TCS Community Reflections

This Advent we share with you a verdant reflection by Paula Pryce, who writes from the Yasodhara Ashram on the shores of Kootenay Lake in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Paula takes us on a journey to an apple orchard nestled deep in the mossy rainforest. She considers stars and caves, apple seeds and birthing, trees and song, and she invites us to listen deeply and to attend to the advent of spirit and fullness of being amidst the darkness of this time… Star at the

This post is shared by Brian Mitchell as a follow up to our recent release of “Practicing Living Presence: Discovering the Mind of Christ Within – Part One” a teaching by Cynthia Bourgeault. Brian is one of the intrepid team of volunteer Editors (together with Peggy Zimmerman, Diane Walker, Harrison Russin and others) who have worked diligently to transform the raw audio of this teaching into a format we can all listen to and learn from. We are grateful to Brian and the editi

Yukon Yurt This post is shared by Jennifer England as a follow-up to our Wisdom Solstice event offered on Zoom on June 21st.    In describing her experience and the backstory, including what was occurring ‘behind-the-scenes’ as the event was about to begin, Jennifer provides a real-life example of applying our Wisdom practice to tap into a calm centering presence even while suddenly facing an unexpected set of circumstances.  TCS is very grateful to Jennifer and the whole tea

“I am so grateful for this labor of love by The Contemplative Society, which once again makes accessible Raimon Panikkar’s extraordinary teaching on the universal mysticism of Jesus Christ.”  ~ Cynthia Bourgeault   In addition to Cynthia’s encouraging words above, we also want to share Brian Mitchell’s wholehearted endorsement for our updated audio release of CHRISTOPHANY: Experiencing the Fullness of Christianity , a recorded teaching by Cynthia based on the 2004 book by Ra

The following is part 2 of a Holy Week reflection provided by Paula Pryce from Vancouver, Canada. Please make sure to reach the first part Absence: Forest of Longing on our blog .  I throw open the gate to rushing wind and creaking branches.  Not knowing what lies ahead, I step into the forest with my companions, fear, awe, and more hesitantly, joy.    Like many, perhaps even like Mary Magdalene, I have found myself increasingly worn by heavy times.  A veil of uneasiness and

The following is part 1 of a 2-part Holy Week reflection provided by Paula Pryce from Vancouver, Canada.   Absence mills around the body like a guard dog pacing the fence line.  Rigidly keeping off the night creatures, jealously defending its property.  I am within a picketed sphere of isolation.  Longing, despair, confusion at the memory of the banquet torn to pieces, guests fleeing, music stopped.  Not long ago the home was filled with shining lamps and food for all – now

What’s new with our Principal Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault? Recently we’ve heard from a number of you wondering  what Cynthia is up to   while in-person events and retreats are widely curtailed.   Well, unless you happen to spot her on the high seas, here are some opportunities to tune into Cynthia’s activities and catch some of her upcoming  appearances: CONVERSATIONS & BLOGS   New ICN Podcast:   From a Cosmic Nudge to an Integral Christianity – A Conversation with Cynthia Bou

The following reflection has been provided by Linda Coggin from Victoria BC.  Linda was one of 100 people who participated in the recent virtual event with Matthew Wright, where he offered his heartful and profound insights, teaching, and practices on the theme of “Julian of Norwich…A Voice for Our Times.” You cna now purchase a recording of this retreat in our store! Thank you so much Linda, for sharing your experience here! Julian of Norwich (window in Norwich Cathedral) f

The following reflection has been provided by Martha Keller from Victoria BC.  Martha was one of 100 people who participated in the recent virtual event with Matthew Wright, where he offered his heartful and profound insights, teaching, and practices on the theme of “Julian of Norwich…A Voice for Our Times," now available in our store! Thank you so much Martha, for sharing your experience, and Matthew for guiding the event so beautifully!   In August, with a global pandemic i

In 2001 Cynthia Bourgeault published a grace-filled guide for facing difficult times, offering insights and pointers in the small and powerful book entitled MYSTICAL HOPE: Trusting in the Mercy of God .  Many in Cynthia’s community and beyond are turning (or re-turning) to this book to navigate current concerns and challenges, and finding it a source of deep spiritual sustenance.  Over the coming months, Northeast Wisdom will be providing reflections and chapter summaries of

From a fairly young age, Mary-Clare Carder has had mystical encounters with the spiritual world. In her late twenties, she developed Sjogren's syndrome – a painful, incurable condition which blunted her career and made her life very challenging. This challenging life led her to a deeper spiritual path and an enriched interior life. Along the way, she learned about the wisdom of silence, a form of meditation known as centring prayer, energy healing, and has had after-death com

My journey with the teacher named ‘covid’ began with odd symptoms that I did not connect and so for a couple of days worsened until the telltale cough put the lights on and my doctor sent me for a test. Soon I had night sweats, fever, nausea, diarrhoea, body aches, a ferocious headache upon waking in the morning and pain under my shoulders, and I couldn’t stay awake all day. My first reaction was denial quickly followed by waves of panic. My body has a history of over-reactio

The day before Islam’s holiest month Ramadan was set to begin, I received an email from The Contemplative Society. I was logistically and mentally preparing for my fourth decidedly non-traditional foray into this time of fasting and spiritual recommitment. While I am not Muslim myself, I occasionally take advantage of the opportunity to participate in a global joint effort to purify ourselves and reorient to what is truly important: community and charity through what I would

This meditation on the Stations of the Cross during the Pandemic has been provided by Rev. Dawne Taylor of Kamloops, British Columbia. We thank her for allowing us to share this beautiful teaching.  She suggests this Good Friday service at Kamloops United Church. GOOD FRIDAY STATIONS OF THE CROSS In the Roman Catholic traditions, churches mark Good Friday by walking the 14 Stations of the Cross with a prayer at each station. The stations take the Christian from the 1 st stat

(the background to Instructions, posted on Cynthia Bourgeault’s Facebook page, March 23) I am keenly aware of the irony in all this. Here I sit on my prayer cushion in the remote seclusion of Eagle Island, more than twenty-four hours now elapsed since the island’s only other occupant headed ashore for an undisclosed period of time, taking the mailboat with him.  It’s me, the eagle, the deer herd, the communion of saints. And nothing much in between. But I did not come out her

Charlotte Futcher participated in Holy Wisdom, the Mother of God with Matthew Wright in September, 2019 at the Cowichan Lake Research Station on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. She generously shared her experience. During that crisp and sunny week spent at the Lake Cowichan Forest Research Station, with the lake lapping and greens transforming to reds all around us, I went through a reintroduction to and transformation in the relationships with both myself and the

In April 2019 I attended a unique “retreat”, known as a Wisdom School (WS). This five-day event led by The Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD and sponsored by The Contemplative Society ( contemplative.org ) was held at the Lake Cowichan Education Centre and filled to capacity. Although it rained for four of the five days and I was sleeping in a tent, the WS was filled with a light and joy, carried in many radiant hearts. In her teaching Cynthia clarified and expanded on eight point

I have been a seeker/yearner since I was a teenager looking for a spiritual path that really spoke to me. I was raised Roman Catholic and left the church when I was 17. And although I tried a few times to renew my faith and understanding of Catholicism, for most of my adult life, I have called myself a recovering Catholic. I became very involved with Buddhism for many years and found a lot of it very helpful but it was missing something important—mysticism. In the last 3 year

Please Note: This article has been condensed from 8 original parts, published on the Contemplative Society's blog between March 4th 2019 and July 2nd 2019. Skip to the section you are looking for: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 1 This 8-part blog offers excerpts from my book, The Monk’s Cell: Ritual and Knowledge in American Contemplative Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2018). Photo Courtesy of The Society of Saint John the Evangelist To

Our Kamloops contemplative group has evolved through several incarnations over the years. Initially we were simply four people in our local parish who were getting together weekly to share our stories and to “pray”. That was some twenty-five years ago. Four years into our existence I found myself at a week-long workshop-retreat on Centering Prayer given by Cynthia Bourgeault and was profoundly affected by both the practice and the teachings upon which it was built. After what