Support Anamchara through Patreon
Readers like you make this website possible. Anamchara — an online resource for the exploration of Christian and interfaith mysticism, contemplative living, and silent prayer — includes a blog, a …
Online Event: The Spirituality of Star Trek (February 17, 2022)
I recently had a conversation with my friend and colleague Alice Camille (author of books like Isaiah and the Kingdom of Peace) about our shared love for Star Trek. Well, before …
Online Event: The Spirituality of Star Trek (February 17, 2022) Read More »
The Most Common Criticism of Centering Prayer — and Why It’s a Fallacy
Sigh. Last night I stumbled across yet another website from a well-meaning, but obviously misinformed, Catholic blogger who attacks Centering Prayer as “un-Catholic.” Not only has she spilled a lot …
The Most Common Criticism of Centering Prayer — and Why It’s a Fallacy Read More »
Putting the “Christian” into “Christian Mysticism”
Mysticism crosses all religious and spiritual boundaries. In other words, mysticism — like prayer or meditation or worship or sacrifice — is a universal spiritual/religious concept, not something that is …
Putting the “Christian” into “Christian Mysticism” Read More »
Cindy Lou Harrington (1953-2021)
Friends, I am sad to have learned of the passing of our dear friend Cindy Lou Harrington. If you have read Eternal Heart you met Cindy Lou on page 59. She …
Do the Ten Commandments Still Matter?
N.B. Today’s post is a meditation on the Ten Commandments that I wrote for the people who support this blog through Patreon. I’m sharing this particular post with the public …
In-Person Event: Praying with Thomas Merton and Ignatius of Loyola (July 15-17, 2022)
I’m so pleased to be returning to Ignatius House for my first in-person retreat since before the pandemic! I’ve been asked to revisit one of my most popular retreats, which …
In-Person Event: Praying with Thomas Merton and Ignatius of Loyola (July 15-17, 2022) Read More »
The Cathedral Beyond the Forest (A Dream)
Last night I had this dream: Fran and I were visiting friends who had a beautiful house out in the woods. The house was covered with natural wood paneling that …
In Person Event: Praying with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (July 8-10, 2022)
I am SO excited to be returning to Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY! I was honored to lead several online retreats for this monastic community during the pandemic; …
In Person Event: Praying with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (July 8-10, 2022) Read More »
All the Episodes of Encountering Silence in One Audio Player
The Encountering Silence podcast, which I co-host, is available through all the normal podcast channels, from Apple (iTunes) to Google to Spotify to Amazon. So please listen to it using …
All the Episodes of Encountering Silence in One Audio Player Read More »
Seven Years in Heaven
Yesterday — August 30, 2021 — marked the seventh anniversary of the 2014 passing of Fran’s and my daughter, Rhiannon. It was a stormy evening here in Atlanta, as we …
Between Thomas Keating and Teilhard de Chardin: On Finding Your Own Personal Spiritual Style
Have you ever heard of the Enneagram or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? These are psychological tools that we can use to discover the unique characteristics of our personalities. Are you …
Online Event: Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life (Dates: January 10-February 7, 2022)
Columbia Theological Seminary has a splendid certificate program for spiritual formation, and this four-week online course is the introductory program for those who wish to participate. But even if you …
Online Event: Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life (Dates: January 10-February 7, 2022) Read More »
Questions About Different Methods of Contemplation
Recently I had an email exchange with a long-standing reader of this blog. With that person’s permission, I am sharing the conversation here, edited to protect the reader’s privacy. The …
Questions About Different Methods of Contemplation Read More »
Online Evening Program: Gratitude in the Chaos of Life (November 11, 2020)
My friends at Friendship Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia (home of the B-52s and R.E.M.!) have invited me back to facilitate another one of their online forums. Here’s the details: registration …
Online Evening Program: Gratitude in the Chaos of Life (November 11, 2020) Read More »
Online Retreat Day: At the Edge of Waiting: Centering Prayer and Celtic Spirituality (October 30, 2021)
In celebration of the Christian feast days of All Saints and All Souls — and the ancient Celtic New Year, which happened at this same time — you are invited …