The Contemplative Society is an inclusive non-profit association that encourages a deepening of contemplative prayer based in the Christian Wisdom tradition while also welcoming and being supportive of other meditation traditions.
We offer a consistent and balanced path for spiritual growth and transformation rooted in prayer, silence, mindful work, and in the 1500-year-old wisdom of our Benedictine contemplative heritage.
The Society supports the work of Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault in her role of Principal Teacher and Advisor for The Contemplative Society and her vocation as a hermit and writer. We do so by sponsoring retreats, wisdom schools, and workshops led by Cynthia and other distinguished teachers of the Christian contemplative path, and through the sales of instructional and inspiration materials, in both textual and audio format, supportive of the contemplative life.
The Contemplative Society actively nurtures local teachers of the contemplative way and maintains an office to communicate with members and to provide a regular and balanced schedule of retreat, teaching and workshop opportunities.
New CD Set Available:
Christophany - East Coast Meditation Retreat (12 CD set) - live recording
Recorded live at Contemplative Outreach Meditation Retreat, Orange County, NY, October 30 – November 7, 2009
During each era there arrives a profound Christian thinker who reshapes our worldview and subsequent relationship with the Divine. Raimon Panikkar, son of a Catholic mother and Hindu father, is a pioneer in East-West dialogue. In his book, Christophany: The Fullness of Man, he claims that the Trinity is the symbol par excellence of Christian advaita, or non-dualism. His work is a pioneering effort toward articulating Christian consciousness within a non-dual meta-physics. In this intensive series of presentations and discussions, the profound content of Panikkar’s material is made accessible for those seeking spiritual depth. Cynthia Bourgeault deftly conveys Panikkar’s cosmology and the inherent wisdom of its unitive and mystical paradigm, simplifying both facets into useful adaptations for our own Christian journey.
Click on cover image to order.
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening: An Ancient Contemplative Practice for Our Own Time
Listen to Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault speaking at Washington National Cathedral, May 2010 on this ancient path of Christian meditation, adapted for the twenty-first century.
Click HERE to download or listen to this MP3 recording.
New book by Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault available September 2010:
 
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity
Click HERE to read what other respected spiritual writers and teachers are saying about Cynthia's new book, available in September 2010.
Click on cover image to order.
Subscribe to a special e-Course on INTERSPIRITUAL WISDOM with:
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault (Christianity)
Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski (Sufism)
Rabbi Rami Shapiro (Judaism)
Swami Atmarupananda (Hinduism)
Dr. Ed Bastian (Buddhism)
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (Spirituality & Practice)
Spirituality & Practice is pleased to partner with the Spiritual Paths Institute to present an Online Retreat on InterSpiritual Wisdom. Through emailed lessons, this retreat will help participants develop an understanding of and deepen their contemplative practice around six major themes:
• Forgiveness
• Self-Knowledge
• Self-Emptying
• Interdependence and Reciprocity
• Courage
• Love and Compassion
Participants will expand their knowledge of the shared wisdom of these traditions and deepen their personal practice. This e-course is available on-demand. You can choose when you'd like the e-course to begin and how frequently (daily, three times a week, twice a week, or weekly) you would like to receive the emailed lessons.
Click HERE for more information or to register.
The Future of Christianity: A Provocative View - Audio Interview with Cynthia Bourgeault and David Riordan
Integral Life is exploring the Future of Christianity with a myriad of Progressive Christian teachers and philosophers including Ken Wilber, Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr and many more.
Please accept our invitation to download Cynthia’s interview for free as we examine her current work and its implications in the world, the stages of development of her personal spiritual path, her perspectives on healing the Christian church, and the contribution Christianity can make to our personal and cultural awareness. You won’t want to miss it!
Click HERE to download this engaging and enlightening audio interview.
Other items of interest:
Read Cynthia Bourgeault's response to the following question about Jesus:
“The figure and teachings of Jesus are too often broken down, adapted, and then shaped to fit
people’s own particular needs and desires. Who was the real, walking, talking, preaching Jesus
and what lessons can we take from him today?”
Video recording: Cynthia Bourgeault discusses Religion and Spirituality:
Watch an interview from The Life Divine as Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault explores religion and spirituality, and specifically Christianity and the Christ as an awakened one, inspiring our own awakening.
Click HERE to view this Cynthia Bourgeault video.
Christopher Page provides his insights on Meditation and Silence:
Listen to a podcast of Rev. Christopher Page speaking at a Lenten Forum on the impact of meditation and silence in his personal journey.
Click HERE to access this podcast.
Selinde Krayenhoff provides her reflections on The Contemplative Society and her practice of Centering Prayer in this thoughtful article "Letting Go, Letting God":
The Contemplative Society is a quiet presence in the Diocese of B.C offering
retreats, wisdom schools, and workshops. My involvement with the Society and
with Centering Prayer has changed my life. I hope I speak to someone’s heart here
in the way mine was spoken to several years ago... Click HERE to read the full article.
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