Contemplation begins with Wonder.
What Are you Wondering About Today?
Latest Posts
Experience
Anyone interested in mysticism may sooner or later face questions like this: what does it mean to have an experience of God? What is the nature of such experience?
Silence
Spiritual silence is not about the kind of silence that harms relationships or inhibits communication. Rather, the silence of spirituality is the silence of listening, pondering, meditating, contemplating. It can only be freely chosen; never imposed.
Jason M. Baxter: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism
An Introduction to Christian Mysticism approaches the topic from an academic perspective. Baxter begins by suggesting that the mystics of Christian history — figures like John Ruusbroec, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, and Gregory of Nyssa — offer a healthy corrective, perhaps even an antidote, to the domesticated, “nice” spirituality that has come to characterize so much of mainstream Christianity in our time.
Verbum / Logos
Most people think of contemplation and mysticism in terms of prayer and meditation — and rightly so. But there is still an impressive body of wisdom literature to explore — what Thomas Cranmer said about the Bible applies also to mystical literature: these are teachings to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.” You can take your study of the mystics so much further if you tap into a program as powerful as Verbum or Logos.
Spiritual Directors International (SDI)
SDI now is an educational nonprofit, serving over 6,000 members in 42 countries around the world. Although it began as a gathering of Christian spiritual companions, today the organization is interfaith in scope and supports spiritual guides of any faith tradition.
A Julian of Norwich Meditation
Here’s a meditation I developed a few months ago for a retreat I led for an Episcopal Church. It’s based on Julian of Norwich’s vision of the hazelnut. Before you…
Online Day of Reflection: Celtic Spirituality (March 20, 2021)
Experience the prayer, poetry, folklore, and spirituality of the Celtic Christians of old — and how their down to-earth, lyrical, and hope-filled wisdom still speaks to us today.  Our day together…
Online Retreat: Celtic Wisdom (March 16-18, 2021)
Explore the wisdom, wit, poetry and mysticism of the Celtic saints in this 3-day online retreat! In March, I will return (via Zoom) to lead another retreat sponsored by the…
How do I choose a contemplative lay order? And do I have to be Catholic to do so?
A reader recently wrote to me: Dear Carl, I grew up as a Protestant, but as I’ve journeyed into Contemplative Christianity over the last while I’ve become more amenable to Roman…
Online Retreat: Celtic Spirituality (March 12-13, 2021)
In March 2020 I was scheduled to travel to western North Carolina to give a retreat on Celtic Spirituality. Alas, it was not to be: the Covid-19 pandemic happened. But…