Beauty At Work Spiritual Innovation with Casper Ter Kuile & Angie Thurston - S4E3 (Part 1 of 2)
In Episode 3 of this season, we explore the evolving landscape of spiritual innovation, what it means to design meaningful spiritual life in a rapidly changing world, with guests Casper Ter Kuile and Angie Thurston from Sacred Design Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the future of spiritual life.
Casper Ter Kuile shares insight and inspiration on the future of community, ritual, and spirituality. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and co-founder of Sacred Design Lab. He also co-created the hit podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, co-founded Nearness, and co-authored the influential paper How We Gather.
Angie Thurston is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Design Lab. She has worked with hundreds of innovative leaders, finding new ways to address spiritual longings amid religious change. Angie has co-written eight widely read reports on the evolving landscape of community and spiritual life, including How We Gather.
In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:
- The origins of Sacred Design Lab and its mission
- What “spiritual innovation” means and how it appears across traditions
- The story behind Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and how reading can become a spiritual practice
- What it means to design for risk in ritual and liturgy
- Why the term “spiritual innovation” can be both inspiring and controversial
- Real stories of spiritual innovators around the world: Buddhist monks leading meditation in the metaverse to Muslim leaders blending theology with psychology
To learn more about Casper and Angie’s work, you can find them at: https://www.sacred.design
Books and resources mentioned:
- The Power of Ritual (by Casper Ter Kuile)
- How We Gather (by Casper Ter Kuile & Angie Thurston)
- Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (podcast)
- Illuminating Spiritual Innovation (report by Sacred Design Lab)
This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.