Greetings from Virginia

Hello everyone! I am Susan Dewberry from the mountains of Southwestern Virginia. I have been on a spiritual quest possibly for most of my life. My early “churching” was in the Church of the Brethren, and the teachings and baptism truly impacted me at an early age. For the last 10 years I have been wandering about and not finding what I need in the traditional protestant congregations. I became interested in meditation but wanted to incorporate my Christian beliefs into the practice. Eventually I came across contemplative prayer and Carl’s work. I have been following his writing ever since. I have a contemplative prayer practice and consider myself a follower of Jesus, but I have no particular religious affiliation these days. I tend to lean toward Catholicism in the last few years but have not taken any steps to commit. I think that mysticism is missing in Christianity today, and I instinctively feel that silence, contemplation, and the study of Christian mysticism will bring me closer to God and allow- the Holy Spirit to work in my heart and life. In regard to this study, I was brought up to believe that the Tarot was simply fortune telling and certainly a pathway to bringing dark forces into one’s life. I couldn’t have been more surprised to find out that there is a book with a strong Christian perspective called Meditations on the Tarot. I am intrigued, and I know from taking other courses with Carl that I will learn something of value for my journey. Many thanks Carl for all that you do!