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 May or June and would like to have it listed here, please email the information as shown below to editor@theabbey.us by April 18 to be included in the post at the beginning of March. Please note that all times are listed in Central Time.
April
Celtic Spirituality with Carl McColman (from Spirituality & Practice)
Dates and Times: In Progress – Friday, April 17
Registration: Open
Cost: $59.95
Frequency: Self-paced
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Online; 3 emails per week with a live event April 10
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Shrouded in legend and imbued with romance, the Celtic lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have produced a surprising number of saints and spiritual guides, both ancient and contemporary. From the mythic stories of goddesses and heroes, to the holistic mysticism of the earliest Celtic Christians, to the wisdom of modern visionaries, Celtic spirituality has ancient roots yet remains deeply relevant for our time.
Celtic spirituality is the focus of our e-course, aptly subtitled “At the Edge of Mystery.” Consider it a pilgrimage into one of the best examples of everyday spirituality. Celtic wisdom and poetry encourages us to recognize the holy all around us, honors and protects the sacred earth, gives inspiration to free our creative voice, and presents a holistic path that links the quest for holiness with an embodied sense of Divine love. Here is an opportunity to drink from the holy wells of ancient myths and folklore and discover how the blessings of this venerable wisdom tradition can bring us meaning, purpose, and guidance today.
You will receive 12 emails during this course, sent to you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The emails will include:
* Practice suggestions from this tradition and an invitation to record your insights and experiences in a journal that you keep for the course.
* Creative conversations on topics such as the Celtic approach to meditation, the insights found in ancient poems and stories, the rhythms of the sacred year, and the secrets of the grail quest;
* Prayers and blessings to weave the Celtic way of seeing throughout your day;
* One-hour live Zoom gathering with Carl on Friday, April 10th at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. Carl will discuss themes from the e-course and answer attendee questions. The Zoom gathering will be recorded and available for repeat viewing.
* A recording of a teleconference held on October 18, 2017 and a Zoom from August 18, 2022 with Carl McColman, when this course was previously live.
Comments: Carl McColman is a well-known voice of mysticism and Celtic spirituality. We also like that these programs from Spirituality & Practice are always available after the program.
Holy Week Commuter Retreat (from The Church of Conscious Harmony)
Dates and Times: Monday and Tuesday, March 30 and 31, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Wednesday, April 1, 9 a.m. – noon
Registration: Open
Cost: Monday and Tuesday $30/day; Wednesday $15 (all prices include lunch)
Frequency: Daily
Duration: 3 days
Format: In-person at The Church of Conscious Harmony, Austin TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Please join us March 30-April 1 for a Lenten Commuter Retreat led by Jill Frank. We invite all and particularly encourage our online community to come to Austin to participate in this multi-day, on-campus retreat experience, preceding our other Holy Week offerings. The retreat will be from 9:00am-4:00pm Monday & Tuesday, and from 9:00-noon on Wednesday. As an option on all three days, you can include Centering Prayer in Theosis Chapel from 7 a.m. – 7:35 a.m. and breakfast at 8:30 a.m. It is our wish that everyone is able to participate in the early morning Centering Prayer and breakfast on all three days along with the standard schedule. Each day there is an optional breakfast at 8:30 a.m.
Comments: We like that you can sign up for the entire retreat or for individual sessions. This is a nice chance to get a taste of a short, in-person retreat. The grounds a the Church of Conscious Harmony are a lovely setting for a retreat. We anticipate this would be a silent retreat throughout the day, with sits, lectio divina, and walks. The schedule will be full but participation is optional, with time for solitude and some group sharing. We have done programs online with Jill Frank and find her to be a great leader.
Holy Week: A Cosmic Seeing, with Cynthia Bourgeault (from Wisdom Waypoints)
Dates and Times: Self-guided, on-demand for Holy Week, April 2 – April 8
Registration: Open
Cost: Free, Donations welcome
Frequency: Self-paced, daily during Holy Week
Duration: one week
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: These morning talks were offered as part of an intensive Holy Week retreat at my home in Rockland, Maine, attended by twenty-two of my experienced Wisdom students. The circumstances offered a unique, “bucket list” teaching opportunity for me: the chance to directly interweave the Christian experience of Holy Week — in all its mystical splendors and theological challenges — with powerful reference points found in the Gurdjieff Work.
In these talks I explore how Gurdjieffian insights on intentional suffering, conscious love, and “the cost of our arising” bring powerful new validation to the classic atonement theology that has been a stumbling block for so many, while reframing it away from its traditional shaming and punitive overtones. By these same insights it becomes possible to revisit and reclaim that bedrock early Christian proclamation that Christ’s death and resurrection was not only a historical but a cosmogonic event; it literally changed the foundation of the worlds.
From Gurdjieffian perspectives of the ray of creation and “reciprocal exchange,” we can see how this otherwise outrageous and even offensive claim (to our modern, liberal/progressive ears) may have more moxie in it than we allow ourselves to believe — and that this cosmic moxie is still there for us to draw on to renew our faith and renew our world. We drew on it liberally, collectively, during our retreat time together, and I believe you’ll find it still vibrating in these talks.
For those of you still deeply drawn to the Christian Mystery but put off by its heavy-handed ways of explaining itself, this brand new material may be right up your alley. In addition to Gurdjieffian reference points, you’ll also find several of my usual suspects: Jacob Boehme, Ladislaus Boros, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Thomas Keating: the best of the best of the Christian mystical tradition. Plus, of course, Jesus himself, speaking his deepest truth in a context of conscious love and compassionate self-offering on behalf our this world of ours “that God so loved.”
Comments: While these are recorded programs, this is a great opportunity for both those who follow Cynthia Bourgeault and those who are new to her work. The Gurdjieff work is esoteric but she makes accessible. The Abbey’s Tuesday afternoon is exploring Bourgeault’s Mary Magdalene work and this program touches on some of that. We like that this program is donation based.
A Journey Through Holy Week: The Passion Libretto (from Wisdom Waypoints)
Dates and Times: Self-paced for Holy Week, April 2 – April 8
Registration: Open
Cost: Free
Frequency: Daily
Duration: One week
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: This free series is a six-day Holy Week offering of the Passion Libretto from Cynthia Bourgeault and Wisdom Waypoints. In 2004, Cynthia created this Passion Libretto as a new choral piece to be paired with Ray Adams’ The Passion, an original Holy Week oratorio, composed for the Aspen Choral Society. The original work is now out of print, but Cynthia has made it available here to the whole Wisdom web as an invitation for reflection, prayer, and meditation, individually yet together, in the heart of God.
Comments: In addition to being a wisdom teacher and Episcopal priest, Cynthia Bourgeault holds a Ph.D. in medieval studies and musicology from the University of Pennsylvania. If you’ve not heard this, it can be a wonderful addition to Holy Week observance and Bourgeault incorporates Mary Magdalene in ways the traditional stories usually don’t.
Mindful Loving Awareness: A Day for New and Experienced Meditators with Jack Kornfield (from Spirit Rock)
Dates and Times: Saturday, April 4, Noon – 6 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $125, with sliding scale
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 6 hours
Format: Online
Recording Available: Yes
Description: Join us as we quiet the mind and steady the heart together. By cultivating a calm, spacious mind and a kind heart toward ourselves and all others, we can embody loving awareness. As our wisdom and compassion grow, we can live with more gracious care and bring these powers into the world that so deeply needs them.
During our time together, instructions will be offered for both sitting and walking meditation. Storytelling, guided meditations, and fresh discourse on the Dharma will be provided throughout the day, with time for questions and discussion.
This day retreat is suitable for both new and experienced meditators who are looking to refresh and deepen their practice.
Comments: At The Abbey, we have read Jack Kornfield’s Wise Heart as a group and have found his work to be deeply insightful and helpful especially during times like these.
Twice-monthly Contemplative Gathering (from Metanoia)
Dates and Times: Sunday, April 5, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Once per month
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: In person at the Seminary of the Southwest Chapel, 501 E. 32nd St., Austin, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Metanoia Journey is simplifying its in-person contemplative gathering. We have decided as a community to offer Centering Prayer, followed by Lectio Divina on a sacred text.
We feel that this speaks more to who we are as a contemplative community, founded on silent prayer/meditation, and listening to the Divine to speak to us through sacred texts.
This will also invite more participation from those that attend. We will still conclude our time together by going out locally for lunch to further a deepening personal connection with those in our community.
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 Light of New Beginnings Spring Day Retreat (from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Saturday, April 11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $125, includes lunch and all materials
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 6 hours
Format: In person at Five Oak Ranch Retreat Center, Austin, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: We invite you to step back from the news and noise in the world to listen and bear witness to the sights and sounds of spring. What new beginning is spring 2026 calling you to?
From the smallest shift in thinking to a big aha moment, this spacious timeout offers possibilities for receiving wisdom you just can’t hear or sense at home. Walk the labyrinth, sit among the trees or in a comfy chair in the house, connect with one another, and then rest in the beauty of spring’s new beginnings. Anything is possible to aspire to begin with the energy of spring behind you!
Comments: Five Oak Ranch is a beautiful retreat center. The retreat is led by Diana Amorde and Leslie Wagner.
Diana Amorde: With more than 13 years as Eremos’ Executive Director, Dianna brings her passion for helping people trust their inner knowing to her work at Eremos. Author of Aha! Moments: When Intellect & Intuition Collide and the weekly reflections in Eremos’ newsletters, Dianna views her service with Eremos as a natural part of her desire to inspire people to trust their inner wisdom. She has witnessed the profound changes that taking time to go within to connect with Spirit—especially out in nature and on retreats—can bring to people. Time among the trees and birds on walks continues to renew her in these challenging times.
Leslie Wagner: Leslie Wagner is retired with a special interest in reconnecting to the divine through nature and creativity, both individually, as well as through leading small groups in meditation and connection with nature. With prior careers in IT Project Management, Chaplaincy and Mental Health counseling, her vocational focus has been on helping others along their path in life. She currently lives in Cedar Park, Texas, and enjoys camping, hiking and painting. She also serves on the Eremos Board of Directors.
The Measure of our Humanity: Actualizing Compassionate Action in These Tangled Times (from Upaya Zen Center)
Dates and Times: Sundays, Apr 12, May 3, Jun 7, 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, like Tara Brach who leads the May session and Roshi Joan Halifax in June. 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.
Twice-monthly Contemplative Gathering (from Metanoia)
Dates and Times: Sunday, April 19, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Once per month
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: In person at the Seminary of the Southwest Chapel, 501 E. 32nd St., Austin, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Metanoia Journey is simplifying its in-person contemplative gathering. We have decided as a community to offer Centering Prayer, followed by Lectio Divina on a sacred text.
We feel that this speaks more to who we are as a contemplative community, founded on silent prayer/meditation, and listening to the Divine to speak to us through sacred texts.
This will also invite more participation from those that attend. We will still conclude our time together by going out locally for lunch to further a deepening personal connection with those in our community.
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.
Celtic Wisdom with John Phililp Newell (from Earth and Soul)
Dates and Times: Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m. – Sunday, April 26, 5 p.m.
Registration: Open
Cost: $161.90
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: Two days
Format: Online
Recording Available: No
Description: The third of a three-part series of annual retreats led by the Celtic teacher John Philip Newell and his colleague Cami Twilling
Celtic Wisdom 3 Online is co-led by Cami Twilling, Director of Earth & Soul, and Rob McClellan, Colleague Teacher of Earth & Soul. The format will be 2-hour Zoom sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. We will hear from John Philip Newell via pre-recorded video sessions from Iona, have a time of spiritual practice to listen to what is stirring within us followed by a short time for reflection in small groups as well as reflection and questions in the whole group.
In 2016 John Philip Newell began a teaching initiative of annual retreats to help reawaken awareness of the sacred in all things through the recovery of Celtic wisdom for today and to help translate this awareness into compassionate action in our lives and world.
Celtic Wisdom 3 is the third of a three-part series of annual retreats offered by Earth & Soul in which we explore the sacredness of the imagination, the sacredness of compassion, and the sacredness of reshaping the world.
The teachings of this retreat are based on John Philip’s award-winning book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World (especially Chapters 5, 8, and 9 drawing on the wisdom of Alexander John Scott, George MacLeod, and Kenneth White).
The essential text for the three-year Celtic Wisdom program is John Philip Newell’s Sacred Earth Sacred Soul. The shared prayer book for this program is Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter.
Celtic Wisdom 3 can be taken as a stand-alone retreat or in conjunction with Celtic Wisdom 1 and Celtic Wisdom 2 which can be attended in any order and at any of our retreat centers across the country or online.
Comments: This program is particularly appealing for the “eco-spiritual” approach to Celtic spirituality. The Celts have always been nature-centric in their spiritual practices, revering the sacredness of creation.
Bodhisattva in the Hell Realm: A Weekend Retreat (from Austin Shambhala Center)
Dates and Times: Saturday, April 25 – Sunday, April 26
Registration: Open
Cost: $150
Frequency: One-time event
Duration: 2 days
Format: Online and In-person in Austin, TX
Recording Available: No
Description: Bodhisattvas, awakened beings, vow to dedicate their lives to the welfare of all beings, even if this means entering hell realms to alleviate the suffering of those who are trapped there.
As aspiring Bodhisattvas, we must first awaken our own heart and touch our own Buddha Nature, our own basic goodness. Confidence in Mind’s true, sacred nature will arise naturally.
Then, when we look at our world, we see countless ways in which beings suffer. In the history of our world, hell realms have always come and gone, like black eclipses of light. Some are personal, some societal, and some global. There have been five planetary die-offs, and the list of wars, genocides, plagues, famines, floods, fires, and earthquakes is endless.
Today, our world, once again, is becoming very dark. We may feel overwhelmed by lies, racism, misogyny, pollution and exploitation of the planet. As aspiring bodhisattvas, we feel the heart of sadness calling us. We feel our confidence in Buddha Nature growing. Our heart is becoming fearless and confident. We aspire to enter this darkness for the benefit of all beings.
Rather than being a conventional class, “Bodhisattva in the Hell Realm” will be a deepening contemplation of this timely topic. We are not promising simplistic, solid answers, but rather, profound questions whose answers may be lived when the time comes.
Please bring a bag lunch each day.
Comments: Shambhala has a local Austin group and this program can be attended in person for those who live in Austin; it is also available online. Participants find these programs to be very meaningful in their lives, supporting their spiritual practices. This program seems particularly apt in our current moment.
May
Twice-monthly Contemplative Gathering (from Metanoia)
Dates and Times: Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Once per month
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: In person at the Seminary of the Southwest Chapel, 501 E. 32nd St., Austin, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Metanoia Journey is simplifying its in-person contemplative gathering. We have decided as a community to offer Centering Prayer, followed by Lectio Divina on a sacred text.
We feel that this speaks more to who we are as a contemplative community, founded on silent prayer/meditation, and listening to the Divine to speak to us through sacred texts.
This will also invite more participation from those that attend. We will still conclude our time together by going out locally for lunch to further a deepening personal connection with those in our community.
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.
Twice-monthly Contemplative Gathering (from Metanoia)
Dates and Times: Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Not required
Cost: Free
Frequency: Once per month
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: In person at the Seminary of the Southwest Chapel, 501 E. 32nd St., Austin, TX
Recording Available: N/A
Description: Metanoia Journey is simplifying its in-person contemplative gathering. We have decided as a community to offer Centering Prayer, followed by Lectio Divina on a sacred text.
We feel that this speaks more to who we are as a contemplative community, founded on silent prayer/meditation, and listening to the Divine to speak to us through sacred texts.
This will also invite more participation from those that attend. We will still conclude our time together by going out locally for lunch to further a deepening personal connection with those in our community.
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.
June
Poetry for the Present Series (from Eremos)
Dates and Times: Tuesdays, June 9, 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
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 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. We are currently reading Living in the Light of Death by Larry Rosenberg. We will be starting a new book in April.
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).