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Interfaith, nonprofit organization founded in 1956 by a group of religious leaders, writers, businesspeople, and professionals to foster "spiritual unfoldment within the individual through the exploration of both old and new dimensions of human experience leading to a unity of body, mind and spirit."

The early leaders of SFFI were deeply interested in paranormal phenomena as they relate to spiritual experience and transformative consciousness. They selected three areas for major concentration: mystical prayer and meditation, spiritual healing, and the survival of consciousness beyond bodily death. More recently, SFFI has also been concerned with planetary stewardship, global awareness, and various aspects of consciousness research. The SFFI mails out a bimonthly newsletter, publishes a journal, and sponsors retreats, conferences, and seminars. Members have access to a lending library through the mails of 15,000 volumes, an on-premise research library of 5,000 volumes, a prayer healing ministry, and a bookshop. The SFFI had approximately 2,500 active members in 1994. The Academy of Religion and Psychical Research is its academic affiliate (address: P.O. Box 7868, Philadelphia, PA, 19101).

—James McClenon

Hartford Institute for Religion Research   hirr@hartsem.edu
Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, CT 06105  860-509-9500