COB 2010 17th Annual Conference

Mysticism and Encounters with the Beloved

Dr. Elizabeth-Anne Stewart

The COB Annual Conference will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham, AL

February 27-28, 2010.

Come away for a special weekend to explore the spiritual classics, such as The Cloud of Unknowing, The Divina Commedia, Revelations of Divine Love, The Conference of the Birds, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Song of Songs, and the Kabbalah. This workshop examines the classic mystical path of Dark Night, Illumination, and Union demonstrating that the mystical path is accessible to all and that it has its place within contemporary life. This path is very much the Road Less Travelled because it demands nothing less than the annihilation of the false self and complete detachment from egotism, addictions, obsessions, and negative emotions. At the same time, however, it results in complete spiritual freedom and in the experience of joy, love, compassion, and at-one-ment with God, self, and creation. It is truly the path of the contemplative but is also the path which leads to “social activism” and the pursuit of justice. The mystic experiences God intimately not for personal gratification alone but so as to accomplish God’s work more effectively.