Stephen G Wright

Rev. Prof. Stephen G Wright FRCN MBE

Starting out with the curse-blessing of the original dysfunctional family, Stephen

emerged from his Manchester working class background to grow his hair long

and wander around Europe like a lot of his generation did in the 60’s. He drifted into

nursing, and by conventional measures made a success of it, following the seminal

Masters programme at Manchester University and eventually becoming the

first consultant nurse in the UK's NHS in 1986. He got into conference speaking and

course-leading internationally, shuffled around in academia, made TV programmes,

wrote lots of books and research papers about nursing, advised governments and WHO

and the Royal College of Nursing, and matured his craft in the nursing practice of older

people culminating in leading a radical nursing development unit that influenced nursing

far and wide.

He gathered lots of glittering prizes along the way to add letters before and after his name,

which appealed greatly to the Enneatype 3 personality he carries around with him. Thus, all the usual

trappings of an acclaimed career were in place. A hand-break turn in self-perception and

a reawakening of the mysticism long suppressed since childhood took him in a different

direction in the 90’s – exploring spirituality as it related to himself, health care and as

service to others. He trained with some eminent teachers, including at the Interfaith

Seminary, and was mentored most deeply by Ram Dass and Jean Sayre-Adams. He is

a member of the Iona Community and is deeply rooted in the Christian contemplative

tradition, while at ease engaging with others across faiths as well as being active in his

local Anglican diocese as a member of its synod. He has participated in the work of the

Deep Adaptation movement as a member of the Forum and the Holding Group, as well

as local activism. A recent work published by Wild Goose focuses on the 6thC life of

Kentigern/Mungo, Brythonic spirituality and a pilgrimage route around the Northern Fells

of Cumbria. Other books have explored spirituality and health, pilgrimage, poetry and

the quartet of spiritual guidance, Coming Home, Contemplation, Burnout and, latterly,

Heartfullness. The last of these is the culmination of decades of work and the teachings

offered in the Kentigern School for Contemplatives, supported by the local diocese. He’s

a Fellow and visiting prof’ at the University of Cumbria which offers a degree of input still

to the academic world, as well as conferring some vague respectability to his work. He

lives with his partner in the English Lake District, enjoys grandfatherhood, beekeeping

and his organic garden and, at 74, still finds working as a spiritual director a joy.