Carl McColman's Blog, page 40

Via Mystica — An Online Resource for Exploring Christian Mysticism

Friends, I’m pleased to announce that I have begun a new website that I’m calling Via Mystica. To visit it, click here: www.viamystica.com.

Via Mystica is the culmination of an idea that has been bouncing around my head for some time now. I’ve long thought that there needs to be a website devoted entirely to the study and practice of Christian mystical spirituality.

It can be an online knowledge base for people who just want to learn more about Christian mysticism. And it can also be a compe...

Kathleen Deignan: Silence and Nature (Part Two)

This episode concludes our conversation with Sister Kathleen P. Deignan, C.N.D. Sister Kathleen is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years. She is currently composer-in-residence of Schola Ministries and is the founder and director of Iona Spirituality Institute at Iona … Continue reading Kathleen Deignan: Silence and Nature (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

Eight Pagan Books (by a Christian Author)

In my forthcoming book Unteachable Lessons, I tell how I spent a period of time estranged from Christianity — the faith I was brought up in, and the faith I adhere to now. But for a number of years in my  middle adult years, I explored a variety of new religious movements that are inspired by […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Eight Pagan Books (by a Christian Author)

In my book Unteachable Lessons I tell how I spent a period of time estranged from Christianity — the faith I was brought up in, and the faith I adhere to now. But for a period of time in my  middle adult years, I explored a variety of new religious movements that are inspired by the old pagan religions of Europe and other areas. These new movements go by a variety of names: Paganism, Neopaganism, Wicca, Goddess spirituality, Druidism, Celtic Reconstructionism… there are others, but these are...

Kathleen Deignan: Silence and Nature (Part One)

Sister Kathleen P. Deignan, C.N.D. is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years. She is currently composer-in-residence of Schola Ministries and is the founder and director of Iona Spirituality Institute at Iona College, New York, and previously directed the Iona … Continue reading Kathleen Deignan: Silence and Nature (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

Spirituality and Technology: How Can New Ways of Communicating and Learning Support Our Ancient Practices of Prayer?

A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a daily prayer practice. Most of the people who left comments on the post expressed how much they appreciated apps like the ones I wrote about, since they found that in today’s busy world, having words for prayer available on their […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Miann: The Ardent Desire for God

I’m preparing for a retreat I’ll be leading in Scotland next month, and so I’m reading a book called Island Spirituality: Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris by Alastair McIntosh. In the book, he tells of a conversation he had with a Free Church (Presbyterian) pastor named Rev. Calum MacDonald. We sat down over a cup […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Miann: The Ardent Desire for God

I’m preparing for a retreat I’ll be leading in Scotland next month, and so I’m reading a book called Island Spirituality: Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris by Alastair McIntosh. In the book, he tells of a conversation he had with a Free Church (Presbyterian) pastor named Rev. Calum MacDonald.

We sat down over a cup of tea in their living room. Calum was in his rough and ready working clothes as the croft runs by the church. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, he said: ‘The old people of...

Carrie Newcomer: Silence, Song, Blessing and Waiting (Part Two)

Our conversation with musician, songwriter/poet, and Quaker Carrie Newcomer concludes this week. Carrie continues to share with us her insights into the relationship between poetry and lyrics, between music and silence, between creativity and authenticity — and how love can change everything for the better. Like the first part of this conversation, she also graces … Continue reading Carrie Newcomer: Silence, Song, Blessing and Waiting (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

Thin Places, Contemplation, and Discernment: A Few Questions About Celtic Spirituality

Recently I led a Celtic spirituality retreat through the Copper Beech Institute in Connecticut. During the retreat we talked about such topics as the spirituality of holy wells, thin places, and the concept of “the edge of waiting” as a Celtic way of contemplating. One of the participants sent me an email after the retreat […] … Continue Reading on Patheos