Skip to content
Andrew Harvey

One strand of the mystical life

Sacred Activism

When awakening becomes action. The inner life is not separate from the fate of the world.

What it is

Practice and action, held together

Sacred Activism is the union of profound spiritual practice with wise, compassionate action in the world. From 2005 onward Andrew turned his work in this direction and founded the Institute for Sacred Activism.

It grows out of his mysticism rather than replacing it. Prayer without action can become a private comfort; action without prayer can become exhausted fury. Held together, each keeps the other honest.

The founding text is The Hope, published by Hay House in 2009 and winner of the Nautilus Silver Award. Later books, Radical Passion and Radical Regeneration with Carolyn Baker, carry the vision forward.

Painting of sunlight rising over a dark forest and still lake

The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism

Find it on Amazon ↗

Three pillars

What holds the work up

  1. Painting of a glowing lotus on dark water

    01

    Inner practice

    Sacred Activism begins in prayer, meditation and devotion. Without a living connection to the Divine, action burns out or turns bitter. Practice keeps the heart open and the mind clear enough to act wisely.

  2. Painting of a golden sun above a dark forest and river beneath a starry sky

    02

    Shadow work and the dark night

    Andrew names our time a global dark night. The activist must face their own shadow as honestly as the shadow of the world, so that rage, despair and the need to be right do not poison the work.

  3. Painting of a burning heart against deep red

    03

    Love, action and service

    Compassion becomes concrete. Sacred Activism is love in action: wise, humble service to the suffering of people, animals and the earth, offered from a heart rooted in the sacred.

Resources

Courses, archives and books for change

Each opens on Psyche & Co in a new tab.

Begin

Love, made practical

See every course Andrew offers, or receive his letters as the work unfolds.

All courses →The mystical root →

Free signup gift · preview

Five Teachings for a World in Crisis

A free gift for new subscribers.

Newsletter and community

The Fire in the Heart — Letters from the Radical Mystic

A fortnightly letter via Substack for meeting this moment. Each edition carries four things:

  • 01One idea
  • 02One piece from the archive
  • 03One recommendation
  • 04One teaching invitation

Join Andrew's letters. You'll receive his letters by email via Substack, plus occasional updates about his courses, retreats and new work from Andrew Harvey. Free, no Substack account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

If the form doesn't appear, you can subscribe directly on Substack.

Subscribe on Substack →
Read Andrew on Substack →

Substack handles your subscription and consent. You can unsubscribe using the link in its emails.