Integral Light Shining in the Dark: An Advent Teaching and Wisdom Retreat

$75.00

In this groundbreaking teaching Cynthia Bourgeault draws on Jean Gebser’s Integral Evolutionary theory and practical exercises developed by G. I Gurdjieff to illuminate classic Advent themes.  This offering includes over 15 hours of audio recordings as well as optional participation in four live, facilitated online sessions for group interactive discussion and practice.  See full description below.

 

Exploring Advent through the Eyes of Jean Gebser and G. I. Gurdjieff

Teaching by Cynthia Bourgeault

With Heather Ruce leading Advent Wisdom Retreat weekly interactive sessions

In this groundbreaking teaching, Cynthia Bourgeault takes us on a deep dive into the profoundly Christian and incarnational mysticism at the root of Jean Gebser’s Integral Evolutionary theory. She explores how some of Gebser’s core ideas, particularly around time, transparency, spiritual generativity, and “intensification of the present” open up whole new windows of insight on classic Advent themes. She also explores how the great incarnational themes of Advent illuminate and “shelter” Gebser’s thinking, transforming it from an intellectual tour de force to a luminous offering of the heart—and how the practical, attention-based “exercises” developed  by G. I. Gurdjieff can help to “put legs” under the whole enterprise, and offer us a way forward in our own uncertain times.

This material was recorded live at an in-person Advent retreat at Garrison Institute in December 2021. The course now before you consists of over 15 hours of audios from Cynthia’s teaching sessions, plus a short introductory overview of each session. It has been slightly edited for technical clarity but preserves both the content and the flavor of the remarkable original event. These audio teachings were recorded live at an in-person Advent retreat at Garrison Institute in December 2021 and include over 15 hours of content plus a short introductory overview of each session. The audios have been slightly edited for technical clarity but preserves both the content and the flavor of the remarkable original event.

As a new element of this offering you are invited to join our online group sessions as an interactive component for the 2022 Advent Wisdom Retreat.  There will be a weekly Zoom gathering on the following Fridays: December 2nd, 9th, 16th, & 23rd from 7:30-9am Pacific Time / 10:30am -12pm Eastern Time. These sessions will be facilitated by Wisdom Leader Heather Ruce, with Cynthia Bourgeault joining on Dec 16th for conversation and Q&A.

You will have life-time access to this content, including any resources and recorded portions from the Advent Wisdom Retreat sessions.

NOTE: If you have already purchased the Integral Light Audio teaching earlier this year, please email us for instructions to add the Advent Wisdom Retreat option.


Some prior familiarity with the teaching of Jean Gebser is strongly recommended, but not required.  If you’re a newcomer to the Gebserian terrain and Gebser’s five-hundred page masterpiece The Ever-Present Origin feels a bit daunting, Jeremy Johnson’s Seeing Through the World offers a concise and enormously helpful overview. Learn more here. You may also want to read Cynthia’s 14-part blog series: Exploring Jean Gebser.


Cynthia Bourgeault Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage and a demanding schedule traveling globally to spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. Her roots are firmly planted in the Benedictine monastic tradition and her wisdom is tempered by daily mindfulness and embodiment practice. You can learn more about Cynthia here.

 

Heather RuceHeather Ruce will be facilitating our Advent Retreat live interactive sessions. Heather is an experienced group and retreat leader, a wisdom spiritual director, and teacher of Gurdjieff Movements. She has been a lifelong seeker and an active participant in the Wisdom community since 2012 and is a member of the Wisdom Waypoints Council. You can find more about Heather on her website heatherruce.com.