Peter Owen-Jones Interview, Spiritual Faith & Living An Holistic Life part1
Peter Owen-Jones is an Anglican Priest, based in East Sussex, UK and is a well known face on BBC television for the documentaries: Around the world in 80 Faiths, The Extreme Pilgrim, How to Live a Simple Life, Taking Advice from St Francis of Assisi, The Lost Gospels and also as an author. Recent TV appearance – National Geographic TV channel, series When Rome Ruled, programme The Holy Spear First aired 12 December 2010
I was keen to meet Peter as, after watching the BBC programmes 80 Faiths and Extreme Pilgrim, they had quite an impact on me. I questioning what my own faith was. Did I even had a faith. Who was I and what was I offering the world?
Peter was speaking at a festival that I was attending so I had the opportunity to catch up with him. I listened to him reading extracts from his book, Letters from an Extreme Pilgrim, Reflections on Life, Love and the Soul. In this he describes living an austere life as a Chinese Buddhist monk, a Christian monk and an Indian ascetic. (you can order his books via the Amazon link on this page)
Peter speaks from the heart in a passionate and honest way. He was thought provoking and intrigued me to where this ‘spiritual adventurer’ would cast his weathered hat next.
Part 1 of the transcript from our interview.
Part 2 read here
Linzi – Welcome Peter, nice to meet you and thank you for speaking with me.
Linzi – Do you think a strong faith goes hand in hand with living a more holistic or healthier life?
Peter – It depends on the faith. There are not many that take an holistic view. Perhaps the best one is the Jains of India. For an holistic life one cannot live it until you embrace the sacredness of all life, then perhaps you might stand a chance of having a much more holistic lifestyle than we would have had otherwise.
Linzi – You write in a very eloquent, descriptive and passionate way. Do you find that writing is a one way to find God, to connect with that essence?
Peter – When we write we find our voice. All of us have a voice whether that is within carpentry, plumbing, performing, singing, writing. It is our essential voice that speaks through what we do and that’s a different voice to the one which we crash around in our daily lives. I, as a Priest, the voice that I found was that Priestly voice within me. “Hopefully after 52 years if I’d been a carpenter I would have produced things of great quality which would speak of my passion and commitment to that particular art” (Peter’s 52 years of age)
Linzi – For you then is it through writing?
Peter – Yes, that’s my thing, that’s where I find my voice. We all have our own voice within us. That is when work becomes sacred, in that sense, when we are essentially doing work for the beauty of itself and for the joy we will give others, that’s when something beautiful happens.
Part 2 Read Here
Interviewer: Linzi Martin, Sleep Well and Live Well consultant www.FeelGoodZone.com
Further information:
Jainism, taken from the BBC site http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/ataglance/glance.shtml
Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself. Jains believe that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls and should be treated with respect and compassion. Jainism is a religion of self-help. There are no gods or spiritual beings that will help human beings.
Background from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Owen-Jones
Peter Owen-Jones (b 1957) is an English Anglican clergyman, author and television presenter.
Moving to London he started in advertising as a messenger boy and worked his way up to creative director. In his late 20s he gave up his commercial life to follow a calling to the Anglican ministry. He was recruited by the BBC to front a series of religious television programmes which would look at different aspects of Christian and other faiths.
Recent Books: ▪ Around the World in 80 Faiths ▪ Letters from the Moon (2010) ▪ Letters from an Extreme Pilgrim: Reflections on Life, Love and the Soul (2010)
