Blog Series

Launching The Year Of Teilhard
Launching The Year Of Teilhard
Cynthia BourgeaultJan 26, 20154 min read

Dear Wisdom Friends, Here’s an unusual New Year’s resolution! I’d like to propose that all of us in the Wisdom network declare 2015 THE YEAR OF TEILHARD DE CHARDIN and […]

Teilhard de Chardin: Apostle of the Incarnate God
Teilhard de Chardin: Apostle of the Incarnate God
Matthew WrightJan 27, 201511 min read

An earlier version of this article appeared in Contemplative Journal Writing forty-eight years ago, Roman Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen predicted, “It is very likely that within fifty years when all […]

The Last Lily Story
The Last Lily Story
Cynthia BourgeaultFeb 20, 201511 min read

As many of you know, my old cat Lily, faithful travelling companion of these past fifteen years, died last week on my birthday, which happened to fall this year on […]

Why I’m not sad about the empty pews
Why I’m not sad about the empty pews
Cynthia BourgeaultMay 19, 20154 min read

For this next blog post, I’m happy to turn the floor over to my beloved and insightful young friend, Gabrielle (Brie) Stoner. Here’s to the next generation!!  — Cynthia On May 12, […]

Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time
Lois BartonJun 9, 20152 min read

Sometimes I find myself looking ahead in my calendar to do a survey of “coming events” thinking that once something major has happened things will turn back to normal (whatever that […]

A “Negative Space” Eucharist based on Teilhard’s “Mass on the World”
A “Negative Space” Eucharist based on Teilhard’s “Mass on the World”
Cynthia BourgeaultJul 27, 20156 min read

“Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving:” an offering up of praise and gratitude. Only in recent liturgical usage has the term come to be an accepted synonym for the Mass, or Holy […]

Faith, Hope, and LoveOur Inaugural Fundraising Campaign
Faith, Hope, and LoveOur Inaugural Fundraising Campaign
Cynthia BourgeaultNov 4, 20153 min read

Dear Wisdom Friends, This email comes to invite you all, as dedicated Wisdom students, to rally behind Northeast Wisdom’s pilot fundraising campaign. As you know, Northeast Wisdom came into being […]

Remembering Bruno Barnhart(April 10, 1931-November 28, 2015)
Remembering Bruno Barnhart(April 10, 1931-November 28, 2015)
Cynthia BourgeaultDec 2, 20157 min read

Fr. Bruno Barnhart, former prior of New Camaldoli Monastery, mystic, hermit, and my friend and spiritual father for more than thirty years, is now officially on the other side. He […]

Report: Wisdom Workshop with Matthew Wright
Report: Wisdom Workshop with Matthew Wright
Sher SacksDec 21, 20156 min read

“I think some of you will be happy to hear how Matthew is playing in my old British Columbia stomping ground.” ~ Cynthia On November 23 and 24, 2015, Matthew […]

Best Wishes for a Meaningful Celebration of the Christ Event — In You
Best Wishes for a Meaningful Celebration of the Christ Event — In You
Bill RedfieldDec 22, 20152 min read

The challenge of this time of year is not just that we have to stand against the temptation of trying to live up to the culture’s (or our mother’s) expectation […]

Year-end Report and a Heads-up about What’s on the Docket for 2016
Year-end Report and a Heads-up about What’s on the Docket for 2016
Cynthia BourgeaultJan 5, 20165 min read

Almost exactly this time one year ago, I launched my “Teilhard Challenge,” inviting as many of you as felt so moved to join me in diving into the magnificent, challenging […]

Lenten Ponderings about Humility
Lenten Ponderings about Humility
Bill RedfieldFeb 13, 20164 min read

In a deep and far-reaching discussion in our Gospel of Thomas group last week one of my good friends made a comment that has stuck with me and about which […]

Further Ponderings on Humility
Further Ponderings on Humility
Bill RedfieldFeb 23, 20164 min read

In the previous Ash Wednesday reflection, I suggested that, “Living into our own fullest personhood seems to be contingent upon developing and releasing our talents and abilities into the world.” […]

A Good Little Dialogue for Lent
A Good Little Dialogue for Lent
Cynthia BourgeaultMar 15, 20163 min read

This just in from one of my students, Lisa Whitlow from Kansas: Hi Cynthia – I hope this Lent finds you well and thriving. I am teaching a class at […]

Planetary Pentecost – Part 1
Planetary Pentecost – Part 1
Gabrielle StonerMay 19, 20164 min read

This past weekend I made a brief escapade to the Big Apple for the American Teilhard Association Annual meeting featuring guest speaker, Ilia Delio. The brief trip was as crammed […]

The Planetary Pentecost – Part 2
The Planetary Pentecost – Part 2
Gabrielle StonerMay 23, 20165 min read

(This post is a continuation of “The Planetary Pentecost – Part 1” Being the good Teilhard-geek that I am, and since I found myself near Teilhard’s NYC stomping grounds this […]

Planetary Pentecost – Part 3
Planetary Pentecost – Part 3
Gabrielle StonerMay 24, 20168 min read

(This post is a continuation of “The Planetary Pentecost – Part 2” We’ve been exploring the idea that we are in the midst of a Planetary Pentecost: the arrival of […]

The Heart of the Heart – A young mother’s reflections on the first family-friendly Wisdom School
The Heart of the Heart – A young mother’s reflections on the first family-friendly Wisdom School
Gabrielle StonerJul 15, 20167 min read

I was an exhausted young mother of two in 2014, a first year student at the Living School for Action and Contemplation, and after reading OF so many of my […]

“TWO become one…”
“TWO become one…”
Cynthia BourgeaultJul 19, 20165 min read

Last Tuesday, July 12, the massive granite sculpture named “Two” by its creator, Maine sculptor Roy Patterson, took up its new home on my front lawn. Instantly it looked like […]

Beatrice Bruteau Archive to Reside at Emory University
Beatrice Bruteau Archive to Reside at Emory University
Cynthia BourgeaultOct 27, 20166 min read

Big news, all you Wisdom Seekers. Thanks to the incredible persistence and deft touch of Wisdom student Joshua Tysinger, the priceless collection of unpublished writings by Beatrice Bruteau has come […]

The Way Forward: The Book of Lamentations as Teacher
The Way Forward: The Book of Lamentations as Teacher
Bill RedfieldNov 9, 20167 min read

The Day after the Presidential Election After a fitful sleep interrupted by phone calls and texts from worried and distraught friends, I awoke this morning to the grim reality of […]

Post Election Reflection
Post Election Reflection
Cynthia BourgeaultNov 10, 20166 min read

I want to thank you all for the beauty of the work you are collectively doing around this election. There have been torrents of words already, and I am loath […]

Lines of My Own Composed above Tintern Abbey
Lines of My Own Composed above Tintern Abbey
Cynthia BourgeaultNov 11, 20165 min read

We’d arranged to spend a day of sightseeing on my most recent teaching swing through the UK, so the afternoon of November 7 found me in a car with my […]

Ray of sunlight
Lines of My Own Composed above Tintern Abbey
Cynthia BourgeaultNov 11, 20165 min read

We’d arranged to spend a day of sightseeing on my most recent teaching swing through the UK, so the afternoon of November 7 found me in a car with my […]

Post Election Reflection II
Post Election Reflection II
Matthew WrightNov 18, 201610 min read

Ring out the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in –Leonard Cohen, 1934-2016 Dear […]

My Post-Apocalyptic Blog
My Post-Apocalyptic Blog
Cynthia BourgeaultDec 9, 20166 min read

Dear Wisdom friends, I want to make very clear to all of you that the “keep calm and carry on” tone of my earlier (immediately post-election) post does not imply […]

Your Comments to My Post-Apocalyptic Blog Post
Your Comments to My Post-Apocalyptic Blog Post
Cynthia BourgeaultDec 12, 20161 min read

I am still on low to non-existent solar power on Eagle Island, but I want you to know that I am moved, encouraged, and overjoyed by this outpouring of response. […]

Diving into Beelzebub’s Tales
Diving into Beelzebub’s Tales
Cynthia BourgeaultDec 15, 20164 min read

I see that many of you are already gearing up for the deep dive into Beelzebub’s Tales, so I did want to briefly share with you these few clarifications and tips.

Words Formed East of Eagle Island
Words Formed East of Eagle Island
William EspinosaDec 15, 20166 min read

I would like to set out a cautionary expansion of Cynthia’s words. I was spared being in the United States for the election. Despite best efforts I wasn’t able to […]

Christmas Eve Meditation on the Incarnation: A Reflection for Our Times
Christmas Eve Meditation on the Incarnation: A Reflection for Our Times
Bill RedfieldDec 21, 20167 min read

In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, […]

Two Timely Online Opportunities
Two Timely Online Opportunities
Cynthia BourgeaultJan 11, 20173 min read

As this sea-change of a new year gets underway, this comes to call your attention to two timely opportunities for further Wisdom study and reflection along the lines of inquiry […]

Mystical Conversation
Conversation and Flow: A Spiritual Practice
Lois BartonJan 17, 20174 min read

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about conversation and the necessity of paying attention to the flow of our words. Since, as Christopher Fry* has said, “Affairs are now soul […]

Ken Wilber’s “Trump and a Post-Truth World: An Evolutionary Self-Correction”
Ken Wilber’s “Trump and a Post-Truth World: An Evolutionary Self-Correction”
Cynthia BourgeaultJan 30, 20179 min read

An overview and critique by Cynthia Bourgeault. Now that Ken Wilber’s paper on “Trump and a Post-Truth World” is officially posted and making its rounds on the internet, I feel […]

“Conscious Circle” Ingathering
“Conscious Circle” Ingathering
Cynthia BourgeaultFeb 7, 20178 min read

I watched them disappear this morning into the snowstorm, making their way home through the Maine winter after an extraordinary weekend of prayer, tears-and-laughter, teaching, stories, and conversation. My tiny, […]

money
Why “Wisdom & Money”?
Steven BonseyMar 1, 20178 min read

Wisdom and Money “Wisdom & Money,” continues the signature work of its predecessor Harvest Time: to engage with money as a doorway to spiritual transformation. For more than a decade […]

Substituted Love
Substituted Love
Cynthia BourgeaultApr 11, 20175 min read

In honor of Holy Week, I wanted to share with you an excerpt from my “Becoming Truly Human: Gurdjieff’s Obligolnian Strivings” e-course, just now winding down. “And the fifth: the […]

Grain of wheat
The Lord is Risen Indeed? Alleluia? A Reflection on a Holy Week Retreat and Easter Lived in the Tradition of Wisdom
Adwoa Lewis-WilsonMay 2, 20178 min read

A Poem: “Take Off Your Shoes” by Adwoa Lewis-Wilson. Take off your shoes, In fact, remove all your coverings – The cloak of achievement, adornments of knowledge,      Every false veil […]

2nd Annual Maine Wisdom Ingathering is Less Than a Month Away!
2nd Annual Maine Wisdom Ingathering is Less Than a Month Away!
Cynthia BourgeaultMay 8, 20173 min read

Our Second Annual Maine Wisdom Ingathering is now only a little more than a month away! This e-letter comes to bring you all up to date about how this year’s […]

Wave
To Midwife Third Force: Creating Law of Three Midwife Groups
Marcella Kraybill-GreggoJun 21, 201710 min read

Marcella Kraybill-Greggo attended her first full Wisdom School in the fall of 2014 at the Claymont Society in West Virginia. Cynthia Bourgeault offered a week long retreat, “Gurdjieff for Christian […]

Group
Gathering the Graces – Concurrent Wisdom Circles
Marcella Kraybill-GreggoJul 17, 20176 min read

This spring a collective of three Wisdom teachers, Marcella Kraybill-Greggo, Jeanine Siler Jones and Heather Ruce, completed an eight month series of Wisdom Circles in their respective communities. They coordinated […]

Group
Gathering the Graces – Concurrent Wisdom Circles – Copy
Marcella Kraybill-GreggoJul 17, 20176 min read

This spring a collective of three Wisdom teachers, Marcella Kraybill-Greggo, Jeanine Siler Jones and Heather Ruce, completed an eight month series of Wisdom Circles in their respective communities. They coordinated […]

“A Surprising Ecumenism…” (Part 1)
“A Surprising Ecumenism…” (Part 1)
Cynthia BourgeaultJul 17, 20179 min read

Both my spirits and my hopes have been raised by the recent appearance of an important and already game-changing new article in the most recent edition of La Civilta Cattolica. […]

Abortion, Pro-Life, and the Secular State: A Modest Proposal (Part 2)
Abortion, Pro-Life, and the Secular State: A Modest Proposal (Part 2)
Cynthia BourgeaultJul 25, 201713 min read

In my previous blog (concurrently posted on both the Contemplative Society and Northeast Wisdom websites), I invited members of our Wisdom community to begin to engage a conversation on the […]

Impressions of a Child
Impressions of a Child
Laura CopelandAug 7, 20175 min read

Three Centered Awareness from Cynthia’s teaching resonated powerfully for me when I was introduced to it experientially during the Mega Wisdom School at Kanuga in November 2015. Yet, the changes […]

Communal Time of Prayer on behalf of Our World
Communal Time of Prayer on behalf of Our World
Marcella Kraybill-GreggoAug 16, 20173 min read

Yesterday morning a desire ‘arose’ from among our Wisdom community to have a ‘communal time of prayer’ on behalf of our world. Our local (Bethlehem) Wisdom member said: “I was […]

Non-identification and Enlightened Action
Non-identification and Enlightened Action
Cynthia BourgeaultAug 19, 20172 min read

Dear Wisdom Friends, I received the following in my inbox this past week from Jerry Toporovsky. Jerry is a senior teacher of the Gurdjieff Work and was the leader of […]

When Does “Life” Begin? (Part 3)
When Does “Life” Begin? (Part 3)
Cynthia BourgeaultAug 21, 20175 min read

In this third installment of what now looks to be shaping up as five-part series, I hope to bring a Wisdom perspective to that profound liminal sphere encompassing conception, birth, […]

Boats and rocks
Stonington 2017 Part I: Mornings with Teilhard
Laura RuthAug 22, 201711 min read

In June of this year, a merry band descended down the steep little hills into the North Atlantic lobstering port of Stonington, Maine as it opened its arms for the […]

The Developmental Soul (Part 4)
The Developmental Soul (Part 4)
Cynthia BourgeaultAug 27, 201710 min read

ESSENCE According to Gurdjieff, the mysterious “x-factor” that enters in the moment of conception is not yet soul but essence. Think of it as the hand of cards you’re dealt […]

Cynthia on video
Our Maiden Voyage with Cynthia’s Video Teachings from Kanuga
Marcella Kraybill-GreggoAug 29, 201710 min read

July Moravian Wisdom School 2017 On Sunday July 23, 2017, nineteen of us gathered to begin our first five-day Wisdom School at Moravian Theological Seminary. We varied in age (39-84), […]