Only Mind Worth Having

Fiona Gardner is a psychotherapist, spiritual director and writer. She is the author of The Four Steps of Love and Precious Thoughts among other books and articles. Formerly chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland and co-editor of The Merton Journal, she is on the board of the International Thomas Merton Society and was awarded a "Louie" in 2015 at the ITMS Centenary Conference.

"In this insightful, profoundly helpful, compelling book, Fiona Gardner draws upon her skills as a psychotherapist and theologian to explore Jesus's invitation to become as little children. This innovative book, so helpfully exemplified at every turn by reference to the story and writings of Thomas Merton, puts before us the vital necessity of finding again the spirit of the child - the child mind - as the path of spiritual maturity is pursued."John Moses, Dean Emeritus of St Paul's Cathedral, London"In this beautifully written, richly textured, and carefully nuanced study, Fiona Gardner plumbs the meaning of an important, yet long-neglected, theme in Thomas Merton's writings: the child mind. ... This book will enrich your understanding of Merton, deepen your appreciation of the spiritual traditions that helped form him, and, perhaps, even cause the child mind within you to awaken."Christine M. Bochen, Professor of Religious Studies, William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies, Nazareth College"(Gardner) is a psychotherapist and spiritual director and is well acquainted with Merton's writing, having been the chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain. She points out that the process of becoming involves growth towards a beginning to be. ... I have found this book immensely stimulating and valuable"Sr. Mary John Marshall, O.S.B., The American Benedictine Review, 68:3, September 2017"Fiona Gardner authoritatively yet sensitively draws on the poetry, journals, and correspondence of Thomas Merton and has expanded her own previously published lectures and articles to produce a work that is as fascinating as it is much-needed. It is, I think, one of the best introductions to the life and writing of Thomas Merton I know."The Heythrop Journal, Volume 58, Issue 5, Sept 2017"Only Mind Worth Having is worth reading for those interested in Merton's Spirituality and his psychological underpinnings, but also for the rich collection of quotations and resonances with philosophers, theologians, psychologists and spiritual thinkers." William Kondrath, Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2018, Volume 100, Number 3, pp.638-64'this is a book that not only re-examines these familiar words of Jesus from a multitude of angles, it also requires of readers honest self-examination in the light of their own memories of childhood and current experiences of adulthood'-Ted Harrison, Aberystwyth, Theology vol.121 no.1, pp.64-5"The book gets really interesting as the author suggests the sorts of experiences and activities through which we are most likely to re-find the 'child's mind' and become our true self." Peter Chave, Reform Magazine, pp 36, February 2017

• Foreword by Rowan WilliamsAcknowledgments1 Introduction to Jesus' Command, to Thomas Merton, and to Ideas about the Spirit of the ChildPART ONE: UNDERSTANDING2 Infancy and Rebirth3 Thinking about God as Parent and God as Child4 The Influence of Monastics, Saints, and Theologians on Thomas Merton's Thinking on the Child Mind5 Child's Mind is Buddha's Mind6 The Shadow and the Disguise: The Adult Life of CarePART TWO: RE-FINDING7 The Enchanted World, the Tendency towards Dis-enchantment, and the Possibility of Re-enchantment8 The Secret Life of the Wounded Child9 Finding Spiritual and Psychological Healing10 An Invitation to Look and Find ParadisePART THREE: BECOMING11 Dancing in the Water of Life12 Poetry: The Language of the Child Mind13 The Divine Play of God: Play and Creativity14 The Internal Landscape of the Child Mind and Models of Spiritual Maturity15 Epiphanies of the Child MindAfterwordBibiliographyIndex