blessings, Faye, As an almost sure 4, I wholeheartedly concurr Faye. You can watch all our videos at https://scienceandnonduality.comRev. Cynthia Bourgeault on Surrender #3 Cynthia Bourgeault offers an important caution for practitioners of Centering Prayer. Thank you, once again, for sharing your sensitivity, openness and self knowledge with such clarity. The journey of discovering this was pretty long and difficult because I too dont fit the party animal description. . I too am a reluctant 7. What flows out as these qualities is the fruit of an alchemy that goes on deep within our being, using our being as the raw material, in which who we are and our pleasures and self-maximization is somehow changed through conscious labor and intentional suffering.. What emerged over a six-week collective journey was a remarkable series of revelations and reflections encompassing not only the Gurdjieff tradition but her own deep insights into the Christian mystical and Wisdom traditions, together with sagacious tips on practice and a prophetic vision of a post-pandemic future. I am astounded by your vulnerability.. They failed to paint for me any authentic description of where I was pinned, or the road to authentic freedom more authentic, at least, than what I already knew in my own heart of hearts. What a revelation!, what a shock..brought me pain and tears and then tremendous relief.. At a time when people are yearning for good news, Cynthia Bourgeaults new book invites us to find our way to the hope that does not disappoint or fail. What will flow through you will be your agency. But the real driving motivation, I believe, is never the self-nurturing itself, but maintaining the freedom-of-motion which the Seven believes is required in order to perform these self-nurturing rituals. Cynthias illumination of the Centering Prayer path provides compelling evidence of how important the practice has become in the half-century since it first arose among American Trappist monks, and of its maturation and refinement over the ensuing years of sincere study and practice. You would recognize me if you saw my face Swans Island connection, [] WHICH ENNEAGRAM TYPE IS CYNTHIA? Cessation of motion i.e., stillness feels like death to them, and they are too adept, too wary, to die in an ambush, even by Infinite Love. I finally owned my Oneness and am increasingly aware of the resentment, anger and rather extreme idealism. Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing this. Cynthia is the author of eight books: The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger than Death. Everything that is tough and brittle shatters; everything that is cynical rots. The turning point in Cynthias journey came in 1990 when she ventured to St. Benedicts Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, for a ten-day Centering prayer retreat led by Fr. The question of limitations came up, and I asked, So what is it like when your options are limited, you are in a very restricted place, and you cant get away? (a long pause, then) I feel as if I am suffocating . She has been honored as one of the 100 most spiritually influential living people in 2021. To attend to an evolving consciousness that can bear the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow. . A brilliant synthesis that both situates the imaginal world and gives it more meaning that it has previously had [Bourgeault] is a true representative of the Western spiritual tradition. from the afterword by A. H. Almaas. At first when you begin a practice of meditation, it feels like a place you go to. She is the original creator of the Wisdom School and has been organizing and teaching schools since 1999. Cynthias published articles cover a breadth of topics that take us on a journey toward a deeper embrace of our human frailty, messiness, and limitations as the very path and locus of transformation. The book is magnificent; another writing to live on- to love through ~ Rev. Im very happy to see you opening up dialogue between the Wisdom Tradition and the Enneagram because thats the direction my teaching has taken in helping my teenagers get some some of discernment about fast-arriving decisions that they need to make. I think as others here have said, there is much more to be mined in understanding each of the types and their multiple, nuanced formations. I have a very similar trajectory to yours in terms of finding my number, in that I initially identified myself as a Seven but found that mainstream descriptions of the Seven did not take into account my desire to help others and make a difference in my work, and my fear of seeming selfish or frivolous. How I Found God in Everyone and Everywherecaptures for a general audience the spiritual shift away from a God up there and out there and towards an immanent divine right here. Together they provide an illuminating, expansive approach to both encounter and generate trust, as an essential substance and offering, so needed in our world today. I always come from a teaching perspective on these matters. The pointed and shaking finger of our adamant inner schoolteachers often accompanies calls to engage and stick with ancient (read: tried and proven) spiritual practices. I really like the way youve laid this out here, and I am grateful to know that someone I admire so much has these traits in common with me! For example, if Im in 1 the last prescription I need is to buckle down and do more work or take more responsibility but if Im in 7 thats exactly whats needed! Cynthia Bourgeault: Well, [laughs] that's a tall order. Heres your chance. The Center for Action and Contemplation1705 Five Points Rd SWAlbuquerque, New Mexico 87105, Copyright 2023 Center for Action and Contemplation. Thanks so much for your contribution. Gurdjieff emphasised the need for limbic balance and mastery across our thinking, feeling, and emotional centres, and Ive therefore found it helpful to better understand the issues associated with each centre (in 7, 4, and 1 for me) and to see how Ive spent more time in one-or-other centre at different stages in my life, or as a result of different situational or relational triggers. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, where she specialized in early music and liturgical drama: training that would prove to serve her well in her later work as a spiritual teacher. Here youll find a rich assortment of audio resources, ranging from polished teaching sets to raw audio files from recent groundbreaking teaching events. I hope these suggestions get taken up by Enneagram practitioners and authors! They postpone their own desires in order to enact an ideal of service. She has four pages on this subtype, which being a counter-type doesnt look like a Seven. Herein may be some of why you had so much confusion in identifying as a Seven. My first experience of the Divine was at 7 and my hyperactive little body was frozen on the love seat as my dad described the love of God. She delves into the connections between our inner consciousness and what happens in the world, exploring the transformative energy and governing conventions that make the manifestation of this realm possible. It is motion. I also think if we neglect to understand ourselves in broader terms we run the risk of neglecting certain areas of personality development, or correctly diagnosing the needed antidote on any given day. Transformation for the Seven: The Holy Idea and Virtue, Sit in your cell and it will teach you everything. This is indeed the terrifying eye of the needle the Seven will have to thread to move from choice freedom (as both Thomas Merton and Beatrice Bruteau call it) i.e., freedom experienced as keeping my options open, to spontaneity freedom: freedom experienced as the capacity to say yes wholeheartedly to NOW; freedom to trust the primordial nurturing to be found only in the plenitude of presence. As Naranjo notes, these Sevens In striving for purity and anti-gluttony express a kind of ascetic (or Five-ish) ideal. Literally. She has also authored or contributed to . In my handouts from then on I changed the Avoidance of Sevens from pain (way too genericeveryone avoids pain) to restriction. The outer layers of meaning. On the surface they appear energetically more restrained than other Sevens and are often mis-typed. [But] marriage is not the culmination of love, but only the beginning. . Im mostly interested in whether you think theres enough merit in what Imsuggesting here to warrant a more comprehensive re-evaluation ofthis particular personality type, (By the way, if my typology here is correct, I think theres absolutely no doubt that Teilhard de Chardin was a Seven. Cynthia Bourgeault engages in direct call and response with the reader, the world, and these tender and tumultuous times. ), Thank you for the vulnerability and depth of exploration. I feel secure in understanding my core point to be a social seven with a strong 6 wing. Top 15 Cynthia Bourgeault Quotes (2022 Update) 1. Read Daily Meditations inspired by the words of Cynthia Bourgault. Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. . So now, for all of you out there: in your experience, do youknow any Sevens that work the way Im laying out here? But I think the pain beneath the pain is truly an existential dread- a fear and anxiety of complete disconnection, or as you said, annihilation. Im not sure the words have to be changed that are used for the passion and virtue (Gluttony and Sobriety) if we could be more clear and comprehensive about what these words could mean and look like in the Seven. More detail on these books can be found here. Cynthia Bourgeault's most popular book is The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind. . Cynthia Bourgeault has 34 books on Goodreads with 20829 ratings. During that time The Contemplative Society was joined by a growing number of Wisdom Waypoints: The Aspen Wisdom School in 2004, then shortly afterwards, Wisdom Southwest (Tucson, Arizona), Wisdom Southeast (Western North Carolina), and Wisdom Northeast in 2014. Thanks, for putting it out there for the rest of us to reflect upon. An Episcopal priest, she is well known as a . The price of admission is your narrative self, which is grounded in time., When you do conscious work, or any act of altruism, it is for the future., Time is a measure of resistance. And in the midst of this long winter of our Christian discontent, when spiritual imagination and boldness are at an all-time low and the church itself hovers at the edge of demise for lack of an animating vision, perhaps now more than ever the time is ripe to remove the packing boards from this tea cupboard and release its contents., The Christian Doctrine of the Trinity is upheld by some as a border checkpoint to restrict access, while it is disparaged by others as extra baggage to be left behind. I guessed 4 based on the first book I read and watching you speak. Some do indeed wind up piling up a lifetime full of high living and endless exciting adventures. He was there for 20 years or so at the end of his long monastic career. Most sevens I know are actually intensely focused and have high levels of tolerance for personal pain and the painful inner scrutiny to be paid for self-knowledge. The topics explored in theme range widely within the her four core areas of interest: Centering Prayer, Christian Wisdom, The Western Esoteric Tradition, and Conscious Love. i resonate more with your vulnerability that frees-at least it does for me as a FOUR. . And as a last note, I absolutely agree with your take on why the 7 thinks and acts as they do. The Center for Action and Contemplation1705 Five Points Rd SWAlbuquerque, New Mexico 87105, Copyright 2023 Center for Action and Contemplation. Thank you, thank you. The ability of human and spiritual love to transcend death and open the way to joyous bliss is superbly presented in this highly recommended and heartwarming tale of building an emotional, personal, and loving relationship for the future that transcends all earthly limitations. . But unfortunately, the fullness of Being that they so desperately seek can only be found in the Now. Rather, I am feeling to my very bones that yearning for being and sharing of being that permeates the entire created order. This is their great spiritual challenge. We are all parts functioning to support the whole which allows for diversity and complexity contained within a unified wholeness. To believe all things means always to orient yourselves toward the highest possible outcome in any situation and strive for its actualization. Now I know you have called it ego bait, and it certainly can be seen that way, but for high school students who are generally adrift about so many things, to have a relatively simple tool that links psychological development to spiritual growth is brilliant, and certainly is far better than anything else Ive seen in helping them navigate the plethora of decisions they need to make about themselves. She returned in 1991 for a three-month residency, where she worked closely with Keating; for the next thirty years she would be his student, then editor, and finally colleague. I. did. In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see whats there. Christianity has often been referred to as a dualistic religion. The hidden pearl within is your magnetic center, your equanimity, the Wisdom Way that you are cultivating., As you learn to sense your feelings instead of immediately jumping up in your head and story, try going lower, into your feet, and even lower into the earth. It can only help us get a better understanding of these types. Envy the idea that someone else has what you have lost or failed to attain. My Theology by Cynthia Bourgeault Paperback Book . All of her writings have had that mind-opening and heart-resonating quality that this post offers. I wondered as I have read the avoidance of pain and shallow party animal depictions of a 7, if there was a seven out there who could really speak to the depth of a seven. Ive read, and found useful, Rohr and Palmer but eventually gave up on really understanding all the connections and numbers and cross-overs. When I say, Lord have mercy, I am not making a pious devotional statement. But, 7-4-1 is a triad of sorts I think. Expertly blending her own lived experiences with research on the imaginal realm, Bourgeault explores how her personal relationships have helped to bring these teachings into sharper focus and the role this realm plays in Christian and other mystical traditions. In addition to Cynthia Bourgeault, contributors include Ilia Delio, Deepak Chopra, Richard Rohr, Rupert Sheldrake, and Matthew Fox. CAC core faculty member, Cynthia Bourgeault, beautifully describes growth in "conscious love" in her sermon, given at her daughter's wedding. Meet Cynthias homebase organization and principal teaching networks here >>>. The E. and I have mutually and recipracally resisted until now. "There are few spiritual teachers who give us genuinely fresh insight, but even fewer who give us the tools so we can come to those insights for ourselves. In this collection from Cynthia Bourgeault, journey deep into the heart of Nondual Christianity, mysticism, and the many incarnations of the divine feminine. This is a first gambit, but see what you think. Cynthia Bourgeault WHICH ENNEAGRAM TYPE IS CYNTHIA. (As for the celebrated enneagram panels forget them! In the midst of a deeper paradigm shift, with all the hopes and fears that surface in times of change, Cynthias voice is that of a spiritual teacher who knows the territory from the inside out. Cynthia said that "centering prayer grows an inner ground of receptivity, a place to rest and assimilate". Find out about upcoming courses, registration dates, and new online courses. The drop is the ocean, not separated. In a world of fault lines and fractures, how do we expand our sense of self to include love, healing, and forgivenessnot just for ourselves or those like us, but for all? Walk the Wisdom Path Cynthia Bourgeault Guides the Interior Journey . . I am implicitly acknowledging that one cannot know without also being known. All rights reserved. There are panels, and there are panels. Grief. Founding director of the British Columbia-based Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School, she has now returned home to the East Coast to divide her time between Wisdom teaching, writing, and solitude at her small hermitage on Eagle Island in Maine. If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness. Contemplative Liturgies created for Holy Week 2011, with introduction, liturgy and music. Would 6 or 8 make sense to you as your wing? Would I ever be released? Privacy Policy. Lettingbecreates new worlds., Dont correct back to positivity if what you want is equanimity., Kenosis and self-calming are opposite ends of the spectrum., Conscious labor and intentional suffering are the joysticks we use to navigate the universe., We derive our selfhood from the relational field. Schools and Wisdom hubs also grew up in the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, and Hong Kong, as Cynthia continued to roll out new books and found herself increasingly in demand as a conference and retreat leader. and I will die. . Cynthia, I'm a former Buddhist & I'm a newcomer to contemplative Christianity. Reference: Read up on Cynthias theological insights on the cutting edge between contemplation and ordinary life. Cynthia Bourgeault, is drawn from the life and experiences of Brother Raphael (Rafe) Robin, an Episcopalian priest, author and a Trappist hermit. Your take, Cynthia, on a seven reads right with me and opens a window of possibility where either/or thinking and choice is tested and perhaps points to a coming together of all and nothing at all. I hope you will find it quite profound, as I did. With trust, I felt my heart turning towards the unknown, the cosmic heart. Now, five years on, Love hopes all things.. Your insights nail me to the door that demands the capacity to say There are numerous opportunities to participate in a variety of online formats, as offered by partnering organizations and course providers. From time to time, we also offer teaching and exploration of foundational contemplative practices eg; Centering Prayer, Welcome Practice, Lectio Divina. Picture . Heres why: The Seven Central Motivation is for gratification, in what ever form it might take it is still the thirst for experience. Thank you, Cynthia! 13.29 . . Free P&P . So that was it! The story starts out right: perceived lack of parental nurturance, Puer Aeternus (eternal youth), planning (gottcha!). It is whole. For almost thirty years the standing joke has been, What enneagram type is Cynthia? Leading teachers in all the various schools have typed me variously (frequently categorically) as a Four, Five, or Six. Share | Add to Watch list. Susan Barley Your work is SO CLEAR esp centering prayer dynamics and Christian non-duality. A brilliant analysis of nondual Christianity in theory and in practice and a major contribution to the Centering Prayer movement and to interspiritual dialogue.~Thomas Keathing, author ofOpen Mind, Open Heart. Thank you for your insights! The arrows of equilibrium and disequilbrium for numbers 1, 3, 6, 8, 9 include the trinity of body, mind, and spirit (heart) unlike the other numbers 2, 4, 5, 7 which do not. 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