Our Studies

“The highest question, the unspoken question, I usually place in the upper reaches of consciousness, where it is heard and then takes time to filter down. We can hear it without any words. Something happens inside us. There is release if you like. Sometimes we cry. Eventually, the result will filter down and permeate our lives, and from that, we may take action. This level of question comes directly from the knowledge that “in the question lies the answer.” The question in this case is manifested through a certain attention and continuous yearning from the heart.”

Reshad Feild, Steps to Freedom

Weekly Study Groups

The Chalice friends meet together on Thursday evenings, (currently via Zoom), where we find an echo of Truth in each other’s hearts and yearning. We come together in love and respect, working closely with the breath, study, contemplation, prayer, and practices to heighten our awareness of the sacredness of life and of ourselves. Through conscious study, we do our best to extract the essence of the teachings of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, Abdul Qadir Gilani, Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, Hafiz, and Reshad Feild, as well as other Sufi poets and mystics and read the wisdom embodied by all the prophets, including the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, Jesus, and Mary.

Weekly Themes

Each week we contemplate a theme that is chosen from the chapter that we study on Thursday. Each person is invited to submit themework about their experiences, realizations or questions in holding the theme during the week. A portion of each Thursday evening is devoted to sharing these experiences.

Weekly Breathing Meditations

“The breath is possibly the deepest mystery of all things in this life.  Everything is contained within the breath.  All life is available to us through breath, so, as we breathe in, we can breathe anything we need, from any place in the universe.  And as we breathe out, we can give something of ourselves back to life, helping to create a pattern for the world to come.  Our breath is not limited by walls.  We can breathe in from all directions, consciously breathing in what God give us, and breathe out to anywhere it is needed. We can even choose the quality of our breath, and that quality depends upon our degree of awareness.  Remember that there is one thing we all share and that is air.  We are a cosmic apparatus for the transformation of subtle energies, but without the breath there can be no transformation.  There can be no purification of life without the breath.”    — Reshad Feild, The Alchemy of the Heart,

Breath and conscious breathing are at the root of Reshad’s teachings. In order to understand more about the breath, we offer a weekly breathing meditation on Monday mornings. We begin by dedicating our practice to the Highest Good and coming into the breath and present moment together.  Then we usually read a paragraph or two on a certain aspect of the breath, mostly by Reshad or Thich Nhat Hanh. This is followed by one of Reshad’s practices that use the Mother’s Breath, an alchemical breathing practice that has to do with what we are giving birth to in the womb of each moment.  We then come into the silence together, following the golden thread of our breath, and complete by breathing with love and compassion to all those who are suffering and in need.