Carl McColman's Blog, page 25
March 19, 2021
Online Course: Wisdom of the Desert (September 27-October 22, 2021)
Explore the wisdom, wit, and spiritual insight of the Desert Mothers and Fathers in this four-week online course, sponsored by Columbia Theological Seminary’s Center for Lifelong Learning. The course counts as an elective for the Center’s Certificate in Spiritual Formation. Whether you are pursuing that certificate or not, this is a wonderful way to explore the wisdom of the desert and to joining a praying community of fellow seekers who will walk with you as we explore these ancient spiritual t...
More Advance Praise for Eternal Heart
Last month I published the first words of endorsement that my forthcoming book, Eternal Heart, received — from Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Adam Bucko, Colette Lafia, Br. Paul Quenon and Christiana Peterson. Today’s post features five more words of praise from advance readers.
Scroll down to see these latest endorsements that Eternal Heart has received. I hope this will whet your appetite for the book. If you would like to read it, please pre-order it — pre-orders are instrumental for making decisions...
March 9, 2021
A Meditation on the Spirituality of Healing (A Patreon Sneak Peek)
A note from Carl: Friends, I am currently writing a manuscript that I am calling Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. I’ve identified fifty-two key themes, wisdom teachings, and mystical principles of the Christian tradition — and each month, I take one of those themes and I wrote a meditation based on it. I’m over halfway done — in fact, the meditation I’m sharing with you here is #28.
I hope you enjoy this meditation — and to learn more about my Meditations on the Christian Mysteries proje...
March 1, 2021
Why Do So Many Christians (and Christian Churches) Reject Esotericism and Occultism?
The following question arrived in my email inbox the other day…
Why is there such a condemnation in the Christian churches for esotericism/occultism? I have my entire adult life ( I am now 63) been living and working in Anthroposophical circles, I have friends in the Rosicrucian movement and I am impressed with the wisdom of some Theosophical writers. I can say with my hand on my heart that these movements draw the best of sincerely good willing people who wish to cultivate a living relationship...
February 26, 2021
Some Podcasts You Might Enjoy
Over the past few months I have had the good fortune to be the guest on a few podcasts. Perhaps you might enjoy listening to them. If so, check the episodes out below…
First up is “The Wisdom’s Table” podcast with Philip Averay, an Anglican priest based in Wales. We spoke about “The Treasures of Christian Mysticism.”
My dear friend Kim Martin interviewed both me and Fran (my wife) for two episodes of her “How Now” podcast. In the first episode we talk about the spirituality of long-term caregiv...
February 19, 2021
Advance Praise for Eternal Heart
Friends, I am so happy to report that my forthcoming book, Eternal Heart, has now made it through the editing and proofreading process and the publisher is preparing it for publication. It’s always an exciting point in the publishing process — and part of what makes this time so wonderful is that we send the manuscript to other authors and reviewers to get some advance words of encouragement or praise. Obviously, the main purpose of this is to feature such endorsements on the back cover or insid...
February 17, 2021
Many Paths, One Way: Balancing Religious Commitment with Spiritual Diversity
A reader, who chooses to remain anonymous, posed the following question:
“a world shaped by peace and harmony among the people of all positive paths.” Are they all the way or is there only one way?
The reader is quoting me from an article posted on my website, The Hidden Tradition of Christian Mysticism.
In short: are all religions one? Are all spiritual paths simply different expressions of the “one path” — or is there, in fact, only “one” way?
It’s a great question, and I am only qualified to ...
February 16, 2021
Get a Centering Prayer “Affirmations” Bookmark
Friends, as you can see from this photo, I have a new bookmark and I’d love to send a couple of them to you.
While one side of the bookmark is “advertising” — what I’m most excited to be sharing with you is a prayer I call my “Centering Prayer Affirmations” prayer. Even though during Centering Prayer we only use a single Sacred Word, it’s customary to precede your silent time with a prayer that can help establish your intentions for the prayer period. I wrote this prayer with that kind of intent...
February 12, 2021
Online Retreat: Praying with Julian of Norwich (May 14-15, 2021)
Julian of Norwich was a 14th century mystic and author who, even in her own lifetime, was renowned as a visionary and spiritual director. She was the first woman to write a book in the English language, and her reflections on the Motherhood of God continue to inspire us today. This virtual retreat will weave together Julian’s joyful, optimistic spirituality with contemplative prayer practices inspired by her teachings and by the wisdom of The Cloud of Unknowing.
This retreat will take place on Z...
February 5, 2021
Online Day of Reflection for Patrons: Julian of Norwich (May 8, 2021)
Four times a year I offer an online Quiet Day/Day of Reflection for the generous patrons who support the Anamchara website/blog/knowledge base through Patreon. The next such quiet day will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2021. The themes of this Quiet Day will be Julian of Norwich, and will include two Zoom sessions with time for silent prayer, time for us to reflect on the wisdom and insight from Julian, and time for conversation. If you are not currently a patron, please consider making a pledg...
