Why We’re Publishing “Sacred Balance”

Does everybody seem a bit on edge lately? Surely it’s not just me, right?

The end of spring is always hectic, especially for families. The end of the school year brings extracurricular events and graduations. Out-of-town company, while welcome, disrupts our routines. Transition, from school time to summertime or into a new phase of life, always brings stress.

It’s not as though that’s the only thing that can be off, either. We never know when life will throw us an illness or a devastating loss of a family member or friend. The political scene certainly provides plenty of stress. The economy is always lurking with a surprise. Here in St. Louis, we’re responding to the devastating May 16 EF-3 tornado that killed five people and caused more than a billion dollars damage. These kinds of disasters reach far and wide, causing stress, trauma, or worse regardless of who you are or where you live.

Of course, there are also those simple stressors that can set you off at a moment’s notice: Your kid forgetting the cleats they need for after-school sports, or scorching  dinner, or that unavoidable intersection where nobody remembers how a four-way stop works.

Finding a balance can be really, really tough. So Chalice Press is proud to publish Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds by Miriam Diephouse-McMillan. It’s no coincidence we’re publishing this book in May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. Our newest book provides a touchstone to nine time-tested practices to help release the tension in your shoulders and the stress in your mind as you work through the stresses of life. With time and intentionality, these will become more than coping tools — they can become lifestyle routines that ground you in the way of love and compassion.

For more than a decade, Chalice has partnered with Young Clergy Women International to publish resources highlighting voices that are not traditionally prioritized within publishing. Sacred Balance was brought to Chalice Press through our partnership with Young Clergy Women International, which has produced nearly a dozen books over the past decade. Several of those books focus on mental health, including Sarah Griffith Lund’s “Blessed Series” Sabbath in the Suburbs by MaryAnn McKibben Dana.

Rev. Diephouse-McMillan, BCC (Board Certified Chaplain), has been a chaplain at a New Jersey psychiatric hospital for more than a decade. She provides spiritual care and counseling to people with a wide variety of mental health concerns and helps them explore how spirituality enhances their well-being — Sacred Balance has been field-tested for a long, long time, so you know you’ll find a practice that works for you.

Practices featured in Sacred Balance draw on Christian practices and the shared practices of other religions. Diephouse-McMillan focused on nine themes, pairing them with a different activity chosen to help you become grounded:

• Contemplation: Centering Prayer
• Discernment: Daily Examen
• Compassion: Loving Kindness Prayer
• Mindfulness: Practicing the Presence of God
• Rest: Sabbath
• Grounding: Breath Prayer
• Activation: Pilgrimage
• Gratitude: Prayerful Savoring
• Intimacy: Soul Friends

Like many Chalice books, Sacred Balance makes sure you can put what you read into practice. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on each practice, suggestions for customizing those practices, and inspirational questions to nourish your soul.  You’ll also find the mental health benefits each practice brings. Some of them work instantly, while others may take a bit of practice — but working to find mental health and wholeness is always worth the effort.

Sacred Balance is one of those books that you’ll go back to time and time again, reminding yourself of the wisdom it shares and the calm it can bring. If you read it often enough, you’ll instinctually incorporate it into your daily life. We hope it becomes one of those resources that truly changes the way your live your life each date.

Gratefully,
Brad Lyons
President & Publisher