A Silent Melody: An Experience of Contemporary Spiritual Life - Hardcover

'In this intriguing book, Shirley du Boulay's life-long spiritual search is described with her ever-fresh honesty and concludes with a rare expression of deep content. As the best religious biographer of her generation she has now shared herself in an inspiring spritual autobiography. By being set in the context of the transformation of religious consciousness over the past fifty years it is also a richly informative story. Through her eyes and self-awareness, her consistency and her own changes of direction, we see better what we are all passing through today. It is a valuable and fascinating perspective on the modern meaning of religion born of one woman's interior journey and the struggle of a whole culture to rediscover depth and meaning.' -- Laurence Freeman OSB * Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation * 'A Silent Melody' has a lot to say both to people who are religious and to people who are not. The strength of the book lies in the personal nature of its account of one woman's religious history at the end of the second millennium. Shirley du Boulay is clear about her doubts, her confusions, her changing allegiances, and her constant attempts to remain honest and open to all kinds of experience, and she writes with a light and certain touch that is a pleasure to read. Whatever we think about religion, the book's real value, I think, is in its unconscious revelation of a personality that embodies that most important quality of all, goodness.' -- Philip Pullman * author, His Dark Materials Trilogy * `A search for God in all things - this is a searingly honest personal account of a lifetime's journey. Responding to the spiritual upheaval of the times, Shirley du Boulay tastes and tests its manifestations in East and West. Beware of this book - it will challenge you to open up.' -- John Wilkins `A Silent Melody takes you, the reader, on a journey along with it author. Through Christianity of almost all shades, to Buddhism, Hinduism, and quite a lot besides, there is a constant searching, coupled with a searing honesty, that is refreshing and appealing. Shirley du Boulay has found contentment of a kind in stillness, even being alone. It shines through, and she has lessons for us all, from the deeply irreligious to those of strong faith. But none of us will feel the same about our spiritual journeys as we did before reading this book.' -- Baroness Julia Neuberger, DBE `Shirley du Boulay recounts her lifetime of love for Christianity as a member of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. But then tells us how Hinduism, Shamanism, Buddhism, Zen and wisdom from many other traditions weaved their way into her heart and soul, enriching her religious and spiritual life more than she had thought possible. I would make this beautiful and humble book compulsory reading for every member of the Christian clergy and recommended reading for everyone who has not only a cross in their home, but also a Buddha and an OM sign and maybe even a Zen meditation cushion. I smiled all the way through, and made notes, and learnt a lot. `Please make Shirley an advisor to Pope Francis. Hers is a voice that needs to be heard.' -- Isobel Losada `Shirley Du Boulay is one of the most lucid and distinguished spiritual writers of our time. Her new book A Silent Melody is her most personal yet. And deserves to be read by seekers on all paths for its honesty, depth, of inner experience, and grace.' -- Andrew Harvey `A Silent Melody is a book of great wisdom. Drawing on her experience as biographer and broadcaster as well as her first-hand experience of many of the spiritual movements of the last 50 years, Shirley du Boulay's book is unsparing in its honesty and vividly conveys a passionate quest for God amidst the ambiguities of organised religion.' -- Revd Donald Reeves `Beautifully written, always insightful, and often deeply moving, Shirley du Boulay's "spiritual autobiography" mixes personal reminiscence with a fascinating account of the biographer's craft. Her own story is summed up in the musical metaphor contained in the title. It speaks eloquently of her experience of the God sounded deep in the heart of creation. There is, however, another dimension to this story. For she is at her best as an accompanist, playing her own themes of pilgrimage, meditation, art and writing, as a sort of counterpoint to some of the most important spiritual movements of the last half-century. A personal story certainly, but also a rich and satisfying account of contemporary spiritual wisdom.' -- Michael Barnes SJ * Professor of Interreligious Relations * `Shirley du Boulay writes with a blazing intensity from the depths of her own spiritual journey. It is one of the most courageous books I have read in a long while, rich in wisdom and insight.' -- James Roose-Evans `I found the author's account of her search for the Divine riveting, and I believe many readers will share her dual love of the spiritualities of both East and West.' -- Sheila Cassidy `The author of several highly acclaimed spiritual biographies invites us here to follow her own spiritual journey from the yearnings of childhood through a life of creative work and rich encounters to the personal loss and wisdom of maturing years. A journey full of surprises and discoveries, from the spiritual dimensions of the 1960s' counterculture to Indian religions, mysticism, the interfaith movement, the attraction of Zen, the power of silence, solitude and stillness, and the many names of God. A deeply personal account that resonates with fascinating murmurings of Spirit. It discloses the rich tapestry of contemporary spiritualities and conveys a courageous spiritual quest. An absorbing read, an inspiring book full of insight and wisdom.' -- Ursula King * Professor Emerita of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Bristol *

`We are, whether we like it or not, religious animals, who started to worship gods early in our existence and who were creating religions as we painted the walls of our caves. We, the human race, are a God-seeking people.' As an acclaimed producer of religious documentaries for the BBC, then a leading biographer of religious figures including Desmond Tutu and Cicely Saunders, Shirley du Boulay has been at the centre of most of the major religious and spiritual movements of the last 50 years - her insight into both personal and organised belief is matched by few. A Silent Melody is an honest and elegant exploration of our spiritual nature, written in the form of a personal memoir.