Blog and News

POOL OF WISDOM: A Spiritual Autobiography by Mary-Clare Carder

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July 27, 2020

MARY-CLARE CARDER is a piano teacher by profession with a BMus from the University of Victoria. She is a lifelong Anglican and has participated in dozens of silent retreats and contemplative workshops over the last 30 years. She has led several contemplative workshops and quiet days.

A Teacher Named ‘Covid’ with Susan McCutcheon

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June 17, 2020

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... In my Centering Prayer sit that day I decide to explore the fear. Is it fear of dying, fear of illness, fear of dealing with this living alone? Going deeper I think of wisdom school teachings around kenotic release and that we practice this ‘letting go’ and I find myself doing the physical hand gesture.

Zooming Through Ramadan Toward Imperfection with Miranda Harvey

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June 1, 2020

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…

Going Forward with Cynthia Bourgeault

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April 21, 2020

Posted on Facebook April 14, 2020 Going Forward….For the past four weeks, as many of you know, I have been hanging out here on the edge of the known…

Good Friday Stations of the Cross

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April 10, 2020

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…

Foundational Points for the Five Pandemic Homework Exercises

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March 30, 2020

Letter from Cynthia Bourgeault: I am very grateful to Joseph Azize for his willingness to make five of the Gurdjieff exercises available to…

More on the instruction to decrease internet use

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March 24, 2020

(Posted by Cynthia Bourgeault on Facebook, March 24, 2020.) As I expected, I am receiving plenty of raised cyber-eyebrows about my instruction…

From the Eagle’s Nest by Cynthia Bourgeault, March 24, 2020

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March 24, 2020

(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…

Instructions from Cynthia Bourgeault

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March 24, 2020

Letter from Cynthia Bourgeault: Dear Wisdom friends, Here is my own recommendation for inner work during this time of profound planetary readjustment.…

Introductory Wisdom School Online from the Center for Action & Contemplation

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February 27, 2020

If the wisdom path calls to you, I am delighted to share with you an opportunity to participate in an online course created in partnership with the Center for Action and Contemplation.

The Birth of Aliya Mariam by Seemi Bushra Ghazi

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December 16, 2019

A Reflection From The Heart by Charlotte Futcher

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December 2, 2019

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 Divine Feminine.

What is the Christian Wisdom Lineage?

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October 17, 2019

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 was held at the Lake Cowichan Education Centre and filled to capacity.

THE MONK’S CELL: RITUAL AND KNOWLEDGE IN AMERICAN CONTEMPLATIVE CHRISTIANITY BY PAULA PRYCE (PART 8 OF 8)

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July 2, 2019

Excerpts from The Monk’s Cell Chapter 8: Cell The Porous Self: Community and Intersubjectivity from the Inner Room This is the eighth and final post…

Sufi practitioners praying and turning

THE MONK’S CELL: RITUAL AND KNOWLEDGE IN AMERICAN CONTEMPLATIVE CHRISTIANITY BY PAULA PRYCE (PART 7 OF 8)

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June 3, 2019

Excerpts from The Monk’s Cell Chapter 7: Sanctuary The Person as Icon: American Contemplative Christian Ways of Knowing Continuing with the…

Reflections on Luminous Wisdom with Cynthia Bourgeault

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May 22, 2019

I know that a significant part of how I was able to dive deep down inside during the retreat beside Cynthia, her presence, wisdom, humility, breathtaking speaking ability and humour, was because of the devoted group of seekers/participants from experienced to inexperienced that filled the room. It became apparent to me in the first full day of the retreat that we were a cohesive group with energy waves, love waves going out to each other, co-mingling, supporting each other, loving our neighbour as ourselves.

THE MONK’S CELL: RITUAL AND KNOWLEDGE IN AMERICAN CONTEMPLATIVE CHRISTIANITY BY PAULA PRYCE (PART 6 OF 8)

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May 6, 2019

Continuing with the series of excerpts from The Monk’s Cell: Ritual and Knowledge in American Contemplative Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2018), the sixth chapter, Sacristy, looks at how contemplative Christians use conscious work – the labora of Benedictine ora et labora – to cultivate contemplative attentiveness in all aspects of life.

The Monk’s Cell: Ritual and Knowledge in American Contemplative Christianity by Paula Pryce (Part 5 of 8)

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April 3, 2019

This is the fifth post from an 8-week cycle drawing excerpts from my book, The Monk’s Cell: Ritual and Knowledge in American Contemplative Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2018). Chapters five, six, and seven work together as a kind of Triduum (the three-day rite of Easter, beginning with Maundy Thursday, following with Good Friday, and concluding with the Easter Vigil).