About
This retreat was recorded live in 1998 and revised in 2020. This purchase includes an MP3 audio download with a total running time of approximately 5 hours 45 minutes across five MP3 sets. In this teaching, Cynthia Bourgeault reconstructs Benedictine Spirituality—with its creative rhythms, patterns, and musical emphasis—as a practical form of spirituality accessible to all in everyday life. She reveals how Benedictine practices cultivate balance and transformation through the interplay of work, prayer, silence, and community, emphasizing receptivity, spiritual awareness, and trusting one's inner holiness. Key themes include the Four Quadrants of Benedictine Life, lectio divina (lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio) and psalmody, chanting vs. speaking the psalms, work as sacred practice for grounding and self-discovery, the Three Vows (stability, obedience, conversion/non-possessing), transcending identification and negative emotions, and the values of simplicity, moderation, obedience, and compassion. Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous spiritual classics, including The Wisdom Jesus and The Heart of Centering Prayer, and is recognized for her pioneering work in integrating the Christian contemplative path with global Wisdom traditions.