Spiritual Intelligence: The flourishing of a fulfilling and meaningful life

Spiritual intelligence is a higher dimension of intelligence beyond the ego that has access to the mature qualities and advanced capabilities of the true self, in the form of wisdom, compassion, integrity, joy, love, creativity, and peace. Spiritual intelligence uncovers a deeper sense of meaning and purpose, and improves a wide range of important life skills and work skills.

Spiritual intelligence helps us answer questions such as: Who am I? What is the meaning of life?

Meditation is an excellent way of developing spiritual intelligence.

As John Main used to say:
“In contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be, not by thinking of God, but by being with God. Simply to be with God is to be drawn into being the person God calls us to be.”

In this retreat, we will deepen our knowledge of spirituality through the practice of Christian meditation.

This retreat is both for the beginning and ongoing meditators. There will be four periods of meditation a day to accommodate your level of practice. Mornings will be in silence through breakfast and lunch, with the afternoon opening to times of rest and solitude and a convivial dinner where you can get to know your neighbour.This event takes place at Bonnevaux and offers an opportunity to discover the rich cultural and historical French and European heritage of the 12th-century Abbaye de Bonnevaux, as well as to explore the varied and natural beauty of the land which we cultivate as a model of ecological responsibility.

Laurence Freeman

Fr Laurence is a Benedictine monk of the Monastery of Sta Maria di Pilastrello, Lendinara, in the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto. He is Director of Bonnevaux and of The World Community for Christian Meditation.

Patricio Lynch Pueyrredon

Originally from Argentina, Father Patricio is currently the pastoral advisor of Amigos de Jesús, a Home for Children in Honduras. He is a missionary priest, living part of the year in rural areas of the Honduran West, and the rest of the year in the US spreading the word about Amigos de Jesus and contemplative prayer according to the teachings of the WCCM. Father Patricio also conducts weekend retreats and days of recollection for various groups including local parishes, women’s groups, and Latin-American communities in the US. Father Patricio is part of the Latin American pastoral team of the WCCM and travels around Latin America giving talks and retreats related to contemplative prayer. 

Tayna Malaspina

Taynã is a WCCM oblate and International Coordinator of Meditation for Young people. She started her work in the community with a meditation project with children. She graduated in Social Communication with a master’s degree in Social Psychology. Taynã is 38 years old and has two daughters (2 and 8 years old). Christian meditation was the path I found on my spiritual journey responsible for deepening my Christian faith through the experience of being with God in silence. Bonnevaux is an oasis of peace in a world marked by distractions. Living in the atmosphere of Bonnevaux allows us to look at our current lifestyle and “recalculate our route”, seeking a better balance between action and contemplation. In this retreat, I will support the young people in mentoring moments and also in an activity about reflection on life and purpose (connection between mind and heart)