LtoR-Dena Merriam, Founder of GPIW, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, Cochair of GPIW, Swami Veda, Founder of AHYMSIN, India

In early October, I was blessed to be one of more than sixty contemplative practitioners and teachers from a broad range of eastern and western religious and spiritual traditions who gathered in California, USA, for four days of shared prayer and practice, discussion, and spiritual friendship. We came together from across the United States, and from Canada, Japan, Denmark, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, for the third gathering of the Contemplative Alliance, convened by the Global Peace Initiative of Women to explore how to bring the wisdom and compassion that emerge from deep contemplative practice to bear on the challenges facing our nation and world today.
 
During our final morning session together, I found myself feeling many of the same feelings I’d had at the Contemplative Alliance’s two previous gatherings: inspired, stimulated, energized, hopeful. I was aware of another feeling as well; I felt disturbed. The words of an old spiritual kept going through my mind and heart: “God’s gonna trouble the waters.”
 
I knew, with a deeper certainty than ever before, that contemplative practice itself is profound service–that our individual and collective prayer and meditation practices are urgently needed to keep open the portals for grace to pour into the world. And I knew, with renewed conviction, that most of us, in this time, are called to be what Caroline Myss calls “mystics outside of monasteries”--to be engaged in the life of the world, to express the fruits of our practice in our own unique lives and spheres of influence, to live in such a way that our inner and outer lives move seamlessly together like the path of a mobius strip.
 
And so I found myself feeling grateful for my inner experience of disturbance – even joyful. The invitation to fuller and more awakened participation is a precious, precious gift.
 
--Rev. Diane Berke, Cofounder and spiritual director, One Spirit Learning Alliance|One Spirit Interfaith Seminary

A special thank you to Janelle Surpris for providing photographs.

LtoR-Sakena Yacoobi, Founder of Afghan Institute of Learning, Linda Grdina of the Fetzer Institute

LtoR-Swami Atmarupananda of the Ramakrishna Mission in California, USA, Imam Bashar Founder of Civilizations Exchange Cooperation Foundation

LtoR-Philip Hellmich of Search for Common Ground, Adam Bucko Founder of Reciprocity Foundation, Michelle Nazar of Spa Spirit

LtoR-Taimoor Mumtaz Khan -Sufi Order of Pakistan, Sraddhalu Ranade of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in India, Swami Atmarupananda of the Ramakrishna Mission, California, USA

Speaker-Chika Matsumoto of Shinnyo-en USA

LtoR - Barbara Cushing of the Kalliopeia Foundation, Dr. Mary-Faeth Chenery of GPIW Australia

Speaker -Christopher Peters, President of Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development

LtoR-Prof. Douglas Burton-Christie of Loyola Marymount University, California, USA, Sister Shireen Chada of the Brahma Kumaris USA, Ven. Chang Ji of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association

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