Twice this week I have learned of the death of an acquaintance. I hesitate to say “friend” because neither of these people were friends in a close sense: one of them I hadn’t seen or been in contact with in almost four years, the other not since the mid-1990s. But they were both men I liked, and both I knew through church. One was a Jesuit priest at my parish from 2017-2018, the other the organist at Fran’s and my... Read more
A reader of this blog sent me the following question today. Hi Carl, I see from conservative Christian circles that WCCM and Centering prayer is labelled new age and dangerous. Are these practices Christian really? Or are we trying to incorporate eastern meditation into Christianity ? First, the short answer. Contemplative practices like Centering Prayer and Christian meditation are rooted in the Christian tradition, roots that go back to the Desert Mothers and Fathers and the medieval mystics. These are... Read more
An awake heart is like a lighthouse helping others to find a safe way home. ―Rolf van der Wind I’m one of over thirty presenters for the 2022 Mystics Summit hosted by The Shift Network — along with Mirabai Starr, James Finley, Rami Shapiro, and Greg Boyles, among many others! It’s free to register for this five-day event. To sign up, register here. Here’s the description of the event from the folks at The Shift: As the increasing noise, chaos,... Read more
Hi friends, I’m happy to announce that my Celtic spirituality course through the Spirituality and Practice website will be running this August — August 8 through September 2, 2022! To register for the course, click here. The course will include a Zoom call with me on Thursday, August 18. Here’s the description and enrollment information from the S&P website: Celtic Spirituality with Carl McColman Monday, August 08 – Friday, September 02 Shrouded in legend and imbued with romance, the Celtic lands of... Read more
I was speaking recently with one of my Patreon supporters (Patreon is a crowdfunding program to support writers, bloggers, musicians, etc. This blog is made possible by the generous people who support it through Patreon). She asked me a blunt question. How do you do it? How do you, as someone who writes about contemplation, respond to the political moment that we find ourselves in? Such an important and vital query, and not one easily answered! When I first started... Read more
Hi friends, I recently was a guest on the “Mystics and Skeptics” podcast. Needless to say, we talked about… Christian mysticism, of course! Sybil, the host of the “Mystics and Skeptics” podcast, is a wonderful conversation partner; she and I quickly developed a rapport which led to a wide-ranging conversation about mysticism — both Christian and in general — and how it relates not only to religion but to life. I hope you enjoy listening to the conversation as much... Read more
Join me (Carl McColman) for a special online quiet day of reflection on June 25, 2022. We’ll spend time together in silence, and I’ll share with you some of the wisdom of two of my favorite 20th century theologians: Kenneth Leech and Pauli Murray. Ken Leech (1939-2015) was a priest of the Church of England, a tireless advocate for social justice, and renowned for his work combating homelessness, racism, and privilege of all kinds. But he was also an authority... Read more
On June 16, 2022 my friend and colleague Carmen Acevedo Butcher PhD is offering a free online program to explore the wisdom of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, author of The Practice of the Presence of God. Click here to register for this free event. You probably know Carmen Butcher from her luminous translation of The Cloud of Unknowing. Later this year she is releasing her latest book, in which she is bringing her wisdom and translation skills to Brother Lawrence, in a... Read more
Recently a reader of this blog wrote the following to me: I am just starting out on this journey and feel drawn to the mystical/contemplative side of Christianity. To this end, I am using your book “Answering the Contemplative Call” and also “Growing into God” by John Mabry as my guides. I do not have a spiritual director as yet but am trying to find one near where I live in the UK. In the meantime, I am using the... Read more
Last Wednesday I had the distinct honor of being part of a group interview with leading Christian theologian Brian D. McLaren. The occasion was in celebration of Brian’s latest book, Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. It’s a provocative title and, indeed, a provocative book. Brian is aiming to have a balanced but honest engagement with people who are identity as Christian, and/or participate in the institutional church, but now are considering... Read more
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