President’s Message

Welcome to the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue! Whether you heard about us from a friend, attended one of our programs, or simply googled a word like contemplation, transformation, impasse, chaos, mysticism, transformation of consciousness, or dialogue….you are invited to get to know us better. Enjoy the features and offerings of our site and see if you are ready to join a movement for transformation in this time of uncertainty.

The Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue (ICCD) was founded in 2002 to seek new ways of engaging the impasse that many persons experience as they struggle to bring about systemic change in societal and ecclesial arenas. Since its beginning ICCD has recognized that all the usual ways of addressing such “no way out situations” are inadequate. ICCD believes that the only way to address these situations is to bring them to the deep inner resources of contemplation.

If you’ve come to this website because you too are in search of new ways to bring about change permit me to introduce you to this site and the mission and work of the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue.

ICCD believes we are living in a critical time for the evolution of our planet—a chaos point where breakdown or breakthrough occurs. ICCD’s work has brought hundreds of people to a new understanding of how to be and act in responding to the growing injustices within our world.

ICCD’s major program, Engaging Impasse: Circles of Contemplation and Dialogue® invites participants to look at impasse from the perspective of communal contemplation and dialogue; to face into one’s fears as to why the impasse evoked in them such feelings; and to imagine another way of being and doing. When you have finished reading this Welcome, I invite you to click on the ICCD Programs menu and visit the Engaging Impasse Circles program where you will find an overview of how as it has evolved through the years and a rich library of articles on Contemplation, Dialogue, Impasse, Globalization, New Cosmology, and more that will enrich your own contemplative moments.

Exercising Contemplative Power is the focus of ICCD’s second decade. Evolving out of the successes of the first ten years the program focus is twofold: to continue the engaging impasse process which has been the keystone of the Institute’s work; and to provide opportunities, processes and reflections so as to accelerate the growth in consciousness needed for transformation through a process of communal contemplation and dialogue.

The programs offer us a way to explore how we can continue to live out of a transformed consciousness in the midst of systems and institutions which are stuck in old paradigms. To share how we live the integration of our contemplative awareness with our concrete responses to the injustices we experience in our everyday lives. To reflect on how contemplation and action can be woven into their rightful whole.

Believing that we are living at the chaos point there is the opportunity for breakthrough rather than continued breakdown. More and more people need to tap into their deep knowing that something is wrong and that a needed response must come from the deep place of one’s divine indwelling. Imagining new ways of being and doing rooted in a communal contemplative process is an urgent need in our church and in our world. Without that commitment to contemplative practice the shifts in our consciousness that we so need to “take a long loving look at the real” will not happen. Without the transformation of consciousness we will be stuck in an old way of seeing that fosters duality and separation rather than unity and connectedness. With contemplative practice we are “putting on the mind of Christ” – Christ consciousness.

Exercising Contemplative Power is the focus for the next phase of the Institute’s work as well as the name of a new program. Through this program those who have participated in the Engaging Impasse Circles and others with whom ICCD’s vision and values resonate reflect together on how we exercise contemplative power in relation to various issues. When you finish reading this Welcome, I invite you to visit the Exercising Contemplative Power section under ICCD Programs. There you can join in the reflections and contemplative conversations via the Exercising Contemplative Power Blogs.

Transformation in a Time of Uncertainty is another exciting program for our second decade. This one-day program is being offered around the country. We want to offer this opportunity to more people. Read about what being a sponsor entails and contact us at the e-mail provided. We have designed a follow-up process for those who participate. Access to that part of the web site is currently restricted to those who are engaged participants. Some reflections or discussions may be posted for general use. When you have finished reading this Welcome, I invite you to visit the Transformation in a Time of Uncertainty section under ICCD Programs.

Dates and locations for all ICCD programs are listed under What’s New on this page.

We are excited about these directions. As we have done through the years we will continue to post new Reflections and Recommended Reading by ICCD staff and invite others to present offerings which will move us forward in deepening our evolving consciousness. For those of you who are already part of the ICCD community you may want to reread these reflections in light of your current experience. You may feel you want to comment on something. You can do so directly from this site.

Whether this is your first visit or you have been a visitor to the Engaging Impasse site during the years, please take time to become familiar with the new features of the website. As we continue to post periodic updates we will produce videos and podcasts which can enhance and resource our mutual work for transformation.

We will be updating this site on a continual basis so do find time to come back and visit often.

We hope you will get to know this web site intimately. To take time to contemplate the pictures; to sit in contemplation; to read the reflections; and to offer your own insights.

We know the task of transformation does not happen in isolation. We hope that this web site will be a source of support, enrichment, networking, and creativity for those of us who believe deeply in communal contemplation and dialogue as a way of evolving our consciousness.

We hope you like this website and if you do would you tell your friends. Would you click “Like” on FACEBOOK and ask your friends to do the same.

Nancy Sylvester, IHM

© 2012 Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue
Reprint with permission iccdinstitute@aol.com

What I Do

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