Four Dimensions of Mindfulness and Centering Prayer

September 3, 2024 By Carl McColman

In chapter five of his book Buddha Is as Buddha Does, dharma teacher Lama Surya Das offers this fascinating insight into the nature of mindfulness: According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there are four kinds of mindfulness. First comes average mindfulness—the attention that springs naturally and spontaneously through our own interest in a particular person, situation, or phenomenon. For the most part, it’s concerned with worldly matters and lasts as long as the interest itself. The second kind is cultivated or... Read more

I Believe Prayer Changes Things. Here’s a Few Thoughts Why.

August 24, 2024 By Carl McColman

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I posted this on Facebook not long ago… A couple of people posted comments to the effect of “Please say more about how prayer changes things.” That’s a great question and so here are a few thoughts in response. First, I don’t believe prayer is magic. I once heard that Episcopal priest and writer John Westerhoff define magic like this: “Magic is anything you do to get God to do something that God would not otherwise do.” Now, I have... Read more

You don’t have to become a monk to be a mystic

August 20, 2024 By Carl McColman

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A reader wrote to me recently: Hello, I am interested in becoming a Christian Mystic. However I am not sure if I can join a monastery due to being a Baptist Christian. If you know any monasteries that I could join while being Baptist, please let me know. Also, I would like to know other ways to become a Christian Mystic besides joining a monastery. Thank you much for your help. Thank you so much for your message, and you’re... Read more

If You Worship an Angry God, You’ll Be An Angry Person

July 4, 2024 By Carl McColman

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A reader named Paul wrote to me with the following question: Why is there more often than not such an intolerance, condemnation and even hatred between the different faiths and denominations ? Is it the Devil causing this? Paul, thanks for your question. Before I get into it, I must say that I think “The devil made me do it” is the ultimate cop-out, so I believe we need to dig deeper to understand why Christians can be so unkind... Read more

A Contemplative Reflection on the Death of Christ

June 19, 2024 By Carl McColman

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Allen, who is a reader of this blog, recently sent me a thoughtful email; here are some excerpts from what he wrote: I have a profound connection with the teachings of Jesus, yet I struggle with certain aspects of Christian fundamentalism, particularly the exclusivity that sometimes accompanies it… For me, life seems to be about recognizing that we’re all essentially “children of God,” each of us being eternal spiritual beings. It feels like we’ve forgotten this truth and the journey... Read more

The Difference Between Apophatic and Kataphatic Spirituality

May 19, 2024 By Carl McColman

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Many years ago, my very first spiritual director recommended a book to me; she suggested that I read Gerald May’s 1982 classic: Will and Spirit: A Contemplative Psychology. I did, and it remains one of my favorite books on the psychology of contemplation. Among many other treasures that I gleaned from this book, it introduced me to two Greek words that I would run into again and again during my years of exploration into mystical and contemplative spirituality. The words... Read more

Meister Eckhart: A Deeper Dive (33 Books to Explore)

March 9, 2024 By Carl McColman

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A Facebook friend recently posted a request for suggestions on books by or about Meister Eckhart. There are so many, that I couldn’t figure out a succinct way to respond to the request, so I figured I’d just post a list of books here instead. So what follows is a list of books featuring English translations of the writings of the medieval German theologian/mystic Meister Eckart, along with some books of commentary, and even a few collections of poetry inspired... Read more

It’s Not Too Late to Sign Up for the Modern Mystics School!

March 5, 2024 By Carl McColman

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Hi friends, just wanted to make sure that if you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the Modern Mystics School sponsored by Spiritual Wanderlust, it’s not too late to do so! The program began March 2, but it runs all year long (until next February), so you’ll have plenty of time to watch the recording(s) of the class(es) that have already happened and you’ll still get to enjoy the once-a-month programs that are still to come! Click here to learn... Read more

Join Me for “24 Meditations for 2024”

January 3, 2024 By Carl McColman

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Join me on Tuesday, January 23 for a free guided meditation on Aspiration and Intentionality — a great way to start the new year! This will take place on Zoom, and is free but pre-registration is required — Click here to register. Friends, I’m happy to announce that for 2024, I’m creating a series of 24 guided meditations that I will be sharing with everyone who supports this blog with a Patreon Membership. Over the course of the year 2024,... Read more

“Breathe and Hope and Chase and Love…” Some Thoughts on the 50th Anniversary of “Tales from Topographic Oceans”

December 7, 2023 By Carl McColman

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Things are all in colours And the size of others shall send you forward Arranged to sail you toward A peace of mind — “The Remembering (High the Memory)” (second movement of Tales from Topographic Oceans) December 7 is, of course, Pearl Harbor Day. It is my brother’s birthday. And on this day in 1973, the ultimate prog band, Yes, released their controversial magnum opus, Tales from Topographic Oceans. It has widely been panned not only as Yes’s worst album, but... Read more