Welcome
Welcome to The Contemplative Society website. We are an inclusive non-profit society that encourages a deepening of contemplative prayer and practice based in the Christian Wisdom tradition while also welcoming and being supportive of other spiritual traditions. We are based in Victoria, BC, Canada where our work is conducted by a voluntary Board of Directors and one part-time Administrator.
We offer resources, local retreats, wisdom schools, and workshops led by Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault and other teachers, and operate as part of a global Wisdom-focused network.
On this website you will find instructional and inspirational materials, in both text and audio format, supportive of the contemplative life.
eCourse with Cynthia starts Feb 18!
SPIRITUAL GIFTS FROM THE IMAGINAL REALM:
Online course with CYNTHIA BOURGEAULT
DATES: 18 Feb 2021 – 1 Apr 2021
In this e-course hosted by Spirituality and Practice, Cynthia Bourgeault will explore the gifts of the Imaginal realm, in a way that can help us adopt a larger perspective and make a difference today using the cosmic assistance available to us all. She will be introducing us to the teachings in her latest book, EYE OF THE HEART: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm, but approaching the material in a fresh and practical way.
The imaginal is a meeting ground, a kind of cosmic intertidal zone—and as in all intertidal zones, nourishment and metamorphosis furnish the principal order or business there. In this realm the fruits of our human striving—both conscious and unconscious—are offered up for the whole.
~ Cynthia Bourgeault, Eye of the Heart, p16
Join Cynthia, and others from around the world, to find nourishment in this cosmic intertidal zone and the offerings that flow from there.
Full details and registration available on the Spirituality & Practice course page >>>
MEETING THE MOMENT WITH LOVE:
Meister Eckhart’s Practices for Hard Times
with WARD BAUMAN
Over 100 participated in this profound 5-day event guided by our guest teacher Ward Bauman providing key teachings from Meister Eckhart, the 14th century Rhineland mystic whose brilliant, enigmatic theology blossomed in a time of great suffering. Like us, Eckhart witnessed astonishing changes brought on by technological innovation, pandemics, climate change, and political violence. Highly respected but controversial during his own era, Meister Eckhart understood that truth was elusive in periods of social transformation. He used his own prayer life to develop non-dualistic teachings that appear to come closer to Buddhist and Hindu thought than those of any other Western theologian. Meister Eckhart has become a poignant guide for contemplatives of the twenty-first century.
Ward Bauman grounded us in Eckhart’s basic ideas on truth and his challenging but vitally relevant teachings on suffering. How we face hard times, Eckhart believed, reveals the quality of our inner being and spiritual development. Ward Bauman offered us a daily practices for fostering an embodied knowledge of Eckhart’s concepts and intentions, in balance with a contemplative and prayerful approach to our circumstances.
WATCH FOR RECORDING DETAILS COMING SOON…
Wisdom Teachings
Check out our audio offerings featuring timeless teachings by Cynthia Bourgeault, Matthew Wright, and other leaders of the Wisdom path.
See our full selection of audio teachings here >>
Chosen by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2020!
Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm
by Cynthia Bourgeault
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FIND PODCAST CONVERSATIONS AND VIDEOS WITH CYNTHIA SPEAKING ON EYE OF THE HEART HERE
Eye of the Heart available now through Shambhala Publications and other booksellers.
Our Principal Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault
Modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader, Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path.
