


Andrew Harvey: “The Mystics Summit Will Give You the Sacred Food You Need to Stay Thriving, Joyful & Healthy”
During this seminal 5-day event, you’ll discover:
- Ways to unravel a lifetime of oppressive training — to express hidden gifts as a profound step on the mystic's path
- The 7 qualities of love mirroring the Divine at your core — Receptivity, Delight, Expansiveness, Vulnerability, Acceptance, Mystery, and Gratitude
- How to perceive the universal practices and concepts that open anyone to mystical experiences
- The Sufi way as a devotional path of love and intimacy
- How the reclaimed origins of Christian mysticism reveal the all-but-lost original heart of Christian wisdom — and why it's making a comeback today
- And much more…
Reconnect With Divine Love & Grace to Transcend Overwhelm
Featured Speakers

































With Hosts:

Mike Morrell
Author & Founding Organizer of Contemplative Community Events

Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD
Author, Teacher, Poet & Award-Winning Translator of Spiritual Texts

Harness “the mystical art of attention” in an age of overwhelm & distraction
An awake heart is like a lighthouse helping others to find a safe way home.
— Rolf van der Wind
As the increasing noise, chaos, and distraction presented by the daily global news cycle grow more intense, this unrelenting barrage of negativity can ignite a paralyzing fear response in your brain’s limbic region.
The ensuing indecision you may feel can make it practically impossible for you to focus — leading to frustration, anger, or depression.
It’s fight, flight, or freeze… on steroids!
Thankfully, as we continue to navigate these potentially dangerous and unsettling waters, the reassuring lighthouse of mystical wisdom…
… radiates its healing beams of safety to all of us, as we cling to our tiny life rafts while being buffeted by the unrelenting waves of shocking global transformation.
As “wayshowers” throughout time, mystics encourage us to embrace a deep, still quality of mystical attention that allows us to commune directly with the sacred…
… and teach us to reconnect with truth that is timeless and essential, by harnessing “the mystical art of attention” in an age of total distraction.
Today, modern mystics are urging us to reclaim our soul’s longing to merge with the beloved heart of existence — even in the midst of overwhelming chaos and turmoil.
At this absolutely critical pivot point in humanity’s collective evolution, it’s imperative for us to remember that we're not alone — we have the wisdom of ancient as well as present-day mystics to gently guide us.
Mystics have existed throughout time at “hinge points in history” — think plagues, floods, social upheavals, and wars — and also during growth periods like the Renaissance…
… spurred on by their exuberant, spiritual hunger and creative, innovative responses to the wildly dramatic changes unfolding around them.
In this soul-stirring summit, we’re presenting an all-star cohort of seasoned scholars and mystical seekers who will support you in reconnecting to love as a safe harbor amidst life’s crashing storms.
You'll encounter celebrated figures like Hadewijch of Antwerp, Thomas Aquinas, Brother Lawrence, Jesus of Nazareth, Plato, Copernicus, da Vinci…
… as well as contemporaries like Thomas Merton, Einstein, Tesla, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others.
By connecting with these venerated mystics yourself, you can de-mystify mysticism and move into, claim, and sustain this mystical lifeline to your timeless essence.

Hosted by Mike Morrell and Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD, the Mystics Summit is an immersion into mystical wisdom gleaned from a range of cultures, traditions, and spiritual paths.
You’re invited to discover how you can unlock your own ecstatic internal guidance, satisfying your desire to reconnect in a mystical union with the Divine.
Join more than 30 scholars, teachers, and contemporary mystics — including Reverend Dr. Heiwa no Bushi, Mirabai Starr, Banafsheh Sayyad, Father Greg Boyle, Alexander John Shaia, Taya Mâ Shere, James Finley, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Rev. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Matthew Fox, and many others…
… as they demonstrate ways to embody “the mystical art of attention” to receive soul-nourishing solace from quintessential mystical teachings across time.
Here’s a sample of what our brilliant speakers will be sharing with you…
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Mirabai Starr will reveal that the great mystical masters of the past are available as beacons of wisdom and compassion to light your way as you navigate the mapless terrain of these tumultuous times. |
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Andrew Harvey will discuss the sublime and astounding work of the great 13th-century beguine Christian woman mystic, Hadewijch of Antwerp. |
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Matthew Fox ponders whether viewing images of the earliest galaxies and stars now beaming into our living rooms courtesy of the Webb Telescope will awaken us to the sacredness of our 13.8 billion-year journey. |
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Banafsheh Sayyad will show that what you know in and through the wisdom of the body is more concrete than the abstract “knowing" that resides mostly in your head. |
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Alexander John Shaia, PhD, will remind us that everyone is already a mystic, and everything is spiritual, including nature and its embodied sensuality. |
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His Sacred Humanness, The Venerable Reverend Dr. Heiwa no Bushi, will examine the benefits of propelling ourselves into confusion and doubt, finding Truth in the insightful fear we experience by moving through the chaos. |
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Taya Mâ Shere speaks to the ancient art of prayer and the power of pulsing presence in body and spirit, inviting us to root ourselves in ancestral healing as a path to thrive. |
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Father Greg Boyle opines that to follow the path of the mystic, love is the answer, community is the context, and tenderness is the connective tissue. |
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Rabbi Rami Shapiro will reveal that the ancient fourfold truth of Perennial Wisdom at the mystic heart of many religions is key to your future thriving. |
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Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD, will invite you to explore the mystical path followed by Brother Lawrence, who joyfully expressed Divine Feminine energy while working in a 17th-century monastery kitchen. |
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Rev. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, PhD, helps us connect the dots between contemplation and action so that an ethical future can emerge. |
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James Finley, PhD, will discuss American Trappist monk and modern-day mystic Thomas Merton's insights about the true self that contributed to his own mystical awakening. |
And much more... |

Rekindle Your Timeless Connection to the Ecstatic for Renewed Joy & Resilience
Where is the door to God? In the sound of a barking dog, in the ring of a hammer, in a drop of rain, in the face of everyone I see…
— Hafiz (1325-1390)
How can we possibly soothe ourselves enough so we can pay attention in an age of complete and absolute overwhelm?
With such negative stimuli coming at us from all angles, in addition to our own internal conflicts and struggles, can we still hope to access transcendent states of ecstasy while experiencing memorable moments of bliss?
It all comes back to focusing our attention on the present moment… again, and again, and again.
Returning to simplicity is in itself a radical and sacred act. Quieting down to receive mystical teachings from ancient and modern-day mystics also helps us reorient to our shared purpose as a human family — we’re all in this together.
What’s actually happening during these intimate conversations with leading mystical wisdom teachers, authors, and scholars throughout the entire Mystics Summit…
… is a palpable uplifting of our own energetic vibrations as we “remember” the transcendent power of the ancient mystics, and resonate with the resounding call from present-day mystics to embody these sacred insights in our lives today.
Here’s what participants had to say about last year’s Mystics Summit …
“A wonderful gift for the soul of the spiritual seeker!”
The Mystics Summit is a wonderful and joyful occasion to dive with Mirabai into wisdom and that place in us where we are all One, through the eyes of different persons or traditions. A wonderful gift for the soul of the spiritual seeker!
— Isabelle, Québec, Canada
“The Mystics Summit was like being in the living rooms of the most interesting people you will ever meet.”
The Mystics Summit was like being in the living rooms of the most interesting people you will ever meet. It was like listening to amazing conversations, not interviews.
— Judy O’Brien, Evergreen, Colorado
“This summit left me invigorated, motivated, informed, and inspired.”
This summit left me invigorated, motivated, informed, and inspired. It enhanced my inner peace. It let me know that I am on the right path. As soon as a summit comes to a close, I eagerly await the next one. I am truly grateful that I found The Shift Network.
— Valerie P., Georgia
“Listening and watching the interviews of Mystics Summit is an enchanting experience!”
Listening and watching the interviews of Mystics Summit is an enchanting experience! What I love especially is that the speakers not only talk about their knowledge, but also about their lives and their experiences, and you can learn so much from them combined with learning about ancient mystic figures! This kind of approach to spiritual and practical life, connecting people to work together as one family for the sake of the planet, is really important in these times!
— Jutta Spitzmüller, Austria
“It was beautiful and life-changing.”
It was beautiful and life-changing. Mirabai's wisdom, sweetness, and depthness really moved me. I wish I could wake up and each day have these teachings guide me. They make me feel worthy, interested in what is important and really matters on this earth. Through difficult times I have distanced myself from God, and it helps to rekindle my belief in the spiritual and ancient/mystical tradition.
— Greta Coutlis, United Kingdom
“The Mystics Summit was a huge learning experience that challenged and inspired me.”
The Mystics Summit was a huge learning experience that challenged and inspired me. I have taken meditation on the mystics into my daily practice as an outcome of these presentations.
— Betty, Tucson, Arizona
“So much honesty, humility, and hope from the speakers that it gives me permission to step into myself more and trust the Divine who made me…”
So much honesty, humility, and hope from the speakers that it gives me permission to step into myself more and trust the Divine who made me and dances with me. I am slowly learning to be less afraid of my life and more connected to the real and nourishing source of it.
— Louise, Scotland
“A bright lantern in dark times!”
Abundant banquet and rich kaleidoscope of experience of the Divine... nourished my depths and mission during these challenging pandemic times. A bright lantern in dark times! Deeply grateful.
— Nina G., Canada
“Wonderful and enlightening experience!”
Wonderful and enlightening experience! So much knowledge offered about mystics and traditions — I wish there was more!
— Natalie, Boise, Idaho
“I feel re-energized and challenged to continue exploring the realm of mysticism.”
I loved the Mystics Summit. I feel re-energized and challenged to continue exploring the realm of mysticism. I loved that there was a blend of various faith traditions and perspectives. While I tend to be drawn to Christianity, it was very good — and sometimes challenging — to hear different perspectives. It opened my heart to explorations.
— Teresa Burns, Grand Rapids, Michigan
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