Do you ever feel like your relationship with the Divine is more transactional than relational? Can you relate to that feeling of just wanting someone to be with you over and above wanting them to fix your problems? During the busy month of December, we’re offering a series that extends an invitation to bring the “doing” side of ourselves into balance with our “being” side. Join us as we embark on this journey towards a connection with the Divine that allows for more flow and friendship in our lives than we might have previously thought possible.

Hashtags
Relational God, Meditation, Prayer, Stillness, Life Seasons, Savior, Wisdom

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We conclude our “What is” series with the topic of Pilgrimage. What is it and how is it done?  What does pilgrimage share in common with exile and in what ways does it differ?  Is pilgrimage always life changing or do some people return feeling as though not much has changed? Join us as we talk about this journey of the soul. May the conversation inspire your path.

Additional Resources
Podcast: Ep 21 The Sacred Space Inside Today from The Contemplative Life

Hashtags
Islam, Nature Pilgrimage, Coming of age, Stations of the Cross, Shabbat, Thin Places, Journey

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As we continue our exploration of words we may hear in contemplative circles but not know what they mean, we turn our attention to the experience of Divine Listening, allowing sound to become a part of our meditation and prayer experiences. Many have found Audio Divina to be a helpful tool for becoming aware of Divine Presence, connecting the mind-heart-body, and spending time in discernment, to name a few. Join us as we talk about the many ways to engage this practice.

Additional Resources
Podcast: Ep 95 Sound Healing, The Contemplative Life

Hashtags
Music, nature, awareness, sound bath, movement, spirituality, mindfulness

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This week’s podcast invites us to look around the world with wonder, curiosity, and an openness to Divine Presence. Visio Divina, a form of contemplative prayer, offers us the chance to pause, to notice, and to become aware of what is stirring within. And while some amount of controversy has arisen around forms of prayer that appeal not only to the mind but the mind-heart-body, it is also the case that many have returned to these ancient forms of prayer - as if seeing again for the first time. Join us as we talk about the variety of ways to engage in a Visio Divina prayer practice.

Additional Resources
Podcast: Ep 143 What is…Kataphatic Prayer from The Contemplative Life

Hashtags
Images, Soul Collage, Iconography, Imaginative Prayer, Transformation, Modern Icons, Contemplative Prayer, Illumination

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As we talk about ways to practice and promote unity and cooperation between our communities of faith, we are joined by Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director for the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Join us as Kerri shares with us about why this is passionate and meaningful work for her. Listen as she helps us consider how we can become more ecumenical, both personally and as communities of worship. Consider with us what it looks like to find common ground, even as the particulars of our faith may be different from one another.

Additional Resources
Website: Wisconsin Council of Churches: wichurches.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wichurches
Email: Kerri Parker: [email protected]
Contact: https://www.wichurches.org/contact/
Event: Ecumenical Service, Monday, November 20th, 2023, 6:30pm, City Center Church

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Ecumenical, Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12, Volunteer, Values, Mutual Admiration, Mutual Admonition

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This week, we continue our “what is” exploration, looking at a Benedictine practice that has been used to help people discover and live out their values. Join us as we talk about the creative ways that people today are employing this ancient practice and how you can use it both for personal and community purposes. For those of us who experience feelings of overwhelm and days of exhaustion, this practice could be for you.

Additional Resources
Book: Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister
Book: The Rule of St. Benedict

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Rule of St. Benedict, Community, Prayer of Examen, Hospitality, Values, Wellness, Spirituality

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What does it look like for us to sit in silence, whether it be for two minutes or twenty? As we sit in that silence, what do we do with it? Is it a time for rolling over the to-do’s of our day, for sitting with an image or a phrase? Is it something we do alone or with others? On this week’s podcast, we explore the ins and outs of Centering Prayer - its origins, the “rules,” why we sometimes need to interpret those “rules,” and why we find the experience so enriching and grounding. Join us as we consider this relatively modern form of prayer that bears the mark of Perennial Wisdom.

Additional Resources
Book: Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating

Hashtags
Thomas Keating, Thomas Merton, Spirituality, Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, transformation, anxiety

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As we continue our “What is” series, we turn our attention to prayers that use words, which may well be the most popular form of prayer in Western culture. Join us as we talk about the many personal and communal ways that prayer can lead us to transformation. Consider with us why it is absolutely okay that the words of yesterday may not fully encapsulate what is true and authentic for us today. And take some time to wonder in what ways kataphatic prayer might be beneficial for you.

Additional Resources
Podcast: Ep 142 What is…Apophatic Prayer from The Contemplative Life
Podcast: Ep 11 Embodied Spirituality from The Contemplative Life

Hashtags
Transformation, Prayer, Kataphatic, Apophatic, Poetry, Journaling, Sung Prayer

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Do you ever wonder about the value of sitting in silence or of rhythmically repeating a word or phrase over and over again? Join us as we talk about the many possibilities that we (and others we know) have discovered for engaging this prayer practice - a form of prayer that exists specifically for helping us connect with - and encounter - Divine Presence. While it may seem counterintuitive to spend any amount of time in extended pause, what practitioners report time and time again is that it helps them feel at peace, see possibility, and experience connection. May it be.

Additional Resources
Book: The Cloud of Unknowing by Unknown

Hashtags
Stillness, Prayer, Spirituality, Apophatic, Prayer Beads, Breath Prayer, Lectio Divina

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On this week’s podcast, we begin a new series, exploring words that are often heard in contemplative circles. Our journey through this series begins with Contemplative Prayer. Join us as we consider how this form of prayer tends to expand and open our awareness in ever-deepening ways, how we discover layers we may not have been aware of before, and most profoundly, how our connection to Divine Presence becomes more accessible in our day-to-day lives as a result of these many and varied forms of prayer.

Additional Resources
Book: The Contemplative Heart by James Finley
Book: Wild Mercy by Mirabai Starr
Book: Being Home Gunilla Norris

Hashtags
Divine Presence, Prayer, Spirituality, Yin Yoga, Jesuits, God in the Ordinary, Sacred

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