Welcome!
Welcome to A Waking Heart. I blog about the spiritual life, Christianity and Sufism, contemplative living, and the work of keeping the heart awake. Feel free to hang out and explore!
Welcome to A Waking Heart. I blog about the spiritual life, Christianity and Sufism, contemplative living, and the work of keeping the heart awake. Feel free to hang out and explore!
I travel occasionally to offer teaching. If you'd like to schedule a retreat or speaking engagement please contact me at matthew.awakingheart@gmail.com. Past retreat topics have included The Gospel of Thomas, the evolutionary mysticism of Teilhard de Chardin, the Divine Feminine (via Sophia, Mary, and Mary Magdalene), Raimon Panikkar's Christophany, and crafting a Benedictine "Threefold Rule of Life." Retreats typically combine teaching, chanting, and periods of silent meditation.
Starting in 2018, I hope to bring my learning from Islam and Sufism more fully into my teaching topics and retreat themes.
Longer retreats including periods of conscious or mindful work fall under the rubric of "Wisdom Schools," following a model designed by Cynthia Bourgeault. You can learn more about Wisdom Schools here.
1/13-16: Chanting in the Heart of Sophia: Part II, Hallelujah Farm, Chesterfield, NH
2/24-25: Inner Transformation: Creating a Spiritual Path for the Times, Martha and Mary's Place, Atlanta, GA
3/11: Entering the Nondual Heart of Christ, St. Columba's Episcopal Church, Washington, DC
3/17-22: Seeing with the Eye of the Heart: The Gospel of Thomas & Wisdom, The Contemplative Society, Vancouver, BC
3/26-30: Seeing with the Eye of the Heart: The Gospel of Thomas & Wisdom, St. Hilda's By-the-Sea, Sechelt, BC
6/5-9: Entering the Heart of Christ: Christianity as Participatory Mystery, Mepkin Abbey, SC
10/20-22: Walter Ashley Lectures, First Congregational Church, Hendersonville, NC
11/14-17: The Luminous Gospels, Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
This retreat will focus on an exploration of early Christian Wisdom literature, paying particular attention to the Gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Philip. These three texts came to light in the mid-20th century and give us important insight into the development of early Christianity and the Christian mystical tradition. We’ll look at what they have to teach us about Jesus, the early Church, and how they can nourish our own spiritual journeys today. Join us for a weekend of teaching, chanting, and silent meditation, while participating in the rhythms of a Benedictine monastery.
12/14-17: Praying with the Holy Mother, Episcopal House of Prayer, Collegeville, MN
This retreat will explore the Divine Feminine in the Jewish and Christian traditions, focusing on the figures of Wisdom (Hebrew, Hokmah; Greek, Sophia) and Mary, the Mother of Jesus. During our time together we’ll deepen our understanding of Mary’s place in the life of the early Church, throughout history, and the place she can have in our own lives today, both as Holy Mother and a face of Wisdom.
3/6-9: Praying with the Holy Mother, Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY