Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
God As Us!
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Date: July 22 – 24, 2011
Conference Evaluation | Pre-Conference Workshop | Presenters | Suggested Resources
Overview
So God created humankind in God’s own image, in the image of God, they were created; male and female God created them. - Genesis 1:27
We live in a culture where the masculine principle has been the dominant influence in all major systems for thousands of years. To be whole and healthy, there must be a dynamic balance between what we will call the sacred feminine and the sacred masculine.
As we remembered the feast day of Mary Magdalene on July 22, we explored the spiritual freedom and possibility that Mary Magdalene handed on to us from Jesus.
Through teaching, prayer and experiential rituals, we were invited to begin healing the split, in relationship to ourselves, to the other, and to the world.
The Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine
Conference Highlights
- Approximately 650 people attended
- 42 U.S. states were represented, along with attendees from Canada, Port of Spain (Maraval) and Bogotai, Cundinamarca
- In addition to the communal meal and the anointing ceremony, women and men gathered separately in fellowship during the event.
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault leading the chant with Fr. Richard Rohr
What Attendees Said About This Event:
"Every conference I think 'this was the best' and again this year, "this was the best!"
"As usual, outstanding!"
"Wonderful - provoking, moving and hopeful!"
Conference Evaluation
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us on this brief survey.
Conference Presenters
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault
Fr. Richard Rohr
Pre-Conference Presenters
Cynthia Brix and Will Keepin, Satyana Institute
Music Information
Music for the conference provided by Michelle Grubert and Gerry Aylward
Download original songs from God As Us! Conference: “Mirror My Soul” and “One Small Drop” at www.payloadz.com - click "store" and then keyword search: “Michelle Grubert”
Acknowledgements
Center for Action and Contemplation offers our sincere gratitude to all the staff members, volunteers, presenters, musicians and attendees from all of the world who made this conference possible! Thank you!
Pre-Conference Workshop
Gender Healing: The Power of Reconciliation
Thursday, July 21, 2011
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
“The gender crisis is a collective spiritual crisis, and transforming relations between feminine and masculine dimensions of human society is fundamental to creating lasting, positive social change.”
No society on earth is free of gender imbalance between the masculine and feminine. Both women and men are afflicted by gender injustice, and each needs the other for a true and complete healing.
The Power of Reconciliation fosters new dimensions of transformational healing and reconciliation between women and men, developing skillful new ways to work together in jointly embracing challenging issues around gender, sexuality, and related cultural conditioning. Developed over 19 years, Power of Reconciliation is a spiritually grounded process that fosters deep healing and renewed harmony between the sexes.
This day featured an introductory experience of the Power of Reconciliation and showed the potential that can be unleashed as men and women come together for healing. Through prayerful ritual and skillful experiential exercises, participants were invited to begin healing the split, both in word and in experience.
Will Keepin and Cynthia Brix from the Satyana Institute present at the Pre-Conference.
William Keepin, Ph.D. and Cynthia Brix, M.A., M.Div are directors of the Satyana Institute and founders of its Power of Reconciliation International project, which has convened 65 gatherings on five continents for healing and reconciliation between women and men. They recently completed training of 33 professional facilitators in Power of Reconciliation in South Africa, and they are currently launching new trainings in Kenya and India. Will and Cynthia are authors of Divine Duality: the Power of Reconciliation between Women and Men (Hohm Press, 2007) and Women Healing Women: A Model of Hope for Oppressed Women Everywhere (Hohm Press, 2009), endorsed by Richard Rohr as “pure Gospel.” Will and Cynthia are adjunct faculty at Holy Names University, and are launching a new training in Power of Reconciliation for seasoned professionals in North America, to begin in late 2011.
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Presenters
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault and Fr. Richard Rohr present to a crowd of almost 650 people
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault and Fr. Richard Rohr
during the Question & Response session
Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD
Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude on Eagle Island, Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative path. She is the founding director and principal teacher and advisor to The Contemplative Society. She also founded the Aspen Wisdom School. Cynthia is the author of: Chanting the Psalms, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Love is Stronger Than Death, The Wisdom Jesus, and The Meaning of Mary Magdalene. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles and courses on the Christian spiritual life. She is a past Fellow of the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural research at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, and an oblate of New Camaldoli Monastery in Big Sur, California.
Richard Rohr, OFM
An internationally known author and spiritual teacher, Richard Rohr is a Franciscan of the New Mexico province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He considers the proclamation of the Gospel to be his primary call and the related themes he addresses include eco-spirituality, scripture as liberation, the integration of action and contemplation, community building, peace and justice issues, male spirituality, and the Enneagram. He is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines.
Some of his best-known books include: Everything Belongs; Radical Grace: Daily Meditations; Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation; The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective; From Wild Men to Wise Men: Reflections on Male Spirituality; The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See; and his latest book Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life.
Fr. Richard has been a featured essayist on NPR’s “This I Believe” and a guest of Dr. Mehmet Oz on the “Oprah and Friends” radio show; he also appears in the 2006 documentary, ONE, featuring spiritual teachers from around the world. Check the Mustard Seed Resource Center for all of Fr. Richard's works.
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