“From time immemorial Wisdom Schools have emerged in times of global crisis or on the cusp of great leaps in human consciousness in order to help shepherd our planet through the transition. While there is academic teaching that goes on here, that is not the primary business of a Wisdom school; the primary business is to help anchor human wholeness and to work with the core practices that sustain the transformation of consciousness.”
— Wisdom Waypoints
We are indeed in a time of global crisis and amidst a shift in our current structures of consciousness. Drawing on the work of Cynthia Bourgeault, G.I. Gurdjieff, Gebser, and others, this Wisdom School will focus on deepening presence in our three centers - intellectual, emotional, body - and how awakening in them can support us in the transformation of consciousness. We will also explore the practices of self-observation, self-remembering, conscious labor, and intentional suffering as a way of participating in what is needed for the whole right now.
Join us in person at the Mercy Center in Burlingame. There will be an invitation to a ‘wisdom way of knowing’ through a daily rhythm with periods of silence, centering prayer, teaching, conscious conversation, Gurdjieff Exercises and Movements, chanting, mindful work, lectio divina, and contemplative free time.
Recommended Reading:
‘Wisdom Way of Knowing’ by Cynthia Bourgeault
‘Seeing Through the World’ by Jeremy Johnson
Retreat Leaders:
Heather Ruce, M.A. is a wisdom spiritual director with training in a neurophysiology based approach to understanding the nervous system. She loves working with individuals as well as facilitating groups and retreats focused on learning and practicing the Christian Wisdom Tradition.
Joy Andrews Hayter, Ph.D. is a spiritual director whose offerings include Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices of the Christian Wisdom tradition. These practices encourage us to lean into the Love that is constantly being offered within a relational web of Sacred Unity. As a scientist she sees in the physical world an expression of that love.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a spiritual director, retired psychologist, and adjunct staff member at Mercy Center, primarily serving on the Centering Prayer team. She has a special interest in participating in the reclamation of the Christian Wisdom tradition and fostering the contemplative practices so urgently needed at this time in our world.
Please register at www.mercy-center.org or telephone 650-340-7474
We are planning a spacious schedule so that you will have time to walk the beautiful Mercy grounds, and to do other deeply relaxing practices that we'll talk about. Bring a journal and pen if you like. There is a lovely craft room at Mercy Center but bring additional art supplies if you prefer.
COVID Protocol is still in place at Mercy Center, and everyone entering the building must be fully vaccinated, and wear masks in all common areas indoors except when eating. For this reason, it is important to also include the following in your packing:
1) A record of having been vaccinated
2) At least one mask
3) Hand sanitizer is provided by the Center, but it helps if you will also bring your own.
For more information about Mercy Center’s COVID protocols, please click on the link below.
Guest Protocol - Mercy Center Burlingame (mercy-center.org)
These are unprecedented times. If finances are an issue, please email us at registration@mercywmw.org for a learning grant discount code. We want to make sure our offerings are available to everyone.
This event is organized by
Mercy Center Burlingame
A ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. We provide opportunities for people to become more attentive to the presence of the Divine in their lives and in the world, and then respond with care for the Earth and service to others. http://www.mercy-center.org/