One of the most attractive, although challenging, qualities of the Cistercian charism is simplicity. It’s a principle immediately apparent in Cistercian architecture: the monasteries and churches of the Cistercian order,…
Get Verbum to Study the Bible, Explore the Mystics, and… Read a Few of My Books, Too!
It’s no secret to anyone who has been reading my blog for a while that I’m a huge fan of Verbum. Verbum is a Bible study software designed specifically for…
Christianity and “Other” Philosophies — Discerning Boundaries (and When to Cross Them)
A question came to me recently from a reader named Allen: I am reading some stoic philosophy. Can we learn from other philosophies or is all we need to know…
Julian of Norwich, Universal Salvation, and “All Shall Be Well”
A long-time reader of this blog emailed me recently with the following question about Julian of Norwich: Lately I’ve been re-reading the Showings of Julian of Norwich and am struck…
Hildegard’s Mystical Vision of the Trinity
Today is the feast day of the medieval mystic, saint, and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard of Bingen. She died on September 17, 1179. I previously wrote a column about…
A Celtic Perspective on Abundance
A few days ago I posted the transcript of a talk I gave at a Celtic spirituality conference at Southern Illinois University, way back on May 1, 1999. Today’s post…
Spirituality, Fantasy, and the Divine Imagination
On September 12 and 13, 2020, I directed an online retreat for the Monastery of the Holy Spirit on “the Spirituality of the Divine Imagination.” The retreat draws from three…
What are the gifts of Celtic Spirituality for our age?
Here is a blast from the past: a talk I gave at a Celtic spirituality conference at Southern Illinois University, way back on May 1, 1999. Public speaking was still…
Seven Secrets of the Christian Mystics — That Everyone Should Know
I had a conversation with several members of my Patreon circle the other day. We talked about the kinds of challenges people face when it comes to learning about contemplation…
Mystical Recital: Keren Dibbens-Wyatt’s Divine Prose-Poem
Some of the greatest mystics in history have written lyrical, imaginative poetry and prose in which they express the voice of God. From Catherine of Genoa’s Spiritual Dialogue to the poetry of…
Mysticism, Esotericism, Exotericism, Occultism… Sorting Through the Spiritual Wilderness
A reader posted this recently on my Facebook feed: I have a question, have you covered the differences between exoteric vs. esoteric spirituality? thanks. huge and vast topic… My reply:…
Eternal Heart: The Mystical Path to a Joyful Life (Pre-Order Now)
St. Augustine said that the human heart is restless until it rests in God. I certainly have a restless heart, and I suspect most people do. But what if the…