Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice

In this first book in the series published July, 2013, Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice is the combined wisdom of self-awareness tools, mindfulness meditation, recovery principles, and the personal journey of JoAnn Saccato, MA and her life with her canine companion, Shyla. JoAnn begins the story after Shyla's passing. Having just relocated from their ten-year stretch of time living remotely off the grid in a single room cabin (with no automobile access, running water or indoor plumbing!) in the oak woodlands of Lake County, California, JoAnn reflects on the tools she has gained from this adventure and other life experiences and creates a guide for others undertaking a conscious spiritual path. More than a mere guidebook, the poignancy of the personal timing coupled with the unfolding in the larger community of collapsing economies, environment and personal inquiries to a more spiritual way of life, Companioning the Sacred Journey brings real life experiences and compassionate ideas as touchstones to benefit the reader's own personal journey, relationships and the larger community. JoAnn brings a hopeful vision to her clients and community by encouraging the cultivation of a spiritual path as a core requirement for our future sustainability. The book is filled with practical exercises for creating a compassionate container for the reader's personal journey. The Journal: My Compassionate Container is a companion journal to the book. It provides the simple elegant space and gentle encouragement to deepen your reflection and bring a sacredness to your journey. Illustrated by Kathy Wolden. For more information on JoAnn and courses designed around the book, visit www.companioningthesacredjourney.com

JoAnn Saccato, MA is a best selling author, inspirational speaker, educator, Reiki Master/Teacher, and coaching consultant living in the hills of Northern California. She devoted 10 years living remotely off the grid in a single room 16x16 foot cabin (without automobile access, running water, refrigeration, or indoor plumbing) with her canine companion, Shyla. During these "chop wood, carry water" years, she journeyed through recovery for co-dependency, completed her Bachelors and Masters degree at Sonoma State University, traveled on a spiritual pilgrimage to India, helped found the Lake County Community Co-op (Lake Co-op) and delved deeper into mindfulness meditation and other spiritual practices. She received her Dharma name, Awakened Presence of the Heart, while receiving the Three Jewels and Five Mindfulness Trainings in the Thich Nhat Hanh lineage at Camp Latize in 2007. JoAnn gives public talks, consults with businesses and individuals and focuses on companioning each to live authentically and reach the goals of their dreams. She is a Reiki Master/Teacher in the Usui method and gives private and group sessions, teaches and attunes students to the powerful healing of Reiki. JoAnn is currently consulting as Lake Co-op's operations manager. Lake Co-op is the largest cooperatively owned online food co-op in California and was JoAnn's project for her Master's degree. She also consults for cooperative development organizations and communities who are interested in finding sustainable solutions.