Birth as Theophany
Sacred Psychology - A Global Perspective - Samuel Bendeck Sotillos
Samuel Bendeck Sotillos [+]
Psychotherapist
Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, PsyD, LMFT, LPCC, CCMHC, NCC, CPRP, CCTP, MHRS, is a
practicing psychotherapist who has worked for many years in the field of mental health and social services. His focus is on comparative religion and the intersection between culture, spirituality, and psychology. His works include The Quest For Who We Are: Modern Psychology and the Sacred (2023), Paths That Lead to the Same Summit: An Annotated Guide to World Spirituality (2020), Dismantling Freud: Fake Therapy and the Psychoanalytic Worldview (2020), and Behaviorism: The Quandary of a Psychology without a Soul (2017). He edited the volume, Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy (2013), and his articles have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals. He lives on the Central Coast of California.
Description
The birth of the human being into terrestrial existence is itself an expression of the mystery of manifestation and ultimately of the human condition. It is something that, in the present day, is often taken for granted and insufficiently contemplated. If we do not reflect on the nature of birth and death, can we truly say that we know ourselves or that we understand the meaning and purpose of life itself? This essay looks at how the distinct religious and spiritual traditions understand birth as a Divine Disclosure.