Dear friends,
Some of you have been asking where you can find me these days. Since I concluded my two-decade career as a Unitarian Universalist spiritual leader in July, I’ve admittedly been pretty quiet. I’ve mostly retreated from public life. I’ve been working on the final editing of my new book, The Secret Despair of the Secular Left (coming out June 10); taking classes in my rabbinical program, and caring for my family – my kids just started high school!
But what has occupied a lion’s share of my attention is this: I’ve been on a profound spiritual journey. I’ve taken this sacred gift of time as an opening to reimagine myself and listen for my next calling. My soul leapt at this opportunity. Through prayer and meditation, and working with guides in different modalities, I’ve been connecting with God and my core self more deeply than I ever thought possible. It’s been beautiful and difficult and wondrous. I’ve been receiving insights about myself and the world, and understanding reality itself in a new light. I feel like I’m remaking myself from the inside out.
Rabbi Shefa Gold once said, “My rabbinate is the overflow of my practice.” I love this. It points to a deep truth, not only about spiritual leaders, but about all of us. We give to the world what we have within us to give – no more, and hopefully no less. When our practice is strong and we are cultivating the divine flow, in whatever form, it overflows into our generosity with the world in a thousand ways – parenting, music, business leadership, writing, activism, teaching, everything. I’m at a point now where I’ve been gestating for a while and I feel like I have a lot to share. I’m creating this Substack as a vessel to hold some of my new overflow.
In it, I’ll be exploring how and why in secular modernity we’ve become so alienated from our communities, our earth, and even our own bodies – and how we might wind our way back. I’ll be helping to light pathways to reconnect us and reground us, finding openings for healing in our bodies, spirits, and world. I’m also eager to learn from you and your journeys, so I’ll be experimenting with some different formats to allow for mutual sharing. While I’m trying things out for the next few months, subscriptions will be free, and I always welcome input. To start out, I’m envisioning that this Substack will include:
· Essays from the Overflow (written and audio) – my new writings on the spiritual dimensions of our lives, culture, and politics, drawing from Jewish and other ancient traditions, as well as my direct experience
· The Daily Hundred – a thought of the day in (exactly) 100 words
· Spiritual Autobiography: a Podcast – an ongoing interview series with people who, through spiritual and religious journeys, have found lives of greater connection and wholeness
I’m excited to begin sharing my world with you through this new publication. I invite you to subscribe (for free!) and I hope you will be in touch, comment, and enjoy listening to the stories of our fellow travelers. You can reach me at connect@analevylyons.com.
In the meantime, I’m sending blessings to you and your loved ones for a 2025 full of love and growth,
Ana