Bill Espinosa writes about his reflections: Reading in The Piedmont; Musings on John and Mary Magdalene.
Here’s the link. Enjoy!

Seedlings are a series of interviews that explore how Wisdom is being planted and expressed in the lives and work/ministries of those who’ve found their way onto this path. Here’s the link to the latest interview with Allen Bourque.

Marcella’s seven-day recognition journey became an inner and outer reunion.
A surprising new arising birthed from this reconnection in sensation on African soil.  

Please enjoy her post by clicking here.

What is “Zoom”?  Zoom is simplified video conferencing that enables participants to easily see/chat/talk/listen on just about any device. Yes, this sounds modern and techy, but it is really very easy to use.

For information about “Learning to Fall” please go here to the Event page.

For information about “Gospel of Thomas” please go here to the Event page.

Here is the link to “An Ode the Small Hours.”

Click here to read Adwoa’s timely post

Laura Ruth writes about her thoughts after the Garrison retreat. “How is it that we sense and participate in the larger movements at work in the world? What is this paradigm shift and how are we moving with it? How are we that?” Take a look.

Bill Redfield, Board Chairman, defines the need and seeks your generous financial support.

Please go to our Contribute page to read  his letter.

We are so grateful that Facebook is matching gifts on this Giving Tuesday. If you are not yet a member of the Wisdom Community Facebook page, Giving Tuesday donations may also be given through Cynthia Bourgeault’s FaceBook page. Facebook will be matching funds from 8 am ET (5 am pt) Tuesday morning 11/27 until they give away $7 million or until the clock strikes 11:59 PT Tuesday night. Dollar for dollar, with 100% of the gift going to Northeast Wisdom, your gift will go twice as far and double the impact for the Wisdom community. Click here for the link to the Wisdom Community Facebook page. Thank you!

Open to the public, 4pm. In this talk, Teilhard de Chardin and Ecology, Cynthia Bourgeault reveals how famed paleontologist, priest and mystic, Teilhard de Chardin, describes the relationship between matter and spirit, unveiling a cosmic vision of hope for our unfolding evolution. More info on the event page.

More information on the Event page.

Click here for event details.

I’ve had a chance now to look at a new book, “How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs” edited by Andrew Davis and Philip Clayton. It’s really, really good! I’m one of about a dozen spiritual teachers contributing a memoir to this volume, including as well Deepak Chopra, Richard Rohr, and Ilia Delio. Here’s the link to amazon if you’d like to check it out.

~ Cynthia

Cultivating a more fully embodied spirituality has become an important and welcome focus recently. Join us at this event sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Boston.

For information, click here to go to the event page.

For event details and to add your name on the waiting list for this Wisdom School, please go to the event page or click here.

For event details, go to the event page or click here!

With a heart filled with sadness but also love, I share the news with you that our beloved Frank Evangelho died this past July 12, just shy of 73 years old, surrounded by his beloved wife Jo Ann and their three daughters. Frank was a charter member of our California wisdom network, a vineyard keeper by heritage, and a nurturer by nature. He was with us at the Maine Wisdom Ingathering this June, less than three weeks before he entered the hospital for the final time in his ongoing struggle with congestive heart failure. There he was much moved by Gurdjieff’s Fourth Obligolnian striving, which I will pass on to you all here as a fitting tribute to the generosity and profundity of his heart – that heart in him which will never fail.

“THE FOURTH: THE STRIVING, FROM THE BEGINNING OF ONE’S EXISTENCE, TO PAY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE FOR ONE’S ARISING AND INDIVIDUALITY, IN ORDER AFTERWARD TO BE FREE TO LIGHTEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THE SORROW OF OUR COMMON FATHER.”

Thank you, Frank, and do watch over us all from your new viewing platform in the conscious circle of humanity. I am honored to feel you imaginally tending our wee wisdom vineyard.

Blessings,

Cynthia

In the Contemplating the Enneagram workshop, Cynthia and Russ Hudson explore the original meaning of the Enneagram, the history of the authentic contemplative path in the Western tradition, and how these foundations of inner work can be successfully woven with the Enneagram of personality. For more information, please go to the Event page here.

The Mary Magdalene and Conscious Love Wisdom School will be held at Hallelujah Farm, from Thursday, July 26 (beginning with a light supper at 5:30 pm) to Sunday, July 29 at 1:30 after lunch. The suggested donation for this Wisdom School is $475 which includes a $75 deposit. This training will be led by retreat guides Bill Redfield with Laura Ruth. For event details, go to the event page by clicking here.

The 2018 Maine Ingathering is setting up to be a wonderful week. If you’d like to take a look a the preliminary schedule of events, click here to view or download the document.

The 9-point Enneagram symbol represents nine unique types, or energies, each with specific traits, behavioral patterns, and tendencies — and each with unique gifts. Rooted in multiple wisdom traditions, the Enneagram has inspired transformation of the body, mind, heart, and soul for hundreds of years.

Cynthia will once again join a brilliant group of speakers. The online summit is free, but you need to register. Her first session entitled, “The Asymmetrical Dynamism of the Enneagram: The Mandala That Won’t Stay on the Page” is Wed, June 13 at 1pm EDT. Her second day is Friday, June 15 at 3p EDT where she will join Russ Hudson, Terry Saracino, and host Jessica Dibb to explore the topic “True Integration or Spritual Bypass?: Toward Real Emergent Awakening.”

“Nurturing Faithfulness”, a course by Marcelle Martin, is being offered at Pendle Hill this month. A few days remain to join a wonderful group Sunday April 15-through Thursday April 19, on Pendle Hill’s beautiful campus dedicated to Quaker study, living and retreat. All are welcome for Spirit-led learning and community, located in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. For more information, go to the event page.

Please join Cynthia with 6 other honored teachers who will share the wisdom and practices from their tradition.

In this six-week course, seven dear spiritual friends and respected teachers will share the gifts of resilience, rebirth, and renewal from the spiritual traditions that have shaped their lives. They invite you to open these gifts together in loving community with them. This e-course provides a multifaith and interspiritual guide to “Coping and Thriving with Catastrophe.” Each week will feature a different teacher including:  Ed Bastian, Cynthia Bourgeault, Kabir and Camille Helminski, Rami Shapiro, Mirabai Starr, Swami Atmarupananda.

For course details and to register, please go to Spirituality & Practice.

Click here for all the details

Great timing for this question from Craig about the Resurrection of Jesus. Check it out here

This eight day (7 night) retreat begins on Palm Sunday and ends with a celebration on Easter. For all the details, check out the Event page. For the week end (3 night) retreat , check out this Event page.

Here are the details https://wisdomwayofknowing.org/resource-directory/ws-part-b-divine-exchange/

Find all the event details and registration information here https://northeastwisdom.org/events/maine-wisdom-ingathering-3/

The program this year will feature the usual blend of daily teaching (by Cynthia Bourgeault, shared in the afternoon with Matthew Wright), meditation, chanting, sacred movement, and conscious practical work, as well as some unprogrammed time for exploring the natural paradise here and reconnecting with old friends. Our theme this year will be “The Good, the True, and the Beautiful.” We look forward to seeing you there, June 3-10, 2018.

You may or may not have had this question, but you will find this exchange enlightening.

Check out Craig’s question and Cynthia’s response https://northeastwisdom.org/ask-cynthia/

Registration is officially open if you are going to be in the Atlanta area on March 17. The Cathedral of St. Philip presents a day-long conference with Cynthia. Here are the details.

This retreat has become an annual event at Hallelujah Farm. Offering both a week-end or week-long immersion in Wisdom Practice in the depths of winter, this is an opportunity to delve into the elements that emerge within the container of a silent retreat, a rare treat in the Wisdom tradition. Time will be spent within a rhythm of silent prayer, chanting, lectio divina, conscious work and contemplative movement. For more information and to register contact: Kerstin Lipke – kerstinlipke@gmail.com. To download the flyer, click here.

In January, 2019 we’ll be exploring Christianity’s beginnings in India through the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle, the Christian ashram movement, and East-West contemplative dialogue. Spiritual practice and teaching will be woven throughout our time together. Details are still shaping up, but the general plan is to fly into Chennai, where we’ll visit sites associated with St. Thomas, including the place of his martyrdom. From there, we’ll head to Shantivanam, the Christian ashram once led by Fr. Bede Griffiths. We’ll then head to Pondicherry and on to Tiruvannamalai, where we’ll stay at a Hindu ashram associated with the Indian saint Ramana Maharshi. Day trips to temples and holy sites will be interspersed along the way, and the entire pilgrimage will last two weeks.

The trip will require physical fitness and a willingness to “rough it” as we’ll be staying, for the most part, in very spare ashram conditions and not in five-star hotels. If you’re at all interested, please sign up via Br. Aidan’s online interest form, which can be found here: https://groundinginthespirit.wordpress.com/wisdom/pilgrimage/

Once you’re added to the list, you’ll receive updates as more details emerge.

Won’t you join us in expressing your appreciation and gratitude with a manifestation of generosity?
Click here to be taken to our Contribute page.

The Wisdom Way of Knowing announces a virtual Introductory Wisdom School with Cynthia Bourgeault. From now through December 31 they are offering a special discount. Please follow this link to visit the eCourse information page for full details, to sign up, and to start on your way. 

Check out the latest questions to Cynthia and her responses. Very helpful!

https://northeastwisdom.org/ask-cynthia/

In anticipation of our upcoming “Wisdom Group Leadership Training” at the end of the month (see event detail), I have put together four posts that might stimulate people’s consideration of “holding a Wisdom post.” Although the event is now filled with a waiting list, I would be very interested to know if anyone would be interested in a similar event sometime in 2018. If so, please contact me to register your interest. Enjoy! ~Bill Redfield

Link to Part I: Skilled Leadership Perspective
Link to Part II: Preferred States? Or Enduring Stages?
Link to Part III: Digesting Experience, Reflection and Understanding
Link to Part IV: Grounding Wisdom’s Deeper Surrender of Self-Giving Love

“Buddah at the Gas Pump” conducts interviews with “ordinary” spiritually awakening people. The website attempts to dispel skepticism and misconceptions by week after week, allowing otherwise ordinary people to relate their experience of spiritual awakenings. Cynthia’s interview will be streamed live on YouTube HERE.

You can submit questions through the form at the bottom of BatGap’s website page HERE, but be sure to read all of the instructions. If you’re not going to be able to watch an interview live, you may submit questions beforehand, but please don’t submit them afterwards.
Live streamed interviews are deleted shortly after being concluded, so it’s advisable to start watching as close to the scheduled time as possible. The permanent version will be uploaded to YouTube a couple of days later.

The Center for Spiritual Deepening in Alexandria, VA fosters spiritual growth by supporting spiritual practice, by encouraging a broad understanding of “spiritual” that includes all aspects of our lives, by inviting reflection on the inner path, and by providing a gathering place for those seeking companions on the journey. We wanted to make you aware of a few “happenings” going on there.

The Rebirthing of God with John Philip Newell, Opening the Eye of the Heart with Northeast Wisdom board member Matthew Wright, and The Practice of Centering Prayer with Cynthia via YouTube.

Check out the “Maiden Voyage” of using videos from Kanuga. Marcella Kraybill-Greggo includes her take on the idea as well as helpful learnings and graces. Here’s the link.

Marcella Kraybill-Greggo invites the Wisdom community to join together “virtually” on Tuesdays to pray for the work of Wisdom to bring the world together. Please read her post.

Breaking Ground, a symposium of diverse voices from around the Wisdom community, is now interactive. You can now enter into a conversation and post your comments. Give it a try!    https://northeastwisdom.org/breaking-ground/

Laura Copeland writes a new post for Breaking Ground. Please check it out.

Got a question? Want to see what other people are asking? Check out the “Ask Cynthia” section https://northeastwisdom.org/ask-cynthia/

This spring a collective of three Wisdom teachers, Marcella Kraybill-Greggo, Jeanine Siler Jones and Heather Ruce, completed an eight month series of Wisdom Circles in their respective communities. They coordinated and supported one another as a group, working through the steps together from planning to de-briefing, as the cycle unfolded. The interesting thing about this collaboration was that it took place long distance, with the three women holding their posts in their groups on the same day in the northeast, the southeast and on the west coast; the groups working in concert in both time and content. Together, the three have written this piece for Breaking Ground, speaking to their commitment, how it yielded unexpected fruit, and evoked deep noticing. Thank you Marcella, Jeanine and Heather! Stay tuned to Breaking Ground for further conversation about their process. Read more

Cynthia Bourgeault is a guest on “Inside Sacred Texts,” a video discussion that is now airing on PBS throughout the country. For a rare sign of hope and optimism about the healing between different cultures, the program looks into the phenomenal rise of language translation in our times and answers the questions: What makes a text sacred? Have there been biases in the translations of sacred texts? Why are the newly-discovered gospels of Thomas, Philip, Judas and Mary Magdalene so important? Here’s a 30-second trailer. To learn more about the program, find out where to watch on PBS or order a DVD, go to Global Spirit.

Just to let you know, there are presently 10 slots to fill for the Summer Institute Enneagram Retreat the week of July 17th. Here are the details of the event.

Events open to the public 

Full schedule of events available to those who are registered. Any questions, please email Wendy Johnston.

Sunday, June 4:

(Arrivals throughout the day)

7:30 pm: welcome and orientation; chanting and meditation (town hall)

Monday, June 5

7:15 am: chanting and meditation (town hall)

9:15 morning teaching (town hall) CB: Teilhard for Troubled Times

10:30 break

11:00 practical work in teams

(Darlene leads cooking team, Oddfellows; Cynthia leads morning music group in site at St Mary’s Church. Emphasis on Taize vocals; some Brendan music. )

12:30 Lunch (Oddfellows Hall, followed by time off

            2pm: Centering Prayer with Guthrie Sayen , Town Hall

            3 pm: Contemplative Movement with Allen Borque, Town Hall

            (unscheduled time for small groups and special explorations, individual music lessons)

4:15: PUBLIC TALK by CB at Town Hall: “St Brendan the Navigator: Introducing our Local Celtic Hero”

5:30: chanting and meditation

6:00 Dinner on your own and night off

Tuesday, June 6

7:15 am: chanting and meditation (town hall)

9:15: morning teaching (town hall)

10:30: break

11 am: practical work (Darlene and Wendy work with Taize instrumentalists and vocalists at St. Mary’s Church; will need assistant chef to lead cooking team.

12:30 Lunch (Oddfellows Hall) followed by time off

(unscheduled time for small group and special explorations: music lessons, practical work, drama group, children’s group, recreation and excursions, Centering Prayer with Guthrie at 2, Contemplative Movement with Allen at 3)

4:15: afternoon teaching (town hall): GEOFF WARNER, founder of Owl Furniture:

“HEALTHY ERGONOMICS FOR DAILY LIVING “

5:30: Chanting and meditation

6: dinner (on your own)

7:30 TAIZé JAM at St. Mary’s Church

Wednesday, June 7

7:15 am morning chanting and meditation followed by

Free Day to Explore the Neighborhood: Excursions to Eagle Island, Isle au Haut; Old Quarry kayaking, sightseeing in Acadia National Park; Contemplative Movement continues at 3.

No scheduled evening event.

Thursday, June 8

7:15 am chanting and meditation (town hall)

9:15: morning teaching , Town Hall (Teilhard exploration continues)

10:30 break

11:00 practical work (Darlene in Kitchen; CB leads Troupe for Brendan Scene Study prep)

12:30 Lunch followed by time off (contemplative movement, Centering Prayer, and private lessons continue)

NOTE: Cynthia will be speaking on Global Enneagram Summit at 1 pm today!

 4:15 Afternoon Teaching: St Brendan Play, Scenes 1-4

5:30 chanting and meditation (town hall)

6:00 dinner break

7:30 public talk by CB: Teilhard and the Conscious Circle of Humanity (town hall)

 Friday, June 9

7:15 am: Chanting and meditation (town hall)

9:15 am morning teaching with CB (Teilhard exploration continues)

10:30 break

11:00 work in teams (CB leads Troupe for Brendan Scene study)

12:30 Lunch followed by time off (DARLENE works at Oddfellows Hall with Musicians to prepare for evening kirtan/zikr; centering prayer (2 pm) and Contemplative Movement (3 pm) continue at Town Hall

4:15: afternoon teaching: St Brendan play, scenes 5-7

5:30 chanting and meditation

6:00 dinner

7:30 pm: “For our one world: Evening of Sacred Chanting, Prayer, and Movement at Town Hall

Saturday June 10

 7:15 am: chanting and meditation

9:15 morning teaching (Teilhard track continues)

10:30 break

11:00 practical work in groups (Darlene with kitchen team; CB with Troupe as needed

12:30 Lunch followed by free time (CP and Contemplative Meditation continue)

4:15 afternoon teaching: Brendan voyage concludes

5:30 meditation and chanting except for kitchen and set-up team

6:00 “Gaudeamus” (beverages and munchies) at Oddfellows; dinner on your own (or make the party your meal)

Sunday, June 11

7:15 morning sitting” followed by departure at your own pace (most houses must be vacated by 10 am)

Join Cynthia on THURSDAY, June 8 at 1:00pm ET for her session: The Finger Pointing to the Moon: Is There Life Beyond Types?

The free online event will be taking place June 5-9. For more information, please see the event page on our site or go directly to the Enneagram site.

A free LIVE online community conversation with Cynthia Bourgeault facilitated by Vera de Chalambert, April 29 at 3pm EST.

For more information and to register, click here.

On Conscious.TV you can watch Renate McNay’s inteview with Cynthia or read the transcript. Enjoy!

The Aspen Chapel invites Northeast Wisdom-ers to join via live stream for Cynthia’s teachings this week in Aspen, both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 9:30-11:30 MDT (11:30-1:30 EDT). To live stream, go to aspenchapel.org, then click on “watch” in the grey tabs at the top of the page. Details @Survivor’s Guide to the Galaxy:  Teilardian Wisdom and aspenchapel.org. All are welcome!

Our second annual Maine Wisdom Ingathering will take place June 4-11, 2017.  We have posted all the information you need along with 2 ways to register…by mail or online.  Click here for more information.

Christian Nonduality—Seriously?

Watch the new video trailer!

A webcast with Cynthia Bourgeault
LIVE: Thursday, January 5, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Click here for more info

For more information and to register, please click here to go to the Friends of Silence website.

Cynthia is very excited about this first-ever Quaker Wisdom School for Quakers and Wisdom seekers of all faiths. It will take place May 14-19, 2017 in Wallingford, PA.  Space is limited so please check out the details here.

Cynthia will lead you step by step into the heart of Teilhard de Chardin — both figuratively and literally.

Though email messages sent to you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for five weeks, you will learn your way around the basic building blocks of “The Teilhardian Synthesis,” his great overarching vision. You’ll catch moving glimpses of his life and the spiritual resources he drew on to keep himself going through long years of struggle and exile. You’ll get to work with some of these resources directly through spiritual practices based directly on Teilhard’s writings. Above all, you’ll have access 24/7 to the online Practice Circle to post your reflections and questions and hear responses from Cynthia and your fellow students. You’ll also find a veritable treasure chest of additional resources to help you dig deeper if you’re so inclined.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

We listened to what you said you wanted: 1) more information about folks who on the Wisdom path, and 2) a way to ask questions and get answers directly from Cynthia. So have a look; here are the links.

Seedlings and Ask Cynthia

This will inaugurate the second round of Teilhard teachings. Click here to go to the Event page for details

Contemplative Journal is offering Cynthia Bourgeault’s popular class on discernment as an “On Demand” course: The Four Voices Method of Discernment. Here’s what they have to say about it:

“Our most popular class ever is getting an upgrade! With a newly made workbook to help you walk through the class and an entirely new class platform that is much more user-friendly and easy to navigate, you won’t want to miss this updated on demand offering.”

If you haven’t had the chance to take this wonderful course, now is your chance! Click here to get started!

Wisdom Christianity: Panikkar, Teilhard, and Thomas

Join us for a weekend of teaching, chanting, and silent meditation, while participating in the rhythms of a Benedictine monastery. Commitment to a regular contemplative practice is a prerequisite for this retreat. Click here for event details and registration form.

Just wanted to share a few photos with you.

Originally published in Castine Patriot, May 12, 2016 and Island Ad-Vantages, May 12, 2016 and The Weekly Packet, May 12, 2016

Click here to see the article about “Internationally acclaimed writer and retreat leader—and Stonington resident—Cynthia Bourgeault will host a pilot “Wisdom Ingathering” during the week of June 5-12.”

Join us during the first, long days of summer to gather for a vibrant weekend of contemplative practices guided by the four-quadrant Benedictine rhythm of ora et labora – praying and working, alone and together. See event link for details.

Cynthia Bourgeault will be gathering with students from all over the world in Stonington, Maine, June 5-12. The following evening events are open to the public; all are welcome!

Contemplative Practice and Wisdom Christianity: Series 2016: This series consists of workshops presenting the renewal of contemplative spiritual practices and the recovery of a way of faith rooted in inward and outward transformation. Dates are April 16, April 23 and April 30. 

These workshops are offered for people engaged or interested in contemplative spiritual practices and/or the renewal of the church. No prior experience or knowledge required. Click here for more information or to register.

With Cynthia’s recent prompting, Beth O’Brien announces that Contemplative Presence will be offering four Wisdom School gatherings in southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa, beginning in June 2016. Each of these events will carry forth the Christian Wisdom lineage, bringing contemplatives together for deepening spiritual practice and Wisdom teachings. As a direct student of Cynthia for many years and the founder of Contemplative Presence, Beth trusts that these upcoming Wisdom Schools will serve as ‘widening circles of transmission’ within the Wisdom network–and extends a gentled invitation to all to Come and see . . .

• Placing Our Mind in Our Heart:  Introductory Wisdom School, PART A, June 22-25.
• Wisdom School:  Mary Magdalene as Unitive Wisdom, August 24-27.
• Seeing With the Eye of the Heart:  Introductory Wisdom School, PART B, Oct. 26-29.
• Placing Our Mind in Our Heart: Introductory Wisdom School, PART A, Nov. 26-29.

For more information on these and other contemplative offerings in the Madison, WI, area go to: www.ContemplativePresence.org. 

Details are available on the Event page. Registration is now full but please email Wendy to be placed on the wait list.

New Year Greetings!

In 2015 Cynthia launched “The Year of Teilhard,” encouraging our community to discover this extraordinary French mystic and begin familiarizing ourselves with his tremendous work. In 2016 the exploration of Teilhard’s theology continues as we approach the first of multiple Teilhard themed Wisdom Schools led by Cynthia, beginning with La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara next month.

In addition to the upcoming wisdom schools, there is another exciting Teilhardian gathering on the horizon that we would like to bring to your attention:

The 2016 American Teilhard Association Annual meeting on May 14 at Union Theological Seminary in New York city, featuring a lunch followed by a talk by Ilia Delio, OSF titled “Teilhard de Chardin and World Religions: Ultra Catholic or Ultra Human?”  Cynthia and I have already purchased our tickets and would like to invite all those in our community who are able to attend to join us in participating in this momentous gathering.

For more information and to purchase tickets simply click on the following link: http://teilharddechardin.org/index.php/event.

Hope to see many of you there!

Gabrielle (Brie) Stoner

I thought some of you might like to see these recent pictures of Thomas Keating and me. He’s nearing 93, would you believe? Merry Christmas to all you contemplatives out there from Cynthia and Thomas.

Okay, dear friends, here’s something I would like to offer to our planet, the small bit I can contribute. I invite ALL of you who belong to my network of the heart in any way – family, friends, students, readers of my books – to pool our energy and sign up for my advent e-course. This hard earned wisdom, garnered once upon a time in the deserts of Egypt and yes, Syria, is sorely needed again to reclaim our world. If we can get 1000 folks working together gathered together around this material in the four weeks preparing for the Prince of Peace, I wager we can shift the energy field. Worth a try, anyway. Here’s the link. Do it TODAY.

We officially announced Northeast Wisdom’s inaugural fundraising campaign on Nov. 4 — wondering if using modern technology was a good idea. Cynthia’s letter was sent to friends and colleagues electronically, she posted a blog, and we configured the site to accept online payments. Within the hour we received a notification from PayPal that our first donation had been received. Thank you! There’s no question that there is something less personal online…but technology sure does make contributing easier and faster. If you missed it, here’s the contribution page.

We thank you again for helping Northeast Wisdom take this first big step.

Do you want to learn more about chanting/singing in different faith traditions? Are you curious to find out what a deeply wise Sufi scholar, a quietly warm Indian Hindu, and a funny-to-the-bone Jewish rabbi have to say about the power of singing and chanting in their spiritual practices? Want to hear about the latest scientific research exploring how the body and mind is affected by each of these practices?

ALTERED STATES 2015 is the place to be!! Dr. Amer Latif, Shital Kinkhabwala, Rebbe Moshe Waldoks, and Dr. Lesley Fishelman will be our guest presenters and teachers on the weekend of November 14-15. Thanks to a generous gift from the Diocese of Vermont, the cost of the weekend is very affordable. For more information, check out our events page.

The Reverend John Ander Runkle, RA, is the Executive Director of St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development in Tennessee. He announced that St. Mary’s Sewanee recently launched a web page named “Teach Us to Pray” where Cynthia is mentioned. This new resource includes reflections on prayer and is intended to provide a form of encouragement to pray and come to know God better. Click here for the link if you’d like to check it out.

Kind of cool! Cynthia’s books were spotted sandwiched right next to those of Teilhard de Chardin in Andrew Breitenberg’s library. Andrew is a student at the Living School.

Hey, all, can I tempt a few more souls out there in the Wisdom network to sign up for a unique and wonderful teaching retreat coming up on September 17-20 at Hallelujah Farm?

This Wisdom workshop/retreat, called “Chanting in the Heart of Sophia,” is the labor of love of senior Wisdom student Laura Ruth and will reunite some of the “old gang” from our Bluestone Farm days as participants gather together under the leadership of Matthew Wright and Sister Helena Marie to explore the wonderful wisdom world of Gregorian Chant and Marian devotion. Click here for the details.

I will be on a pilgrimage (in Uzbekistan!) September 13-24, so I won’t be able to personally attend the retreat. But I want to encourage others in the network to do so, both for the beauty of the topic being explored and for the initiative of Laura, Matthew, and Sr. Helena Marie in putting this opportunity together. ~ Cynthia

We have started a wait list for the Contemplative Retreat with Cynthia Bourgeault at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, MA December 6-11, 2015. This advent contemplative retreat will feature silence, group meditation, participation in the monastic liturgy of the Abbey as well as teaching and readings from Thomas Merton, whose birthday into eternal life we will commemorate on December 10. The only requirement is an established meditation practice. For details, click here.

Check our Events page to learn more the course, but note that there is a pricing advantage for early enrollment.

As many of you know, Cynthia Bourgeault led a 4-day retreat in Auckland, New Zealand in May. The event was fully booked well in advance, so for those of you who could not attend or are just curious about what transpired there, Marty Schmidt has written a wonderful synopsis. Read Marty’s post, learn from his experience and see some photos from the event…you can almost feel as if you were there! Here’s the link to his “Social Conscience and Inner Awakening” blog. Enjoy.

Cynthia is recovering nicely from pacemaker surgery on May 19 and hopes to be fully back in the
saddle in short order. To find out about what happened, follow this link to her letter.

Owen McKenna, husband of our longtime Boston Wisdom student Jane, died on May 30 after a long journey with leukemia, in which Jane closely and beautifully accompanied and supported him. The funeral will be held Friday, June 5 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Here’s a link to more details and his obituary.

There are still a few spots left for the retreat “Letting Go — Silence, Surrender, and Song” co-led by Cynthia Bourgeault and Paulette Meier. The Northeast Guild for Spiritual Formation presents a weekend devoted to the “core, sacred gesture” of self-emptying or kenosis through the practices of centering prayer and sacred chant in the Quaker tradition.

More information and registration click here.

Northeast Wisdom teachers and board members Cynthia Bourgeault and Matthew Wright shared a special moment at the recent Wisdom Leadership Training School in Valle Crucis, North Carolina (photo courtesy of Robbin Whittington).

Eleanor Winsor announces the first organizational meeting of a Practice Group in Richmond (2209 E. Grace St.) on May 5. This informal gathering is for Wisdom School participants or people who are interested in attending a Wisdom School. The group will Center together from 10am-2pm to discuss Part I of Teilhard de Chardin’s The Divine Milieu.  For more information contact: Nancy Delach or Eleanor Winsor

California Wisdom student Faye Cox visited Teilhard de Cardin’s gravesite in March and captured this
photograph.

For the first time ever, Cynthia teaches her personal method of spiritual discernment. Four Voices welcomes the specific wisdom of each part of our being–even when they’re diametrically opposed, in a way that brings them into harmonious solidarity. This is an online course offered May 11 – June 5, 2015; click here to register.

In January 2015 Cynthia Bourgeault issued the “Year of Teilhard” challenge, inviting Wisdom students worldwide to familiarize themselves with the writings of this great contemporary visionary in preparation for a number of Teilhard Wisdom Schools upcoming in 2016. Schools already “on the books” will be taking place in California, the Pacific Northwest, the Hudson Valley in New York, and North Carolina. Stay tuned to the Upcoming Events page as registration details become available. For a link to the basic Teilhard bibliography, go to the Resources page on this site, under Reading Lists.

Teilhard de Chardin’s star is now rising powerfully on the horizon, heralding the dawn of an entirely new kind of Christian theology. Misunderstood in his own times, silenced and exiled by his Jesuit superiors, he is finally coming into his own as the most extraordinary mystical genius of our century and the linchpin connecting scientific cosmology and Christian mystical experience on a dynamic new evolutionary ground. Let’s declare 2015 the year to take on the collective task of getting to know his work better. Here’s the reading list.