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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

November 2019

November 08, 2019

Contemplation, Community, and the Institutional Church: Has the Time Come to Be “Mystical But Not Religious”?

I often get asked if Christian mysticism needs the institutional church. Do you have to...

November 02, 2019

Gatekeeping and Contemplation: Is the Church Its Own Worst Enemy?

A friend of mine posted the following fascinating observation recently on Facebook: I am easing...

October 2019

October 16, 2019

When You Say “Yes” to God — Where Will It Lead?

Today's post is by guest contributor Dr. Marie Marquardt, who is a novelist (Dream Things...

October 11, 2019

Romans 8:28-39: Basic Instructions for A Mystical Worldview

One of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament — perhaps even one of...

October 04, 2019

Promises of the Heart: New E-Course Starts on October 28

“Follow your heart.” It’s a classic phrase of advice and encouragement, for we know that...

September 2019

September 27, 2019

Practice, Practice, Practice

Today’s post is by a guest author, Dr. David Rensberger, author of Johannine Faith and Liberating...

September 24, 2019

Unteachable Hope, or, My Dream for Readers of My Latest Book

"What is your greatest hope for this book?" This question came to me the other...

September 20, 2019

The Point Behind “Be Still and Know”

One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and...

September 10, 2019

An Unlikely Lesson in Contemplation and Parish Leadership

Stuart Higginbotham tells how being the target of protests by Westboro Baptist Church during last...

September 04, 2019

A Reason Why Liturgy Matters: “Like Staring Out Into Eternity”

So often, it seems to me, that people who are drawn to the Christian tradition...

August 2019

August 20, 2019

The Characteristics of a Mystic

What are the characteristics of a mystic? I know two elderly monks at the local...

August 14, 2019

Advance Praise for “Unteachable Lessons”

One of the scariest moments for me, as an author, is when my editor and...

August 02, 2019

The Paradox of Radical Trust

On his live album Precious Friend, Arlo Guthrie cracked a joke: “You can’t have a...

July 2019

July 26, 2019

What Inspired Me to Write About Christian Mysticism

This month marks nine years since The Big Book of Christian Mysticism was published. Hard to believe it's been that...

July 19, 2019

Celebrating Evelyn Underhill

A note from Carl: It was forty years ago this summer — the summer of...

July 12, 2019

Appreciating the Rosary as a Method for Contemplative Prayer

Nothing says "Catholic" quite as much as a rosary. But anyone — Catholic or Orthodox,...

July 05, 2019

A Trappist Monk’s Reflection on Praying the Psalms

Today’s post is by a guest contributor: Brother Mark Dohle, OCSO, who serves as the Guestmaster...

July 04, 2019

“The Big Book of Christian Mysticism” for only 99¢!

Get The Big Book of Christian Mysticism ebook version for your favorite ebook reader for...

June 2019

June 29, 2019

Our Common Call to Contemplation, Communion and Creativity

Today's Guest Post is by Sr. Julia Walsh, FSPA. Sr. Julia is a Franciscan Sister of...

June 26, 2019

What is Spiritual Formation?

My children, I am again in the pain of childbirth, until Christ is formed in...

June 20, 2019

Eight Pagan Books (by a Christian Author)

In my forthcoming book Unteachable Lessons, I tell how I spent a period of time estranged...

June 13, 2019

Spirituality and Technology: How Can New Ways of Communicating and Learning Support Our Ancient Practices of Prayer?

A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a...

June 04, 2019

Miann: The Ardent Desire for God

I'm preparing for a retreat I'll be leading in Scotland next month, and so I'm...

May 2019

May 23, 2019

Thin Places, Contemplation, and Discernment: A Few Questions About Celtic Spirituality

Recently I led a Celtic spirituality retreat through the Copper Beech Institute in Connecticut. During...

May 08, 2019

Julian of Norwich’s Timeless Message

We know the first woman who wrote a book in the English language (at least,...

May 06, 2019

I’m Uncomfortable with the Notion of the “False Self.” Here’s Why.

A reader named Dave recently sent this question to me: Hi Carl, could you please...

May 04, 2019

Uncovering the Spiritual Heart through Contemplative Practice

Today's post is written by Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD, author of When the Heart Speaks, Listen:...

May 02, 2019

The Challenges of Spiritual Simplicity

One of the most attractive, although challenging, qualities of the Cistercian charism is simplicity. It's...

April 2019

April 29, 2019

Persevering Through the Dry Times of Prayer

In response to a post I wrote last year — "What to Do When Prayer...

April 24, 2019

After Wisdom: Speculating on the Future of Humanity

What is the future of humanity? Will we ever evolve beyond our current identity of homo...