Returning to Practice Together This Fall

This summer has been especially full at the CCE both personally and professionally. On the personal side, Marcy completed her second training of the year at Daishu-in West and her middle child graduated high school, while Louie went in for a long-overdue spinal fusion in May and recovered beautifully over the course of many hard weeks of focused rehabilitation. Louie’s son Max stayed with us all summer, attending the May CCE retreat and July sesshin with Marcy & Brandi at Daishu-in West.

On the work front, Marcy began offering guidance for a private sitting group on Fridays, travelled to New Jersey, Vermont, and Costa Rica on assignment, and the CCE hosted sanctuary retreatants and work days. We’re emerging from this season in good health, with appreciation for the work that’s been done, and with excitement for what is taking shape at the CCE and beyond.

In addition to our ongoing True Nature monthly virtual sitting group, we’ll be offering a morning sitting group on-site 3 days/week, monthly work mornings & community connection time, and retreats next year in three locations: the CCE in Southern California, Costa Rica, and Vermont!

A New Rhythm of Morning Practice

Beginning Thursday, September 10, we’ll be opening the CCE for on-site morning sitting Thursday through Saturday from 6:30–7:00 a.m.

This silent sit coincides with the morning sitting period at Daishu-in West in Northern California, offering our community connection or introduction to Rinzai Zen style zazen practice.

All are welcome to join us in person! Plan to arrive by 6:20 a.m., and email or text Louie to let us know you’re coming so we’ll have a cushion ready for you: louie@contemplative-enrichment.org (323) 684-6885

Whether you come regularly or simply join us when your schedule allows, we look forward to supporting and seeing our local community members more regularly.

CCE Community Connection Days: Working, Sitting, & Being Together

In conjunction with our Saturday morning sits, we also invite you to stay for our monthly work days and community gatherings.

Bring your questions, reflections, and work gloves + sunscreen one Saturday a month for our monthly Saturday morning work days and community gatherings at the CCE. These mornings are a chance to practice in another form: tending to the space together, spending time in nature, sharing conversation, and participating in the ordinary work that helps sustain this place.

On these Saturdays, there will also be an opportunity for Q&A with Marcy, our resident teacher.

Our fall community mornings are:

September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

Please plan to arrive on work days by 6:20 a.m. to sit with the group, and stay only as long as you can. We’ll work from about 7 - 10 a.m. at an easy pace with room for discussion and refreshments afterwards.

We hope these gatherings can become another way of weaving practice into life, not only on the cushion, but through conversation, work, relationship, and shared care for a place.

Looking Toward 2027

We’re also beginning to get a sense of what retreat practice might look like next year.

Marcy has facilitated private events in Vermont and Costa Rica, leading to an opportunity for CCE retreats in both locations annually. Our tentative 2027 retreat calendar includes:

Winter: Residential retreat at the CCE - 5 nights
Spring: Women’s Retreat at the CCE - 3 nights
Summer: Focus on Sanctuary retreat & work days
September: Costa Rica Retreat - 5 nights (this one will have the most availability)
October: Vermont Retreat - 5 nights (very limited availability)
Fall: Women’s Retreat at the CCE - 3 nights

We’ll share dates and registration information once plans are confirmed, so watch your email box for updates! It’s possible that another Costa Rica retreat will be added, but we’re very close now to having a set schedule that you can count on each year to plan for your own retreat rhythm.

True Nature - Supporting the Mission, Vision, and Values of the CCE

It’s easier than ever for you to join True Nature - our online community. Every month, we meet for 90 minutes to practice together in silence and talk about practice and the spiritual path in general.

Anyone who makes a recurring donation to the CCE in any amount is automatically invited to the True Nature monthly meetings, but there is no obligation or expectation to attend if you’d rather simply donate.

We’re delighted to let you know that our online donations are now all processed through Zeffy, a non-profit payment processor that doesn’t keep a penny of your contribution. All donations go directly to the CCE, and you can download your own tax receipts from Zeffy to document your charitable giving.

Supporting the CCE

Whether you attend our online sitting groups, in-person events, enjoy our written offerings, or simply believe in our mission, vision, and values, there are two main ways you can help us:

Share: send our newsletter to those you think would be interested, repost on social media, and follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram. If you enjoy seeing our posts on Instagram, consider interacting with them more to encourage greater reach. Saving, sharing, and commenting on social media has a direct result on how many people see these posts, which in turn makes us easier to find by those who are yearning for opportunities to practice and to connect with a spiritual community.
Donations: In addition to our simple process for making recurring monthly or annual monetary donations, you can donate time & talents, or dollar amounts designed to help us purchase specific items that we need.
- Right now there is a composter and a chipper on our wish list. If you’re interested in buying one of those items for us, you may donate the amount listed on the website and leave us a note to let us know what you intend to buy for the CCE & we’ll follow up with you.
- We also loooove working with everyone who can pitch in directly! We can’t imagine what we would do without Brandi, Anyez, Joe, and Max, who have given countless hours on site, in addition to our many sanctuary retreatants and other supporters who help out when they can. We invite you to join us in working side-by-side. Email us at info@contemplative-enrichment.org if you want to volunteer in general or specifically!

One of the “3 Jewels” according to Buddhism is the sangha - the community of practitioners who share a commitment to spiritual values and aspirations. Sangha doesn’t only exist during a formal retreat. It is built slowly, in early morning sits, conversations after practice, days spent working alongside one another, shared meals, questions asked honestly, and the simple willingness to keep showing up.

Wherever your practice finds you this fall, we’re grateful to be practicing alongside you.

Wishing you kindness & clarity,

Marcy and Louie

Center for Contemplative Enrichment