The Beehive Part Two:
The Contemplative Tradition From Egypt to the Celtic Lands
Click here to watch the one hour preview of our nine month program for Year One
Mythica's 2025 Beehive program will involve a deep dive into the texts, traditions and practices of early Christianity that stretch from the early centuries of the common era in Egypt to the Celtic Islands of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Previous enrollment in Magdalene's Beehive is not required, but videotapes of our previous year's curriculum will be soon available to deepen your journey if you wish.
As Christianity became adopted and transformed into an Imperial Religion and the Roman Empire began to collapse, small communities seeking a transformed life centered on cultivating a pure heart began to emerge in the deserts of Egypt. These communities of study and practice were renowned for their wisdom, hospitality, and compassion as they sought to embody Christ in their world. Thousands flocked from the cities to visit or join these new monasteries and found hope, consolation and a refuge for their souls. While we are told in several sources that women outnumbered men by at least two to one in this desert movement, only a few precious names and biographies of revered and powerful women leaders have been preserved.
During waves of political upheaval in the fourth century, an exodus of these centers of learning in Egypt spread throughout the world, first to Southern Gaul (France) and then beyond the reaches of the Roman Empire to Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
Here, the wisdom of the Desert Elders took root in a new wilderness. Deeply connected to the earth, water and sky of the Celtic lands, a Christianity emerged that sought to read from two books each day: the "little book" of the Bible and the "big book" of Creation. A poetic consciousness flourished that was able to hold paradox and revere the roles that myth, art and nature all play in enlivening, enlightening and fulfilling the human soul. Double monasteries were founded in which women like Brigid of Kildare and Hilde of Whitby played significant leadership roles. Paradox abounded, as monastics established a rhythm of life that honored both a quest for solitude and human relationships as a revelation of grace. The road to holiness encompassed not only reading and copying the Holy Bible, but also illuminating its pages with figures of astonishing beauty, as in the Book of Kells. Myths, fantasy, pilgrimage and nature tales (like the Psalter of the Birds or the Voyage of Brendan the Navigator) were also given a privileged place in developing the faculty of a poetic imagination. The most important work of the monastery was the Opus Dei (literally, the "work of God"), weaving music and poetry together by chanting the psalms seven times a day as a way of tuning the soul to the Divine.
Our seminars will focus on both the historical development of early Christianity from Egypt to the Celtic Isles and the profound psychological wisdom that the Desert and Celtic Mother's lives yielded. . We will learn how these early monastics embarked on the search for self-knowledge as a critical pathway to union with the Divine -- and how what they discovered might also guide us in our lives today.Their legacy of how to wrestle with unconscious forces (mythopoetically described as "demons"), interpret dreams and develop both discernment and detachment are critically needed in our troubled times
Equally important in our curriculum is the development of tools of contemplation used by our foremothers: Visio Divina, Lectio Divina, chanting, psalm writing, Centering Prayer, body prayer and illuminated manuscripts -- all practices that were transmitted from Egypt to the Celtic Isles by way of Gaul (Southern France) and which were thought to cultivate inner harmony and peace. We will explore these contemplative tools in our monthly Chapels as we also honor important feasts of the year that offer richly embodied ways of learning.
No reading or homework is required for Auditors.
Those who seek to have a deeper dive into text and tradition amid an intimate cohort of spiritual and intellectual seekers are invited to apply for membership to a Cenobium. These small groups will meet once a month for book study, creative practice and dream work.
Tuition for the four month program:
Auditor: $360 (4 Seminars plus 4 Chapels)
Cenobium: $620
Payment is by zelle or venmo to Kayleen Asbo at (707) 304-0767.
All programs are 90 minutes in length and are held at 10 am Pacific Time, and recorded for later streaming
January
Sunday, January 5: Chapel: The Feast of the Desert Mothers
Monday, January 6: Egypt, Epiphany, Dreams and the Desert
February
Saturday, February 1: Chapel: The Eternal Fire: Imbolc and Candlemas
Monday, February 3: Seminar: Demons in the Wilderness
March
Wednesday, March 5: Chapel: Ash Wednesday, Atonement and Ancestors
Monday, March 10 Seminar: Cultivating the Garden of Virtues
April
Monday, April 7: Seminar: Holding Paradox and Flowering in Our Fullness
Saturday, April 13: Chapel: Feast for the Holy Myrrhbearers
Recommended Texts
On the Contemplative Life, Philo of Alexandria
The Forgotten Desert Mothers by Laura Swann
Oasis of Wisdom, David Keller
Conferences by John Cassian
How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill
The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination, Esther de Waal
On the Contemplative Life, Philo of Alexandria
The Forgotten Desert Mothers by Laura Swann
Oasis of Wisdom, David Keller
Conferences by John Cassian
How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill
The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination, Esther de Waal
