Our Story
Peace in the heart, peace in the world.
Welcome to the Feast.
"Do not feel lonely the entire universe is inside you." - Rumi
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the Feast for the Soul. You may be wondering what this is all about. My name is Sarah McLean and as co-director of the Feast for the Soul alongside Sue Cooper, we are excited you'll join us on this annual spiritual practice retreat with thousands of others who observe the Feast each year.
The Feast for the Soul is a 40-day spiritual practice journey for self-discovery via mindfulness, meditation, and creating community. You can think of it as an annual virtual retreat whereby you commit and immerse yourself in 40 days of spiritual practice. Whether you meditate, dance, paint, practice yoga, or observe another spiritual practice, this 40-day intensive will help kick off a more mindful and compassionate way of living yearround. The Feast provides resources, support, and teachings that you can access free of charge. There is a wealth of information on this site provided by meditation teachers from many spiritual traditions around the globe. The master meditation index provides you with inspiration and guidance for your daily practice.
By signing up to participate in the Feast, you are joining a growing global community of more than 20,000 individuals committed to sustaining and deepening their daily spiritual practice.
Here’s to peace,
Sarah
It started with a poem.
Why 40 days?
In 2007, an American meditation practitioner in the Sufi tradition, Valerie Skonie, created the Winter Feast for the Soul after she read a poem by Rumi, a 13th Century Persian Mystic:
A new moon teaches gradualness
and deliberation, and how one gives birth
to oneself slowly. Patience with small details
makes perfect a large work, like the universe.
What nine months of attention does for an embryo
forty early mornings alone will do
for your gradually growing wholeness.
~ Jelaluddin Rumi
This message in this poem inspired her to gather together with people in her community to observe a 40-day spiritual practice period. Then it became a larger effort. Now it is a worldwide event during which people of all ages from all traditions make a commitment to deepen their personal spiritual practice to expand their awareness.
She gathered numerous teachers from various traditions and religions who each provided a 40-day program of meditations and discourses free of charge to anyone interested in participating.
Forty minutes of practice can be divided into two sessions of 20 minutes each to reach the 40 minutes of commitment. It can also be divided into four 10-minute segments where you experience the stillness more often, and thus integrate it into your day in another way. Each person can design their practice so that it meets their personal schedule and lifestyle.
Meet the Meditation TeachersMeet the Meditation TeachersSign up for the FeastSign up for the Feast
The Mission
To support individuals all over the world in committing or recommitting to their personal daily spiritual practice by inviting them to participate in the annual 40-day spiritual intensive. The Feast is observed from January 15 to February 23 during which a faculty of spiritual guides and teachers from a variety of religious traditions and lineages offer guided meditations and discourses, volunteer their support, and lend encouragement to Feast participants. The Feast is a cost-free intensive that everyone—regardless of spiritual tradition, path, or practice—is encouraged to observe in order to create more personal peace and world peace.
The Vision
We envision a world at peace—made up of a growing community of individuals committed to their personal daily spiritual practice. We visualize people everywhere, regardless of the imagined boundaries of creed, culture, and philosophical beliefs, participating in the synchronized spiritual practice intensive during the Feast for the Soul. We invite you to also imagine a world where all peaceful spiritual traditions and organizations are embraced.
All Are Welcome
The Feast welcomes participants from all faiths, beliefs, and peaceful paths who practice a variety of spiritual traditions and philosophies, among them: meditation, yoga, martial arts, journaling, creative arts, prayer, daily acts of kindness, and/or reading spiritual texts. The Feast offers guided meditations and discourses online, available free of charge, year-round.
Spiritual Practice
The Feast encourages all forms of peaceful spiritual practices that bring an individual to a period of stillness in their daily life. The Feast for the Soul 40-day period suggests a commitment to 40 minutes of spiritual practice each day. This intensive period of practice can cultivate a transformational experience of peace, contentment, and love. From this inner peace, loving kindness and compassion flow naturally into daily life.
Acts of Kindness
The practice acts of kindness toward one's self and others can flow effortlessly from the wellspring of compassion and peace that is cultivated by a dedicated daily spiritual practice. In this world of dramatic change, it is important to emphasize that those who desire peace have a role to play. We must cultivate inner peace and commit to the outer expression of our practice.
40 Minutes Each Day for 40 Days
The number 40 has great historical significance in the lives of important spiritual teachers. Forty is the number of change. If we truly want to make a difference in the world, then we must begin by inviting change into our own lives. Consider Moses, Elijah, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohamed. They all left their ordinary lives for 40 days to connect with the Indwelling Spirit. During the Feast, you don't have to leave your life. You simply commit to making your spiritual practice a priority during the Feast.