A highly talented storyteller/writer, Richard Young evokes the core of new Christianity with heart-melting personal stories, hilarious episodes, creative meditation practices, and references from diverse spiritual traditions. His brilliant mystical interpretation of the parable of the Prodigal Son provides a unifying theme for a broad range of insights.

Young makes us laugh at how we get all caught up in ego-projects (including spiritual ones) full of doing / fearing / desiring / etc., and lose our awareness of simply being — until life turns us around. With generous doses of really smart humor, he offers many helpful perspectives and techniques for fellow travelers on the journey Home.

Foreword by Larry Dossey, M.D.
Foreword by Bruce Langford
Preface
Introduction

1: Ego Projects
    The "Fall" into Self-Consciousness
    The Twin Terrors
    The Birth of the Project
    When Projects Fail
    Awakening to Oneness
    Meditation: Dealing with Fear 

2: Dealing With Pain
    Suffer the Little Children
    The Secret Blessing of Pain
    Meditation: Healing the Pain

3: Celebrate Life!
    A Song of Hope

4: Birdsong
    Listening for the Truth
    The Message of the Patriarch
    Meditation: Listening to Life

5: Laughing at Ourselves
    The Anointing
    The Best Medicine

6: Knowing the Truth
    A Parable of Light
    The Quest for Transformation 

7: Being and Doing
    Muscular Religiosity
    Effortless Spirituality
    Going along for the Ride
    Meditation: Flowing with the Tao

8: Meditation
    Being in Your Right Mind
    Right Practice
    Getting Started
    Place and Posture
    Concentration Techniques
    Focusing on the Breath
    Focusing on an Object
    Focusing on a Mantra
    Dealing with Distractions
    Craving and Desire
    Aversion
    Lethargy
    Agitation
    Doubt
    Further Considerations

9: Mindfulness
    Mindfulness for "Moroons"
    "Can I Get a Witness?"
    Reconnect with Your Body
    Slow Down a Little
    Meditation: Self-Remembering

10: Stations of the Cross
      Station One: Jesus Condemned
      Station Two: Jesus Given the Cross
      Station Three: Jesus' First Fall
      Station Four: Jesus Meets His Mother
      Station Five: Simon Helps Jesus
      Station Six: Veronica Wipes Jesus' Face
      Station Seven: Jesus' Second Fall
      Station Eight: Women Mourn Jesus
      Station Nine: Jesus' Third Fall
      Station Ten: Jesus Stripped
      Station Eleven: Jesus Nailed
      Station Twelve: Jesus Dies
      Station Thirteen: Jesus Taken Down
      Station Fourteen: Jesus Entombed
      Station Fifteen: God Raises Jesus

11: Loving-Kindness
      The Hershey Man
      The Eternal Gift
      Epilogue
      Meditation: Loving-Kindness

12: Facing Death
      The Birth of New Age Guilt
      A Simple Eulogy
      Facing Our Fear of Death
      Meditation: On Death and Dying

13: In Remembrance
      The Eye of the Storm
      Fire and Ice

14: Resurrection
      The Prison of Perception
      Having Eyes to See
      Epilogue

15: Forgiveness
      The Wages of Sin and Karma
      The Gift of Grace
      Meditation: Choosing to Forgive

16: A Gift of Faith

17: Mystical Wisdom
      Abraham, Isaac & Egos
      The Orthodox Heresy
      The Magnificat of Stillness
      Religious Projects of the Ego
      Detaching From the Project
      We Are the Tao

Afterword by Sheldon Z. Kramer, Ph.D.
Notes
About the Author

"Paths of a Prodigal is a wise and wonderful book!" —Ken Wilber

"Where was this book when I needed it years ago? Paths of a Prodigal is one of the wisest descriptions of the spiritual journey written in recent years. For anyone interested in exploring the mystical aspects of Christianity, this book will be exceedingly helpful." —Larry Dossey, M.D.

"This is a book full of insights, all of which speak to us directly. Humor and essential goodness, which are often harder to maintain than flashes of enlightenment, highlight the author's family life and his life in the world. This is a thoughtful and deeply spiritual book."  —Anne Bancroft, author of The Spiritual Journey and The Luminous Vision

"Paths of a Prodigal is a marvelous synthesis of clear, heart-felt, and empowering insights on the all-important spiritual path. Richard Young brings a wealth of experience, vision, and vulnerability to this lucid work. I am certain that anyone seeking deeper illumination and self-respect will be empowered and moved by this rich sharing." —Alan Cohen, author of The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore and I Had It All the Time

"This is a deeply inspirational, cutting-edge book that will be extremely helpful for any Western spiritual seeker on the contemplative path. It is an enlightened work by a professional psychologist on his own journey to embrace the heart of his Christian beliefs. Dr. Young explores the ancient contemplative wisdom found in the teachings of Christ and brings them into the modern era, providing guidance for anyone who is on this kind of spiritual journey."  —Sheldon Z. Kramer, Ph.D., author of Transforming the Inner and Outer Family

Richard G. Young is a psychotherapist, researcher, and dedicated spiritual practitioner who lectures and leads meditation retreats throughout the United States.