N.B. I wrote this post for my new Substack publication, Mystical Journey. But since the message is timely, I’m cross-posting it here. Despite its significant flaws, Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey…
Tag: silence
Of Love and Silence
This morning I wrote a little poem. I’m no Mary Oliver or John Keats, of course. But perhaps this is something worth saying. Our words and our myths can connect…
Read a Book About Silence (and support “Encountering Silence”)
Friends, many of you know the podcast I co-host, Encountering Silence (and if you don’t know it, check it out!). The following list of books represents some of my co-hosts’ and my…
After the Fire: Finding God in Silence and Stillness
Like so many English-speaking Christians, I grew up immersed in the words and rhythms of the King James Version of the Holy Bible. So much of the language and lyricism…
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…
Even Your Breath Can Be Your “Sacred Word”
A reader of this blog submitted this question: How explicitly Christian does the prayer word need to be in contemplative prayer (e.g., Centering Prayer)? My quiet-time practice is a hybrid…
Contemplation
So contemplation, mystically speaking, is one type of prayer. And the Catechism definition gives us a pretty good way of understanding this unique dimension of communication with God.
How My Surrogate Grandmother Introduced Me to Silence
When I was a small boy, there was a lady named Mrs. Frazier who lived across the street from my home. Mrs. Frazier and her husband were a bit older…
Heart to Heart, Simple Awareness of Love
Recently I received this message from a new reader of this blog… Hi Carl, I found your site yesterday. I am a beginner and the Lord has been telling me…
What Contemplatives Think of Their Prayer Practice (and What We Can Do To Grow in Prayer)
Over the years I’ve had the privilege to speak to many people who practice, or are interested in practicing, Christian forms of silent prayer. Since I myself practice Centering Prayer,…
In Silent Prayer, We Let Thoughts Go… Even Holy Thoughts?
A reader writes, Hi Carl. I have a question that I can never find a clear answer to. In Zen meditation, one is to sit silently, and if thoughts come…
Some Journal Entries from A Young Aspiring Contemplative
I’ve been refurbishing my office over the past few months, and so one of the tasks I’ve taken on is reviewing my old journals. Most of them I’m content to…