John R. Mabry

EDUCATION / John holds a PhD in Philosophy & Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. He holds a master's degree in Culture and Creation Spirituality from Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. His BA in English is from California Baptist College. He holds certificates in Anglican Studies (from Church Divinity School of the Pacific), Spiritual Direction (from The Mercy Center, Burlingame), Spiritual Direction Supervision (from the Chaplaincy Institute), and interim ministry (from the Interim Ministry Network).

MINISTRY / John was ordained to the priesthood in the Independent Sacramental Movement in 1991 and raised to the episcopate in 2007 by the Old Catholic Order of Holy Wisdom. In 2012 he resigned his episcopacy to become a pastor in the United Church of Christ. He served as pastor of Grace North Church UCC/NACCC in Berkeley for 27 years. He currently has a private practice in spiritual direction and spiritual direction supervision. 

TEACHING / John has taught at numerous Bay Area universities, including JFK University, Santa Clara University, and the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia University). He currently teaches comparative theology at the Chaplaincy Institute, an interfaith seminary in Berkeley, CA, where he also directs the interfaith spiritual direction certificate program.

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PUBLISHING / John is the author of more than 35 books, ranging from spirituality and theology to science fiction and fantasy.  He has served as editor for several prominent religious publications, including Creation Spirituality, The Pacific Church News, and Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Apocryphile Press, a small publishing company specializing in edgy spirituality and books that “normal” religious publishers wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole.

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ART / Mysticism is the pursuit or enjoyment of union with God—it is also the core theme around which all of John's work and art revolves. In his novels, a familiar pattern emerges: an ordinary person has a mystical experience, and his/her life falls apart until he/she comes to grips with what it means. Similarly, his solo music is infused with a yearning, intimate love mysticism. In addition to his solo work, he is the vocalist for two Bay Area progressive rock bands, Metaphor and Mind Furniture.

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