The Way of Love: An Interspiritual Convergence

Each of the Abrahamic Traditions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—has at its core a commitment to step onto the Path of Love, to learn to love each other, to love the stranger, and to know God, the Great Mystery, as Beloved. When we delve deep into our diverse spiritual practices, they show us hints of our true identity, and glimpses into Unity consciousness.

This retreat will explore the Way of Love as it weaves itself through the mystical heart of these three great religions, engaging practices and core elements of vision from each tradition. Approached interspiritually, our dialogue between traditions will be engaged primarily at the level of experience rather than abstract theology.

We acknowledge that these three traditions have historically wounded and been wounded by one another, and some of those wounds still run deep. During our time together, we expect to encounter discomfort at times, and hope to engage it with honesty and vulnerability. We are interested in “convergence” rather than “conversion”—how do these traditions meet, dialogue, and perhaps reconcile and heal, within our own hearts?

We will explore Jewish practices such as Hebrew chant, the Mysteries of Shabbat, and the Aliot (going up) to Torah, Islamic practices such as salaat (the five-times daily embodied prayer) and zhikr (chanting the Names of God), and Christian practices such as the Daily Office (fixed-hour prayer) and Eucharist. Participants are welcome to participate in all practices as they are comfortable.

Rabbi Shefa Gold (www.rabbishefagold.com) is a leader in ALEPH: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Rabbi Shefa composes and performs spiritual music and is the author of Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land and In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of The Song of Songs. Her latest book is The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love.

The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, retreat leader, and a student and teacher within the lineage of the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault (www.wisdomwaypoints.org), working to renew the Christian mystical tradition within a wider interspiritual framework. He is also a longtime student and practitioner within the Mevlevi Order of Sufism (www.sufism.org), under the guidance of Shaikh Kabir and Camille Helminski, and facilitates a weekly Sufi circle in the Mid-Hudson Region. During our retreat, he will draw on his own experience of interspiritual convergence in walking a dual Christian-Sufi path.

Suggested donation: $705

To register, please contact our Guesthouse Office by phone (845-384-6660, ext. 3002) or email (guesthouse@hcmnet.org).