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--Year-- 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2004 --Month-- December November October September August July June May April March February January

February 2025

February 14, 2025

Can Love Be Saved? Some Thoughts on the World Today

Happy Valentine's Day! I recently published a post on Patreon called Can Love Be Saved?...

January 2025

January 12, 2025

“This Loving, Uniting Embrace”: the Holy Ordinary

Today's guest post is by Mark Longhurst, author of The Holy Ordinary: A Way to...

November 2024

November 05, 2024

Let’s Elect Silence

N.B. I wrote this post for my new Substack publication, Mystical Journey. But since the message...

September 2024

September 03, 2024

Four Dimensions of Mindfulness and Centering Prayer

In chapter five of his book Buddha Is as Buddha Does, dharma teacher Lama Surya...

August 2024

August 24, 2024

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

I posted this on Facebook not long ago... A couple of people posted comments to...

August 20, 2024

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

A reader wrote to me recently: Hello, I am interested in becoming a Christian Mystic....

July 2024

July 04, 2024

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

A reader named Paul wrote to me with the following question: Why is there more...

June 2024

June 19, 2024

A Contemplative Reflection on the Death of Christ

Allen, who is a reader of this blog, recently sent me a thoughtful email; here...

May 2024

May 19, 2024

The Difference Between Apophatic and Kataphatic Spirituality

Many years ago, my very first spiritual director recommended a book to me; she suggested...

March 2024

March 09, 2024

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

A Facebook friend recently posted a request for suggestions on books by or about Meister...

March 05, 2024

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

Hi friends, just wanted to make sure that if you haven't had a chance to...

January 2024

January 03, 2024

Join Me for “24 Meditations for 2024”

Join me on Tuesday, January 23 for a free guided meditation on Aspiration and Intentionality...

December 2023

December 07, 2023

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

Things are all in colours And the size of others shall send you forward Arranged...

November 2023

November 16, 2023

LSD, Anxiety, and Contemplation: Can Psychedelic Therapy Support Spiritual Growth? (and Vice Versa)

Today (November 16, 2023) is the 85th anniversary of the discovery of LSD, by the...

August 2023

August 08, 2023

Contemplative Prayer Summit coming up September 23 and 24: Register Now!

I'm happy to invite you to register for an online offering Contemplative Prayer Summit that...

June 2023

June 28, 2023

Interspirituality and Cultural Appropriation, or, How to Expand Your Faith Without Stealing From Others

Recently I spoke about Christian mysticism and interspirituality for the Closer than Breath Christian Mystic...

June 22, 2023

A Conversation about Mysticism! Kate Rademacher and I talk about “The New Big Book” and other fun stuff

My first interview talking about The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism has been...

April 2023

April 29, 2023

Mysticism, Faith, and “Knowing” God’s Will

A reader of this blog, named Peter, asked me a couple of questions recently. He...

March 2023

March 29, 2023

How Do I Meet Other Mystics?

One of the patrons of this blog wrote to me recently: My question is, how do...

March 23, 2023

Contemplative AI: Google’s “Bard” Answers My Questions About Mysticism, Centering Prayer, and Interspirituality

So I got invited to be a beta-tester for Google's new AI assistant called Bard....

February 2023

February 01, 2023

Friends, I hope you will join me — and eleven other amazing Celtic and contemplative...

January 2023

January 05, 2023

Discover the Three Forms of Contemplation, according to Evelyn Underhill! (Free Online Event: Sign Up Now)

Hi friends! Join me on Thursday, January 19 for a special Zoom call in which...

December 2022

December 06, 2022

Join Me, Cynthia Bourgeault, Adam Bucko and more at the 2023 “Closer than Breath” Centering Prayer Summit!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited about an upcoming online "Centering Prayer Summit" that I'll be...

November 2022

November 23, 2022

Contemplative Books to Read and Savor During Advent and Christmas

A reader of this blog wrote to me last week and asked: I am writing...

November 16, 2022

New From Encountering Silence: Exploring the Lost History of Women Bible Interpreters

It's time for another episode from the Encountering Silence podcast! You can subscribe to Encountering...

November 14, 2022

Patreon Membership Rewards for 2023: Resources to Support Your Contemplative Practice

Hi friends, as you may know, this blog is made possible by the generous support...

October 2022

October 03, 2022

Gnosis and Mysticism

A reader of this blog named Brian writes: Carl, How would you compare and contrast...

September 2022

September 24, 2022

Twelve Mystical Anthologies That Belong in Every Contemplative Library

There are literally hundreds of mystics in the Christian tradition alone — or, should I...

September 15, 2022

Happy Birthday, Dawn Treader!

The year 1952 in England has gotten a lot of attention lately, with the passing...

August 2022

August 20, 2022

“The Friar of Love” — Revisiting Brother Lawrence, Mystic of the Divine Presence

N.B. Today's guest post is by Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Ph.D., renowned for her luminous translation...