“When the field of vision has been unified, the inner being comes to rest, and that inner peaceableness flows into the outer world as harmony and compassion.”

Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus

Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally acclaimed retreat leader. She divides her time between solitude in her seaside hermitage in Maine and a demanding schedule traveling globally to spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. She is a faculty member emeritus of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the founding director of an international network of Wisdom schools, uniting classic Christian mystical and monastic teaching with contemporary practices of mindfulness and embodied presence. She has been honored as one of the 100 most spiritually influential living people in 2021.

2023 Annual Fundraising Appeal

We are at a major planetary tipping point—culturally, intellectually, politically, and ecologically. The founding vision of Wisdom Waypoints was simple: meld contemplative prayer, the rich Benedictine tradition, and the Gurdjieffian fragrance of mindfulness and conscious presence to create a powerful new vessel for nurturing conscious, thoughtful, prayerful human beings who can act with agency, rootedness, and compassionate impartiality.

In April of 2023 a one-day workshop took place in Atlanta to provide a shortened version of Cynthia’s full 5-day wisdom school on The Encounter with Evil provided by Wisdom Way of Knowing. The seminar was such a success that we are delighted to offer you a mini-online workshop that will not only provide teaching and perspective, but also allow you to engage with the material and go deeper. The course includes 6 hour-long video sessions and additional resources that you can explore at your own pace.

A One Day Workshop
with Cynthia Bourgeault

Hot off the press! This all new online course, recorded live at Valle Crucis Conference Center last April, marks the capstone event of my year-long wisdom inquiry into the nature and mitigation of evil. Beautifully crafted into a self-paced online course by our own inimitable Robbin Brent, the course includes not only teaching but practices, chanting, and conscious work. A virtual Wisdom School, now ready for boarding.

Cynthia’s Newest Course !!!

An Encounter with Evil Wisdom School

Recent Book

Holy Week Liturgies

In 2010, Cynthia Bourgeault, with assistance from Ward Bauman and Darlene Franz, composed a series of liturgies for use during the Holy Week retreat at the Episcopal House of Prayers in Collegeville. This series of simple chants, readings, rituals and prayers can be used by individuals and groups. The book is an excellent resource for liturgists or those writing contemplative liturgies and a wonderful point of reflection for all of those walking the way of the cross.

This book is available as a downloadable 90 page PDF from Wisdom Waypoints

  • "Wisdom isn't knowing more. It's knowing with more of you."

    —Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus

  • "Meaning is not explanation, it's resonance."

    —Cynthia Bourgeault

  • "As we enter the path of transformation, the most valueable thing we have owrking in our favor is our yearning."

    —Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus

If you’re looking for an alternative pathway through Lent, Wisdom Waypoints is pleased to announce the release of THE MYSTERY OF DEATH, Cynthia’s teaching on Ladislaus Boros’s profound mystical text, recorded live in June 2022 on Holy Isle, in the Scottish Hebrides, and offering new windows into the teaching not aired before. The course includes over 10 hours of video and audio content, slightly edited for technical clarity but preserving both the content and the flavor of the remarkable original event.

New Video Teaching!

  • Blogs

    Cynthia’s published articles cover a breadth of topics that take us on a journey toward a deeper embrace of our human frailty, messiness, and limitations as the very path and locus of transformation. Read up on Cynthia’s theological insights on the cutting edge between contemplation and “ordinary” life.

  • Courses

    E-courses provide an easy way to dive in deeper to some of Cynthia’s most powerful teachings without having to leave home! There are numerous opportunities to participate in a variety of online formats, as offered by partnering organizations and course providers.

  • Videos & Podcasts

    Here you’ll find Cynthia in lively conversation with some leading-edge spiritual commentators on topics of both perennial and current interest…