By now I have used the Any Game Cookbook's spiritual gaming recipes so much that the words "Any Game" have become synonymous with spiritual gaming for me.

I was totally intrigued the first time I came across a copy of the Any Game Cookbook -- Recipes for Spiritual Gaming. I was proof reading the book. The exercises offered in it sounded really interesting and I loved it that they were to be done during ordinary game play, using any game, any table top game. I soon got a group of friends together and we started to test it out.

I liked that the book does not define "spiritual" for you and it does not tell you what results to expect from doing any of the exercises. This leaves it completely open to one's own experience and perceptions. Lots of illustrations make it visually fun to look through, and the over 70 recipes (exercises) are easy to understand -- and very potent.

Closet spiritual adventurers will be happy to hear that some of the exercises can be done without anyone being the wiser -- they won't know you are doing anything other than just playing the game. Other exercises are obvious and/or require the cooperation of the other players. All of the recipes are pg rated. In fact, there are some exercises that even small children can do.

Our small group of spiritual gamers found that sometimes the layers, realisations and effects of the exercises changed after several rounds using the same exercise. Sometimes they just deepened the initial direction, and at times the very nature of the effect changed with continued application. Sometimes we shared similar insights and experiences, sometimes the effects on each of us were quite different.

And all of this while having fun playing a game, any old game. We chose a very simple child's board game. Alas, when concentrating on the recipes, there were times that this kid's game became quite a challenge. And every so often we'd get totally lost in it, until remembering, or being reminded, of the exercise we intended to do.

It is so much fun, and for me, the combination of simple game play along with the exercises had an unexpected healing effect. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

debriefing after the game

"Inside these pages you will find a collection of exercises, assorted activities, rule modifications, and mentations designed to turn any gaming experience into a spiritual adventure."
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