The Estuary Center for Healing

LXCL:Saturday, 2/14/26 - 9am - 4pm, and Sunday, 2/15/26 - 9am - 12pm

Registration

Bede Griffiths was an English Benedictine monk who lived in India and pioneered interspiritual conversation between Christians and Hindus in the last century. Bede was fond of saying about different spiritual traditions, &ldquo;Acknowledge the differences, but emphasize the unity.&rdquo; He would point to his fingers, each representing a different religion, then smiling, he&rsquo;d point to the palm of his hand, from which each of his different fingers protruded. &ldquo;But emphasize the unity,&rdquo; he&rsquo;d say.&nbsp;At their best, spiritual traditions emphasize the unity while respecting the differences. At their worst, they stoke division, mutual suspicion, and contempt. In our time of fractious division, is there a refuge, is there an underlying unity, spacious and benevolent and truthful enough to embrace all of us, including all our differences?&nbsp;&nbsp;By way of answer, I want to offer an exploration in Deep Ecumenism, an exploration of the Divine Feminine. We will explore the Divine Feminine as she manifests in Jewish Wisdom, in the person of Mary in Christian devotion, in Tara as the Mother of the Buddhas, and in Shakti, the feminine power in Hinduism. Because our interest is primarily meditative and not simply descriptive, our hope is that we might find refuge together in the devotional heart of the Mother of All Beings.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instructor Biography&nbsp;Gordon Peerman is an Episcopal priest, psychotherapist, and mindfulness meditation teacher. He is the author of Blessed Relief: What Christians Can Learn from Buddhists about Suffering, and his most recent book, The Body Knows the Way: Coming Home through the Dark Night. He leads retreats and workshops at the intersection of contemplative practice and psychological growth. With his late wife Kathy Woods, he led interspiritual gatherings through One River Wisdom School and taught mindfulness practices at Vanderbilt&rsquo;s Osher Center for Integrative Health. At Vanderbilt Divinity School, he taught courses in Buddhist-Christian Dialogue and Pastoral Theology. He leads meditation retreats at St. Mary&rsquo;s Sewanee.

<span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for A Sense of the Sacred: Meditation with the Divine Feminine with us. Your commitment to explore this journey is invaluable, and we&#39;re honored to have you alongside us. At The Estuary, Inc., we cherish the opportunity to connect, heal, and grow with individuals like you. This event promises a deep dive into the unity and diversity of spiritual traditions, guided by the wisdom of Gordon Peerman.&nbsp; We&#39;re thrilled to share this experience with you and are looking forward to embarking on this meaningful exploration together. Warm regards, The Estuary Team

Bede Griffiths was an English Benedictine monk who lived in India and pioneered interspiritual conversation between Christians and Hindus in the last century. Bede was fond of saying about different spiritual traditions, “Acknowledge the differences, but emphasize the unity.” He would point to his fingers, each representing a different religion, then smiling, he’d point to the palm of his hand, from which each of his different fingers protruded. “But emphasize the unity,” he’d say. At their best, spiritual traditions emphasize the unity while respecting the differences. At their worst, they stoke division, mutual suspicion, and contempt. In our time of fractious division, is there a refuge, is there an underlying unity, spacious and benevolent and truthful enough to embrace all of us, including all our differences?  By way of answer, I want to offer an exploration in Deep Ecumenism, an exploration of the Divine Feminine. We will explore the Divine Feminine as she manifests in Jewish Wisdom, in the person of Mary in Christian devotion, in Tara as the Mother of the Buddhas, and in Shakti, the feminine power in Hinduism. Because our interest is primarily meditative and not simply descriptive, our hope is that we might find refuge together in the devotional heart of the Mother of All Beings.  Instructor Biography Gordon Peerman is an Episcopal priest, psychotherapist, and mindfulness meditation teacher. He is the author of Blessed Relief: What Christians Can Learn from Buddhists about Suffering, and his most recent book, The Body Knows the Way: Coming Home through the Dark Night. He leads retreats and workshops at the intersection of contemplative practice and psychological growth. With his late wife Kathy Woods, he led interspiritual gatherings through One River Wisdom School and taught mindfulness practices at Vanderbilt’s Osher Center for Integrative Health. At Vanderbilt Divinity School, he taught courses in Buddhist-Christian Dialogue and Pastoral Theology. He leads meditation retreats at St. Mary’s Sewanee.

The Estuary Center for Healing

A Sense of the Sacred: Meditation with the Divine Feminine

3010 Poston Ave #200

Registration

$300