Contemplation begins with Wonder.
What Are you Wondering About Today?
Latest Posts
Evelyn Underhill’s Historical Sketch of Mysticism
This essay originally appeared in Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness (1911). As that book is now in the public domain, and as this article is an excellent best brief summary of Christian mysticism, at least through the 18th century (with some consideration of non-Christian mystics as well), I’m publishing it here for the benefit of the readers of this site.
What is the Best Church for Christian Mysticism and Contemplation?
What is the best church for someone interested in contemplative practice? Is it better to be anchored in one tradition, or to resist affiliation with any one tradition, in the interest of maintaining an openness to God’s wisdom and guidance wherever it may arise?
What is the Best Method for Silent Prayer?
What advice would you have for someone who who wants to reboot their contemplative prayer practice? I flit between the Jesus Prayer and Centering Prayer. I find Centering Prayer “easier” but I find The Jesus Prayer grounds me in Christ.Â
How Much Daily Silent Prayer Do We Need?
My advice is, make sure at least some of your prayer  is prayed in silence. So I’m suggesting that, even though there are many different ways to pray, each of us can benefit from cultivating silence into our prayer lives, hopefully on a daily basis.
Spiritual But Not Religious: A Mystical Approach
“I’m spiritual but not religious.” It’s an increasingly common way for people to identify their relationship to spirituality (as a system for personal growth) and religion (as an institution that requires membership, conformity, and submission).
The Fruit of the Spirit… and the Fraught Words that Divide Us
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things… if we live by the Spirit,…
Upcoming Events: In New York, Maryland, and Online
Friends, just want to make sure everyone is aware of a few upcoming events I have on the calendar. Join me for a retreat and a book signing in New…
The Relationship Between Meditation, Mysticism and Contemplation
A long-term reader and patron of this blog recently wrote to me this message: Just what is a contemplative person or for that matter tradition? Is a Christian mystic by…
The Pilgrim as Interspiritual Archetype
A little while back I wrote a blog post called “Five Approaches to Interspirituality.” In this post, I compare interspiritual practice to having a relationship with more than one country…
Where to Rest Your Awareness in Centering Prayer
A reader of this blog recently wrote this question to me: I’ve read and listened to Fr. Thomas Keating quite a bit but am still a little confused regarding where…