September 1, 1999
Book illustrates author's unpredictable life
Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Illustrating perfectly the unpredictability of life's journey, Julie Chai found herself last Sunday afternoon sitting at a table in Border's Books and Music, signing her recently released book: 'Somewhere Between Double Trouble and Infinity: Witnessing the Splendor of the Soul Unfold.'
By turn, her life has included time as a Presbyterian minister, Peace Corps volunteer, potter, sculptor and radio interviewer. Sunday, the author persona came to the fore, as she greeted the public and signed her books, discussing life and spirituality with interested passerby. For the Elmwood Township resident, it was just another stop on the long, winding road of her life.
"I am an author, not a writer," said Chai, who recently co-founded the Stress Reduction and Wellness Center in Traverse City. "I don't get up every morning and write for two hours even if I don't have something to say. This book is about honoring my soul and the stories wrote themselves when I had some free time after finishing my spiritual direction training in California."
The title of her book, which took two years from completion to publication, pays homage to a day when Chai found herself in Leland's Fish Town, reflecting on her life. She was seated on the docks and noticed that she was between two boats, named aptly enough, Double Trouble and Infinity. She realized this symbolized her passion for bridging the gap between spirit and the mind.
"All my life, Jesus has been a teacher and a friend," Chai said. "But I also have a radical theology in that I am willing to question things."
Spawned during a self-described mid-life crisis, the book details her lifetime of mystical experiences from settings in France, Switzerland, Korea, California, the Upper Peninsula, Ann Arbor and upstate New York. Everywhere Chai has lived she has found impetus and direction to look both inward and up to God for guidance and growth.
Using a series of autobiographical sketches and highlights of her insights, she hopes that writing this book will help readers look at their own lives, loves and spirit in a new way. She also wanted to take time to document her lifetime of mystical experiences and wrote the book during a two-year period of quietness in her own life.
"My story can be a tool for people finding their own soul path," Chai said. "This book is about self-actualization, getting outside of doctrine and dogma to look at how God is leading us."
Since her college days, Chai has used meditation as a tool to calm her mind and to quest into matters of the heart, spirit and emotions. Since moving to Traverse City six years ago, she has also shared her practice and taught mindfulness meditation in the area.
For the past two years, Chai has hosted the Heart To Heart show on WNMC, showcasing local people and what they are passionate about. Still a minister but unaffiliated with any congregation, Chai also performs weddings, funerals and memorial services. She also gives pre-marital counseling, stress reduction and inner listening classes. Recently she and two other local healers founded the Stress Reduction and Wellness Center, which will offer a range of alternative therapies.
"People need to know that we don't need to be afraid of ourselves and what others feel about us," said Chai.