Sarah York Books and Spiritual Guidance

Sarah York is an author, spiritual director, and retired minister.

After serving congregations as a Unitarian Universalist minister for thirty years, Sarah retired to the family farm near Asheville, NC, where she and her husband, Chuck Campbell, raised French Alpine Dairy Goats from 2008 to 2018. In 2012, she became a certified Spiritual Director, and her professional focus has shifted from parish ministry to writing and providing spiritual guidance for individuals and small groups.

As the author of four books on topics of spiritual and social relevance, Sarah enjoys speaking and leading workshops. Anyone who has read her books appreciates her gift for weaving stories from real life into a moving and inspirational presentation. She speaks with an authentic and compassionate presence and is able to address deep and meaningful topics with a blend of humor and conviction. 

In addition to graduating with honors from Wake Forest College (B.A.), Duke University (M.A.T.), and Harvard Divinity School (M.Div), Sarah holds an honorary doctorate from Meadville-Lombard Theological School and a certificate in spiritual direction from the Haden Institute. During her career as a minister, she served as an officer in the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, worked on continental projects for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and delivered the sermon for the Service of the Living Tradition at the General Assembly. 

In October 2012, Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death, was released in a new paperback edition

Remembering Well, which has offered a ministry to people of all faiths since 2000, continues to receive acclaim for its relevance to people dealing with death and grief. Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home offers inspiration for those who travel far or near in the quest to become more at home in themselves and the world. The Holy Intimacy of Strangers speaks to the perennial challenges we face as we seek to nurture a sense of hospitality in all relationships.

Into the Wilderness, originally published by Skinner House Press as part of the Unitarian Universalist Meditation series under the name Sara Moores Campbell, is also available in paperback.

Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death

"This book is a   treasure for religious leaders and ordinary people who face the challenges of   grief and mourning. Without offering pat answers, religious dogma or   platitudes of any kind, the author provides heartfelt stories and wise   words to guide the reader through the many kinds of issues that surface when   a loved one has died."

-   (star) Publishers Weekly

First Edition: Copyright 2000 Jossey-Bass/Wiley & Sons
Second Edition: Copyright 2012 Apollo Ranch Institute Press

NOW IN PAPERBACK! After selling steadily for twelve years in hardback, Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death is available in an affordable paperback edition.

The first edition of Remembering Well was selected by Spirituality and Health magazine as one of the best spiritual books of the year. Since then, it has received the highest acclaim from many prominent sources, including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. Below are excerpts from a few reviews for Remembering Well:

“Remembering   Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death is well   worth reading—and to be read not just once and put on the shelf but kept   handy as a useful tool in putting together funeral services."–The   American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care

“Remembering   Well deals with complex and basic concerns related to   bereavement. York explores issues, including violent deaths from murder or   suicide, the deaths of children, organ donation and family estrangement. At a   basic level, she offers families, clergy, funeral professionals and hospice   workers guidelines for planning funerals and memorial services."–The   Washington Post

“[Remembering   Well] offers ways to adapt traditional rituals to contemporary lives   and gives guidance to those who find religion empty, awkward, or   irrelevant."–USA Today

Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home

"[Pilgrim Heart}   is a wise and honest book, in style simple and in substance complex; just   what I prefer. It’s full of heart, and so its title is appropriate, and yet   its intelligence, so smooth and understated, raises it above most books on   similar themes."

-   Thomas Moore, author, The Care of the Soul

Hardback edition: Jossey-Bass/Wiley & Sons, 2001

Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home was a Booksense selection and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

“Spiritual readers of all   stripes will enjoy this meditation on the meaning of home and journey. York,   a Unitarian Universalist minister, writes that all seekers are restless for   spiritual homes, and the first step in finding them is to embark on a journey.   York tells the story of her own journey, which includes a literal trek   through Thailand and Nepal, as well as a metaphorical journey toward her own   soul. York returns from her spiritual and physical travels feeling, quite   simply, more “at home at home"; her audience will no doubt feel that   way, too, after reading this lovely book."–(star) Publishers   Weekly

“In her invigorating new   book, Sarah York tutors us in the spiritual arts of long looking and deep   listening. She demonstrates the sturdy value of an open and receptive   heart—especially in the face of the unfamiliar and the unexpected. This is a   very welcome addition to the pilgrimage genre."–Frederic and Mary Ann   Brussat, Media Editors, Spirituality and Health

The Holy Intimacy of Strangers

"Fear of the   stranger is far too common among us; and since September 11th, our   fear has only deepened. But in a world rich in human diversity, much depends   on understanding how our encounters with ‘otherness’ can enlarge and renew   our lives. Sarah York’s superb book opens door after door to that   understanding. The Holy Intimacy of Strangers is not only timely but deeply   soul-searching and wonderfully well-written. If we are willing to live into   its insights, we will feel more at home on earth and help make earth home for   others."

-   Parker J. Palmer, author, Healing the Heart of Democracy

In The Holy Intimacy of Strangers Sarah York explores our common yearning for deeper and more meaningful connection with one another. The book presents the paradox we often observe: how our seemingly casual interactions with strangers can unlock the door to our hearts and help us discover how we need (and yet often resist) true intimacy in our relationships. This provocative book gives us a new way to look at the qualities of our exchanges with strangers. Once we begin this journey we can trace the outlines of our lives together in community—our expressions of caring and hospitality, the costs of prejudice and judgment, our fears and defensiveness, the tension between being inclusive vs. exclusive, our expectations and assumptions about one another.

Sharon Daloz Parks,   co-author of Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World,   describes The Holy Intimacy of Strangers as “a gift to the   soul." She goes on, “In an often distracted, coarse, and fear-full   culture, Sarah York awakens us to everyday moments of trust, connection, and   care—and our capacity to choose what kind of ‘strangers’ we want to be. This   book will unlock your imagination and open your heart."

Publishers Weekly commended   both the author and this book in their review: "Unitarian Universalist   minister York made a splash with her slender inspirational books Remembering   Well and Pilgrim Heart; fans   won’t be disappointed with this third volume, in which she turns her   attention to hospitality. … Above all, York stresses, hospitality means   presence. Readers will find here what they have come to expect from York:   wisdom, humor and a glimpse of God’s love."–Publishers   Weekly

Into the Wilderness

"Here Sarah York,   one of our most thoughtful and capable ministers, strikes a nice balance-   between her own life's story and that of the ancient text. Every piece   invites further meditation and two, one personal (‘What are you saving it   for?’) and one traditional (‘Good Friday’), are well worth the price of   admission."

-   Forrest Church, author

First published in 1990 as a Unitarian Universalist book of meditations (under the name Sara Moores Campbell), Into the Wilderness continues to be widely quoted. Three selections are used as readings in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, and others have been set to music or anthologized. Several selections are included in Listening to Our Song (Skinner House Books 2002), edited by Margaret Beard.

Spiritual Guidance (spiritual direction) is soul-tending; a spiritual director is someone who offers a listening presence and gentle guidance as you seek to discern the stirrings of the Spirit in your life, to grow in self-knowledge, and to become the person you truly are.

Typically, you will have monthly sessions where you are invited to explore your spiritual growing edges. This may include conversation, ritual, exploring dreams, silence, or prayer/meditation; you might write a poem, respond to a prompt or draw a dream image. Inviting a holy presence to be with you, you and your spiritual director recognize a sacred dimension to your time together.

You might discuss difficult personal issues with a spiritual director, but spiritual direction is neither therapy nor coaching; your sessions will be less about healing or solving problems and more about listening for the voice of the Spirit that will guide you and give you the strength to move through bumpy times. Spiritual Direction is also less about trying to be a successful person and more about understanding your gifts and your shadows. Your focus is on living the life that is meant to live in you.

To enter a relationship of spiritual direction is to embark upon an inner adventure of self-knowing, discernment, and spiritual growth. As you begin this journey, you may ask, “How will I know that the Spirit is with me?”

You will know because you will be led to places you did not plan to go.

Am I the right spiritual director for you? I invite you to read more about me and my approach to spiritual direction in the posts on this site, “Spiritual Direction for Mystical Non-Believers” and “If You Don’t Pray, What do You Do?” Although I am quite comfortable working with people who have a more traditional concept of God, I suspect that I am most gifted working with people who are on a less traditional path. As a minister with over 35 years of experience, I am a skilled, wise, and perceptive listener. I listen. I ask questions. I listen. I ask questions. I listen. And in the process, you are listening, too.

If you live near me, I would be pleased to meet with you and explore the possibilities of working with you. Currently, I only do sessions on video conferencing. Zoom is preferred for its reliability, and you can download a free app if you do not have it already. Most people I work with are in other states or countries. If you wish to arrange for spiritual direction by Zoom, please read the post about "Spiritual Direction Across the Miles." If you are a ministerial student, you may request a student discount on the fee. Currently the fee is $100/hour. If you pay four sessions in advance, that is discounted to $390 for four sessions. The discount applies to checks or Zelle. There is no discount if you use PayPal.

I am pleased to meet with you for no charge for a half-hour conversation to help both of us discern whether or not this would be a good working relationship. Then you can opt for up to four sessions before making a longer-term commitment and entering an agreement together. My job is to help you grow in self-knowledge, which includes your sense of who will be the person to journey with you. I am never offended if someone opts to work with someone else.