Friends, I’m pleased to announce that I have launched a new section on this website called Via Mystica. To visit it, click here: www.viamystica.com. Via Mystica is a website devoted entirely to…
What Do We Mean When We Talk About God
A reader writes, Carl, after reading the article today, What is Spiritual Formation?, I wondered if you’ll tell me what you meant by the word ‘God’? I get stuck on…
Love, Miracles, and the Fullness of Joy
The following message was shared with the congregation of Unity Atlanta on Sunday, June 30, 2019. I was the guest preacher for a “multi-faith Sunday” and so I geared my…
What is Spiritual Formation?
My children, I am again in the pain of childbirth, until Christ is formed in you… — Galatians 4: 19 For God beholds with his merciful eyes not what you…
Eight Pagan Books (by a Christian Author)
In my book Unteachable Lessons I tell how I spent a period of time estranged from Christianity — the faith I was brought up in, and the faith I adhere to now….
Spirituality and Technology: How Can New Ways of Communicating and Learning Support Our Ancient Practices of Prayer?
A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a daily prayer practice. Most of the people who gave me feedback on the post expressed…
Miann: The Ardent Desire for God
I’m preparing for a retreat I’ll be leading in Scotland next month, and so I’m reading a book called Island Spirituality: Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris by Alastair McIntosh. In…
Thin Places, Contemplation, and Discernment
Recently I led a Celtic spirituality retreat through the Copper Beech Institute in Connecticut. During the retreat we talked about such topics as the spirituality of holy wells, thin places,…
The Feast Day of Julian of Norwich: May 8 (or May 13?)
We know the first woman who wrote a book in the English language (at least, the first one that has been preserved for posterity). But there is a lot about that author, who lived in the fourteenth century, that we don’t know. We know she was a visionary based in Norwich, England.…… Read more at Patheos
Playful & Survival: A Proposal for New Language as an Alternative to “False” and “True” Self
A reader named Dave recently sent this question to me: Hi Carl, could you please give me some suggestions on reading for the false self/ego? Just going through early chapters of New Seeds of Contemplation and it’s really gripped me to dive deeper. He didn’t specify what passage(s) in New Seeds…… Read more at Patheos
The Challenges of Spiritual Simplicity
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, whether built in the 12th century or the 20th, are typically remarkable for their aesthetic simplicity. There are few if…… Read more at Patheos
Persevering Through the Dry Times of Prayer
In response to a post I wrote last year — “What to Do When Prayer Gets Dull” — a reader recently left this comment on Facebook: Carl, I think it would be useful to guide folks about what to do if the dryness period persists….I find comfort in reading mystic…… Read more at Patheos