This Beautiful Wound: The Mystics And Grief

This Beautiful Wound: The Mystics And Grief

Led by Mirabai Starr

Tuesday, May 3 – Friday, May 6

The sixteenth century Spanish saint, Teresa of Avila, speaks of “the beautiful wound” of longing for God, describing this depth of suffering as a doorway to union with her Beloved.  John of the Cross, Teresa’s contemporary, coined the term “dark night of the soul” and developed a teaching that shows us how to surrender to radical unknowing and allow ourselves to be stripped of all that stands between our souls and the Divine.  These and other mystics see deep sorrow as a great spiritual blessing, rather than as a problem requiring a solution.

In this gathering, we will engage in contemplative reading, deep dialog, writing exercises and guided meditation to cultivate the tenderness and courage required to explore the places where our losses invite us into deeper aliveness and radiant joy.

Mirabai Starr writes, speaks and leads retreats on the inter-spiritual teach­ings of the mystics.

Known for her rev­o­lu­tion­ary trans­la­tions of John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Julian of Nor­wich, Mirabai ren­ders mys­ti­cal mas­ter­pieces acces­si­ble, beau­ti­ful, and rel­e­vant to a con­tem­po­rary cir­cle of seek­ers. Her com­men­taries on the inter­con­nected wis­dom of all tra­di­tions are lyri­cal and evocative.

Mirabai builds bridges not only between reli­gious tra­di­tions, but also between con­tem­pla­tive life and com­pas­sion­ate ser­vice, between cul­ti­vat­ing an inner rela­tion­ship with the Beloved and express­ing that inti­macy in com­mu­nity, between the trans­for­ma­tional power of loss and long­ing for the sacred.

Cost: $415, deposit: $80