About
This retreat was recorded live on March 17, 2018, at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, GA, USA, and released later that year. This purchase includes an MP3 audio download with a total running time of approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes. After more than thirty years of practice, Cynthia Bourgeault offers fresh insights into Centering Prayer, demonstrating how this contemplative discipline differs from other meditation models—not only in method but in effect. Anchoring her teaching in the medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing, Cynthia situates Centering Prayer within a lineage of apophatic (non-conceptual) love, showing how its neurological and spiritual dynamics open us to transformation. Key themes include letting go as the method of Centering Prayer, objectless awareness, the nondual effects of practice, the inner language of being, the shift from false self to true self, and contemplation as the groundwork for nondual perception. Cynthia also compares translations of The Cloud of Unknowing, highlights its typology of consciousness, and situates Centering Prayer alongside other mystical traditions. The retreat culminates in a vision of contemplation as a foundation for action in today’s world. As this is a LIVE recording, you may notice some audio variability and background noise. Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous books, including Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening and The Wisdom Jesus, and is recognized for her pioneering work in integrating the Christian contemplative path with other global streams of wisdom.