How did a New Age seeker wind up in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
The Pearl of Great Price is the story of a unique Christian conversion. It is about the spiritual journey of a wayward Catholic New Age Baby Boomer to Jesus Christ and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
- "If you don't believe in the reality of spiritual warfare,
- if you are convinced that miracles belong to a bygone era,
- if you have always assumed that all paths to the Orthodox Church are basically the same,
then you must read The Pearl of Great Price.
The book is likewise a precious gem—a moving memoir that you are sure to treasure for its grateful testament to the grace of God."
Bobby Maddex, Operations Manager, Ancient Faith Radio Senior Editor, Salvo Magazine"
About the Author
My book is about seeking and finding. It is a unique story of Christian conversion. "I journeyed long and far to discover my Pearl of Great Price." As many youths in my baby boomer generation, I became disillusioned with the Catholic Church. Eventually, due to a severe health crisis which traditional medicine could not effectively treat, I turned to alternative medicine treatment, the teachings of a guru, meditation, Eastern religions, and metaphysics. I became a massage therapist, spiritual healer and teacher. Yet for all my meditation techniques, fasting and praying; true inner peace eluded me. I was told "follow your heart", but the spiritual paths and meditation techniques I used and practiced in the end did not truly quench my inner spiritual thirst.
Through a series of remarkable relationships and deep reflection I realized I had to come to terms with my past and my issues not only the church, but Christianity in general. Not until I had healed and reconciled both personally and with the church could I move beyond judging it and myself to be able to touch the heart of my personal struggles to find the "Truth, the Way and the Light" in Jesus Christ and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. How God could bring me from a total immersion into Eastern Religions and the New Age to the Eastern Orthodox Church amazes me still! I would not have imagined becoming Christian would have been the outcome of my struggles and spiritual journey.
I live in Marin County, California, with my husband, Gregory, and our two adorable dogs, Bisou and Bubba. We currently attend St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Anselmo, where I sing in the choir. I am quite involved in the study and spiritual practices of the early church. I especially want to connect with other Orthodox women about how to bring others to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and how my book would be helpful in their Christian ministry.
Review by Daniel R. Duncan, San Francisco, CA USA:
What's remarkable about Veronica Hughes' "Pearl" is its quiet candor, where one usually finds a strident and defensive proselytism.
She describes her previous spiritual explorations with even-handed respect, even when she has found a greater fulfillment in Orthodoxy. Especially interesting is the respectful way she describes her previous relationships in New Age organizations in which she was even a pioneer. This readiness to describe while being reluctant to judge seems to be part of an Orthodox perspective.
She does not call names, but describes events, again, in an even-handed and honest way that is rare in accounts of conversion. She thus honors the search that has led her, and may lead others, to Orthodoxy.
And now that she is fully immersed in Orthodoxy, this reader looks forward to her further adventures in its spiritual landscape for, indeed, every Christian must heed Christ's admonition to seek and to knock so that the truth may answer. For when truth is alive, it does not stand and stagnate. Veronica's account so far promises a similarly quiet candor as she finds the next steps in her journey.
Indeed, her measured perspective will be especially welcome as she goes more and more deeply into this great tradition.
Order The Pearl of Great Price from www.pearlofgreatpriceorthodox.com
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