Integral Church launches Virtual Circles

Welcome to Integral Church. 

1. We are an interfaith circle composed of people of different beliefs, traditions and paths. We are atheist, Buddhist, Catholic, Sufi, Baha’i, Jew, Muslim, Taoist, new age mystics and universalists. We are all born into or have entered through the front door of a belief system — a view of the world, a cosmology — and we exit through the back door into the lush, shared garden courtyard of interfaith dialogue and deep religious pluralism.
2. Our circle is interspiritual. We have different practices, prayers, songs, sacred texts and ways of making meaning. We enjoy trying these practices on to see how they feel and if they “work.” We are willing participants in the experiment of understanding Spirit (as a force or presence) and spirituality (as an attitude and line of development).
3. Our circle is integral. We include everyone’s values, politics, ways of being and doing, and the entire spectrum of consciousness from the self-preserving ego to the self-annihilating emptiness of the Void. 
4. All are welcome. Because in the spirit of deep religious pluralism, we gather not to put our differences aside, but so that we might fit together, as complementary perspectives  — pieces in the cosmic jigsaw, some firm and angular, some weathered and soft, and all committed to doing skillful and compassionate work.
5. We are also (until this very moment) a “wild church,” meaning that we have turned to nature and one another for connection and community. Nature has been our doorway to the Divine encounter — without the aid of altar, temple, building or facility.
6. It is here we find our unique challenge — remaining rooted, grounded and present in that very real natural and biological connection, while transcending it and reaching into a broader, energetic and more virtual space. We are moving from what Hildegard of Bingen called viriditas (verdant greening power) to what Teilhard de Chardin called the technosphere — that layer of man-made energy encircling our planet. We are approaching what Jean Gebser called diaphaneity (“that which shines through”) as we hold fast to our unspoken and implicit connection while at the same time speaking at the speed of light.

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Join Integral Church for our VIRTUAL CIRCLE!

A global gathering for practitioners of Integral Spirituality, Wild Church and Creation Spirituality.

Using a framework based on the four paths of CS — via positiva, via negativa, via creativa and via transformativa — our virtual circle will be a blend of embodiment, gratitude, silence, ritual, interactive chat, music, video and meditation.

Turn your CAMERAS ON and join us every other Sunday from 10:00-11:30 a.m. EST. Please log on 5-10 minutes early.

In English: RSVP AND GET THE ZOOM INFO NOW!
In Hungarian: RSVP LINK COMING SOON!

Integral Church Pilgrimage to Dobogokő

On May 11, 2019, the crew at Integral Church Hungary led a group on a hike to Dobogókő — a popular tourist area that is part of Pilisszentkereszt village in Hungary. 

According to Wikipedia, “Dobogókő is the highest point in the Visegrád Hills (700 meters). In the hills lies the Ödön Téry Memorial, a stone pyramid built in memory of one of great pioneers of Hungarian tourism. Dobogókő is also a pilgrimage site for Hungarian neopagans (followers of the revived Táltos faith, that is similar to shamanism) who believe that the place is the “heart chakra” of the earth.”

Here’s what some had to say:

Erzebet (Bőbe) Vizinger (Facilitator, Integral Church, Kecskemét) – 

“On May 11th we celebrated the third anniversary of the Integral Church in Hungary. 

In 2016, Joran led the first Circle at the Integral European Conference, and it was a wonderful inspiration for me to do the same. In the last three years, I’ve hosted Circles in Kecskemét every month, and in April our community decided to celebrate at Dobogókő, which is the most famous sacred place in our country.

For me, it was a touching moment, when we arrived and I realized how many enthusiastic people were there. We met with Orsi and Kata, and the Integral Church community from Budapest, and spent the whole day together.

The tour was really amazing — the rocks of the Pilis mountain, the stories about our spiritual history, the sunshine and the fresh air. There was a magical moment with the stones of the Heart Chakra when I looked around, saw these lovely people and thought, “Yes, we are here, together. I’m blessed and thankful.”

We ate together in the Zsindelyes Restaurant (designed by the brilliant Imre Makovecz), and went to Pilisszentlélek, where we held the Circle. There is a very strong energetic field, so we were charged with this sacred energy. The monastery is a ruin now, but this was the home of the first and only order founded in Hungary during the 13th century (Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit). 

We meditated, listened to a song, and shared our stories from the via creativa (how we co-create with God and how can we live our life fully). 

On Facilitating Circles

Joran Oppelt facilitating an Integral Church circle in Siofok, Hungary.

Recently, at Integral Church, we had what I felt was our worst Circle ever. But when I voiced my frustration about it, my wife surprisingly said she thought it was the best Circle she’d ever been to.

What happened during the Circle that could have been so polarizing?

In my mind, many things had gone “wrong“ over the course of the morning. It was our outdoor circle so I had to get there early and set up the blankets, chairs and altar. I had forgotten to bring the cash box to pay for our childcare. It started raining halfway through (the first time in 6 years) and we were forced to pack up and move to a nearby pavilion. The children came scampering back early from the playground (due to concerns about lightning) and joined us. We reconvened under the pavilion at one of the picnic tables but were now looking more like a rectangle than a circle. I had intended to sing one song but was moved at the last minute (due to the small group) to sing another. I felt like that morning’s selected reading (a work of science fiction) fell a bit flat with some of the participants and those who I’d hoped would be there to participate in the discussion couldn’t make it. We passed the offering bowl and got the least amount of money we’ve ever collected. Because I had asked for a volunteer, the closing meditation ended up being led by my six-year-old (as I whispered prompts in his year).

Now, none of these things on their own are particularly negative experiences, but in the aggregate I felt like I had lost control of the circle. And, therein lay my dilemma. The circles aren’t something that are controlled. They are facilitated. And the next day I had to do some deep inquiry into why I felt so exhausted after facilitating a circle that felt so bad to me and so good to my best friend.

Integral Church Expands to Hungary

Erzsébet Vizinger – instructor at Integrál Akadémia – recently led a circle at the Everness Festival in Balaton, Hungary (pictured) and will be starting up a regular monthly circle (every second Sunday) at a beautiful outdoor location in Kecskemét, Hungary.

We are honored and excited to support her in this endeavor and I hope you join me in thanking and congratulating her in the comments below.

Our “we” space just got a lot bigger. Say “Hello!” to our sister Integral Church community in Europe.

* If YOU are interested in starting an Integral Church in your community, please drop us a line.