What is contemplation?
We often move through life on autopilot, trapped in our minds and cut off from the present moment. But there is another way—the contemplative path. When we practice contemplation, we let ...
A Message of Contemplatives to the World
To Dom Francis Decroix Dom Francis Decroix, abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Frattocchie near Rome, received in 1967 a request from Paul VI for a “message of contemplatives to the ...
Things in Their Identity
(Excerpt from Chapter 5, New Seeds of Contemplation) Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the man that I want myself to be ...
Dread, doubt, despair
Dread remains a mysterious and pervasive factor in all genuine spiritual growth, and one cannot “get rid” of it by any amount of impetuous action, no matter how generous. Dread is ...
Excerpts on Mysticism
Mysticism is a special consciousness of the presence of God that by definition exceeds description and results in a transformation —Bernard McGinn Authentic mystical encounter radically changes us and our ...
The Mysticism of Everyday Life
Excerpt from “The Mystical Theology of Karl Rahner” by Harvey D. Egan The Mysticism of Everyday Life Rahner holds the position that everyone—even the agnostic or atheist— who lives moderately, selflessly, ...
Personhood and the Embodied Collective Non-Dual
Personhood and the Embodied Collective Non-Dual By Gabrielle Stoner “Just as the physical world is comprised of integrally related particles, so too, we are integrally related to one another and to ...
Meditation and Contemplation
I find it useful to use scientific language when talking about meditation today. I like to remind people that we all have three brains—our reptilian brain which is about 440 million ...
Centering Prayer
“Prayer is not a request for God’s favours…Genuine prayer is based on recognising the Origin of all that exists, and opening ourselves to it.” ~Cynthia Bourgeault CENTERING PRAYER: THE VERY BASICS ...
The Greatest of These Is Love
It’s so simple that it’s hard to teach. Our Christian mission is to awaken us to what we already know is true: The foundation of everything is love because “God is ...
Praying like Saint Francis
Prayer is something that people of all religious traditions understand as a necessary component of holy living. And yet somehow, the mystical path is often seen as accessible only to those ...
Contemplation is…
Contemplation is a special consciousness of the presence of Ultimate Reality that by definition exceeds description and results in a transformation of the subject who receives it. It’s not enough to ...
Contemplative Practices & Resources
Contemplative Practices: Drumming: Practicing surrendering the mind and attuning the body through rhythm Walking Meditation: Taking slow, mindful steps Ecstatic Dance: Moving freely to music Chanting: Singing with intention Centering Prayer: ...
Contemplation to Oneness
A spiritual path that does not lead to a living commitment to . . . the Kingdom of God within and around us everywhere for everyone, is no path at all. ...
