Abstract

The Spiritual Revitalization of the Legal Profession: A Search for Sacred Rivers

The Search for Sacred Rivers is an eloquent call to restore an element of sacredness to the legal profession, and to the lives and work of lawyers and judges. The legal profession has been grappling with numerous crises and challenges for quite some time. Many scholars have documented the dissatisfaction, depression, incivility, ethical violations, and sense of meaninglessness that exists in this value depleted enterprise we call the legal profession. Proposed solutions to these problems include, stricter sanctions, external oversight, changes to the law school curriculum, a de-emphasis of theory, a rediscovery of the case method, and a host of other legal reforms. Very few scholars or practitioners have offered a comprehensive solution that addresses the core of the problem, and attempts to recapture and restore the sacredness of the profession. Utilizing an inspirational writing style, this book examines the practice and teaching of law through a spiritual lens. It not only identifies the spiritual challenges that the profession faces, but offers concrete and theoretical alternatives that can be embraced and pursued.

Excerpt

As the cover picture of the Grand Teton Mountains and the Snake River reveals, I have invited nature to help me on this journey. The symbolism of rivers, mountains and stones will hopefully open doors that we find hard to crack. Buried in the structure of our lives are passageways to deeper understandings and realizations. Hidden within our surroundings and environments are keys to unfolding these passages. Nature always has been a key for unlocking these paths for me. Rivers, in particular, have always touched my soul and inspired me to look within and to appreciate more deeply the people and places that I encounter. There is something majestic and spiritual about the flow of a river. If we gaze upon it long enough, we can become one with its flow. If we are willing to place our hands or feet within its midst, we can feel its smooth serenity as it carries within an eternity of triumphs and tragedies. More >>

I've known rivers ancient as the
world and older than the flow of
human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when
dawns were young,
I built my hut near the Congo and
it lulled me to sleep,
I looked upon the Nile and raised
the Pyramids above it,
I heard the singing of the Mississippi
when Abe Lincoln went down to
New Orleans,
And I've seen its muddy bosom turn
all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers;
Ancient, dusky rivers;
My soul has grown deep like the rivers

Langston Hughes

Cover photo:
(Grand Teton Mountains)
Bob Clemenz Photography
Sedona, Arizona