Wild Goose Festival! Wisdom Camp and Other Programs (Harmony, NC: In-Person Event)
I’ll be back at the Wild Goose Festival — will I see you there?
Click here to purchase your tickets for the Wild Goose Festival: use coupon code A-CM to save $50!!!
Friends, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina the week before Labor Day! And if you haven’t registered yet, I have a coupon code you can use to save $50 off of your admission price!
If you don’t know the Wild Goose Festival, a treat awaits you. Founded in 2011, the Wild Goose Festival brings together musicians, artists, activists and contemplatives for several days of reflection, conversation and community. We gather at a campground about an hour north of Charlotte, NC, and weave together themes of creativity, spirituality and justice to support one another in envisioning a future marked by hope and possibility.
Like last year, I am co-leading a day-long workshop on Thursday, September 3 on the theme of “Radical Mysticism.” I’m also leading two 1-hour presentations during the main festival (exact dates and times have not yet been confirmed). And I’ll probably show up for a panel discussion or two — stay tuned as we work out the details!
The Wild Goose Festival is a camping event, although hotels and AirBnB rentals can be found in the vicinity. Admission to the festival covers all programming from Thursday evening through Sunday morning; if you want to attend the Thursday “Wisdom Camp” program, there is a separate admission fee just for that event.
Visit www.wildgoosefestival.org to learn more about the Wild Goose Festival.
To purchase your tickets for both Wisdom Camp and the main festival, click on this link: www.wildgoosefestival.org/tickets/ and select “Buy Tickets Now.” Remember to use the code A-CM to get $50 off of your adult regular admission. Also, be sure to register before June 20 — ticket prices go up after that.
Here is the description of my events: hope to see you there!
Wisdom Camp: Radical Mysticism (Thursday, September 3)
What happens when contemplation refuses to stay quiet and compassion refuses to sit still? Since the story of Mary and Martha, seekers have wrestled with the tension between stillness and service, between listening deeply and acting boldly. Yet across spiritual history, some of the most transformative voices have woven these threads together: mystics who reshaped the world, and activists whose work flowed from profound interior depth. Drawing inspiration from legendary mystics, psychologists and activists such as Howard Thurman, Simone Weil, the Buddha, Carl Jung, Esther Perel, and Gabor Maté, this day-long gathering invites participants into a spacious exploration of inner life as a compass for courageous, meaningful engagement with the world. Guiding the experience are Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman, two Atlanta-based contemplative co-conspirators committed to curiosity, connection, and holy imagination. Carl is the author of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Read the Bible Like a Mystic, and other works that explore contemplative wisdom for everyday life. Debonee is a queer-centric therapist, death doula, community convener, and executive director of Zeitgeist, a center without walls for spiritually independent seekers and their allies. Together they draw from a wide constellation of contemplative communities, including the Living School, Shalem, Contemplative Outreach, Holy Rascals, Ligare, and the California Institute for Integral Studies. Expect rich conversation, shared discernment, playful spirituality, and an openhearted trust that deep listening can spark creative, love-rooted action in our time. Our day will include short presentations from Deb and Carl, conversations with them (and all participants), exercises for discernment and possibility-play, somatic practices like meditation and embodied prayer, and an appreciation for rest, silence, wonder, and not-knowing.
Our Schedule for this Day-Long Event:
- Playful Possibilities for the Contemporary Crisis with Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman
- Dissolving Binaries, Dissolving Dualities: The Polarity and Paradox of the Contemplative Life with Carl McColman
- Morning Practice: Befriending Silence and Stillness
- Trauma and Broken Attachment: From Woundedness to Wholeness with Debonee Morgan
- Contemplation as Resistance: The Subversive Side of Mary and Martha with Carl
- Love and Re-ligion: Authenticity and Beauty (Beyond the Institution) with Debonee
- Afternoon Practice: Embodied Prayer/Meditation
- Living Presence: Conversation and Connection in the Service of Personal and Planetary Healing with Carl and Debonee
During the main festival (September 4-6, 2026), I’ll be facilitating these events:
What’s In a Name? Renaming as a Path of Spiritual Transformation (1 Hour Program, date and time TBD)
At least eight significant figures in the Biblical tradition undergo a name change. Some are subtle (like Abram becoming Abraham), some dramatic (Jacob becoming Israel) and others perhaps even a bit playful (Simon becoming Peter). Meanwhile, changing one’s name is part of many religious and spiritual traditions around the world, from taking on a “saint’s name” during a Catholic confirmation to receiving an entirely new identity as the result of a shamanic initiation. What can we learn from the spirituality of new names? We’ll begin our journey by reflecting on the wisdom of fantasy writer George MacDonald, whose sermon “The New Name” explores the mystical implications of taking or receiving a new appellation. We’ll consider nicknames, pet names, legal name changes, and new names related to transgender transitions. We’ll talk about how to find a new name, the joys and challenges of sharing it with others, and the issues involved in releasing a former of “dead” name.
Our time together will include a guided meditation to celebrate the power of naming, whether we are called by a name we’ve had for 50 days or 50 years.
Self-Care as Spiritual Resistance (1 Hour Program, date and time TBD)
Audre Lorde’s powerful words remind us: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” For contemplatives and contemplative activists, this truth is essential. Contemplation is often dismissed as self-indulgent or escapist, yet those who practice it know better: it is rigorous spiritual work that strengthens us to resist empire, distinguish living faith from rigid institutions, and sustain resilient opposition to greed, power, and oppression. If contemplative practice itself is a form of deep work, then how do we tend to the necessary work of self-care? This Wild Goose experience begins with that vital question. Together we’ll explore contemplative self-care through:
- A reflection from facilitator Carl McColman
- Open conversation and practical tip-sharing
- A guided meditation designed to honor and celebrate the deep capacity for renewal and rejuvenation we all carry within.
Come discover how caring for ourselves can become both sacred practice and quiet revolution.
Invite Carl to speak to your community: Book an Event.