SoulSpace

Once you face your belongings, confront your fears, unclutter your space, and discover your personal desires and truths, you will have more energy, feel more inspired, access more creativity and find refuge, renewal and splendor within your own four walls.

— Xorin Balbes, SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life

Evelyn Underhill suggested that artists, with their devotion to beauty, are naturally kin to mystics with their devotion to God. With this principle in mind, I find Xorin Balbes’ SoulSpace, a lovely and insightful book on the spirituality of interior design, to be a primer on how to create a habitat that reflects and supports your life — including the contemplative life.

Balbes offers an eight-step process for transforming your living space — no matter how messy, cluttered, or uninspiring it might currently be — to create an environment resonant with your deepest values, your sense of style and beauty, and your spiritual aspirations. From learning to truly see what works (and doesn’t work) in your current space, to releasing those things which no longer serve you or nurture your soul, to cleansing, dreaming, discovering and creating what is uniquely right for you — the SoulSpace process invites you into a visionary relationship with your home, affirming the possibility of combining functionality, beauty, and celebration of what is unique about you to design not merely a house, but an inhabitable work of art.

The implications for contemplatives are pretty obvious. A danger of the contemplative life is getting stuck in one’s head — blissing out on the Mind of Christ while the dishes pile up and the litterbox starts to stink. The SoulSpace process is a wonderful corrective to that pitfall, reminding us that how we live is truly a reflection of our inner dynamics. Contemplation invites us to “declutter” our minds and hearts — which, naturally, points to decluttering our physical environment as well. Imagine what your ideal contemplative living space would look like: for me, it’s filled with light, clean and clear, simple, with a sense of comfort and openness. I’m not there yet! I myself struggle with clutter-holicism, so I know creating the ideal living space is easier said than done. But this is why I find SoulSpace to be a wonderful and useful book — built around a practical process, filled with common sense and inspiring stories, it’s a guide to creating integrity between the Divine beauty we find in our soul — and the earthly beauty we can create in our lives.

The Writings of Julian of Norwich

So today is May 13 — the other possible anniversary date for Julian of Norwich’s showings (the first being May 8). So to commemorate this day, I thought I would highlight editions of Julian’s writings that feature her text based on the old handwritten manuscripts we have of her writing — in other words, Julian in Middle English.

There are several editions of Julian in Middle English available. The first one I ever owned was the Colledge & Walsh edition, published by the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies in Toronto. Called A Book of Showings to the Anchoress Julian of Norwich, this was a two volume edition (the short and long texts of Julian’s visions bound separately) with extensive annotations. It’s a wonderful book — the editors drew on all of the most important manuscripts to pull together this edition — but, alas, now out of print. Used copies online range in price from about ten dollars to well over $100 — just be sure that you are getting both volumes, as the books should be sold as a set.

If you really want to go whole hog, you can order from Italy the SISMEL Edizioni del Galluzzo edition of Showing of Love: Extant Texts and Translations, edited by Sr. Anna Maria Reynolds, C.P. and Julia Bolton Holloway. This tome features four of the earliest manuscripts of Julian’s text, along with translations of three of them. Included are transcriptions of the British Library (Amherst) Manuscript of Julian’s “short” text (believed to date to the fifteenth century, making it the oldest Julian manuscript in existence); the Westminster Cathedral, Paris Bibliothèque Nationale, and one of two British Library (Sloan) Manuscripts of Julian’s “long” text (all dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries). Along with the other manuscript in the British Library (Sloan) collection, these are the oldest copies of Julian’s work that we have, and like all handwritten manuscripts there are variations between them (like the date of the revelations: the Paris manuscript has the “XIIIth” of May, while the Sloan manuscript says the “VIIIth” of May). Furthermore, the Paris manuscript appears to have been edited at some point — the language is more formal and regularized than the Sloan manuscript, and its presentation of Julian’s arguments shine with a bit more clarity and polish. By contrast, the Sloan manuscripts seem to be more faithful to Julian’s own voice, showing more linguistic idiosyncrasies that are consistent with the dialect of East Anglia — including Norwich, where Julian lived. So it is nice to have a book that collects these different manuscripts together. It’s not cheap, though: expect to pay about two hundred Euro for the book itself, plus the shipping costs to get the book (it weighs about seven pounds) to you. If you think you want a copy, contact Julia Bolton Holloway directly.

The Showings of Julian of Norwich

Thankfully, less expensive editions of Julian’s writings are available, usually in annotated editions designed for students. My favorite would have to be Nicholas Watson’s and Jacqueline Jenkins’ The Writings of Julian of Norwich, published by Penn State, which includes both the short text and the long text (edited from both the Sloan and Paris manuscripts, creating a sort of “hybrid” edition of the long text). Carefully annotated, balanced in its presentation of modern Julian scholarship and textual criticism, and beautifully typeset, this is the edition of Julian I turn to first.

Meanwhile, Denise N. Baker edited the Norton Critical Edition of The Showings of Julian of Norwich, based on the Paris manuscript. This book features essays by several important scholars, including Grace M. Jantzen, Joan M. Nuth, Caroline Walker Bynum and B. A. Windeatt. And if you really want to economize, the TEAMS Middle English series of books from Western Michigan University includes a student edition of The Shewings of Julian of Norwich which is yours for the bargain price of only $10! Edited by Georgia Ronan Crampton, this book is based on the British Library Sloan manuscripts.

Now, I would encourage anyone interested in discovering Julian in her own voice to acquire all three of the student texts listed here — Watkins/Jenkins, essentially a “hybrid” of the Paris/Sloan manuscripts; Baker, based on the Paris manuscript, and Crampton, based on the Sloan. Why does this matter? Because of the textual differences I mentioned above. We should read the Sloan manuscript to get the best sense of Julian’s own voice, while the Paris manuscript offers the most incisive presentation of her theology. A hybrid edition that draws from both manuscripts hopefully preserves what is best in each, which is why the Penn State edition is so useful. Nevertheless, if you want to be thorough, take the time to explore each of these editions. It’s like listening to music in stereo: the distinctions only make it richer.

The Shewings of Julian of Norwich

Some contemplatives and scholars — a notable example being Maggie Ross — often insist that the only way to truly and fully appreciate the wisdom of a mystic like Julian of Norwich would be to read her in her own voice. I’m not quite that much of a purist: I’d rather see someone read Julian in an imperfect modern rendering of her words than not read her at all. But the more I learn about textual criticism, and the more time I spend with Julian in Middle English, the more I’ve come to appreciate the beauty and importance of reading an author like Julian in her original voice. It’s not like you have to learn Sanskrit or Mandarin Chinese! Middle English is actually quite easy to pick up (I’ve found that if I have difficulty with a passage, reading it aloud will often unlock its meaning), and if you have to have a dictionary handy and find yourself reading the text at a snail’s pace, well, so what? Julian is best read in a lectio divina manner anyway. So take the plunge. Get an edition of Julian’s revelations based on one of the old manuscripts, and explore. I am confident you will be richly blessed.

Answering the Contemplative Call

I am pleased to announce that my forthcoming book, Answering the Contemplative Call: First Steps on the Mystical Path, has been entered into the Amazon.com database. The book will not be released until January 2013, but you can pre-order your copy by clicking here. Eventually the book will also be available on Kindle and Nook, but if you like a good old fashioned paper-and-ink book, you can pre-order this title now.

The Province of Joy

I see in [Flannery] O’Connor an example of a person who has integrated her faith and her art so thoroughly that they have become one practice. In an era wherein such integration is not only rare but is considered by many people in both the sacred and secular realms to be anathema, O’Connor demonstrates that this can be done and done beautifully. Her own art becomes sign and symbol of the creative force that generates and governs the world, and so her writing becomes, both in practice and in fact, a form of sacrament.

— Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, The Province of Joy:
Praying with Flannery O’Connor

First, a disclaimer: I personally am not the kind of person who uses a lot of prayer books. Give me a Bible and a copy of The Liturgy of the Hours and I have everything I need. So it might seem a bit disingenuous for me to commend two books to you that, frankly, I am not likely to use myself. But I am not everybody, and I know that for many people, finding a new prayer book can sometimes be a tremendous help on the journey into the discipline of daily prayer. And so I am happy to mention these two recently published prayer books to those who might find a new approach to written prayer helpful. Both come from the same publisher — Paraclete Press — but that really makes no difference, for they are two unique and distinctive prayer resources.

First up is The Province of Joy, created as a prayer book inspired by the life and writings of the great Southern Gothic Catholic writer, Flannery O’Connor. It’s a rather deceiving concept — but in a good way — in that the book is not about praying prayers by Flannery O’Connor so much as it is using prayers that were meaningful to her (such as the Liturgical hours of Prime and Compline) and meditating on themes from her writings. It’s an interesting concept, and I would commend this not only to people who are fans of O’Connor, but even to anyone who seeks to more fully integrate prayer and artistic creativity in their lives.

I like how the book anthologizes a collection of prayers and devotional poems from authors, poets and saints who O’Connor read and expressed an interest in: folks like John Henry Newman, John Donne, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. This collection is literary, but also devotional. Art and spirituality: they belong together, and The Province of Joy offers a way to integrate these two essential dimensions of life.

Prayer Book of the Early Christians

The other book worth checking out is the Prayer Book of the Early Christians, which comes from Fr. John A. McGuckin, who is perhaps best known as the co-narrator of the movie Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer. McGuckin draws on both eastern and western (Orthodox and Catholic) sources to create a book that combines a simple form of the liturgy of the hours with a generous collection of prayers for special occasions (from grace before meals to prayers for those who have died), a generous collection of Psalms, and prayers by a variety of the ancient saints, including St. Basil the Great, St. Symeon the New Theologian, and St. Ephrem the Syrian. Beautifully bound in navy blue cloth with a ribbon marker, it’s a book that can be used for years to come.

What I like about both of these books is that they are respectful of liturgical prayer while also offering creative new ways to approach such traditional forms of devotion. If you’re just looking for some inspiration in your daily devotions, without too much structure, you could find either of these books useful. But each one also contains forms of daily liturgical prayer that could be especially useful to persons who are new to the idea of formal daily prayer, and as such can be wonderful introductions to this ancient spiritual practice.

The Selfless Way of Christ

One way of defining the spiritual life is to see it as a life in which we keep making connections between God’s story and our own.

— Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ:
Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life

In 1981, Henri Nouwen wrote a series of articles for Sojourners magazine, which were published in book form in 2007 as The Selfless Way of Christ, now newly available in a small paperback edition. Illustrated with a collection of drawings by Vincent Van Gogh, it is an attractive book with content that is simultaneously inspirational and political/countercultural, revealing Nouwen as a master of integrating contemplation and action.

The key to this short book is the phrase found in the subtitle: “downward mobility.” Nouwen here is satirizing our “keeping up with the Joneses” culture — the culture of upward mobility — while suggesting that the spirituality of Christ, of kenosis (self-emptying) impels us to set aside the temptation to upward mobility and its attendant trappings of success, power, prestige and privilege. The path of downward mobility is the path of service, of humility, of self-forgetfulness.

It is perhaps best embodied in the story of Jesus’ sojourn in the desert and the devil’s three temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). Nouwen points out that the three temptations the devil offered to Jesus were the temptations to be relevant, to be spectacular and to be powerful. Each of these is promised by the lure of upward mobility. Jesus resists the temptations by clinging to the word of God, by trust in God, and by prayer. These practices, along with immersion in community, participation in the sacraments, and the ministry of spiritual direction or soul friendship, are all tools that we who follow Jesus can use to resist the siren’s call of upward mobility and instead anchor our identity and sense of mission in the selfless way of Christ.

The book is filled with wonderful little jewels of wisdom. The quotation I chose to begin this post is not so much part of the book’s main argument, but I loved Nouwen’s insightful and unusual way of defining spirituality, and so I wanted to share it here. Spirituality really is the nexus point where each of our stories encounters, and becomes part of, the universal story of God’s creation and love.

This is a short little book but that does not mean it lacks depth or insight. Anyone who ponders the relationship between spirituality and ministry or the quest for justice will find much food for thought here.

Letters of Flannery O'Connor

I’m rather envious of my friend Mark; he works for Andalusia Farm, the home of the great Southern Gothic (and devoutly Catholic) author, Flannery O’Connor. Of course, I suppose Mark is envious of me working at the monastery, so that makes us even!

Anyway, today on his blog Mark posted a truly wonderful excerpt from one of Flannery’s letters, in which she discusses faith, doubt and mystery. Here’s a tidbit to whet your appetite:

A faith that just accepts is a child’s faith and all right for children, but eventually you have to grow religiously as every other way, though some never do. What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross…remember that these things are mysteries and that if they were such that we could understand them, they wouldn’t be worth understanding. A God you understood would be less than yourself.

This quotation comes from Letters of Flannery O’Connor: The Habit of Being. But I would also encourage you to read Mark’s post, on the Andalusia Farm Blog.

Prayer and Prophecy

Contemplation has a context: it does not occur in a vacuum. Today’s context is that of the multinational corporations, the arms race, the strong state, the economic crisis, urban decay, the growing racism, and human loneliness. It is within this highly deranged culture that contemplatives explore the waste of their own being. It is in the midst of chaos and crisis that they pursue the vision of God and experience the conflict which is at the core of the contemplative search. They become part of that conflict and begin to see into the heart of things. The contemplative shares in the passion of Christ which is both an identification with the pain of the world and also the despoiling of the principalities and powers of the fallen world-order.

— Kenneth Leech, Prayer and Prophecy

First, a disclaimer: I have been a fan of Ken Leech ever since someone recommended his classic book on spiritual direction, Soul Friend, to me way back in the 1980s. I met Ken on several occasions in the 1990s, and have been honored to have him endorse two of my books. So I imagine I am disposed from the outset to think highly of Prayer and Prophecy: The Essential Kenneth Leech, since this book gathers together some of the best writing from this singular (and under-appreciated) Anglican contemplative theologian. I am happy to report that this “essential” collection of Ken’s writings lives up to my high expectations. It’s comprehensive, covering Ken’s work from an essay and poem he composed while still a teenager to his renowned writings on Christian spirituality and his lesser known (at least in America) but still vitally important work on addiction, race relations, interfaith dialog (especially with Muslims) and economic justice. Arranged topically rather than chronologically, Prayer and Prophecy is so well-edited that it stands as a cohesive and integral literary work in its own right — it’s possible to read this work, ignoring the footnotes citing where the various sections were first published, and see it not as an anthology but as a powerful summation of a lifetime of spirituality, theology, and social activism, all integrated into a single movement of faith and love. The curse of so many lesser anthologies is that their selections can seem disjointed and disconnected; but the editors of this volume (David Bunch and Angus Ritchie) have done a superb job of arranging Leech’s best writing in such a way as to make it a pleasure to read through.

Leech tells the story of speaking on racism one time in America, only to have an audience member say to him afterward, “That was a wonderful talk, but I bet people confuse you with the other Kenneth Leech, the one who writes books on spirituality!” It’s funny in a sad way, and speaks to how well so many Christians — again, at least in America — can create firewalls between “spirituality” and “social/political action.” The simple truth is, Kenneth Leech the authority on Christian spirituality is the same Kenneth Leech who is widely respected as an authority on combatting racism, drug abuse, urban violence, and poverty. And of all his books that I have read, Prayer and Prophecy is probably the best one-volume introduction to the breadth of his thought.

A cursory look at the table of contents reveals the scope of Leech’s work: “The Trinity,” “Church and Society,” “Faith and Race,” “Worship before Doctrine,” “Nearer to  Holiness,” “Theology and Place.” I should point out that, years before I entered formation as a Lay Cistercian (thus being exposed to the Benedictine value of stability), Kenneth Leech’s commitment to ministry in a single location — the east end of London, where he remained for over forty years — had impressed me both for its counter-cultural stance but also for the inherent wisdom and Christian charity that such a commitment  entails. Leech’s views might not always be comfortable — for example, after having written one of the first books on spiritual direction to be widely read, he eventually became an outspoken critic of how spiritual direction became something of a “fad ministry” in the 1980s and 1990s, and saw the increasing professionalization of spiritual accompaniment as a worrisome trend — but it is clear that he is always motivated by genuine devotion to Christ and authentic care and compassion, particularly for those who often are overlooked or ignored by the institutional church. As someone with only limited knowledge of the east end, I found reading this book to be a little bit like peeking in someone’s diary: Leech is so personal in his writing that he is continually referring to mentors, priests and activists he admired, and various other characters and troublemakers from his neighborhood whose stories for one reason or another needed to be told. Such personal touches naturally make his writing come alive, but also ground his theology and political philosophy in the real world of relationships and community. Indeed, Leech is known as a “community theologian” and  insisted — well articulated in this volume — that theology is best not when it happens in the Ivory Tower, but on the streets. Praise God that Ken Leech lived his theology so honestly and articulated it so well for the rest of us to ponder.

It is encouraging in our time to see more and more Christians begin to recognize the importance of — in Richard Rohr’s words — action and contemplation. Spiritual practice needs engaged/activist ministry, and vice versa. With this in mind, I find Leech’s writing, in which the splendor of Christian spirituality blends so seamlessly with vitally important social action, to be perhaps the best example I know of how ordinary Christians can bring action and contemplation together into a single life of ministry and praise.

Peter Rollins, Insurrection: To Believe is Human, to Doubt, Divine — I’ve been a fan of Peter Rollins since his first book came out five years ago; I’m happy to report that his latest — his first with a major publisher — retains his insightful exploration of apophatic themes such as mystery, unknowing, and darkness. The premise of this book is startling in its simplicity and solid logic: we know that Jesus experienced both suffering and a sense of desolation in being crucified (“My God, why have you forsaken me?”); so any spirituality worthy of being called Christian must likewise take us into a similar harrowing place of despair and doubt. And while Rollins does not flinch from criticizing the church’s cowardice in avoiding the shadow side of the imitation of Christ, his creative theology should prove inspiring for anyone willing to explore the heart of mystery — which, after all, is the essence of authentic mysticism.

Sarah Maitland, A Book of Silence — One of the most luminously beautiful literary works I’ve read in quite some time, this lyrical book functions both as a memoir of Maitland’s journey into a deeper love for, and relationship with, silence, as well as a thoughtful and insightful meditation on the nature, meaning, and spirituality of silence and its first cousin, solitude. Maitland is known not only for her award-winning fiction but also for several works of feminist theology, so naturally this book has a religious feel to it; but she is aware that the pleasures and perils of silence transcend all dogma, and so she draws on secular as well as sacred sources to forge her unique insights on the presence that is found within the absence of sound. If you are serious about exploring contemplative or meditative silence in your own life, read this book; if you’re like me, you will discover new things about yourself in its pages.

Paul Knitter, Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian — One of the most interesting and helpful books on interfaith dialog and interspirituality I have ever read. Knitter, trained in Rome as a Catholic theologian who now teaches at Union Theological Seminary in New York, tells the story of his own faith journey and how both study and practice of Buddhist dharma has strengthened his understanding and identity of being Christian. Although he is clearly wrestling with theological issues, Knitter’s writing is lucid so that even those without formal training in theology can appreciate what he has to say. He considers questions related to God, Christ, heaven, prayer and meditation, and peace, looking at how difficulties inherent in Christian thought can be addressed (if not resolved) by considering Buddhist perspectives. Ultimately Knitter embraces a “dual-practitioner” identity as a committed Christian who is simultaneously a committed Buddhist. But I think anyone who cares about interfaith exploration on any level would benefit from his insightful journey.

Maggie Ross, Writing the Icon of the Heart: In Silence Beholding —This collection of essays explores what it means to be a contemplative in today’s world, from considering the missing element in so many discussions of contemplation (“beholding”), to a frank but sober assessment of how a spiritual awakening might be our only hope as we consider the breadth and depth of environmental degradation that characterizes today’s world. Ross’s writing is infused with an appreciation of wilderness, not only for its own sake but also as a key element in authentic spirituality. Ross writes eloquently about the spirituality of tears — not as some sort of emotional manipulation, as so much religious spectacle seems to promote — but rather as an authentic embracing of sorrow, of loss, of repentance, of grief, of letting-go — that ushers us in to that place, where, in our letting go (kenosis) we encounter the kenotic God. This is the place of transfiguration, beyond any “technology” or “experience.”

Martin Laird, A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness and Contemplation — A sequel to his masterful introduction to contemplative prayer, Into the Silent Land (if you, or the person you’re gifting, hasn’t read that book, then get it too!). Laird’s writing is economical and clear, offering gentle and practical advice for those seeking to establish a regular practice of resting in silence as a way to embrace the Mystery of God. Laird particularly shines when he addresses common problems in the practice of prayer, including boredom, distractions that cloud awareness, and dealing with emotional challenges such as panic or depression. He is a keen observer of how the grasping dimension of the human mind (the “ego”) subtly tries to undermine the vast freedom of true contemplation, and offers practical advice for lessening the egoic grip and learning to humbly receive the gifts that God offers us in radical silence.

James Martin, My Life with the Saints — A book that is both sweetly inspirational and gently honest, this memoir of popular Catholic author James Martin tells his spiritual autobiography by detailing the many saints for whom he has had special devotions over the years. Martin has a broad understanding of sainthood (he includes in his list Thomas Merton, who is most assuredly not on the Vatican’s short list for canonization) and introduces us to both well-known (Francis of Assisi) and more obscure (Aloysius Gonzaga) examples of the heroes of sanctity. And while it is always enlightening to read his encomiums for figures like Mother Teresa or the Ugandan Martyrs, what really makes this book a must-read is the insight readers get into Martin himself, who manages to pull off the tricky matter of balancing candor about himself with heartfelt devotion to both Christ and the Church.

Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life — This book considers how the goals and purpose of the spiritual life evolve over the lifespan; what is important and necessary in the first half of life might actually impede our spiritual calling in the second half. But as an institution, Christianity is almost exclusively geared toward first-half-of-life issues (creating a spiritual identity, finding one’s place in the world, and adopting a code of conduct appropriate for that identity and place) and leaves those wrestling with the second-half-of-life issues (finding meaning, giving back to others, learning to let go of the limitations that identity/place entail) to basically fend for themselves. Without attacking the church for its limitations, Rohr offers a viable roadmap for those who wish to embrace the wisdom of maturity, even when it leads to places that traditional religion simply is not equipped to address.

Roland Merullo, Breakfast with Buddha — This novel explores the collision point between skepticism and spirituality during an unlikely road trip where a skeptical New York businessman named Otto and a Buddhist roshi travel together from New Jersey to North Dakota. Trying to make the most of it, Otto shows his passenger a slice of American life, from visiting Hershey’s Chocolate Factory to an evening at a bowling alley; the roshi, meanwhile, gently challenges Otto to see both his dysfunctional family dynamics and his own armored way of doing life in a new light. Whimsically written and at times laugh-out-loud funny, this book pulls off a rare feat: it gives both faith and doubt an authentic voice, and finds a way to make peace with both secular cynicism and spiritual belief without throwing either viewpoint under the proverbial bus. Otto never becomes a true believer, but his encounter with the spiritual master does change him in some surprising ways.

Julian of Norwich, All Shall Be Well: Revelations of Divine Love, translated by Ellyn Sanna — I’ve looked at many translations of Julian of Norwich over the  years, and at first glance, this one seems the most offbeat: the translator sometimes changes words where the meaning in the middle English has now become obscured, even if the word is still used in today’s religious circles: for example, Christ’s passion (a topic dear to Mother Julian) is called in this book Christ’s “endurance.” Also, following Julian’s assertion that God is both father and mother, this translation uses the pronoun “she” often when referring to God. While purists may decry this work for its inaccuracy, I see it as similar to Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of the Bible: as a paraphrase designed to introduce new readers to the work, and to startle “old timers” with a fresh way of approaching the text. I’m seeing this first-hand: this has become my wife’s favorite translation of Julian, and she’s giving several copies to friends this Christmas. As a bonus, the Kindle version is very attractively priced at only $5.99.

Leif Hetland, Seeing Through Heaven’s Eyes: A World View that will Transform Your Life — I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, but my wife is plowing through it and loves it. Hetland is a Norwegian pastor, a living prodigal son figure who returned from a life of drug addiction and homelessness to embrace a truly mystical spirituality that emphasizes God’s passionate love for each of us. Hetland writes that we have been created “to bear God’s image and to establish His heavenly Kingdom here on earth.” With a theology reminiscent of Thomas Merton’s epiphany, Hetland sees each human being as a co-creator and co-lover with God, called to dance with the Trinity and the human family in a circle of love, joy and harmony. To see through heaven’s eyes is to see all things how God sees — with Godly love, compassion and purpose.

Lorna Byrne, Angels in My Hair: The True Story of a Modern-Day Irish Mystic — A publicist sent me a review copy of this book, probably because it has the word “mystic” in the title. I think it’s rather more accurate to describe Byrne as a visionary who sees the presence of angels around her and others. My wife loves memoirs so I passed it on to her, and she has been talking about this book ever since. Byrne tells her story of growing up poor in Ireland, of becoming a young widow with four children at home, and finally breaking through her dyslexia to find the confidence to tell her remarkable story. The angels are a source of encouragement, guidance, comfort, and assistance, and Byrne’s message, which comes from her own angelic guides, is simple and hopeful: each of us has angels waiting to support us; all we have to do is ask.

Robert A. Emmons, Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier — After a meditation instructor recommended I read this book, I found a copy, but my wife got to it first. This is a book about gratitude and the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits that arise from cultivating thankfulness in one’s life. Emmons gathers a wealth of scientific data and personal anecdotes to survey the research done on this topic, and shows that something as simple as keeping a daily gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can provide observable benefits such as increased sleep and improved energy levels. By cultivating gratitude, we learn to want and enjoy the present blessings in our life, which in turn leads to an increased well-being, allowing for even greater joy. That’s a feedback loop anyone can benefit from! The final chapter includes practical tips for increasing the gratitude quotient in your life.

Finally, if you’d like a few more gift ideas, please visit my Amazon store: http://astore.amazon.com/earthmystic — and I humbly hope you will consider giving my books as gifts! Here are the direct links: The Big Book of Christian Mysticism and The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader. Many blessings to you and your loved ones for a  happy holiday season.

It looks great on a Kindle!

Amazon’s announcement yesterday of several new versions of the Kindle, including a reader that retails for only $79 and their first color reader (for a mere $199), should convince even the most confirmed skeptic that not only are e-books here to stay, but that they will follow the path of the MP3, and only become increasingly popular as a reading format. My latest sales report for The Big Book of Christian Mysticism shows that e-book sales account for almost 25% of the book’s total sales (impressive, since it is currently only available on the Kindle, although my editor assures me that the Nook and Kobo versions are in the works). I think we can safely assume that the percentage of e-book sales, especially on new books, will only grow over time.

To me, there’s no point in arguing over the merits of paper books versus e-books, or getting self-righteous because studies show that people are more likely to browse e-books than read them thoroughly, yada yada yada. We are all entitled to our opinions, but the e-book is not going anywhere (and neither is the paper book). To me, e-books represent just one more format for books, along with the various formats already available: hardback books, trade paperbacks, and mass market paperbacks. Just as the paperback did not kill the hardback, so the e-book will not totally render paper books obsolete. As an author, I’m happy to see my books available in as many formats as possible — after all, I want to reach as many readers as possible.

So, with all that in mind, I thought I’d post links to the various available e-book formats of my titles, current as of today. Obviously, there are some gaps that still need to be filled in (and my agent has already gotten an earful from me about this). But whether your favorite e-reader is the Kindle, the iPad, the Kobo, or the Nook, you can find at least one or two of my books for your reading pleasure. Just follow the links…

Kindle Versions:

• The Big Book of Christian Mysticism
• The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
• Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses
• Before You Cast a Spell
• When Someone You Love is Wiccan
• The Well-Read Witch

Nook Versions:

• The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism

Kobo Versions:

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism

iBook Versions:

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism

Of course, if you are like me and still prefer the old-fashioned paper & glue & ink type of book, you can always order The Big Book of Christian Mysticism or The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader or any of my other books in all their low-tech glory.

Happy reading, my friends!

St. Vincent's Archabbey

Thank you to Joann D. of Tucker, GA, who recently donated $32 to help me send copies of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism to two monasteries. Thanks to her generosity, today I’ll be mailing copies of the book to St. Leo’s Abbey in St. Leo’s, Florida, and St. Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

That brings us up to thirty-four monasteries, convents, and retreat centers where donated copies of the book have been sent. I’m asking the monasteries to please place the books in their libraries, and/or their guesthouse libraries, where hopefully the books can be a blessing for individuals making retreats.

There are still plenty of spiritual communities and centers where I’d like to send a copy of the book. Do you think you could help out? Click here for more details.