Advent message from TCS
We would like to share a recent letter from TCS President, Heather Page
Advent 2013
Dear Friends of The Contemplative Society,
This is the season of holy waiting as we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Christ Light – the season of mystery as the infinite touches the finite.
I am writing this from a little waterfront cabin not far from Sooke. Tomorrow I will be joined by 11 others for a TCS sponsored 5-day Meditation Intensive. This is the 3rd year that this unique retreat has been held. Unlike the typical teacher led retreat this is a peer led retreat. Each of the seasoned meditators who will be attending, will take responsibility for a portion of the retreat, leading sits, lectio and chanting. The retreat has always been popular but this year we were in the position to need to book a second retreat to accommodate the numbers who wished to attend.
This spring I will be completing my second year as President of TCS. It is always an encouragement to see how the resources offered through the Society continue to support contemplatives around the world. This support comes in the form of books, retreats, recordings, and teachings offered through this ministry. In addition, people seeking support and encouragement on the contemplative path are drawn to our website and to TCS Facebook page. In the New Year we hope to dedicate a page on the website to resources and links that will encourage and support contemplative practice.
I know many of you have made contact by email or phone with TCS Administrator, Eileen. I am grateful to Eileen for keeping the Society organized, for attending to a multitude of details, and keeping in touch with all aspects of the Society. I know that Cynthia speaks often of how grateful she is for Eileen’s work publicizing retreats, workshops, and speaking engagements as well as responding to many emails on Cynthia’s behalf.
This last spring we were delighted to financially support a number of university students to attend the Contemplative Remembering retreat with Cynthia. And this summer we were able to send several young people to an aboriginal sponsored Taize retreat in the US. We have set up a scholarship fund which you can donate directly to, to enable those with limited funds to attend TCS retreats and workshops.
We have been pleased to provide copies of Cynthia’s book, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening to a prison ministry as well as to hospice. In addition we have increased our financial support for Cynthia making it possible for her to spend increased time in solitude as well as to further develop her Wisdom School curriculum. We were able to offer the two Meditation Intensive Retreats this fall at a reasonable cost.
If you are in the Victoria area, please consider attending the TCS AGM which will be held at St. John the Divine on Quadra Street at Mason on Saturday, February 22nd at 10 AM. We will be concluding the meeting with a finger food potluck lunch. Please mark your calendar as this is a good opportunity to meet with members of TCS and other contemplatives in the area. And continue to check TCS website for updates or become a follower on TCS Facebook page (we just surpassed 2,000 followers).
It is encouraging to see so many people interested in the work of TCS and I would ask you to consider becoming a member by making a donation of any amount to support our ministry. Your financial contribution enables us to provide a variety of resources to the contemplative community as well as continuing to give financial support to Cynthia, the principal teacher for the Society and one of our founders. By becoming a member, you will be the first to hear about the up-coming events we sponsor in the Victoria area. Cynthia’s retreats fill up quickly so this is an added incentive to become a member. Another way one can support the Society is through volunteer work. Volunteers currently help with many tasks including the immense work of CD/MP3 coordination, editing, and production.
If you interested in joining us in membership and making a one-time or monthly donation of any amount, please click on this link to our membership page.
This comes to wish you all a blessed Christmas. May you have many spacious moments to ponder the deep mystery of this season.
With much appreciation,
Heather
