Meditations of a Modern Mystic is an intimate and candid journal memoir about living from a spiritual core. It is an honest and at times intense quest to live with congruence and integrity amidst the many problems and complexities of daily life. Meditations of a Modern Mystic is for: Anyone who reaches mid-life and faces multiple challenges. Anyone who has divorced after a long marriage. Anyone who has raised children and watched them leave home. Anyone who has taken care of aging parents. Anyone who has experienced financial loss and insecurity. Anyone who has ever felt "owned" by others in relationships. Anyone who questions orthodox religion. Anyone who has been through a life-threatening illness. Anyone who has to go back to work at mid-life, alone. What is unique about Meditations of a Modern Mystic is that Ms. Doerken faces her spiritual quest in the midst of a husband (then ex-husband), four growing children, the death of both parents, and financial loss, along with reflections on her own mortality. Think of Meditations of a Modern Mystic as Thomas Merton Meets Anais Nin With Children or a Mystic Middle-aged Mother Who Goes for Broke. Ms Doerken's journey is anything but sequestered in a monastery or ashram. It is a very personal look about a heart struggling to find itself within the hubbub of daily life. Ms Doerken does not shy away from sharing her own human frailties. Ms. Doerken trained for three years as a Spiritual Director at Mt. St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. She spent another year in private spiritual direction doing St. Ignatius' Retreat in Daily Life. The italicized sections in Meditations are a direct result of the spiritual examination process she learned at that time. Ms. Doerken has also been involved with pastoral care for a number of years and is a Reiki Master Teacher. She understands from personal experience the intimate connection between mind, body, and spirit.