Wayne Teasdale is a lay monk who combines the Traditions of Christianity and Hinduism in the way of the Christian sannyasa. In The Mystic Heart, he presents a bold and imaginative glimpse of the dawn of a new age of interspirituality when people of all traditions would be encouraged to explore the depth dimensions of any religion. In A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life, he delivers a multilevel vision of integral spirituality that can be practiced in the city, where most of us live, work or play. In this nine-hour retreat on six cassettes developed during his years in the community of Hundred Acres Monastery in New Hampshire, Teasdale explores the mystic path of Christian contemplation.
To enter the realm of communion with God is to travel in a country that will always be unmapped. There are guides, such as the Gospel of John, the writings of the Desert Fathers, and the lives of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi, and many others. But "the infused wisdom" that comes in mystical contemplation is a gift of divine grace and cannot be controlled. To travel in what Teasdale calls "the larger ocean of infinite reality" is to experience reverence and wonder.
This self-guided retreat includes meditations on Lectio Divina, centering prayer, the sky, the dark, and mystical union. One of the best sessions is on reading the book of nature where Teasdale offers insights from St. Francis of Assisi, Bede Griffiths, Thomas Merton, and Black Elk. These tapes also present helpful material on how to use the language of silence to communicate with God; ways to make the most of art and music in rituals; working with the three forms of love in your relationships; and activating the classic virtues of forgiveness, patience, kindness, mercy, and generosity. All the material here will bolster your resolve to incarnate a holistic spirituality that integrates body, soul and spirit.
To purchase the set, call 1-800-333-9185.
