+ ABOUT +
The Communion of the Mystic Rose
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The Communion of the Mystic Rose (CMR) is an initiatory fellowship or saṅgha of contemplative seekers devoted to the spiritual freedom and illumination of all beings through an incarnational, poetic, and unitive way of life. Guided by our founder, teacher, and spiritual director, Fr. Brendan Ellis Williams, CMR (Ng. Pälden Dorje), our way of life has deep roots in ancient Alexandrian Christian philosophy, mystical theology, and practice, as well as in the highest yogas of Indo-Tibetan tantric Buddhism, Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā; it is informed by robust religious scholarship and the perennial wisdom of the world’s great contemplative traditions. We have been drawn together as pilgrim seekers around the flame of a living hearth: a circle of deep companionship and praxis devoted to the beauty and sanctity of Creation, and to the unveiling of the divine in all things.
In 2024, after more than a decade as a Catholic Christian religious order, The Communion of the Mystic Rose entered a vibrant new season of its life, drawing the curtain on its time in the Episcopal Church and fully embracing its true identity, rooted in both Eastern and Western contemplative lineages. Our communion is now blossoming anew as an initiatory fellowship devoted to contemplative depth, robust spiritual formation, sacred companionship, and the ‘good life’ lived in continuous pursuit of virtue and wisdom. We seek to walk beautifully on the Earth, in conscious interbeing, and to share the hidden bounty of the ancient spiritual inheritance we carry.
CMR is an independent 501(c)(3) religious non-profit. Our core mission is the formation of serious spiritual seekers toward the ultimate aim of illumination, divinization, or enlightenment, and the wholing of our world through contemplative presence, fellowship, education, and compassionate outreach.
The Rosarian community operates within a rhythm that consists of: (a) quarterly teachings or transmissions; (b) monthly conferences; (c) local seasonal ‘hearth gatherings’; and (d) annual and semi-annual retreats.
Formal membership and training in CMR is by invitation only, and usually involves a long discernment process. Participation in public retreats and workshops, one-on-one spiritual direction with Fr. Brendan (our founder and spiritual director), as well as The Divine Wisdom Hedge School are excellent ways to get to know the sacred work and community of CMR, and to begin a natural process of connection and companionship.