In these extraordinary times that we find ourselves in, I have been profoundly moved at how meaningful online retreats and courses have become for so many. Everyone knows that Zoom…
Author: Carl McColman
Soul Friend and Storyteller. Lay Cistercian, Centering Prayer Presenter, Author, Blogger, Podcaster, Speaker, Teacher, Retreat Leader.
Books For Understanding the Wisdom and Theology of Julian of Norwich
It’s no secret to anyone who reads this blog that I consider Julian of Norwich to be one of, if not simply the, greatest of western Christian mystics. I’m not…
Dreams, Songs, and Sorrow: Three Celtic Poets to Read Now
Ireland is a land shaped by myth, story, and poetry — and her sister countries in the Celtic world, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and so forth, all share in their affinity…
A Drop of Water is Not the Ocean (Understanding Mystical Union and Nonduality)
Borrowing a concept from eastern spirituality, in a Christian sense nonduality is the recognition that a profound spiritual unity exists between God and God’s creation, even though there is also a recognized distinction between Creator and creature. That may seem contradictory, although it’s more properly seen as paradoxical.
Evelyn Underhill, Baron Friedrich von Hügel, and the Journey of Spiritual Formation
Today (June 15) is a day for remembering the passing of Evelyn Underhill, who died on this day in 1941. If you are new to Evelyn Underhill, she was probably…
Where Do You Draw the Line: Discerning Appropriate Boundaries for Interspiritual Practice
I recently received a letter from a reader of this blog who grew up an evangelical Baptist, and when to a conservative Christian school, the kind of place where if…
A Friend Called Me Out For Hiding Behind My White Privilege. She Did the Right Thing.
Last week, when the story about Amy Cooper, the white woman in Central Park who called the police after a black man simply requested that she leash her dog, was…
An Examen of the Senses
Today I want to share with you something I co-wrote with my wife, Fran. For our RCIA program, we often begin or end our meeting with an Examen — a…
The Communion of Saints Who Watch Over Me As I Write
Today’s post is just for fun! This morning on Facebook my cousin Danny, up in Manhattan, made a comment about the beautiful icon of the Holy Cross, written by iconographer…
Praying with the English Mystics
Dear friends, I have now experienced what it is like to direct a spiritual retreat online. And while it is certainly not the same thing as a retreat in person…
Hildegard of Bingen: A Medieval Mystic Superstar
A human being is a vessel that God has built for himself and filled with his inspiration so that his works are perfected in it. ~ Hildegard of Bingen, Letter…
How to Find the Right Contemplative Community
A reader named Brian writes: Being a Lay Cistercian seems to be an important part of your journey. I’m wondering if becoming an oblate is a next step for me?…