Discover an ancient path of contemplative wisdom and practice.
The Oriental Orthodox Order in the West
✦ Contemplative Wisdom
✦ Contemplative Practice
✦ Contemplative Community
Finding a spiritual path is not easy in this world.
There are so many opportunities and multiple traditions - to what am I being called?
I am seeking a pathway towards meaning and insight - where do I find it?
I long to journey through this world with others - where can I find fellow pilgrims?
Perhaps the heart knows, and perhaps I am being called.
We Invite Wisdom-Seekers to a Path of:
Contemplative Wisdom
To transmit the wisdom of Yeshua as an expression of Sophia Perennis (Perennial Wisdom).
Perennial Wisdom is the foundation of our work and understanding. We are seekers who have found others with the same desire to know and practice Sophia Perennis, who are also attracted to the ancient pathway of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) wisdom tradition.
Contemplative Practice
To transform human being and consciousness through the practice of Interiorized Monasticism.
Metamorphosis is a process that occurs in many species including humankind. It involves deep changes in human beings and their consciousness when touched by Light (Spirit). The practice of its integration is through a process of interiorized monasticism: becoming monks of the heart.
Contemplative Community
To create cultures of contemplative wisdom and practice that care both for the world while serving individuals and the local communities as the ground of its work.
Each monk lives in a network of contemplative life with other spiritual pilgrims who have banded together in community and support. Together they journey, as in a caravan, on the Journey of Eternal Return making their way across the fierce landscapes of this world (in support of one another).
Finding the inner monk.
It can be helpful to hear what drew others to the Order and the transformation they have experienced. To learn more about this path, click the button below to begin our 6-day email series.
“From my early childhood I have tried to figure out who or what God is. Also, how do God and Jesus fit together? I could never find good answers that satisfied me in the Christian church in which I grew up. The Oriental Orthodox Order in the West has given me a supportive community and authoritative teachings to explore my relationship with the Divine and find better answers. I feel blessed to be part of a loving group of fellow pilgrims who are with me on a sacred journey of discovery. ”
“Before joining the Order, I was searching for answers and wondering what my life was about and what I was supposed to be doing. Since joining the Order, I have been blessed with wonderful fellowship, given a wealth of knowledge, and taught a praxis of prayer, meditation, and chant. During this time of chaos and transformation, I feel prepared to participate as humanity transitions to the next stage of consciousness.”
How It Works
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1. Explore Our Path
Click on the button “Explore Our Path” below to receive a series of emails that introduces you to the history and spirituality of the Oriental Orthodox Order in the West.
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2. Visit a Community
Join one of our many offerings for study and prayer, either in person, online via Zoom, or through our online contemplative network for learning and community.
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3. Talk to a Monk
If you feel drawn to explore our path more deeply, we’ll connect you with one of our monks to companion you during a discernment process for becoming a monk in the Order.
Yeshua says,
If you are searching, you must not stop until you find.
When you find, however, you will become troubled.
Your confusion will give way to wonder.
In wonder you will reign over all things.
Your sovereignty will be your rest.
— The Gospel of Thomas, logion 2
About Us
We are an ecumenical, inclusive, inter-generational, inter-racial, and inter-faith community of monks and friends drawn together from across the globe. Communities gather regularly on different continents, in multiple time-zones and venues for personal interaction and support, and in particular for contemplative prayer and in deep reflection.
Many of these communities are in-person gatherings, or else online or hybrid (meeting in-person and online) to share in ongoing relationships of work in the world, study of sacred texts from multiple traditions, and a large variety of contemplative prayer practices. These local and ongoing communities we call priories, in the nomenclature of the monastic tradition.
Officially we gather at an annual conference once a year (also hybrid) where we encourage monks and friends to come together in-person if possible, where we strengthen our sense of belonging and deepen our practice.
Week-long wisdom schools and academies, weekend seminars and workshops, and daily teaching and study opportunities are offered regularly throughout the year, which are open to wisdom seekers and practitioners of any kind. Also, monks and friends gather (typically online) for daily or weekly morning or evening prayer.
Each of these is a welcoming community, inviting those drawn to this or other contemplative paths, opportunities to gather together in sanctuary and for support of our sojourn on the Journey of Eternal Return.