An email came to me today, with this question: Dear Carl, I read your Big Book of Christian Mysticism a few years back, and it was very helpful for me in…
Tag: spirituality
A Theology of Love: Why Julian of Norwich Matters
Nota bene: I’ve been asked to write a short reflection on why Julian of Norwich matters to me. Here it is. I first “met” Julian of Norwich through reading Evelyn Underhill’s…
Online Course: Wisdom of the Christian Mystics (with Tessa Bielecki)
I’m excited to be offering this online course exploring the wisdom of the Christian mystics in partnership with my colleague and friend Tessa Bielecki. We will be celebrating the wisdom…
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…
Spiritual Lessons from a Pilgrimage to Ireland
I wrote the following article in 2002, when I was exploring Celtic paganism. I found it recently while looking for something in my archives and I thought it was worth…
A Lesson on Creativity and Risk-Taking from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Publisher
Today I had a conversation with a friend who is working on a manuscript for a book to be published in the next year or so. We were chatting about…
Seven Mystical Affirmations
Currently I’m reading two classic self-help books, both for my personal edification and as research for a project I’m working on. The books are Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and John Bradshaw’s Healing…
Less than 12% of the Catholic Catechism is devoted to spirituality. That, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the church today.
Over the years I have discovered that there are three types of people interested in Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality: Some are practicing Christians, active in their local parish or…
Some Thoughts on the Roaring 20s — for 2020 (and Beyond)
I’m writing this on the second day of January 2020 — and I’m mindful of an amusing meme that made its way around Facebook last week. By the time you…
A Few Thoughts on the Passing of Ram Dass
Ram Dass, author of many books including the spiritual masterpiece Be Here Now, has died. He passed away yesterday, 22 December 2019, at his home in Maui. He was 88 years…
Online Course: Wisdom of the Christian Mystics (Columbia Seminary)
I’ve offered this course on the spirituality of the Christian Mystics several times through Columbia Seminary’s Center for Lifelong Learning. We’re adapting it to an online format and are pleased…
Ora et Labora and Right Livelihood: Some Notes Toward a Contemplative Spirituality of Work
Most of us spend a lot of time working — so what is the spirituality of work? And how does work impact, or integrate with, our spiritual practice? The motto…