Alcyon Center

The Alcyon Center
Seal Cove, Maine

A Spiritual Life Center on Mount Desert Island, Maine

The Alcyon Center is an experience of being welcomed, body, soul, and spirit, into the life of a small, practicing contemplative community. The Center’s hospitality reflects the stunning natural beauty of its Island home, the warmth of its welcoming hosts, the depth of its silence, the refreshment of its daily rhythms, and the openness of its doors to all who seek transformative rest, renewal, program, study, practice, and training in the interior life.

The vision for the Center is rooted in a desire for bold and practical ways to meet the spiritual hunger of our times. Providing a peaceful setting and an experience of living a daily rhythm of work, prayer, study, and rest constitutes the main way of bringing this vision to life.

Our Name: Alcyon

Ceryle alcyon is the scientific name for the bird commonly called the Belted Kingfisher. These Kingfishers seasonally inhabit the tidal cove where the Alcyon Center is located. They are the true hosts to us all, both stewards and guests. Their story, first written in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, tells of how the winds and waves of ordinary life come to be stilled during halcyon days. The Alcyon Center offers you an invitation to come spend some time with the Kingfishers for a stilling of your waves and winds into peace and tranquility.

Personal Retreats at The Alcyon Center

Alcyon Experience Weeks (2-6 nights)

For beginners to old hands – join us in the spirit and heart of silence as it reveals itself in the season. Participate in the community rhythm as you wish:

• morning meditation
• breakfast and lunch makings provided for you to make your own meal
• conversation at the shared evening meal, prepared by staff
• spiritual direction
• hiking, walking, kayaking, biking

Introductory Personal Retreat programs with our Guest Teachers

Highlights of this year’s program include:

• wonderful guest teachers including Robert Sardello, Jan Booth, Susan MacKenzie, Rick Bouchard, Julia Polter, and Liz Leuthner
• a return of Alcyon Experience week in summer
• two Silence in Community weeks

For our other offerings, check out these:

• ongoing Alcyon Community Life weekly and monthly events
• a new introductory training in soul work for our times: Silence and Heart, offered in March, June and November and open to all
• a new format for the Contemplative Spiritual Direction Training Cohort III starting in 2018
• and as always, times reserved for Simple and Silent personal retreats

Program plus Retreat Time

We invite participants in our scheduled programs to stay on retreat before or after your program as space allows.

Simple and Silent – on your own – bring your own food

When the center is not being used for other programs, it is occasionally available for seasoned retreatants seeking quiet time at the Center:

• single room
• bring your own food
• follow your own rhythm
• staff in residence, but not offering services.