There are literally hundreds of mystics in the Christian tradition alone — or, should I say, hundreds of mystics who were writers (no one knows how many great mystics were…
Category: Mysticism
Encountering Christian Mysticism with the “Mystics and Skeptics” Podcast
Hi friends, I recently was a guest on the “Mystics and Skeptics” podcast. Needless to say, we talked about… Christian mysticism, of course! Sybil, the host of the “Mystics and…
The Wrath of God and Wishful Thinking (or, Julian of Norwich and Biblical Images of God)
Recently a reader of this blog wrote the following to me: I am just starting out on this journey and feel drawn to the mystical/contemplative side of Christianity. To this…
The Erotic Dimension of Mystical Spirituality (or, Why Do Mystics Love the Song of Songs?)
Almost from the beginning of the Christian era, mystics and saints and theologians and spiritual teachers have reflected on one of the most beautiful and poetic of the “wisdom writings”…
Divine Union is Embodied: Notes on the Incarnational Nature of Christian Mysticism
I’ve been working my way through Mystical Theology and Contemporary Spiritual Practice: Renewing the Contemplative Tradition, a book in Routledge’s “Contemporary Theological Explorations in Mysticism” series. There’s a delightful essay in it…
Mystical Minute II: The Book that Changed my Life
Here’s the second release in my new series of “Mystical Minute” videos. The topic of this one: “the book that changed my life.” This is a brief introduction to Mysticism…
The Christian of the Future — a New “Mystical Minute” Video for Contemplative Seekers
Friends, here is a new video I’d like to share with you. God willing, this will be the first of a series of videos I will be creating in the…
In Case You Missed It — Here’s a Recording of the Launch of “The Contemplative Study of Mystical Writings”
Over 100 people came out to join me in an exploration of my new initiative, an online course, which I hope will be the first of a series I’m calling…
A Great Mystical Book — With a Surprising Title
I’ve recently been re-reading one of the most fascinating and unusual books of mystical wisdom to have been written within the last 100 years. This is actually my third time…
Why Julian of Norwich Matters to Me
I first “met” Julian of Norwich through reading Evelyn Underhill’s magisterial book Mysticism: The Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness. Underhill’s book changed my life, for a number of reasons: it…
Does Talking About a Mystical Experience Make it Stronger?
If you share with others a moment of profound mystical insight that you have does it, in fact, make it stronger and real for the person with the epiphany? In other words, in the retelling does it gain strength?
Do We Lose Our Identity When We Become One with God?
So much of the language of the New Testament, and of so many of the mystics (at least in the Christian tradition), is language of love. God is love (or as I like to say, “Love-with-a-capital-L”). We love because God first loved us. God’s love is poured into our hearts.