Alcyon Origins + Purpose
Cultural research, recovery and repair for the sake of the world.
The Alcyon Center is a nonprofit spiritual and cultural research center on Seal Cove, ME. 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. We welcome all who are willing to undertake the hard work of research, recovery, and repair for the sake of the world,
Silence is our beloved ever-present teacher.
Seal Cove is a sacred laboratory to experience stillness and cultivate a deepening relationship with the presence of Silence.
Traditions and streams form foundations for the future.
Alcyon founding directors Kathryn Booth and Joan Jordan Grant embody the teachings, posture, and spiritual hospitality of the Christian tradition. Other major streams flowing through Alcyon are experiences with contemplative prayer and spiritual direction, the work of Rudolf Steiner, Robert Sardello, the Twelve Steps, and in intentional communities with integrity and a practical approach to spiritual life that Alcyon itself seeks to model.
We are privileged witness of the rhythms of Seal Cove.
Seal Cove is on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island, across from Bar Harbor, a popular tourist destination. The Alcyon Center is surrounded by land held in trust and is within walking distance to the trails of Acadia National Park.
The Alcyon Center Labyrinth
Walking the labyrinth is a cornerstone Alcyon experience - and most programs find a way to incorporate this spiritual practice into sessions. Guests are always invited to walk on their own, as well.
Alcyon: The Origin of Our Name
Hint: it has to do with a bird (Megaceryle alcyon) and a myth (Ovid’s Metamorphoses).