Key teachings from this modern mystic on contemplative practice, the Wisdom tradition, and non-dual awareness.
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...
The Conscious Circle of Humanity, sometimes called the Communion of the Saints, is a realm of service offered to those who seek it. The Trans-Cerebral Region "The books comprising [Sacred Book of Thoth] were engraved by 'perishable hands, but have been anointed with...
Blessed are poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Good is the alchemical property resulting from struggle. It’s the quality of your Being that you offer up.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Encounter with Evil Wisdom School in Valle Crucis “The deep...
Spiritual heart, eye of the heart, as the gateway to higher realms. “Attachment to matter gives birth to passion without an Image of itself because it is drawn from that which is contrary to its higher nature. The result is that confusion and disturbance...
Quotes from Cynthia Bourgeault, Maurice Nicoll, and the Gospel of Thomas on the Philosophy of Time. “This particular dimension that we live in seems to be governed by the laws of linear time and linear causality. It looks like things come to us from a place that...