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Contemplative

Contemplation

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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...

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...

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...

October 2022

October 03, 2022

Gnosis and Mysticism

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

August 2022

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 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...

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,...

October 2021

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...

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...

May 2021

May 22, 2021

Take This One-Question Survey: Your Favorite Way(s) to Explore Contemplative Spirituality

Friends, could you take a half a minute and fill out this 1-question survey? I'm...

May 08, 2021

Why Julian of Norwich Matters to Me

I first "met" Julian of Norwich through reading Evelyn Underhill's magisterial book Mysticism: The Nature and...

December 2020

December 14, 2020

How do I choose a contemplative lay order? And do I have to be Catholic to do so?

A reader recently wrote to me: Dear Carl, I grew up as a Protestant, but as...

November 2020

November 24, 2020

The Prayer of Recollection: A Classic Mystical Practice as Taught by Evelyn Underhill

Contemplative spirituality has its own jargon, and this "language of prayer" evolves over time....

November 17, 2020

Finding Your Perfect Prayer Posture

A question that sometimes comes up when people are first learning a practice like Centering...

November 13, 2020

Video: Mysticism and the Bible — Three Contemplative Verses

"Is mysticism in the Bible?" It's a question I get asked from time to...

July 2020

July 28, 2020

Questions After a Retreat: What Books to Read, What Steps to Take Next

Shortly after concluding my Praying with the Spanish Mystics Retreat, one of the persons who...

February 2020

February 21, 2020

What’s the Best Church for Contemplative Christians?

A reader writes: Carl, do you think the Catholic Church has more scope to welcome...

December 2019

December 02, 2019

Advice for Contemplatives looking for a Spiritual Community to Call Home

A reader recently wrote this to me on Facebook: I've been on a spiritual journey...

November 2019

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...

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 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...

July 2019

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,...

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...

April 2019

April 22, 2019

“Now is the Time to Wake Up!”

Note from Carl: Today's guest post is by Phileena Heuertz, and is an excerpt from...

April 19, 2019

If Contemplative Prayer is For Resting in God, What Role Does Repentance Play?

Over the past month I have written several posts about Centering Prayer and contemplation, all...

April 08, 2019

Intention, Attention, and the Practice of Contemplative Prayer

This is the third of a series of blog posts in response to a lengthy...

April 01, 2019

Two Contemplative Events in Asheville, NC (April 26 and 27)

Asheville, NC is one of my favorite places in the world. Beautiful mountains, a thriving...

March 2019

March 08, 2019

Six Videos on a Variety of Contemplative Topics

In August 2015 I had the opportunity to record a series of videos in front...

March 04, 2019

“Kindle No Fire” — A Detail Missing From Recent Ways We Talk About Observing the Sabbath

Today's guest post is by Jon M. Sweeney, author of numerous books including The Pope's...