Carl McColman's Blog, page 42

Advice to a Young Christian — about Witchcraft and the Spiritual World

Since I have written about witchcraft and neopaganism — both books and posts on this blog — I often get requests, especially from Christians, who are seeking advice about their interest in magic. When I answer such requests, I try to be kind, thoughtful, and to avoid the knee-jerk reaction that too many Christians have […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Therese Taylor-Stinson: Silence, Contemplation, and Justice (Part Two)

This episode concludes our two-part conversation with author and spiritual director Therese Taylor-Stinson, the founder of the Spiritual Directors of Color Network. To listen to part one, please click here. “All contemplation should be followed by action; they are there for one another. The reason to contemplate anything would be to have clarity about what … Continue reading Therese Taylor-Stinson: Silence, Contemplation, and Justice (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

If Contemplative Prayer is For Resting in God, What Role Does Repentance Play?

Over the past month I have written several posts about Centering Prayer and contemplation, all in response to an email I received from an Episcopal priest with some thought-provoking questions about the theory and practice of contemplative spirituality. You can read the original email here. Here are the posts I’ve written in response to that […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Therese Taylor-Stinson: Silence, Contemplation, and Justice (Part One)

Therese Taylor-Stinson is the co-editor of Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, and the editor of Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around — Stories of Contemplation and Justice. She is an ordained deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), a lay pastoral caregiver, and a graduate of and an associate faculty … Continue reading Therese Taylor-Stinson: Silence, Contemplation, and Justice (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

The Royal Donkey and the Reign of Humble Peace

A Meditation for Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Joyful Penitence and a Continuous Lent

Alleluia! Lent is almost over! In just a few days to come we will journey through the Sacred Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, culminating in the Great Vigil of Easter, marking the Resurrection of Christ—and the end, for another year, of our Lenten fasts and sacrifices. Right? Well . . . […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Intention, Attention, and the Practice of Contemplative Prayer

This is the third of a series of blog posts in response to a lengthy email I received a few weeks ago from an Episcopal priest who is a veteran centering prayer practitioner. You can read the email in its entirety here, and then the first post and the second post I wrote in response […] … Continue Reading on Patheos

Cynthia Bourgeault: The Heart of Silence (Part Two)

Cynthia Bourgeault continues her conversation with the Encountering Silence team, offering insight into silence as a deeper way of knowing, contemplative Christianity as a unique spiritual path, and centering prayer as a singular practice of deep meditation. This is part two of a two-part interview. Click here to listen to part one. “There is no … Continue reading Cynthia Bourgeault: The Heart of Silence (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

Cynthia Bourgeault: The Heart of Silence (Part One)

Cynthia Bourgeault has embraced silence and the contemplative life from a variety of perspectives: as a child in Quaker schools, as an Episcopal priest, as a student of the Gurdjieff “Fourth Way” and of centering prayer working with Fr. Thomas Keating, and now as a teacher both in her own Wisdom Schools and as part … Continue reading Cynthia Bourgeault: The Heart of Silence (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence

The Poetics of Faith, or, Why Centering Prayer is a Method and Not a Technique

Recently on social I media I offered this observation: My online friend James Ishmael Ford, author of books like Introduction to Zen Koans and Zen Master Who?, reposted it to his timeline, dutifully crediting me as the source. I was surprised — and a bit bemused — by the response. James is a retired UU minister and a […] … Continue Reading on Patheos