At the Botanical Gardens « The Website of Unknowing

At the Botanical Gardens

Pretty much every Sunday Fran, Rhiannon and I drive to Athens, GA, where my father lives. We take him out to lunch and sometimes do other fun stuff — like today, we visited the Georgia Botanical Gardens, to enjoy the fall foliage, which is just now peaking down here in the south.

Here’s a snapshot I took of Dad, Fran, and Rhiannon…

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… while Fran took this photo of me, in one of my more “mystical” moments.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pm and is filed under Family, nature, photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “At the Botanical Gardens”

phil foster Says:
November 11, 2008 at 6:53 am
For some, thankfully, unexplainable reason, your pic reminds me of Wordsworth, “…trailing clouds of glory..”
judith collier Says:
November 11, 2008 at 8:47 pm
You look like an angel with a beard!
Jen Thomsen Says:
November 11, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Thank you Carl for a wonderful Website. I frequently check it out. Love those Christian mystics. Your photo in the Botanic Gardens was very touching…maybe because I also have a daughter 21 with significant disabilities and she is much loved, as I can tell your daughter is also. Much appreciate your spiritual insights. Jen.
phil foster Says:
November 12, 2008 at 8:00 am
Yes, yes, All – 3 angels and a coyote in a garden. Perchance a glimpse of the Kingdom.
claudia mair burney Says:
November 14, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Nice pictures, Carl, such love in them, and the fingers of God all over you in the second. Thanks for sharing them.
Amy Christian ( P&D Amy) Says:
November 22, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You all look great! Been a while since I’ve been to the site, full of good material. Lots of love to you and the family.

Upcoming Class

Introduction to World Mysticism through Emory University's "Evening at Emory" Program.

Madonna is studying the Kabbalah. The Shack is a runaway bestseller. Centuries after he died, everyone's reading Rumi. Yoga, Buddhism and other eastern practices are more popular among Americans than ever. So what gives? At the heart of all these cultural trends is mysticism, a vague word that can be translated as "the spiritual principle at the heart of religion." Many people believe mysticism is the golden thread that unites all the world's religions. Others scoff at the idea. Come decide for yourself in this class as we explore major themes and writings from the world's great mystical traditions. Using Andrew Harvey's The Essential Mystics as our textbook, we'll examine the world's great wisdom traditions — Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as pagan and philosophical forms of mysticism — acknowledging both the common ground and the distinctive qualities of each mystical path. Class is taught from an academic/nonsectarian perspective.
Textbook: The Essential Mystics : Selections from the World's Great Wisdom Traditions.
Instructor: Carl McColman
July 22-August 12, 2009
7:00-9:00 pm
Click here to register

Upcoming Events

Carl McColman will be co-leading the following retreat at the guesthouse of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. For more information or to register, click here.

July 17-19, 2009:
Wisdom of the Christian Mystics
(with Fr. Tom Francis, OCSO)
From the Desert Fathers to Julian of Norwich to Thomas Merton, Christian history is filled with stories of men and women who experienced a profound sense of God's presence in their lives. Can the teachings of the mystics still speak to us today? The mystics themselves would say “yes” – and furthermore, that their message is not just for priests or monks or nuns, but is indeed meant for the entire people of God. With this in mind, during this weekend we will look at several ways in which the wisdom of the Christian mystics can provide insight and inspiration for our age. This will include the universal call to holiness – St. Paul 's directive to “pray without ceasing,” and the promise from the Psalms to “be still and know God.”

Looking Ahead:
October 30-31, 2010
Portland, Oregon: Several Events; Times and Locations to be Announced

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What others say…

"www.anamchara.com is a beautiful site that lists books and web sites introducing all aspects of Christian mysticism."

— Abbot Christopher Jamison, host of "The Monastery" on the BBC

"One of the best spiritual blogs around"

— John Skinner, author of Hear Our Silence and translator of Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love

"Thanks, Carl, for your fine and much needed work."

— Richard Rohr, author of Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

"Recommended website"

— Steven Sadler, author of Looking for God: A Seeker's Guide to Religious and Spiritual Groups of the World

"Carl McColman is part Ken Wilber, part Richard Rohr, and part Indiana Jones’ dad."

— Brittian Bullock, blogger, Sensual Jesus

"As a former professor of education, I tend to critique instructors rather severely. However, Carl McColman, in my opinion, ranks as one of the all-time great instructors. He has an unbelievable mastery of his subject matter & an uncanny ability to translate esoteric matter into understandable form. On top of that, he's very personable. This is my second Evening at Emory Class with Carl and I will sign up for any class that he teaches!"

— Student evaluation form

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