Thank you for your interest in observing the Feast for the Soul. Just by making the commitment to observe the Feast, you affirm that your spiritual practice is a vital part of your life, and fruits of your practice are essential to peace on this planet.

Thousands of people worldwide observe the Feast each year, so you are in good company. 

Think of the Feast as an intensive — a spiritual practice immersion.  It’s a 40-day period during which you dedicate 40 minutes each day to your spiritual practice all while living the life you already live.

Whether you are practicing for 40 days of your choosing, or you are joining the annual observance of the Feast from January 15-February 23, you’ll find that the Feast is a wonderful opportunity to transform your perspective and your life.

To deepen your spiritual practice, you don’t have to head into a monastic setting. Instead, you can do it from the comfort of your own home, with a community of people doing the same around the world. Though your life may be busy with work, family, and friends, during the Feast it is possible to put your spiritual life first.

How to embark on the Feast.

    1. Set a Practice Space:  How you prepare your inner and outer spaces as you move through the Feast sets the tone for the season and the year ahead. Find a comfortable, quiet place in your home where you can do your daily practice. Perhaps you create a temporary space that you maintain throughout the Feast. You can create an altar of sorts, with candles, incense, objects that remind you of your commitment, and by lighting a candle, burning some incense, and playing meditative music.
    2. Determine a Practice Time: Choose a time in the morning when you can dive deep into your practice for 40 minutes. Or, set aside two 20-minute sessions.  Whatever your spiritual practice is, whether you choose to pray, meditate, read sacred texts, or give yourself time for reflection and creativity, you can participate in the Feast.
    3. Join the Feast Meditation Support Group on Facebook:  Spiritual Practice is often a solitary endeavor, however, you can benefit by practicing with others and sharing what is going on for you. If you’d like to receive support for your practice with others online, join the official support group on Facebook. There you’ll find people offering meditation practices, local groups, and daily inspiration.
    4. If you are already a teacher of meditation, or feel the call to organize a local group you’d like to introduce to the Feast, you are encouraged to get the support you need to be a Community Host for the Feast, here.

Each year, on the 15th of January, the Feast begins with an Opening Ceremony. 

  1. Tune in to the Opening Ceremony, on the 15th of January at 11 am PT, 2 pm ET, 7 pm GMT, (6 am AEST on January 16)
  2. Watch a previously recorded Opening Ceremony posted on YouTube, here.
  3. Perform your own Opening Ceremony. Find the guidelines for the ceremony, here.

Then, the Feast Continues for 40 days so you can deepen your daily practice.

For those new to meditation or spiritual practice, you can tune in to the offerings of the faculty for the Feast which include meditations from teachers from a variety of traditions and religious practices. Each one has generously offered a selection of meditations to support you on your journey to being more self-aware and self-realized.

During the Feast, you can choose to listen to one teacher throughout the Feast, or choose a new teacher each day and explore the offerings.

For those who are already practicing daily 40-minute meditation, you might want to add a few new components to your daily spiritual practice such as reading sacred texts, engaging in creative practice, or going for a mindful walk after your 40 minutes. The idea is to commit, really commit to deepening your practice every day for 40 days. However, if you somehow miss a day, or two, you can always begin again. You can begin each moment anew, each day anew, each relationship anew, and each day you can face the world with a new perspective by diving into your personal spiritual practice. In fact, you can start right now.

We believe our work is to find and create an unshakable peaceful interior so that it resides in the altar of our hearts every day of our lives. This is a time of deep practice. We are practicing with you. Thank you for adding yourself to the community of peacemakers who begin a journey to true inner peace.

Sarah McLean, Director, Feast for the Soul