November Indoor Gathering
11/02/2025
November Message: Inner Abundance
✧ Featuring Heart Leader Trish Kalhagen, Certified Spiritual Director
Trish is a Certified Spiritual Director who received her certification in Spiritual Direction in 2008 from Spirations for Interspiritual Formation in IA. She has been officiating weddings for the last 14 years. She is also trained as a Reiki Practitioner and has been offering labyrinth workshops since 2010. Trish is passionate about participating in and spreading the word about the spiritual practice of the Dances of Universal Peace.
✧ If you are interested in connecting with Trish to explore any of her offerings, check out her website, or follow her on Facebook.
OPENING MEDITATION
✧ Attuning to the Heart. We opened with a guided contemplative meditation to attune to our hearts - the bridge to our soul and the loving presence within all of us, that is us.
If you are looking to begin a meditation practice or introduce new meditations into your existing practice, here are a few heart-opening contemplative meditations led by our Founder, Jen Carew:
Dawn: A Contemplative Morning Meditation (10 mins)
Listening to Your Heart (10 mins)
Inner Liberation (20 mins)
GATHERING MESSAGE
✧ We began by acknowledging and defining the word Interspiritual, a word that is central to the formation of our community and the realization of our mission. The word Interspiritual was coined in the late 1990s by Wayne Teasdale in his book “The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions.” Here are three key definitions from his book:
Interspirituality: The common heritage of humankind’s spiritual wisdom; the sharing of mystical resources across traditions.
Interspiritual Age: The name for the age we are now entering, where people are no longer isolated within their home tradition but are exploring other traditions, finding what is useful to their own growth.
Interbeing: The Buddhist idea of the interconnectedness of everyone and everything.
Throughout time and all the world’s traditions, there have been interspiritual mystics who have explored spirituality beyond their own tradition to discover the golden thread of truth that ties them all together. These mystics have been known, like; Thomas Merton, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Rumi, Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, and many more that are unknown.
What they all share in common is the path of mysticism. So, what is a mystic? Simpy put, a mystic is a seeker of direct experience, an unmediated relationship or communion with the Divine.
The path of the mystic is described as a journey toward direct experience of the Divine, moving beyond beliefs to personal union with the Sacred. This union happens both within (integrating body, mind, and soul) and on a universal level (oneness with all life). Mysticism is transformative, deepening our connection to ourselves, others, and the natural world.
Why is the mystical path appealing to so many? Because it is through the seeking this direct experience with the Divine, this inner union, that we create the conditions for fulfillment, peace, and joy to emerge.
Mystics remember and realize this inner union through contemplative practices like meditation, prayer, and deep reflection—resting in silent awareness beyond thoughts and senses. Contemplation integrates our inner life, harmonizing emotions, mind, and body.
Contemplation is not just thinking about, or reading about, the Divine or God, but resting in an inner awareness or presence. This verse from the Maitri Upanishad expresses this idea with great beauty, accuracy, and paradox. The Upanishads are a collection of ancient Indian texts composed between roughly 800 and 500 BCE and are a foundational source of Hindu philosophy.
“There is something beyond our mind which abides in silence within our mind. It is the supreme mystery beyond thought. Let one’s mind and subtle body rest upon that and not rest on anything else.”
The contemplative path requires discipline and surrender—letting our will merge with Divine will. Our mind is involved in that we have to choose to surrender, and to be disciplined.
Inner union fosters outward unity: as individuals are transformed, they become more loving and compassionate, positively impacting their communities. Interspirituality and interbeing remind us that inner transformation leads to broader social and global unity. Ultimately, the mystic's journey shows that union with the Divine is achievable, and contemplative practices are accessible to all, helping us find unity within ourselves and the world.
These words, slightly paraphrased, from Dr. Beatrice Bruteau, in the preface of The Mystic Heart, sum it up:
“The truth is, everyone is a mystic. At some deep level, we know we are all connected. It's just that most of us have not raised that knowing to our explicit consciousness enough to transform our embodied life. The practice of raising this knowledge is the process of becoming a mystic in experience as well as in potentiality. Raising the hidden knowledge of unity, rearranging our interior dynamic, is something we can practice.”
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The mystic’s journey teaches us that union with the Divine is not a distant or abstract ideal but a living possibility. By following the contemplative path, integrating our inner life with our other life, and removing the barriers to the awareness of Divine presence, we not only find unity within ourselves but also contribute to unity in the world. As we begin to walk the contemplative path, reflection, meditation, and prayer are forms of practice we can all engage with.
In Summary:
Interspirituality is the sharing of spiritual wisdom across traditions, reflecting a new age where people explore and integrate insights from the rich heritage of all the world’s wisdom traditions.
The mystic’s journey centers on seeking direct, personal experience of the Divine—moving beyond intellectual knowing and belief to union with the sacred.
This inner union involves embodying our wholeness - integrating body, mind, and soul, and leads to a sense of oneness with all life (interbeing).
Mystics use contemplative practices like meditation, prayer, and silent reflection to achieve this union, which transforms their inner and outer lives.
As individuals experience inner unity, they feel abundant from within and therefore, become more loving and compassionate, fostering unity and healing in their communities and the wider world.
The mystic’s path is accessible to all, and offers humanity a way to deepen personal and global unity.
Research Acknowledgement: Many of the key points of our gathering message were derived from “The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions,” by Wayne Teasdale.
✧ SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Next, we were gifted with an experience of the power of prayer as a contemplative practice.
Hildegard of Bingen called prayer,” breathing in and breathing out the one breath of the universe.”
Our featured Heart Leader, Trish Kalhagen, expanded our awareness and opened our hearts with the sharing of three alternative versions of the Lord’s Prayer, which is rooted in the Christian tradition.
Trish read these three versions aloud, including, the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer - translated by Neil Douglas-Klotz. She shared a bit about how it had impacted her when she first heard it - she said, “Back in 2006, as I was beginning my Spiritual Direction certification program, we listened to the Lord’s Prayer recited in Aramaic. Something big opened up within me, and it felt as if my heart was filled with the beautiful sounds and words I had not heard before. It was drawing me in with each word.”
First, Trish read it aloud in English, then she recited it from memory in the original Aramaic, and then invited us all to recite it together in English.
It was a powerful moment of communion we all shared, and many expressed afterward how it blew open their fixed idea of what the Lord’s Prayer is, and opened their hearts as they reflected on the new meaning of the Aramaic translation.
To revisit the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer, here are three resources:
Here is a link to read the full version.
Listen to Trish recite it in both Aramaic and English.
Purchase “Prayers of the Cosmos” from our local Rock County bookstore - Elmside Goods. In this reinterpreting the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes from the vantage of Middle Eastern mysticism, Douglas–Klotz offers a radical new translation of the words of Jesus Christ that reveals a mystical, feminist, cosmic Christ.
✧ SPIRITUAL INVITATION FOR NOVEMBER
Begin a contemplative practice for communing with the Sacred.
Start a daily meditation practice.
Take a regular mindful walk in nature.
Sit in contemplative prayer: resting in the awareness of the Divine.
Contemplate the words of the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer, or learn to speak it in Aramaic.
✧ QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
In what way is the Sacred calling you?
How does the path of the mystic speak to your heart?
What wisdom traditions are resonating with you during this season in your life?
How might you create unity within yourself and your community?
PERENNIAL WISDOM SOURCES
✧ INTERSPIRITUAL/INTERFAITH
“The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions” by Wayne Teasdale
Order from a local Rock County bookstore here.
“Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus” by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Order from a local Rock County bookstore here.
✧ HINDUISM
“The Upanishads” by Eknath Easwaran
Order from a local Rock County bookstore here.
MUSICAL INSPIRATION:
Featured Song: “Light of My Soul” by Ajeet
NEXT GATHERING:
Sunday, Nov. 16th, 10am-Noon
Location: Gibbs Lake Park
What to know/how to prepare:
Join us as we explore the park and connect with the land
Bring water and wear comfortable shoes and protective clothing.
✧ NEW MONTHLY COMMUNITY EVENT - Introducing One Heart: Sacred Listening Circles
*7 SPOTS REMAIN FOR OUR 12/4 Event!
Date/Time: 12/4, 5:30 - 7:00pm
Location: The Butterfly Room | 215 W Court St, Suite 201, Janesville, WI 53548
Register here: https://givebutter.com/1heart
Each of us has a unique story to tell, and we each long to tell our stories - to bring them out into the light to be seen and heard.
Yet, too often, we keep our stories inside, and we miss our chance to speak our truth and share our authentic selves. Not just because life moves quickly, but also because it's not easy to find others we feel comfortable sharing our story with.
💗 That's why we are forming One Heart: Sacred Listening Circles for Ancient Hearts Collective community members.
One Heart circles are a form of group spiritual companionship where we get to practice "walking each other home," as Ram Dass once shared. These monthly circles are an opportunity for deeper, authentic connection with others in the community and companionship on your spiritual path.
🪶 Facilitator: Jen Carew, Certified Interspiritual/Interfaith Spiritual Director
🪶 Frequency: One Heart Circles will be offered once a month. Attend every month or when you can.
🪶 Open Seats: For our first meeting, our maximum registration is 12 people. We may expand this based on the interest from the community.
🪶To Register*: Please donate between $5 - 20 (sliding scale- pay what you can) to reserve your spot here: https://givebutter.com/1heart
Thanks to Brittany Brandt at 2B Consulting Co., 100% of your donation goes toward supporting Ancient Hearts Collective.
* To ensure this experience is open to all AHC community members, no one will be turned away for lack of funds - simply send an email to contact@ancienthearts.org. to reserve your spot.
