About
This retreat was recorded live online February 15–19, 2021, hosted by The Contemplative Society. This purchase includes five sessions (recommended participation entails a time commitment each day for 5 days), each beginning with a contemplative practice guided by a TCS leader, followed by approximately two hours of teaching with Ward Bauman. The package provides both video and audio recordings, along with selected quotes, suggested deepening practices, and additional resource listings. While no Christian mystic is more quoted than Meister Eckhart, few are more often misunderstood. Among metaphysicians, he stands out as a master of non-dual consciousness, offering a vision of divine immediacy that speaks directly to the challenges of our time. In this retreat, Ward Bauman invites participants to balance Eckhart’s profound teachings with direct contemplative practice. Through silence, deep listening, and reflection on Eckhart’s mystical writings, we are guided to discover what lies beyond the intellect yet is available through lived experience. As Eckhart teaches: “God is no further off than the door of the heart. Your opening and God’s entering are but one moment.” As this is a LIVE recording you may notice some audio variability and background noise. Ward Bauman is an Episcopal priest and former director of the Episcopal House of Prayer on the grounds of Saint John’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Collegeville, Minnesota. He lived in Iran for many years where he studied Sufism and Buddhism. He has published Sacred Food for Soulful Living and The Anglican Rosary: Meditating with the Mystics, and co-authored The Luminous Gospels: Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Philip. He considers Meister Eckhart his foremost spiritual mentor.