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January 2019

January 17, 2019

Understanding How Contemplation and Mysticism are Different (and Similar)

Sometimes people will ask me if "contemplation" and "mysticism" are synonyms. I admit: I often...

January 14, 2019

Twelve Contemplative Books for Spiritual Transformation

A reader named Andrew wrote to me and asked this question: What do you think...

December 2018

December 07, 2018

Christianity is a Myth — and I say that as a faithful Catholic

I lost a follower on Facebook today. I'm sure it happens all the time, but...

December 04, 2018

Are Art and Mysticism Two Sides of the Same Coin?

I've been thinking about the relationship between contemplation and creativity. This is inspired in part...

November 2018

November 27, 2018

Seven Contemplative Artists/Creators Who Deserve Your Support via Patreon

Like many bloggers and other creatives, I rely on Patreon to fund my blog. Patreon...

November 15, 2018

If Mystical Christianity is Shamanistic, then the Divine Office is the Drum

For years, I have thought that one of the best ways to understand Christian spirituality...

October 2018

October 12, 2018

Remaining at the Cross: On Being a Contemplative Christian in a Church That Has Forgotten Its Mystical Heritage

This is turning out to be "James Ishmael Ford" week at my blog. Earlier this...

September 2018

September 08, 2018

Contemplation and Ecstatic Experience

A reader named Kevin wrote and asked me: What's your view on the phenomenon of...

August 2018

August 02, 2018

What To Do When Mystics Feel Like Misfits

In response to my recent article Why Are Mystics So... Weird?!?, one reader posted this comment

July 2018

July 14, 2018

Why Are the Mystics So… Weird?!?

One thing I love about the mystics is just how weird they are. Obviously, there are...

May 2018

May 22, 2018

Mysticism, Separation, and Unity

A friend on Facebook a few weeks back asked me what is the relationship between...

March 2018

March 12, 2018

Three Evelyn Underhill Anthologies To Inspire Your Contemplative Practice

It's no secret that I consider Evelyn Underhill one of the most important Christian mystics...

January 2018

January 11, 2018

Everyone is Called to Union with God

About ten years ago I had a conversation with an elderly Trappist monk about the book...

December 2017

December 08, 2017

The Call to Move “Beyond” What is Safe and Familiar

Today's post is by guest contributor Mark S. Burrows, who is a poet and an...

December 06, 2017

Happy Birthday, Evelyn Underhill

December 6 is Evelyn Underhill's birthday, born this day in 1875. Not only did she...

October 2017

October 23, 2017

On Discerning the Meaning of Spiritual Experience

A reader of my blog writes: How do you know if a certain spiritual experience...

October 11, 2017

Coming in April 2018: The Little Book of Christian Mysticism! (Pre-Order Your Copy Today)

I have a new book coming in April 2018: The Little Book of Christian Mysticism!...

September 2017

September 22, 2017

Seven “Ingredients” for Cultivating a Truly Mystical Life

Last night I gave a talk at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip, here in...

May 2017

May 08, 2017

How Julian of Norwich Changed My Life

Julian of Norwich, the author of Revelations of Divine Love, had a series of visions...

April 2017

April 14, 2017

Richard Rohr on the Spirituality of Unknowing (Video)

Here's a treat for all you Richard Rohr fans (and if you're not a Rohr...

April 10, 2017

Is it possible to be a “Do It Yourself” Christian Mystic? Evelyn Underhill would say “No” — and I agree with her

Nearly all Christian mystics maintain that an essential characteristic of Christian mysticism is participation in the Body...

March 2017

March 03, 2017

Why Evelyn Underhill Remains Required Reading After Over 100 Years

A Book for All Time: Why Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism Still Matters For pretty much...

February 2017

February 17, 2017

Who is Julian of Norwich?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPkdHMdtMw4&t=29s Here is a video filmed about a year and a half ago in which...

January 2017

January 01, 2017

A Christian Mystics Bibliography

In my books The Big Book of Christian Mysticism and Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages, I suggest...

December 2016

December 06, 2016

Why I Still Recommend Verbum Software for Catholics… and for all Contemplatives

Two years ago this week, I wrote a glowing review of a Bible Software program...

September 2016

September 28, 2016

Why I Wrote a Book About Christian Mystics

When Peter Gabriel came to Atlanta in 2003, my wife Fran and I were able...

August 2016

August 10, 2016

The Mystical Body

How do we embody the contemplative life? And how does the contemplative life make a...

June 2016

June 22, 2016

Reviving an old page from my first blog

Reading books about the spiritual life can be a substitute for actually devoting time each...

June 01, 2016

Charismatic Mysticism

"Do Gifts of the Spirit, especially those like tongues, have any connection with mysticism? Historically, theologically,...

May 2016

May 18, 2016

Coming in the Fall of 2016

Friends, I'm so excited to announce my forthcoming book, due in October 2016 from Hampton Roads...