In your list of books, you did not include John of the Cross’s Ascent of Mount Carmel. While he spends much time reconciling traditional theology with mystical theology and experience, his explication of the psychology of mystical experience is insightful and, for me, quite helpful.
THE WEBSITE OF UNKNOWING (www.anamchara.com) is all about Christian mysticism, Celtic wisdom, interfaith spirituality, the emergent conversation, and assorted other topics.
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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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Carl McColman talks about mysticism: what it is, and why it matters, in this interview which originally aired on Atlanta's AM 1690 in September 2008. Click here to listen.
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
Free Julian Prayer Cards!
If you'd like a free Julian of Norwich Prayer Card, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
Carl McColman P.O. Box 1146 Clarkston, GA 30021
I'll send you three cards (one for you and two for friends). Sorry, I can only send these to addresses in the USA.
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or send old-fashioned mail to:
Carl McColman
Post Office Box 1146
Clarkston, GA 30021
USA
March 4, 2009 at 11:52 am
In your list of books, you did not include John of the Cross’s Ascent of Mount Carmel. While he spends much time reconciling traditional theology with mystical theology and experience, his explication of the psychology of mystical experience is insightful and, for me, quite helpful.
March 4, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Look under “Writings of the Mystics: the Spanish Mystics” on the Books of Unknowing page. All four of John of the Cross’s major works are included.