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Elsa Stevenson's avatar

I am also appreciative of Cynthia’s work. She is a great communicator for our age. It’s uplifting for me to see how she can pass old esoteric knowledge and vivify it with mercurial lightness and eloquence. But I would like to emphasise that to my sensibility what makes her views truly significant and compelling is a solid background of spiritual praxis. It is not a coincidence that she has been profoundly influenced by Christian monastic tradition. In other words, her outward communication rests on a very rich and cultivated inner soil, that allows one to be in touch - directly - with the inexhaustible, ever rejuvenating source.

Moving to a wider, collective level, I too am fond of Chesterton’ quote “Christianity isn’t a failure; it just hasn't started yet”. Underneath a witty formulation there is plenty of material for contemplation.

It reminds me of a key moment of inflection I experienced as a young person when I first opened myself to Christian teachings. Until that point, I had been raised to be consistently dismissive and suspicious of religions—especially Christianity. I found myself considering that the message of Jesus had likely faced the most distortion, vilification, and undermining of all major spiritual traditions. And I remember a thought coming to me: “And isn’t that… interesting?”

That was the beginning of my journey, which also feels far from over.

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Shelagh Huston's avatar

Cynthia has been an important teacher for me for a long time. Having attended several of her retreats and teaching events, I assure you she is indeed ‘the real deal’ - one who teaches from her own direct knowledge. I appreciate your characterization of her work as being rooted within the Christian mystical path but not constrained by rigid beliefs. I am a Christian, but I couldn’t be if I had to understand it as the only path. It’s a language, with dialects, trying to describe reality.

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