Providing teachings and resources for any who desire to deepen their understanding and practice of the Christian Wisdom tradition as taught by Cynthia Bourgeault and other Wisdom teachers. We support Wisdom Communities of Practice around the world by offering trusted online resources, and hosting connection and conversation for self-paced study, reflection, and practice.
The Wisdom Way of Knowing Wisdom Lineage (Points 5-8): 5. “In contrast to many branches of the wisdom tradition based on Perennial or Traditionalist metaphysics (with its inherently binary and anti-material slant), we are emphatically a Teilhardian, Trinitarian lineage, embracing asymmetry (threeness), evolution, and incarnation in all their material fullness and messiness … Wisdom assumes in a very fundamental way the shape of its container … The direction in which the divine is manifest in this world is not by sucking us back into an eternal spirit but by birthing ever new, and more complex, and more intricate, and messy forms-the journey is always through matter into new forms … Ours is one that embraces threefoldness as we see it in the trinity-asymmetry and movement into the world, the basic evolutionary stance, as foundational to our understanding of how love becomes incarnate and present in the world.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 6. “We are moving steadily in the direction of revisioning contemplation no longer in terms of monastic, otherworldly models prioritizing silence and repose, but rather, as a way of honing consciousness and compassion so as to be able to fully engage the world and become active participants in its transition to the higher collectivity, the next evolutionary unfolding. We see contemplation as a tool of luminous seeing, not as a lifestyle … The contemplation, the inner work, is the ground for a deeper seeing, and in that seeing, a participation in this evolutionary journey of our planet and of our universe toward the fullness of love.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 7. “We are an integral school, not a pluralistic one (to draw on Ken Wilber’s levels of consciousness); our primary mission field is teal, not green. Our work concentrates not at the level of healing the false self, woundedness and recovery, substance abuse, equal rights, restorative justice or political correctness (although we acknowledge the importance of all of these initiatives), but rather at the level of guiding the transition from identity based primarily in the narrative or egoic self to identity stabilized at the level of witnessing presence, or ‘permeably boundaried’ selfhood. While we are open to the world, we’re not an issue-driven school … Since it's work that still is, by and large, undertaken out of the finite sense of selfhood and the narrative selfhood, it's very vulnerable to the shadow side … What the wisdom schools have traditionally attempted to do is shift the center of selfhood out of which we work … You have to carry your selfhood in a different place. You have to move beyond the agenda of healing the false self, finding the true self, stepping beyond all that finite selfhood, and begin to learn to live stably in what the great traditions have called the ‘witnessing self’-a self which is more spacious, which has one foot in this realm and one foot in the next, in terms not of heaven after you die, but in terms of the greater cosmic coherence and can mediate between the two of them.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 8. “Our most important teachers and teachings are Jesus, St. Benedict, The canonical and Wisdom gospels (Gnostic gospels, The Gospel of Thomas, etc); The Cloud of Unknowing, the greater Christian mystical and visionary tradition (including Meister Eckhart, Jakob Boehme, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Ladislaus Boros, Bernadette Roberts), the Desert and Hesychastic traditions; Bede Griffiths and the Christian Advaitic traditions (including Raimon Panikkar, Henri LeSaux/Abishiktananda and Bruno Barnhart); Rumi, Sufism, G.I. Gurdjieff, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. And of course my own teacher, Br. Raphael Robin.” - Cynthia Bourgeault
The Wisdom Way of Knowing Wisdom Lineage (Points 1-4): 1. “We are founded on a daily practice of sitting meditation, predominantly but not exclusively Centering Prayer, anchored within the overall daily rhythm of ‘ora et labora,’ as set forth in the Rule of St. Benedict. In other words, the first and most important thing to say about our lineage is that it's a practice-driven, practice-based lineage. It's not about speculation, it's not about cognitive knowledge, it's not about books of esoteric doctrine. It's about sitting on the cushion, subjecting yourself to the rhythms that our tradition has passed on as the great vessels in which transformation happens … Centering prayer is particularly congruent to what we're doing because as a practice it's founded on the continuous letting go of thought, letting go of content, letting go of issues/agendas-letting the mind relax, unclench, release its stranglehold on objects of imagination and thinking … Wisdom is not about knowing more, but knowing deeper-knowing with more of you engaged, with more of your perceptual understanding awake and online.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 2. “We are rooted in the Christian mystical and visionary tradition, understanding contemplation in its original sense as ‘luminous seeing,’ not merely a meditation practice or lifestyle. In service to this luminous seeing, we affirm the primacy of the language of silence and its life-giving connection with the subtle realms, without which spiritual inquiry tends to become overly cognitive and contentious … We believe that silence is not just a place you go to but a way of knowing in and of itself. And, without this silent way of knowing, knowledge itself begins to become too cognitive, cerebral, and confrontational … Contemplation is a luminous seeing, very often it's described as a pure beholding-in other words, a direct perception. It's sometimes described as knowledge impregnated with love … People emerge from times of contemplation with a different knowing and a different way of knowing … We’re opening ourselves to both the disciplines and the gifts that happen when silence as a way of knowing becomes the whole of our life.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 3. “We incorporate a major emphasis (much more so than in more conventional contemplative circles) on mindfulness and conscious awakening, informed here particularly by the inner teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and by their parallels and antecedents in the great sacred traditions, particularly in Sufism … The transformation that we're looking at comes a lot closer to awakeness, enlightenment, a whole different consciousness that becomes stabilized and interiorized in us.” - Cynthia Bourgeault 4. “We are an esoteric or ‘gnostic’ school to the extent that these terms have come to be understood as designating that stream of Christian transmission through which the radically consciousness-transforming teachings of Jesus have been most powerfully transmitted and engaged. But we eschew esotericism as simply mental or metaphysical speculation, and we affirm the primacy of the scripture and tradition as the cornerstones of Christian life. In other words, we're stating first and foremost that we're interested in transformation … We’re a Gnostic school to the to the extent that we're interested in the knowledge of, and the actual practice of putting on, the mind of Christ-in other words, learning to mirror, to interiorize, and to live more closely and clearly out of the place that he came from.” - Cynthia Bourgeault
Amazing to wander across this video while I’m reading Andrew Holecek’s book on Reverse Meditation. Same concept, different descriptive words from different traditions.
Incredibly insightful. I came across the Welcoming practice through Rhonda Byrne. But this is a really in-depth discussion and explanation. Thank you. Useful indeed. 🙏
8:14 min mark she says, *"The more you work with sensation, the more things will change. The more you work with the narrative about the emotions, the more it gets cast in stone”* For anyone reading this correct me if I'm wrong but what I hear her say is that there is a cause and effect. While the cause of human trauma are many and if we were traumatized early on by, say, our parents or family member, the narratives we tell ourselves (and others ad nauseum) about how much we suffered, legitimate as it may be, nevertheless becomes a perpetual toxic and addictive habit. When we fixate solely on our narratives with all manner of anger, resentment and blame, we lose sight of the underlying sensations that perpetuates these negative feelings. By embracing, with deep humility, the ill sensations caused by trauma, we free ourselves from bondage and it brings us closer to the Absolute. Cynthia's observation ties in with Alice Miller who said *_"The truth about our childhood is stored up in our bodies and lives in the depths of our souls. Our intellect can be deceived, our feelings can be numbed and manipulated, our perceptions shamed and confused, our bodies tricked with medication, but our soul never forgets. And because we are one, one whole soul in one body, someday our body will present its bill. The wounded and lost child is only in hiding; the soul is still whole in spirit. Ultimately, our deepest self will accept no compromise or excuses, and will not stop tormenting or contaminating us until we stop evading the truth"_* From her book: Thou shall not be aware: Society's betrayal of the child
"I love you" and unpacking this phrase seems to be the basis of this conversation. I am very drawn to the unpacking, but I see that the definition of "love" is the root. The broad range of meanings for "love" might be an entire video unto itself, of course, without reference to Teilhard. I would appreciate, however, careful use of the words "celibacy" and "abstinence." They are too often used interchangeably, even by these erudite women. "Chastity" might also come in. Please post more of these conversations.
I find it hard to locate depression in terms of a physical symptoms with exception of fatigue and I don't get aches and pains. I , like most , feel it as mood in my mind. Can anyone tell me how to locate it as a physical symptom please?
I'm no expert, but here are some ideas: 1) You could try to feel the heaviness/thickness of it (try to imagine what being happy and free might feel like, for contrast), how it's just a complete absence of motivation or enthusiasm, etc. The complete deadening of energy, is kind of an inverted sensation. 2) Simply IMAGINE what it might feel like, even just metaphorically, to get the ball rolling. Imaginatively look within / at your own body, to picture what the depression is, at a sensory level. Maybe that will stimulate something. 3) You could also try to feel what the depression is preventing or protecting you from feeling. Ask yourself hypothetically why you'd be choosing depression - what's the benefit of it, in this particular moment or life circumstance? Is there another feeling (eg anger or grief) that you'd "risk" feeling instead, if the depression weren't shielding you from it? What's the biggest problem in your life, and what would a non-depressed person likely feel in response to that? Can you feel any of that instead?
I am no expert, but you might consider your depression to be a dissociation reaction to previous trauma. Instead of reacting with anger or fear, you shut off emotionally. This was helpful at the time, but no longer. Here psychotherapy might help to retrieve the trauma, and meditation (by this very welcoming process described by Cynthia) could help you to recognise and transcend the old situation. Mark Epstein wrote some excellent books about the interface between psychotherapy and meditation.
She's wonderful, however, at the beginning there.... I would not compare the Gurdjieff work to "mindfulness": the latter has taken on an unfortunate spiritual materialism which the real Work remains impervious to
Pns p. 189 “bliss awaits those who can possibly make it through the tragedy of what has happened to Christ in the Church.” Ws p. 64 “As I now see it Christianity has perpetuated a shortsighted view of Christ and, consequently, a shortsighted view of the rest of us. Christ’s passage was the revelation of the passage of every human being, and any misreading of him is a misreading of the whole of humanity. Investigating Christ’s human experiences in terms of consciousness or self opens up a whole new dimension of his Truth and revelation, and not only his, but our own and that of the whole of creation.” Rc p. 282 “The mind can find no definitive satisfaction or fulfillment with mere concepts and hearsay. What man is seeking is the living experiential reality of the Truth, his own immediate experience of this truth. Until he does, he will go right on questioning and being dissatisfied. Even if man knew the truth, he could never be fulfilled by merely ‘believing’ it. He is only fulfilled by experientially living it - knowing it firsthand.” Ws p. 107 “To say that Christ’s self or consciousness was eternal gives an entirely different picture and meaning to Christ than if we say his self or consciousness was not eternal…I think the West will come upon its own set of problems when it faces the impermanence of Christ’s self or consciousness, but, at the same time, this will reveal an entirely new dimension of Christ’s revelation - of this I am certain.” Ws p. 156 “But who can understand death and resurrection coming after a life of union and oneness with God? Who can understand the true nature of this death and what the resurrection reveals of Christ’s divine nature? Because of this mystery I regard Christianity as the most difficult and mystical of all religions; Christ is the most unbelievable and unknown Truth there is - and the most difficult of all Truths.” Rc p. 78 “Sometimes the impression is given that Christianity has a monopoly on forgiveness, salvation, savior, eternal life, God’s Spirit, grace, and so on, when, in fact, Christianity took all this straight from Judaism! The revelation of ‘Christ’ had nothing to do with any of this and changed none of it.” Rc p. 83 “Basically, there is no such thing as ‘Christian mysticism’ because Christianity - transformation into Christ - is the essence of mysticism.” Rc p. 140 “To think the anthropomorphic biblical interpretation of God ‘generating’ or ‘begetting’ an Uncreated ‘Son’ could have justified a transition in the Church’s whole understanding of the Trinity and Christ, can only be put down as the most flagrant wrong turn in the entire history of Christianity.” Rc p. 144 “There has to be God (Logos) before there is any incarnation of the Logos - before there is any Christ and before there is the created man Jesus. No question, the Creed must be totally restated, Christians today are not the semi-polytheists of yesterday.” Rc p. 157 “To my knowledge, however, the Greeks never agreed hypostasis meant persona - and indeed it does not. In time, however, in the West at least, hypostasis and person were used as synonymous terms. So due to this error, there occurred another switch from the original hypostasis to person - a monumental wrong turn as regards a true understanding of the Trinity and Christ.” Rc p. 170 “Like the fathers, Christians would be horrified to think they were polytheists or believed in three gods. But this is why the Trinity is kept at a distance, declared a ‘mystery’ incapable of the human mind to grasp. This is also why the Trinity means relatively nothing to the average Christian and plays no part in his spiritual life.” Rc p. 201 “Sometimes we wonder how Western civilization ever became so self-oriented compared to other civilizations that were more oriented to the benefit of everyone over their individual selves. Well, who invented the individual and particular ‘person’ or self, and who gave it ontological priority over everyman’s common human nature? Christianity!” Rc p. 242 “What few people realize, however, is that the official Church or Christian language is totally premised on this use of idioms instead of on the truth of Christ.” Rc p. 248 “No question, the C of P is the most deceiving ruse in all of Christian history a ruse responsible for totally wrong views of Christ, the Trinity and the man Jesus.” Rc p. 249 “Yet the more divine one makes the Logos’ human nature, the more Christ fades from the picture and the more Christianity deteriorates to a Jesus-cult.” Rc p. 257 “But who knows what people think they are praying to or worshiping? We can probably say for certain they are not praying to the dual natures of Christ!” Rc p. 279 “Eliminate the term ‘person’, and how is Christ to be envisioned as a single being? Without theology’s absolute dependence on person as an individual being, its Christologies would go down like a row of dominoes.” Rc p. 291 “this is exactly what the Incarnation is telling us: not only is mankind not that bad, but rather, it is of greatest worth to God.” Rc p. 300 “Even the best of theologians are reluctant to admit any radical existential change in human nature - much less an ontological change. Instead, they assure us everyone will go on just the same - only better, of course.” Rc p. 318 “The day Christianity lost this understanding of deification as the way man is saved, is the day it lost Christ.” Rc p. 323 “That down the road, Christianity was turned into the narrow, naïve and childish view we have today - i.e., only the man Jesus is Christ, only Jesus could ever be eternally one with God - is the inevitable loss of the whole revelation of the Incarnation, and, consequently, of Christ and Christianity…Christianity’s exclusive, boxed-in view of Jesus and Christ, not only aborts man’s spiritual journey, but will be its own undoing - why? Simply because it is not the Truth of ‘Christ’.” Rc p. 335 “To say Christian theology is ‘complicated’ is the understatement of all time. It is an unadulterated mess. It so defies common logic as to require man to forfeit his intellectual integrity in order to ‘believe’.” Rc p. 465 “What is unfortunate, however, is those who write the history of the early development of Christian thought and doctrine, consistently rely on the present-day Aristotelian rendition of it. It could be said this is a deliberate attempt to eliminate any possible ‘Platonic’ understanding of Christ as a universal in order to make Christ solely one particular man - Jesus, of course.” Rc p. 486 “Loss of self is the very foundation of Christianity.” Ecc p. 82 “The primary purpose of my writing, however, was less the subject of no-self than to put into the field of Mystical Theology a whole stage of the spiritual journey presently missing.”
acedia.. like a lethargy- a sloth - a lack of interest in spiritual things- God- prayer - growth in the spiritual life- sometimes a painful sort of wail - the day seems long and endless!
sounds like neither one of them loved for real... ask Jesus & Mary Magdalene, they certainly knew something about love and attraction into their mysterious intimacy. material NEVER contradicts spiritual. never.
Cynthia, I am honored and thrilled to read and listen to your explication of your Wisdom Tradition. My first Wisdom School was at St. John's in Collegeville with Hilary ... former Abbott. Since then I have been looking for the same wisdom in many places and have always gone back to your books and writings. In hearing this I know that this is where I belong. Thank you for giving us permission to move beyond our own psychological work and grow into what we are made for. (#7) My plan has been to start a Wisdom Circle here in the Twin Cities but I get mostly empty faces in response. Now that I have a blueprint of what such a circle can look like I am more encouraged. How do I stay within these teachings? Is there a mailing list or website I should persue? Thank you again for this wonderfully encouraging piece for those of us who are ready for more. Love is what it is all about, Kay
This video is SO BEAUTIFUL ♥ I'm an agnostic-spiritualist-Muslim, so I had to put all the words of Christ & trinity & whatever aside... but the content is so pure that it transcends all organized religions. It is hard for me yet to find the path of celibacy, although I know that I need it, because romantic involvement with men has always brought me so much suffering. Sometimes, when I'm in the state of ecstatic hypomania/mania, my consciousness heightens & I'm able to perceive/feel/know the cosmos/god, embrace It & be embraced by It in indescribably ecstatic love, that I don't seek out the love of other humans (men). But most of the type in my usual state of anxiety with life affairs, responsibilities, & the daily boring routine of life, I cannot have this heightened level of consciousness, & I'm only on the lower state of suffering egoistically in seeking the love of men.
I'm deeply grateful to Cynthia for her presence, her profound wisdom, and for sharing it with us. This excerpt is exceptional in it's capacity to guide us into our awakening to the truth of who we are.
