If I had to pick a framework for ethical guidance, I wouldn’t instinctively reach for the seven deadly sins. Yet as Elizabeth Oldfield explains, developing their opposites helps to counteract the forces that undermine society, as well as one’s own character.
Elizabeth’s book – titled Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times – is a mix of confessional memoir and religious manifesto. With engaging examples, and disarming honesty, she unpacks what it means to become a better person – described in terms of building “spiritual core strength” – by highlighting values and ways to embody them.
As the host of a podcast called The Sacred – produced by Theos, a think tank she used to direct – she is clear about her Christian faith, and how it shapes her own quest, yet remains open-minded when engaging with others to find common ground, showing how her visions have a secular corollary.
Among other topics, our conversation considers:
What it means to be “fully alive” and what gets in the way
Why it helps to feel “part of something bigger” than oneself
How to see beyond self-satisfaction and prioritise relationships
Which values provide the foundations of supportive communities
Whether God is in some ways a metaphor for deeper connection
Fully Alive is published on 23 May, and available worldwide as a hardback and ebook. Elizabeth also writes a Substack newsletter with the same title.
To explore some of the parallels with yoga philosophy, join me for an online course at truthofyoga.com.
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Sacred Values – Elizabeth Oldfield