A Tribute to Helen Daly
1952-2012
Helen Daly was present when Cynthia Bourgeault organized her first Wisdom School in the Northeast nearly twenty years ago. Helen was one of the eager Wisdom students who, through determined effort and personal perseverance, began to take new shape and form in Cynthia’s ongoing Advanced Wisdom Group. Little did we know at the time that this fiery unfolding was bringing her full term.
Helen Daly brought this Wisdom perspective as well as her gift of voice and music to her parish of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, influencing the course of her church in a deeper contemplative direction, and offering Wisdom workshops and retreats to local groups. In all this work, as well as in her work as a professional psychologist, Helen was present; lit up with aliveness from the inside.
That presence took an even deeper turn as Helen confronted her death in October of 2012. In her dying she became a luminous container through which lovingly flowed her surrendered life. Through her death Helen graced us with her teaching as well as her dreams. Through the generosity of her bequest, these dreams were supported as they unfolded into form through Northeast Wisdom and other recipients of the Narthex Foundation, which distributed the last of its resources in 2018, according to Helen’s wishes.
Helen loved the expression “Wisdom Christianity,” and she looked forward to the day when, as an authentic and seasoned Wisdom teacher, she could be an even more active force in the proliferation of Wisdom Christianity in the world. Her generosity continues to shape and sustain the work of Wisdom. Her bequest, and the generosity of her husband John, made both Northeast Wisdom and Hallelujah Farm a center for Wisdom work.
As Northeast Wisdom becomes Wisdom Waypoints and steps fully into its role as a world wide supporter of the Wisdom tradition, the grace of Helen’s original inspiration and support is not forgotten. That initial seed money has borne great fruit.
We invite you to watch this video of Cynthia with Helen from 2012.
You may go the The Contemplative Society website, here, for Parts I through V in this video series of Helen and Cynthia teaching on conscious death.
Hallelujah Farm was a beautiful and gracious home for Wisdom work from 2013 until January of 2020. Founding member Helen Daly dreamed of a retreat house dedicated to Wisdom teaching and practice. Hallelujah Farm is spacious and secluded, a traditional New England farmhouse meticulously restored by John Daly with Wisdom work in mind. Located in Chesterfield, NH, just across the river from Brattleboro, Vermont, it is centrally located between Boston, Hartford CT, Burlington VT and Albany NY.
The backbone of our Wisdom work is the network of practice circles which meet in local communities and on the internet around the country and worldwide. For a closer look at what’s going on where, click on the link to our Practice Circles page.