Key teachings from this modern mystic on contemplative practice, the Wisdom tradition, and non-dual awareness.
If you learn to practice conscious presence, you will practice conscious love. The two are completely bound. You can't do one without the other. Cynthia Bourgeault “Conscious love transforms, it nurtures, it calls people into being. Something blossoms in it, and it...
Being present is to put the attention in the now. Essential Nature of Presence "The essence of the spiritual process is sustaining presence. Presence is our essential Self. It is a space to be filled by the qualities of Spirit—qualities such as love, generosity,...
This Impression is about Unity and differentiation, the whole and the parts, the ocean and the drop, the dance and the dancer, the body and the cells, the individual and the Common Good—life and purpose. The Mystical Vision of Paradox "With respect to all the...
The Divine Exchange, represented by the icon of perichoresis, the essence of the Trinity. The Heart of Jesus' Vision "The heart of what Jesus was about, his vision, his way of being in the world, has something to do with exchange." Cynthia Bourgeault, The Divine...
Blessed are merciful, who shall receive mercy—mercy and exchange. “Our role, as most of the great teachings have talked about, is to perceive the divine mercy, the divine qualities, as they wish to come into form and enact them—things like generosity, peace, truth,...
Two Pillars of Conscious Work: Conscious Labor and Voluntary Suffering "The two pillars of the Gurdjieffian program for conscious transformation and conscious participation are Conscious Labor and Intentional or Voluntary Suffering." Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2019...
Entropy and Kenosis … how are these connected? Kenosis is a word related to letting go of something--becoming “poor in spirit.” Entropy is a scientific term related to the winding down of energy into equilibrium. The two ideas seem similar, but the Wisdom teachings...
Wisdom Schools are the vehicle for passing esoteric teachings through the ages. “Wisdom schools seem to have emerged as the favored ‘shop-front’ for conscious-circle activity, and while the Wisdom river is always flowing, the schools themselves tend to above ground...
Seeing the chiastic pattern as the higher arc of meaning in life beyond the linear events of temporality. “Because of the fundamentally spatial aspect of Imaginal causality, the bits and pieces inside the frame do not usually hook up in a linear fashion. More often,...
Cynthia Bourgeault talks of causality meaning in the Imaginal Realm. “Because of the fundamentally spatial aspect of imaginal causality, the bits and pieces inside the frame do not usually hook up in a linear fashion. More often they appear as simultaneous,...
Illustrating how a person cannot serve two masters. “Nostalgia and envy are two of the biggest spiritual saboteurs.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Holding our Planet Wisdom School, 2024 “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of...
Cynthia Bourgeault characterizes the Imaginal Realm, or World 24, as the spiritual, interpenetrating Kingdom of Heaven within. Defining the Imaginal "A realm is not fundamentally a place; it is more like a set of governing conventions that make possible a certain kind...