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Contemplative

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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

August 2022

August 06, 2022

Memento Mori: The Contemplation of Death and the Wonder of Life

Twice this week I have learned of the death of an acquaintance. I hesitate to...

August 03, 2022

Some Christians Attack Centering Prayer and Contemplation. They are Motivated by Bad Theology.

A reader of this blog sent me the following question today. Hi Carl, I see...

July 2022

July 28, 2022

“Mystics Teach us to Reconnect with Timeless and Essential Truth” — Join Me for the Free 2022 Mystics Summit, online August 8-12!

An awake heart is like a lighthouse helping others to find a safe way home....

July 27, 2022

Explore Celtic Spirituality with “Spirituality and Practice” Online Course — Starts August 8!

Hi friends, I'm happy to announce that my Celtic spirituality course through the Spirituality and Practice website...

July 22, 2022

How to be a Contemplative in Today’s Political Climate

I was speaking recently with one of my Patreon supporters (Patreon is a crowdfunding program...

June 2022

June 28, 2022

Encountering Christian Mysticism with the “Mystics and Skeptics” Podcast

Hi friends, I recently was a guest on the "Mystics and Skeptics" podcast. Needless to...

June 08, 2022

Online Event: Contemplative Day of Reflection: Kenneth Leech and Pauli Murray, Contemplative Activists for Our Time (June 25, 2022)

Join me (Carl McColman) for a special online quiet day of reflection on June 25,...

June 06, 2022

Join Carmen Acevedo Butcher for an Online Program Celebrating the Wisdom of Brother Lawrence

On June 16, 2022 my friend and colleague Carmen Acevedo Butcher PhD is offering a free...

June 01, 2022

The Wrath of God and Wishful Thinking (or, Julian of Norwich and Biblical Images of God)

Recently a reader of this blog wrote the following to me: I am just starting...

May 2022

May 30, 2022

“Do I stay Christian?” A Conversation with Brian D. McLaren on a Significant Question for Our Time

Last Wednesday I had the distinct honor of being part of a group interview with...

May 11, 2022

Upcoming Free Event: Carl McColman, Brian McLaren and others talk about Brian’s New Book, “Do I Stay Christian”?

Even the most committed Christian sometimes wonders if it's worth it to participate in the...

May 08, 2022

The Erotic Dimension of Mystical Spirituality (or, Why Do Mystics Love the Song of Songs?)

Almost from the beginning of the Christian era, mystics and saints and theologians and spiritual...

April 2022

April 27, 2022

An Open Letter to a Priest Who Posts Hostile Political Posts on Social Media

With the news that Elon Musk is acquiring Twitter, once again the question of how...

April 06, 2022

Divine Union is Embodied: Notes on the Incarnational Nature of Christian Mysticism

I've been working my way through Mystical Theology and Contemporary Spiritual Practice: Renewing the Contemplative Tradition, a...

February 2022

February 24, 2022

The Christian of the Future — a New “Mystical Minute” Video for Contemplative Seekers

Friends, here is a new video I'd like to share with you. God willing, this...

January 2022

January 18, 2022

New Online Course: the Contemplative Wisdom of “Meditations on the Tarot”

Thomas Keating loved it. So did Basil Pennington and Bede Griffiths. In our time,...

December 2021

December 28, 2021

A Great Mystical Book — With a Surprising Title

I've recently been re-reading one of the most fascinating and unusual books of mystical wisdom...

December 21, 2021

The New “My Sweet Lord” Video is Lots of Fun, But Misses the Point of the Song

Last week, the George Harrison estate released a new, "official" video for Harrison's 1970 masterpiece,...

December 14, 2021

Two Essential Questions for the Mystical Journey

I was speaking with a few friends of mine who are spiritual directors recently, and...

November 2021

November 28, 2021

New Editions of Some of My Older Books

My latest book, Eternal Heart, was published this past summer by Broadleaf. Broadleaf Books is...

November 10, 2021

Critics Say “Centering Prayer Empties the Mind.” They are Wrong.

Sigh. Last night I stumbled across yet another website from a well-meaning, but obviously misinformed,...

November 04, 2021

Putting the “Christian” into “Christian Mysticism”

Mysticism crosses all religious and spiritual boundaries. In other words, mysticism — like prayer or...

October 2021

October 11, 2021

Do the Ten Commandments Still Matter?

N.B. Today’s post is a meditation on the Ten Commandments that I wrote for the...

October 08, 2021

October 2021: Two Online Contemplative Retreat Opportunities

Hi friends, just want to make sure everyone is aware of two upcoming retreats I...

September 2021

September 20, 2021

The Cathedral Beyond the Forest (A Dream)

Last night I had this dream: Fran and I were visiting friends who had a...

August 2021

August 15, 2021

Thomas Merton: the Noisy Contemplative

N.B. Today's guest post is by Jon M. Sweeney. Jon is the author of numerous books,...

August 08, 2021

The Problem with Christianity in a Nutshell

We all know that so many people today prefer to remain spiritually independent, intentional about...

August 02, 2021

Two Types of Healing Prayer Every Christian Should Know

N.B. Today's guest post is by podcaster and physician Donna Chacko, author of Pilgrimage: A...

July 2021

July 28, 2021

How Do Contemplatives Make a Difference?

Consider these teachings from Jesus, all taken from just one Gospel (Matthew — See verses...

July 22, 2021

Even Your Breath Can Be Your “Sacred Word”

A reader of this blog submitted this question: How explicitly Christian does the prayer word...