Is hiking spiritual? New issue of the magazine explores that question

On a hike, if you’re only thinking about your mileage or speed, you’re missing a big part of the experience.

That’s the point of an excerpt in the fall issue of The Flame, CGU’s award-winning magazine, from the new book Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage by alumnus Christopher Ives.

“In my Daoist moments, as I breathe, I think about the two modes of qi, yin and yang,” writes Ives (PhD, Religion, ’88), a professor of religious studies at Stonehill College. “When I hike, I feel energy moving through me and my surroundings in these two modes.”

Along with the excerpt, the new issue of The Flame magazine includes a Q & A with Ives (in which he recounts his experiences at what was then called Claremont Graduate School) and some information on another unique spiritual retreat in the Claremont area.

Also profiled in the new issue is the research of Assistant Professor of Psychology Saida Heshmati on ways that people experience love and well-being; and the work of Associate Professor of Economic Sciences Greg DeAngelo, who is the founding director of the Computational Justice Lab (which is the recent recipient of a major grant from the Charles Koch Foundation).

Kicking off the issue is President Len Jessup, who celebrates the university’s supportive community.

“I’m now in the second year on the job here,” he writes, “and I have witnessed many people in the CGU family coming together to find ways to propel our university forward.”

That includes CGU’s outstanding academic achievements which are showcased in the new issue, including evaluation research on wolves and at-risk teens, tracing the Republican “fishhook” in California, new donor gifts and support, and much much more.

These highlights only skim the surface. Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy the full issue here!