This Advent, we will walk the path taught to us by John the Baptist who had learned to empty himself so completely, to be “empty and bare as the desert”  in which he lived, and where he discovered God’s birthing within himself.   In the subtle beauty and the colourful hues of the silence of the desert, we will create the necessary quiet to support each other, as we cry out in the wilderness, not just our own cry, but as well, the cry of the earth, preparing our hearts for the blossoming of the ever-deepening birthing of the One we love, personally and communally.   Over five days, we will soak in the wisdom of the mystics, including Hildegard of Bingen, Gertrude of Helfta, Teresa of Avila, Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Thomas Merton, Beatrice Bruteau, Kerrie Hide and Martin Laird who know this blossoming place in the soul, and are deeply versed in the hidden wisdom of awakened, unitive consciousness.