Contemplative Trove: A Curated List of Spiritual Practice Opportunities

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 October or November and would like to have it listed here, please email the information as shown below to editor@theabbey.us by September 18 to be included in the post at the beginning of October. Please note that all times are listed in Central Time.

September

10-Week Enneagram Course (from The Church of Conscious Harmony)

Dates and Times: Wednesdays, Sept. 3 – Nov. 5, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $100 donation suggested
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 1.5 hours per session
Format: In person only (Church of Conscious Harmony, Austin, TX)
Recording Available: N/A
Description: The course draws inspiration from, among other sources, the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers who sought self-knowledge and communion with God in the stillness of the desert. Through teachings, contemplative practices, and group dialogue, participants will cultivate the courage and humility needed to awaken from the sleep of personality and live more fully from the true-self in Christ—opening to offer compassionate, contemplative service. Jonathan Steele, Devotional Minister at The Church of Conscious Harmony, will lead this course.
* Please note that participants in this course are highly encouraged to attend all 10 weeks with a minimum commitment of 8 weeks of in-person attendance and participation.
Comments: This course looks like it provides a robust experience of learning more about and using the Enneagram. Please note that this offering is an in-person only course in Austin, TX.

Metanoia Journey’s Sunday In-Person Contemplative Gathering

Dates and Times: Sunday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Monthly
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format:  In person at The Seminary of the Southwest’s Christ Chapel 501 E 32nd St., Austin, TX 
Recording Available: N/A
Description: The format of this gathering will include 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, a scripture reading from the sacred texts, a “message” offered by the ministers or guest speakers, community communion, and contemplative music. We invite anyone who wants to participate in performing a role to let us know. Otherwise, just come, rest in God, and receive. 
This is a “contemplative service,” with 20 minutes of silent, meditative prayer. For those that attend that have not practiced Centering Prayer before, we have a copy of the brief Guidelines to practice the prayer available at the entry to the Chapel for people to follow along.
At this time, we do not have an area for children to gather separately or have a children’s ministry. Older children are certainly welcome if they can rest in silence during that time. 
Comments: This is an opportunity to connect with other contemplative practitioners in person in Austin. While these are primarily Christian contemplative services, all are welcome.

Art of Meditation Global Summit (from Heart Mind Institute)

Dates and Times: Tuesday, Sept. 9 – Tuesday, Sept. 16, various times
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 1 Week of daily presentations, various times
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Awaken Presence, Purpose, and Inner Change Through the World’s Great Meditation Traditions
Make meditation more than a moment of calm – let it transform how you you feel, respond, and handle life when it matters most.
Join Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, Deepak Chopra, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Kristin Neff, Jack Kornfield, and many others as they share timeless teachings from traditions like Vipassana, Zen, Nondual, Tibetan, Vedic, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Comments: For those interested in learning more about multiple meditation traditions from a wide variety of compelling speakers, many of whom we have heard and enjoyed in the past, this is a great chance to learn more. We especially like that you can tune in to hear specific speakers as you wish and that there is a recording to allow even more flexibility for participants.

Personal Retreat Day at Church of Conscious Harmony

Dates and Times: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (all-day retreat, attend as much or as little as you wish)
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donation requested
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: All day (up to 12 hours)
Format: In person (at Church of Conscious Harmony, Austin, TX)
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Please join us for a Centering Prayer afternoon retreat, from 1p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Church. In addition to the retreat, there are offerings for enjoying a full retreat day, with extended times of contemplation. Here are some available options (select desired sessions at registration for planning purposes):

7 a.m. – Centering Prayer in Theosis Chapel, led by a member of the community.
8 a.m. – Continental Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall.
9 a.m. -11:30 a.m. – Guided Contemplation in Nature, led by Camile Bunting.
Noon -12:45 p.m. – Contemplative Lunch, eating in silence as we listen to a reading.
1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. –  Centering Prayer Retreat led by Cynthia Harp.
4:45-5:45 Prayerful Movement – Tai Chi led by Scott Taylor – for all ability levels.
6 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. – Midweek Contemplative Service in the Sanctuary, concluding with the Eucharist.

Theosis Chapel, sanctuary, classrooms and library will be open and available for use as well as the trails and the labyrinth. All offerings are optional. This is a Spirit guided, personal retreat day. Partake as you feel led.
Comments: We’ve enjoyed these retreats in the past but this one seems to have a greater variety of practices. We like that you can pick and choose what you want to participate in for the day. The setting is a really pretty and serene space.

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – NONVIOLENCE with Father John Dear 

Dates and Times: Sunday, September 14, noon – 1:30
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donation requested
Frequency: One-time event (part of the Awareness in Action series)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Join us in the continued commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time, to exploring the roots of structural violence in our social systems, and to engaging in the world in a courageous way based on contemplative practice and views that actualize non-separateness, interbeing, equity, compassion, justice, integrity, courage, dignity, and unshakable awareness.
This monthly series is stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Kodo Roen and Dainin Lau.
The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing.
Each Zoom session will include a special introduction, teaching, community reflections, and the dedication of merit and Bodhisattva Vows. These sessions are offered freely, but donations are appreciated.
Comments: John Dear is an American Catholic priest, pacifist, and author. He has been arrested over 75 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience against war, injustice and nuclear weapons.

What Makes Contemplative Christianity Different? (from the Center for Action and Contemplation)

Dates and Times: Sunday, Sept. 14, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Sliding scale based on need – $95, $30, $10, $5
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Our Christian tradition teaches us that [contemplative practices] are pathways into the direct experience of Divine presence and love. —Brian McLaren 
For many, Christianity has become about division, performance, or pressure — more about who’s in and who’s out, and less about how we grow in love. Contemplative Christianity invites us into a more spacious path — rooted in inner and outer transformation, radical compassion, and the lived experience of God’s presence in all things. 
At our next live online event, we will embark on a prophetic journey and explore this more spacious path.
Comments: Led by Brian McLaren and Carmen Acevedo Butcher and presented by the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC), one of the leading contemplative education and practice organizations in the U.S., this will be a wonderful introduction to, and refresher for, anyone interested in or already practicing contemplative spirituality.

Thomas Keating Spiritual Journey Courses (from Contemplative Outreach Colorado)

Dates and Times: Vary – Courses 1, 2, and 3 begin in September, and Course 4 in October
Registration: Open
Cost: Varies by course
Frequency: Varies
Duration: Varies
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: The Spiritual Journey series consists of nine classes taught by Fr. Thomas Keating (via pre-recorded lessons) and facilitated by experienced guides on the journey. The first two classes—Basic Centering Prayer and The Human Condition—are foundational and set the stage for growing your relationship with God. All the classes are described in the links below. You may undertake this journey at your own pace, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide your schedule. All nine courses are based on the teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating. This program guides participants to the transformative awakening and healing to be found along the contemplative path. It incorporates both contemporary psychological and ancient spiritual concepts. We welcome seekers of all faith traditions—or no tradition. This journey is for anyone who wishes to gain wisdom and understanding of God’s action in their lives through the Christian contemplative path of transformation into Christ.
The Spiritual Journey series is the teaching legacy of Fr. Thomas Keating (1923-2018), who was one of the principal architects of the Centering Prayer movement. Keating was a Trappist monk who founded Contemplative Outreach to promote Centering Prayer and to enliven the contemplative dimensions of the gospels for 21st century pilgrims. You can read more about his journey here.
“The Spiritual Journey does not require going anywhere because God is already with us and in us. Just by the very nature of our birth, we are on a spiritual journey.” —Thomas Keating.
The series includes:
1 – Basic Centering Prayer
2 – Human Condition
3 – Spirituality in Everyday Life
4 – Divine Therapy
5 – Divine Love
6 – Heartfulness
7 – The Gift of Love
8 – God is Love
Comments: This is an amazing compilation of classes taught by Fr. Thomas Keating. Whether you are new to centering prayer or have been practicing for years, these courses provide the opportunity to learn directly from Fr. Keating. The series begins each year in September and January. Courses may be repeated for half price.

LOVE AND DEATH: Opening the Great Gifts (from Upaya Zen Center)

Dates and Times: Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. – Sunday, Sept. 21, at 12:45 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: Donation requested
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 1 Weekend
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: This program explores the powerful equation of love and death. This whole life is a place where we make real our dedication to awakening, in living and dying, in caring and being cared for, in loving and receiving love. Being completely and vividly present for the rich details of our lives and the lives of others is the means that we use to discover truth and come home to who we really are. Love and death then are experiences of discovery.
This program, led by two pioneers in the end-of-life care field and long time Buddhist practitioners, is an exploration of how we bring depth and dedication into our whole life and the life of the world. Through teachings, exchanges, and unique practices and processes, we explore the profound relationship between love and death, engaged practice and the role of love and compassion in how we serve others, different forms of love, how art reveals the connection between love and death, and practices that relate to the power of impermanence and surrender. This program is open to all and is a special opportunity to work closely with Frank Ostaseski and Roshi Joan Halifax.
Comments: Frank Ostaseski and Roshi Joan Halifax are two of our favorite teachers and presenters. This will be an enlightening and meaningful experience for anyone interested in exploring “the powerful equation of love and death.”

The Contemplative Summit – The Spacious Heart: Holding Suffering with Love (From Spiritual Wanderlust)

Dates and Times: Thursday, Sept. 25 – Sunday, Sept. 28
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 3.5 days
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Four days of speakers and discussion groups featuring some of the biggest names in contemplative spirituality including Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Father John Dear, Parker Palmer, Matthew Fox, Christine Valters-Paintner, Carl McColman, Mike Morrell, Kathleen Norris, Father Greg Boyle, and Simon De Voil.
Comments: We are very impressed by the lineup of speakers–many of whom we’ve followed for years. The topic itself is timely and meaningful to us.

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – DISCERNMENT with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Dates and Times: Sunday, September 28, noon – 1:30
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donation requested
Frequency: One-time event (part of the Awareness in Action series)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Join us in the continued commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time, to exploring the roots of structural violence in our social systems, and to engaging in the world in a courageous way based on contemplative practice and views that actualize non-separateness, interbeing, equity, compassion, justice, integrity, courage, dignity, and unshakable awareness.
This monthly series is stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Kodo Roen and Dainin Lau.
The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing.
Each Zoom session will include a special introduction, teaching, community reflections, and the dedication of merit and Bodhisattva Vows. These sessions are offered freely, but donations are appreciated.
Comments: Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk, born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School before traveling to Sri Lanka to pursue his interest in Buddhism. He received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998), the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk of the time.

Fall Programs from Parker Palmer’s Center for Courage and Renewal

Dates and Times: Current Program Calendar includes monthly offerings through February 2026
Registration: Open
Cost: Varies
Frequency: Varies
Duration: Varies
Format: Online and In person programs are listed
Recordings Available: Yes
Description: Visit our program calendar to find a full slate of programs and retreats that can help you build the courage to live more authentically, expand your capacity to listen, strengthen your ability to build trustworthy relationships, and renew your passion for your life’s work.
Comments: We are fans of Parker Palmer’s writing and speaking. The Center for Courage and Renewal was founded by him and includes a wide variety of programming topics and experiences. Too many to list individually–so we linked to the entire calendar for your to peruse.

October

Making Space for Renewal: Eremos Fall Day Retreat

Dates and Times: Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $125, includes lunch
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 6 hours
Format: In person (Five Oaks Ranch, Austin, TX)
Recording Available: N/A
Description: With plenty of time for solitary walks, journaling outdoors, rich conversations with like-hearted souls, or exploring the labyrinth, Leslie and Dianna will offer reflections and poetry inspired by the wisdom of the fall season and the trees. Leave with a renewed spirit and spaciousness to welcome fall’s blessings
Comments: We always enjoy the Eremos retreats and programs. The location is lovely with a lot of places to be outdoors, seating under trees, a creek, a labyrinth, (and some farm animals!). This would be a wonderful fall retreat for those seeking time in nature for spiritual renewal.

Metanoia Journey’s Sunday In-Person Contemplative Gathering

Dates and Times: Sunday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Monthly
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format:  In person at The Seminary of the Southwest’s Christ Chapel 501 E 32nd St., Austin, TX 
Recording Available: N/A
Description: The format of this gathering will include 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, a scripture reading from the sacred texts, a “message” offered by the ministers or guest speakers, community communion, and contemplative music. We invite anyone who wants to participate in performing a role to let us know. Otherwise, just come, rest in God, and receive. 
This is a “contemplative service,” with 20 minutes of silent, meditative prayer. For those that attend that have not practiced Centering Prayer before, we have a copy of the brief Guidelines to practice the prayer available at the entry to the Chapel for people to follow along.
At this time, we do not have an area for children to gather separately or have a children’s ministry. Older children are certainly welcome if they can rest in silence during that time. 
Comments: This is an opportunity to connect with other contemplative practitioners in person in Austin. While these are primarily Christian contemplative services, all are welcome.

Intro to Mindfulness Meditation Workshop (From Metanoya Journey)

Dates and Times: Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $75
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 4.5 hours
Format: In person (at home of David and Anna Vu Wallace in Austin, TX)
Recording Available: N/A
Description: The term meditation is mainstream today. Yet there are literally many  ways a person “can meditate.” However, there are only two categories of meditative techniques: concentrative or receptive. We will explain both categories in this workshop, but what we will teach the participants is a form of receptive meditation called mindfulness meditation.
This daily practice, in basic terms, teaches us the ability to sit in silence and just notice thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without any reaction or action in response to them. We learn to see them come into our awareness and we learn to let them go. Can you see how valuable a tool this is for handling life’s stressors?
Another definition of mindfulness meditation is this: “A nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment experience.”
This workshop will provide an overview of this practice, and each participant will participate in two 20-minute group silent meditation periods. Additionally, each will learn about the benefits of meditation on the body physiology and how it counteracts the effects of stress that is a constant for people in their busy lives.
Just like physical exercise benefits the body, mindfulness meditation also benefits the body’s response to stress and teaches us an invaluable tool that, over time, will help us learn to “respond consciously to our world,” instead of “reacting blindly.”
The workshop’s registration covers snacks, beverages, and lunch. We will cap the group size at 12 people. Registrants will be contacted prior to the date with the address for the workshop.
Are you ready to learn a life-giving practice?
Comments: Metanoya is a contemplative community in Austin. The leaders are trained and experienced in leading groups and retreats like this.

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – EMBODIMENT with Guo Gu

Dates and Times: Sunday, October 12, noon – 1:30
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donation requested
Frequency: One-time event (part of the Awareness in Action series)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Join us in the continued commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time, to exploring the roots of structural violence in our social systems, and to engaging in the world in a courageous way based on contemplative practice and views that actualize non-separateness, interbeing, equity, compassion, justice, integrity, courage, dignity, and unshakable awareness.
This monthly series is stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Kodo Roen and Dainin Lau.
The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing.
Each Zoom session will include a special introduction, teaching, community reflections, and the dedication of merit and Bodhisattva Vows. These sessions are offered freely, but donations are appreciated.
Comments: Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu) is the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center, the founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief, and a professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions at Florida State University. He studied under the late Master Sheng Yen for over 30 years, nine of which as his attendant monk and most senior and closest disciple. He is the author of The Essence of Chan (2012), Passing Through the Gateless Barrier (2016), and Silent Illumination(2021)

Unchanging – Awakening in the Flow of Hope (from the Center for Contemplative Living)

Dates and Times: Saturday, Oct. 18, 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $70 in person, $50 Zoom (scholarships available)
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 3.5 hours
Format: In person and Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: We are living in turbulent times. In the churning, can you feel an anchor to something that is unchanging? Could it be a deep abiding hope? In this presentation, Rick Klein offers insight to a path out of the dualistic sociopolitical environments that keep us stuck.
Building on teachings from Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, Thomas Keating and others, Rick believes the key to future spiritual growth—individually and collectively—begins with hope. Not the ordinary understanding of hope, but a deeper understanding: Contemplative Hope. As we awaken to the powerful presence of contemplative hope in our lives, we reveal the unchanging universal truths hidden in plain sight. 
Join us as we explore how to weave the threads of universal truth into the fabric of our lives and open to the potential of a quantum leap in spiritual “Growing Up.” This collective leap is essential if we are to show up in new ways that can diffuse the anger and fear in our world. 
This presentation—Unchanging—grew out of Rick Klein’s February 2025 presentation, Unfinished: A Spirituality of Change, which explored Ken Wilber’s developmental “Growing Up” lens and left many of us wondering what is mine to do? In this new presentation, Rick continues the exploration of our collective and individual journeys. If you missed the Unfinished presentation, you will be able to watch the February recording as part of your registration for Unchanging. The recording is not necessary, however, as Unchanging is a unique presentation that builds on themes raised in the previous presentation.
Comments: While we’re not as familiar with Rick Klein, we have done programs with this center at the Contemplative Outreach of Colorado and have enjoyed the offerings and the format.

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do: Making Courageous Decisions in Seasons of Change (from Eremos)

Dates and Times: Saturday, Oct. 18, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: In person Early bird (ends Oct. 1) $77, afterwards $97; Online $47
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 6 hours
Format: In person and Online (in person at Abiding Love Lutheran Church in Austin, TX)
Recording Available: Yes
Description: In seasons of transition, after loss or conflict, or when life simply no longer fits the way it used to, the question often becomes: What now?
Whether you’re discerning a new path, navigating retirement, healing from crisis, or simply longing for clarity, you’re not alone.
Join Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell, author, speaker, and spiritual teacher, for a day of wisdom, story, and reflection. Drawing on her own pivotal life changes and stories from people across generations, Dr. Gorrell will guide you through essential steps for making wise and courageous decisions and transitions, even when the way forward feels uncertain.
Throughout this day of shared learning and personal discovery, you’ll gain:
Insight into the ways fear, doubt, or overthinking can sabotage your ability to move forward.
Simple, powerful practices to help you listen for God’s guidance amid noise, pressure, or confusion.
What it looks like to honor your own wisdom and life experience, even when you’re not sure what’s next.
Stories of brave decisions made in real-life moments of transition, loss, reinvention, or deep discernment.
Opportunities to connect with others walking through similar seasons, and space to be gently honest with yourself.
Time for personal reflection on your own path ahead.
Comments: Eremos consistently offers high-quality programs that we enjoy and this one looks like a good one for the fall season. The in-person location, Abiding Love Lutheran Church, is a lovely venue for a program like this.

November

Metanoia Journey’s Sunday In-Person Contemplative Gathering

Dates and Times: Sunday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Monthly
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format:  In person at The Seminary of the Southwest’s Christ Chapel 501 E 32nd St., Austin, TX 
Recording Available: N/A
Description: The format of this gathering will include 20 minutes of Centering Prayer, a scripture reading from the sacred texts, a “message” offered by the ministers or guest speakers, community communion, and contemplative music. We invite anyone who wants to participate in performing a role to let us know. Otherwise, just come, rest in God, and receive. 
This is a “contemplative service,” with 20 minutes of silent, meditative prayer. For those that attend that have not practiced Centering Prayer before, we have a copy of the brief Guidelines to practice the prayer available at the entry to the Chapel for people to follow along.
At this time, we do not have an area for children to gather separately or have a children’s ministry. Older children are certainly welcome if they can rest in silence during that time. 
Comments: This is an opportunity to connect with other contemplative practitioners in person in Austin. While these are primarily Christian contemplative services, all are welcome.

The Science of Transformation: An Experiential Integration Day of Hope-filled Practice (from Contemplative Outreach of Colorado)

Dates and Times: Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: In person $120; Online $65
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 6 hours
Format: In person and Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: These times call for a need to unify the seeds of contemplative practice–to return to our fundamental essence and realize our shared human purpose as conscious transmitters of faith, hope and love. In the words of Bede Griffiths, we can learn to “join the growing Christ.”
Jonathan’s presentation style includes teaching, practice and unifying the power of gathered intention. His themes focus on the importance of surrender, community, service, silence and the practice of learning to directly sense the inner body, or inner-man as St. Paul refers to it. Learning to sense the inner body gives us a physiological rootedness where we can stand in a strong, compassionate witnessing presence amid polarization.
Together we will engage prayer exercises that imprint both Jesus’ recollected presence and self-emptying nature more deeply into our being. Most spiritual traditions have tended to emphasize one or the other: enstatic practices (service through conscious presence) or ecstatic practices (service as self-giving) but not both. The integration of the two supports our collective awakening in becoming people who can change the events of our world from the inside-out without our attention getting hi-jacked by manufactured desire.
We offer this day of experiential integration and hope-filled practice on behalf of all beings throughout creation and to bring spiritual healing to our lives and, by God’s grace, to this precious planet.About Jonathan Steele: 
Jonathan L. Steele, M.A., is a retreat leader, spiritual teacher and companion on the spiritual journey. His work draws deeply upon the transmission of the Christian Wisdom lineage and the Christian Contemplative and Inner-Traditions. In addition to his lived integration through contemplative practice, study and service, he leans on the works of Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeault, Valentin Tomberg, G.I. Gurdjieff and J.G. Bennett. Jonathan currently serves as the Devotional Minister at the Church of Conscious Harmony, a Contemplative Christian Community in Austin, TX.
Comments: This is led by the new Devotional Minister at the Church of Conscious Harmony in Austin, TX. He is in the Wisdom Tradition of Cynthia Bourgeault, one of our favorite spiritual teachers.

Contemplative Enneagram Summit – Waking Up Whole: Personality, Presence, and the Inner Journey of Beccoming (from the Closer than Breath)

Dates and Times: Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 – 9, Various times
Registration: Open
Cost: Suggested Standard $119, Pay it Forward $149, Reduced $99 (scholarships available)
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 1 Weekend
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: The Contemplative Enneagram Summit invites you to embrace your wholeness: personality + presence, ego + essence, psyche + spirit.
What you’ll experience:
* Enneagram teachings from a contemplative lens to illuminate the inner journey
* Guided meditation & Centering Prayer to ground insight in your body & spirit
* Live interactive Q & A with seasoned contemplative teachers
* Shared silence throughout the weekend, allowing stillness to do its quiet work
* Global community connection with fellow spiritual seekers
Attend from anywhere – join us live online or watch later with full recordings.
Comments: We have enjoyed participating in offerings from Closer than Breath. This event brings their signature depth to the to the Enneagram. This is the first Enneagram program they have offered. There is a variety of speakers as well as a bonus presentation on Friday evening prior to the start of the summit on Saturday.

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – BRIDGING with Tara Brach 

Dates and Times: Sunday, November 9, noon – 1:30
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, donation requested
Frequency: One-time event (part of the Awareness in Action series)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Join us in the continued commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time, to exploring the roots of structural violence in our social systems, and to engaging in the world in a courageous way based on contemplative practice and views that actualize non-separateness, interbeing, equity, compassion, justice, integrity, courage, dignity, and unshakable awareness.
This monthly series is stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Kodo Roen and Dainin Lau.
The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing.
Each Zoom session will include a special introduction, teaching, community reflections, and the dedication of merit and Bodhisattva Vows. These sessions are offered freely, but donations are appreciated.
Comments: Tara Brach is a meditation teacher, psychologist and author of several books including international bestselling Radical Acceptance, Radical Compassion and Trusting the Gold. Her popular weekly podcast on emotional healing and spiritual awakening is downloaded 3 million times a month.

Contemplative Activism in Challenging Times: An Online Retreat with Cynthia Bourgeault (from The Contemplative Society)

Dates and Times: Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $60, or Pay from the Heart
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 2 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: This online live teaching time with Cynthia embraces the sacred calling to be “Contemplatives with grit!”
As our world and planetary systems reel in the grip of what many sense to be a thickening pandemic of evil, the Wisdom perspective is urgently needed. We believe that only from this broader cosmic and integrative perspective can sufficient leverage be found to work effectively with the escalating disintegration—political, cultural, ecological, spiritual—so apparent in our own times.
Contemplatives of all spiritual pathways are invited to join together for this online teaching. Cynthia will draw from spiritual and psychological sources to show us how to strengthen our inner resources and deepen our commitment. In particular, she will revisit the concept of ‘holy obedience’ found in the teaching of Quaker mystic Thomas Kelly, who nearly 100 years ago stepped up out of his Quaker conscience to speak truth to power.
We invite you to attend this gathering together with others in your contemplative community. TCS will be providing a series of reflection questions for small groups to address “in real life” after the Zoom gathering.
Comments: Cynthia Bourgeault is one of our favorite teachers and this presentation, to us, looks like just what we need in the current moment. We like that there are reflection questions for small groups who choose to watch together.

Ongoing

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.

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 20-minute sit, followed by a brief reading and discussion.
Comments: Of course we love this meditation group! It’s The Abbey, our own contemplative community.

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 is starting a new book this month (September), Practice the Pause. We enjoy this group and the lively discussion both in small-group breakout rooms and with the whole group.

Word of the Week

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.

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).