spiritual struggle and revelation. He also takes on the role of a wisened sage, reminiscent of an ancient Vedic teacher-student conversation style. Most impressively, this book places its finger on the exact pulse of cutting-edge spiritual development—a place that honors tradition, while at the same time, dramatically breaking from its harmful patriarchal shackles. While reading this book, I could feel the Goddess smiling.”
—Katie Silcox, New York Times Best-Selling author of Healthy, Happy, Sexy—Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women

“Anyone who has felt the least confusion on their spiritual path should immediately get a copy of Grounded Spirituality and start reading. With laser precision, Jeff Brown dissects what passes for wisdom in much of today’s spiritual teachings, slices away the illusions, and lays bare the simple truth: to grow into your spirituality is to grow into your humanity, in all its connected, tender, messy, luminous embodiment. And simple as that truth is, Brown doesn’t pretend that the path to a fully embodied humanity is a piece of cake. He renders the pitfalls and rewards of that journey poignantly clear in a fictionalized dialogue that carries the reader towards a personal renewal of their own sacred purpose. The clear-eyed passion that fueled this book helps bring us closer to the future we all need.”
—Philip Shepherd, author of Radical Wholeness and New Self, New World

“This is a crucial book that needs to be thoroughly read, explored and discussed. Jeff Brown eagerly invites us to look into the utmost importance of a grounded spirituality. At a time when much of spirituality has diverted us away from our true individual self, our authenticity, and our sense of social and ecological solidarity, this book orients us back to a spirituality rooted in our humanity and in our participation in the struggle of the world for greater freedom and justice. This book is a much needed masterpiece!”
—Chris Saade, author of Second Wave Spirituality, and co-author of Evolutionary Love Relationships

“With absolutely naked transparency, Jeff Brown, in Grounded Spirituality shares his complicated spiritual journey–the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. He recounts the twists and turns of his path without any narcissistic indulgence, but with an outpouring of broken-open vulnerability and courage. Jeff shows us that we are already divine, and our work is not necessarily to become ‘more spiritual,’ but to immerse ourselves in the life-altering process of becoming wholly human, wholly here, wholly present to our embodied existence on this planet.”
—Carolyn Baker, author of Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and The Global Crisis, and co-author with Andrew Harvey of Return to Joy, and Savage Grace: Living Resiliently In The Dark Night of The Globe