The contemplative or meditative path is a means of practising the presence of God in the here and the now. It means letting go of thousands of small ideas in the form of assertions about what we believe is right or wrong, good or bad. It also means letting go of our neurotic claims about our self or other. Letting go of the unreal – ideas about past and future
This complex tangle of thoughts and emotions produces an illusory world resulting in a great deal of suffering for individuals, societies, all beings and this entire world.
By letting go of these thought forms we see they are not real, and by looking at the space between the thoughts, we can discover our true essence – the space and light behind the witnessing of things that happen.
This has been called entering into the cloud of Unknowing. Unknowing ideas about God so that God is met face to face. Letting go of the small, constrained self with all the ego demands to enter the expansive consciousness of ‘I am-ness’.
We hope to help the great unfolding which allows the emergence into the ultimate mystery of a life lived in God – replacing thoughts-about God with the known experience of the Divine.
In time, contemplative practise and guidance will lead to a profound experience of I AM THAT I AM: A full immersion in the divine which follows the loss of the old-self that we once understood ourselves to be. Experiencing this beautiful flow of love leads us to live with reverence for all creation. We live simply and find God’s presence in ordinary living.
Sometimes in bliss, sometimes in deep sorrow with contemplation, we may arrive at the sweet truth expressed by Julian of Norwich in this way
Between the soul and God there is no between”.
We know the Mystical awareness of Truth of our interbeing exactly as we find the flow of interbeing with the Absolute.
Teachers in this Beguinage
Sue is a teacher of ancient Jewish and Christian esoteria, ritual and the feminine divine. She is interested in the feminine divine and the effect of the suppression of women on Spiritual understanding. She also has a background in the history of religion in the islands now called Great Britain.
Ruth, Gill and Catherine. Three teachers take centering prayer sessions offered through the Beguinage.
Chris is a priest, a Spiritual Director and a writer.
Louise spent many years serving God in poor communities. She is currently growing food and working to develop the house in Scotland. She holds the beguinage diary.
Catherine is a priest – She teaches the way to mystical awareness. She points to the non-dual awakening (or in the Christian contemplative tradition: Christ-Consciousness).
These people are old, young, married or single, with children or not, with cats, dogs, hens, bees – or not, with professional responsibilities, or not. Living in community or not. What binds them is the shared love of the Divine, a devotion to the true teachings of Jesus and the desire to serve.
If you are interested to explore becoming a beguine – please email in confidence to catherinebeguinage@gmail.com