Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, and theologian. For thirty years she worked closely with Fr. Thomas Keating as a student, editor, and colleague and has taught and written extensively on Centering Prayer. She is a core faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation and founding director of an international network of Wisdom Schools. In addition to her work on Centering Prayer, she is the author of numerous other books on the Christian Mystical and Wisdom tradition, including The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind--A New Perspective on Christ and His Message, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity, and her most recent, Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm.

Websites:

cynthiabourgeault.org

wisdomwayofknowing.org

Other Books:

The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three: Discovering the Radical Truth at the Heart of Christianity

Love is Stronger than Death: The Mystical Union of Two Souls

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded February 6, 2021

First BatGap interview with Cynthia.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:04:41 - The Subtler Dimensions of Reality

00:08:41 - Heaven and Hell in the Christian Tradition

00:12:55 - Two Different Experiences of Theophane's Presence

00:16:51 - Being a Cosmic Servant

00:20:58 - Receiving and Transplanting Spiritual Virtues

00:25:24 - Seeing the Whole Picture

00:29:47 - Surrendering to the Field of Moral Coherence

00:33:50 - Spiritual Discernment and the Hazards of Misinterpretation

00:37:50 - The Importance of Risk-Taking in Spiritual Growth

00:42:28 - The Science of Love and the Divine Heart

00:46:44 - The Anti-Entropic Force

00:50:54 - The Turning and Kicking 

00:54:24 - The School of Hard Knocks and Spiritual Evolution

00:58:07 - The Mystery of Life's Unfolding

01:02:19 - Sensation and the Gurjief work

01:06:16 - The Energetic Signature of Psychosis

01:10:41 - The Shift in the Subtle Realms

01:15:27 - The Great Chain of Being and Collective Repentance

01:20:05 - Climate Change and Cataclysms

01:24:23 - Cultivating Goodness in Consciousness

01:33:06 - The Burden and Joy of Parenthood

01:36:53 - The Denying Force and Necessary Friction

01:40:57 - The Spiritual Womb Center

01:45:10 - Moving Sensation to the Chakras

01:49:54 - The Necessary Darkness for Transformation

01:54:15 - The Misinterpretation of "There's only God"

01:58:30 - Cynthia Bourgeault Library and Other Websites

02:02:21 - New Voices in the CAC

02:05:32 - Introductory Music