By Melanie P. Moore, et al.
Each month, we publish a listing of upcoming contemplative and spiritual opportunities recommended by folks here at The Abbey. Many of us have floundered around in the past looking for community and deep engagement with other pilgrims on the spiritual path. Here we share a curated list of what we are finding, in hopes you might find some of it helpful on your journey. We’ve included a Comments section with each listing detailing what we as participants have liked. If you know of something coming up in August or September and would like to have it listed here, please email the information as shown below to editor@theabbey.us by July 18 to be included in the post at the beginning of June. Please note that all times are listed in Central Time.
July
The Light of Joy! (Summer Interlude Series from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Wednesdays in July (8, 15, 22, 29), Noon – 1 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 1 hour
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: Unknown
Description: In the spirit of our 2026 Programming Theme, “30 Years of Light” (in honor of our 30th anniversary), we invite you to join us for a lighter version of our Summer Interlude Series that emphasizes the simple joys we can cultivate to sustain us through the twists and turns of life. Same Zoom Link for all four sessions, so RSVP once and attend as many sessions as you desire.
Comments: This is a wonderful–and free–program from Eremos in the summer. The speakers bring new voices and different perspectives. This summer’s speakers include Diana Cameron, Marissa Faris, Brandon Mehrgut, and the Rev. Nancy McCranie.
The Measure of our Humanity: Actualizing Compassionate Action in These Tangled Times: Wisdom with Bhikkhu Bodhi – July 12 (from Upaya Zen Center)
Dates and Times: Sundays, Jul 12, Aug 30, Sept 20, Oct 25, Nov 15, Dec 13, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donations welcome
Frequency: Monthly
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Since 2020, when the pandemic first unfolded, Upaya has been exploring the necessity of rehumanization, solidarity, and speaking truth to power. Each year, we have deepened this investigation of socially and environmentally engaged Buddhism with remarkable teachers, contemplatives, artists, and activists. This past year’s Awareness in Action series has been part of that ongoing commitment.
In 2026, we turn toward a question that has perhaps been implicit throughout this entire journey: What is the measure of our humanity?
At its very heart, this question is about laying down a path toward a sane and compassionate future. It is about confirming what defines our moral worth, what we stand for, and how we move forward in our tangled world. As we have learned throughout the past 2025 series—from Father Boyle’s unwavering belief that everyone is unshakably good, to Sharon Salzberg’s teaching that love is an ability we develop—our true character is revealed in how we interact with and care for others, the very heart of what Thich Nhat Hanh has called “interbeing.”
The series will explore how we embody values like inclusion, belonging, compassion, respect, dignity, justice, and courage—not as abstract ideals, but as lived practice in these complex times.
Comments: Each program in this series is led by a different person, and some of the leaders in this series are teachers we have followed. Bhikkhu Bodhi is a new voice to us and we look forward to hearing him. We follow this series each year (the theme changes annually) and we like that you can attend any individual session or the whole series. The programs are donation-based.
August
Saints for Today: An Evening of Staged Readings (from The Great Commission Theater)
Dates and Times: Saturday, Aug. 15, evening
Registration: N/A
Cost: TBD
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: TBD
Format: In-person, Whitley Event Center at the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Saints for Today is an intimate evening of staged readings featuring original short plays and monologues inspired by the lives of the saints and the human journey toward God. Through story, voice, and guided reflection, this experience seeks to create space for encounter, renewal, and meaningful dialogue within today’s world.
A staged reading is a simple theatrical presentation where actors perform with scripts in hand and minimal staging.
Rather than focusing on elaborate production elements, staged readings emphasize: the power of the written word, authentic performance and storytelling, imagination, reflection, and audience connection
This format creates an intimate experience that invites audiences to listen deeply and engage personally with the stories being shared.
Presented during the month of the Feast of St. Genesius (August 25), patron saint of actors, playwrights, and artists, Saints for Today seeks to continue the call for artists to create works that reveal truth, beauty, and the presence of God through storytelling.
Comments: For local people in Central Texas, this program, in San Antonio, will be an interesting opportunity to hear what we imagine will be both established and emerging voices and writers sharing their interpretations and perspectives on various saints. As noted above, the “experience seeks to create space for encounter, renewal, and meaningful dialogue in today’s world.”
Varela Contemplative Science Retreat (from Upaya Zen Center)
Dates and Times: Thursday, Aug. 20 – Sunday Aug. 23; Full schedule is here.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donations requested
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 4 days
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: The Varela Contemplative Science Retreat this year is a remarkable opportunity to explore the intersection of science, consciousness, and the effects of mystical and contemplative experience on how we experience and understand reality. Featured speakers include Roshi Joan Halifax, John Dunne, Michael Pollan, Molly J. Crockett, and Adam Frank.
Though there will be intensive explorations of the nature of consciousness and reality from the scientific and contemplative perspectives, this gathering is also a time for deep practice and is, in fact, a retreat, with bursts of rich content shared by our faculty and embedded in the stream of practice.
The retreat will focus on how many believe that science gives us an incontrovertible view of reality. This perspective has us turning away from the role of our direct experience. This is what has been called “the blind spot” in science and the Western worldview. The astrophysicist Adam Frank will set the field by a call for a revolution in the worldview of science, where science includes humanity’s lived experience in its search for objective truth.
Comments: We like the speakers and are intreagued by the intersection of science, consciousness, and mystical and contemplative experience. It is a multi-day event, and you can select which sessions you want to attend. Recordings will be available, which makes it easier to negotiate your schedule.
Adapting to Change Using the Wisdom of the Enneagram (from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Saturday, Aug. 22, 9:30 a.m. – Noon
Registration: Open
Cost: $50 (Partial scholarships available)
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 2.5 hours
Format: In-person only (St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Austin, TX)
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Like the movement from one season to the next, change is an inevitable companion as we age, bringing a mix of professional pivots, retirement planning, lifestyle shifts, and personal evolution. How we respond to these moments depends primarily on our inner wiring.
Join us for a morning of self-discovery, community connection, and quiet reflection. In this contemplative workshop, utilize the ancient framework of the Enneagram to uncover how each of the nine types uniquely navigates transitions.
What We Will Explore:
The Blueprint of Your Type: Discover whether your type naturally resists new routines, analyzes data to find security, or rushes ahead to find excitement.
Moving from Anxiety to Presence: Learn how to catch your type’s specific stress patterns—such as catastrophizing or over-functioning—and anchor yourself in stillness.
The Gift of Adaptability: Practical, type-specific spiritual practices to cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, and grace in the face of the unknown.
Comments: This is only available in person in Austin, which actually may be more meaningful for attendees who are exploring the Enneagram. The presenter, the Rev. Nancy McCranie, is well-known and respected locally for her extensive background and leadership role at Hospice Austin.
September
Poetry for the Present Series (from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Tuesdays, September 8, Dec. 8; 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $30 per session or $100 for all 4 sessions
Frequency: Quarterly
Duration: 2 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: No
Description: As Eremos explores 30 Years of Light as our programming theme in 2026 in honor of our 30th anniversary, so too will our quarterly poetry sessions welcome in the light, even as each facilitator acknowledges what is present in the world and our lives in the moment.
Each session will include experiencing a selection of poems curated by the facilitator, time for personal reflection, and an invitation to write and share in small groups (breakout sessions via Zoom). No prior experience reading or writing poetry is necessary. Sharing your thoughts and writing is always by invitation.
Comments: This is a wonderful opportunity for poets and aspiring poets alike. Eremos does a great job with programs like this–they are accessible and enriching for all levels. The facilitators are Cathy Capers, Julie Bowman, and Beverly Voss.
Ongoing
The Divine Exchange with Cynthia Bourgeault (from the Center for Action and Contemplation)
Dates and Times: Self paced
Registration: Open
Cost: $497, $374, or $249 – sliding scale
Frequency: Self-paced
Duration: 15 units
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: This is a self-paced online course exploring the heart of God through the concept of Divine Exchange — Cynthia Bourgeault’s framework based in the Christian wisdom traditions. Learn how kenosis and surrender can lead to a participatory exchange between the finite and the infinite.
The Divine Exchange explores the idea of exchange as the dynamic medium for everything finite and infinite. In this Christian contemplative online course Cynthia unpacks the metaphysics of Christian wisdom taught in traditional Wisdom Schools — ancient and modern contemplative learning communities focused on transformation. Students in The Divine Exchange can take their inner work even further through practices like centering prayer, chanting, and Tonglen breathing.
Comments: We, of course, love presentations from Cynthia Bourgeault. It’s nice that this is flexible and self-paced so that people can participate when it fits into their individual schedules. We’re not sure about the “live calls” mentioned in the link, given the self-paced format, but the calls will be announced on the CAC Connect platform used for the course.
You’re Not the Only One (from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Weekly on Mondays, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 1 hour
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: No
Description: Join us weekly (or as often as you desire) to share how you’re feeling right now about life, what’s unfolding in the world, or whatever you need to speak into the circle.
No fixing, no ranting, no trying to make it better.
Just listening attentively to each other in support and always closing our time together with what gives us hope or what we’re grateful for.
Comments: We’ve met this leader (as a participant) in past programs and have found her to be very thoughtful in her sharing. This looks like an enriching ongoing group.
Meditation Resources for those New to Meditation (from Tara Brach)
Dates and Times: Self-directed, flexible
Registration: N/A – this is a collection of resources
Cost: Free
Frequency: Self-directed
Duration: Varies
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: You are embarking on a journey that can deeply transform and enrich your life. The most important thing to remember is to approach practice with a friendly, curious, non-judgmental attitude.
There’s no one style of meditation that is “best” or fits all people. We’ve offered you some basic practices below that you can explore to see which serve you well. You might end up with two or three that you use regularly as you establish a practice. Over the weeks and months you’ll internalize the instructions and probably practice more and more regularly without the guided meditation. But at times, you’ll find they will help in gathering your attention.
Resources for those new to meditation or if you’d like a refresher:
Beginner’s Meditation Kit – a introductory mini-course
Mindfulness Daily – a free 40-day online course to help to establish a mindfulness meditation practice
How to Meditate FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How to Meditate (PDF)
Comments: This is a wonderful introduction to (or refresher for) establishing a meditation practice. A well-known and respected meditation teacher, Tara Brach’s teachings blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices, mindful attention to our inner life, and a full, compassionate engagement with our world. The result is a distinctive voice in Western Buddhism, one that offers a wise and caring approach to freeing ourselves and society from suffering. To learn more about her training, background, and leadership, click here.
Contemplative Chant
Dates and Times: Wednesdays at 4 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Ongoing
Duration: 30 minutes
Format: Online
Recording Available: No
Description: 30 minutes of contemplative chant from Wisdom Waypoints, with chants led by Susan Latimer and Elizabeth Combs. Chanting is a wonderful practice for bringing both the Moving Center (body, breath, tone) and the Emotional Center (open heart) online. It is a spiritual practice that opens our hearts, nourishes our nervous systems, prepares us for prayer and meditation as a bridge into stillness, and connects us to our innate joy, courage, steadfastness, peace, beauty, truth and goodness. In times of great uncertainty and change, we find chant to be one of the things that most grounds us. These sessions draw chants from Wisdom Schools, various spiritual and religious traditions, sacred texts, old hymns and poetry. Because of the limitations of synching sound on Zoom, all participants are muted except for the one leading. This allows everyone to chant along in their own space. (Great if you are shy about sharing your voice! Fun if you like to try harmonies!)
Comments: Some of us join this contemplative chant weekly and enjoy it very much. We find it a wonderful contemplative practice. Wisdom Waypoints is the wisdom community started by Cynthia Bourgeault, one of our favorite wisdom teachers. Note that this is a small and warm group of regular participants. Therefore, it can be more difficult to participate anonymously.
The Abbey Tuesday Morning Meditation
Dates and Times: Tuesdays at 8 a.m. (Meditation at 8 a.m., optional discussion at 8:30 a.m.)
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: Ongoing
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: No
Description: A 15-minute sit, followed by a brief reading and optional discussion.
Comments: Of course we love this meditation group! It’s The Abbey, our own contemplative community. We are currently reading a variety of poetry, with one poem each week. The format of the group is that we enter (the Zoom meeting) in silence with an image on the screen for Visio Divina before a 15-minute meditation sit that begins at 8:05 a.m. followed by an optional discussion.
The Abbey Spiritual Discussion Group
Dates and Times: Tuesdays, 5 p.m.
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 1 hour
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: No
Description: This group reads books to deepen our spiritual lives and to build community among participants. Newcomers are welcome to join the group anytime. Register on The Abbey website and we will send you a Zoom link.
Comments: The group just started reading , The Meaning of Mary Magdalene by Cynthia Bourgeault. We enjoy this group and the lively discussion both in small-group breakout rooms and with the whole group.
The Gathering at The Abbey
Dates and Times: Second and fourth Sundays of the month; 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Central Time (optional discussion from 10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
Registration: Sign up with link sent via email (sign up for emails at The Abbey)
Cost: Free
Frequency: Twice monthly
Duration: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: No
Description: The Gathering is a Sunday morning time of contemplation and reflection in community.
Comments: A rotating group of leaders and spiritual directors lead each session. Readings include poetry and inspirational texts from different spiritual traditions. All are welcome.
Word of the Week (from Contemplative Outreach)
Dates and Times: Emails sent on Sundays, meets each Tuesday at 8 a.m. and Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Registration: Sign up for weekly emails here.
Cost: Free annual subscription (with recommended donation of $95/yr)
Frequency: Weekly, per above
Duration: One hour
Format: Zoom – link is sent weekly in the email on Sunday
Recording Available: No
Description: A beautiful email is sent on Sundays with the reading of Lectio Divina that will be done. There is a sit and then the Lectio Divina.
Comments: We like this because it’s a chance to revisit the reading for the week—and they always include beautiful artwork (it’s Lectio and Visio Divina!). We like the sense of community. It’s a pretty stable group and there’s a chance to share. We also like the balance of it—they are very mindful of the time, it’s just an hour. There’s a rhythm of it that we like. We read the emails each week and appreciate having the email in advance to sit with it a little before the group reading. There are also opportunities to interact online with the group during the week. We will note that it can be difficult to find the link for the Zoom in the weekly email; it is also spelled out here—the third bullet has link to the zoom with poorly brown highlighted “Click on this link,” but it also provides the zoom code and passcode in the email.
Wisdom Waypoints Daily Centering Prayer/Meditation
Dates and Times: Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m.; Monday/Wednesday/Sunday 6 p.m.; Saturday 10:30 a.m.
Registration: No registration required, join via website
Cost: Free
Frequency: Daily, per above
Duration: 30 minutes
Format: Zoom
Recording Available: No
Description: A collective wisdom pause for “Silence and Stillness.” Wisdom members lead each sit with a brief reading, chant, and meditation/stillness.
Comments: We like this because it is a way to maintain our personal practice alongside others with the degree of anonymity (or not) with which we are each comfortable. Wisdom Waypoints is a part of Cynthia Bourgeault’s network of teaching and practice resources.
The Welcoming Prayer – Videos (from Contemplative Outreach)
Dates and Times: Always available
Registration: N/A
Cost: Free
Frequency: N/A
Duration: Varies, from 5 minutes to 1 hour, most are about 30 minutes
Format: YouTube
Recording Available: Yes
Description: A collection of videos on the Welcoming Prayer (34 videos). There was a series of 8 videos which are part of a larger curriculum for a self-guided online course on this practice, “Embracing Living: The Welcoming Prayer,” which is offered by Contemplative Outreach in conjunction with Spirituality & Practice).
Comments: We regularly enjoy offerings from Contemplative Outreach and are always eager to learn more about The Welcoming Prayer. Some of the 34 videos linked here are from early in the Pandemic (when we were all trying to figure out how to be in community when we couldn’t meet in person), and some videos are more recent.
Mindful Mondays (from the Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing)
Dates and Times: Monday afternoons, Noon – 1 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 1 hour
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes, for 1 week after each session
Description: Join the Earl. E Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing for an informal hour of gentle movement and guided meditation. Our experienced facilitators will guide you through a series of mindful movement and meditations that will leave you feeling rejuvenated. No prior experience or special clothing is necessary.
We rotate through various modalities of gentle, mindful movement. Please check the Mindful Monday’s registration webpage to learn the specific mindful movement planned for each week’s session. Prior to each session, as best you can, you may wish to secure a space that will accommodate mindful movement and where you won’t be easily interrupted for the duration of the hour-long session
Comments: This is a new offering to us. We saw a forest meditation video produced by this group, found their website, and thought this would be interesting to explore.
The Tears of Things: Integrating the Prophetic Path (from The Center for Action and Contemplation)
Dates and Times: Self-paced
Registration: Open
Cost: $100 (or $80 or $60, based on financial circumstances)
Frequency: Self-paced with 9 prophetic themes)
Duration: Varies
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: A self-guided online course based on Richard Rohr’s new book, “The Tears of Things.” Explore the wisdom of prophets from ancient times to modern day, and discover how we can transform our anger into compassion in our modern “age of outrage.”
“The Tears of Things: Integrating the Prophetic Path” will lead you on a journey from righteous anger at injustice, through grief for the world’s suffering, and—for those committed to the path—finally to grace-filled love for everyone and everything.
Students will explore themes from “The Tears of Things,” like radical grace, collective evil, and the alchemy of tears. Discover deeper meaning in the Hebrew prophets and find inspiration from today’s truth-tellers like Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Etty Hillesum, Howard Thurman, Joanna Macy, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Oscar Romero.
This self-guided course offers a flexible online learning experience to explore prophetic themes from the sacred space of your home. You can enroll anytime and access all course materials through CAC Connect, our new online learning platform. Engage with the material in a space that’s safe for questions and deepen your understanding alongside fellow seekers.
Comments: We’ve previously enjoyed many offerings from the CAC and Richard Rohr. This offering is an online, self-paced program based on his new book, but we are not sure if he is speaking in it. There doesn’t appear to be a live portion of this course and we are not sure if there is online interaction (though they usually do offer that).