Carl McColman's Blog, page 72

Dreaming the Tiger

A whale stops by to say hello

My family and I went to see Life of Pi last night. I have not (yet) read the book, but Gareth Higgins (who knows a lot more about movies than I do) says it’s one of the best novel adaptations he’s ever seen. I can only judge the movie on its own merits, and I’d say it’s well worth seeing. If you’re worried about spoilers, stop reading this now and go see the movie.

My, what large teeth you have…

Okay, you’re still reading, so I assume you’ve either seen the movie or...

Here’s Your Contemplative/Interfaith Holiday Gift-Giving Guide for 2013

This is My Beloved Son

Last year I posted a list of suggested books for holiday gift-giving, and I’ve received a request from a reader to do it again. So here is a baker’s dozen of books for you to consider giving to your loved ones (including yourself). As you will see, these books cover both Christian contemplative and interfaith spirituality. Happy reading!

i told my soul to sing: finding God with Emily Dickinson by Kristin Lemay — using twenty-five poems by Dickinson as jumping off points f...

Farewell to the Merton Institute

I am sad to learn that the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living will be ceasing its operations at the end of this year. You can read their announcement here. The Merton institute is an independent non-profit organization with a mission “to awaken interest in contemplative living through the works of Thomas Merton and others, thereby promoting Merton’s vision for a just, peaceful and sustainable world.” Among other initiatives, the Merton Institute ran a retreat center near the Abbey of G...

Cross Roads

Cross Roads

I suppose it is fashionable, after an author has written an 18-million copy bestseller (as is boldly announced on the dust jacket of Cross Roads), to summarily pan whatever book the writer comes up with next. After all, lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, and unless you’re writing about boy wizards or teen vampires, chances are you willnotbe responsible for multiple multi-million copy bestsellers, right? So a book like Cross Roads — the newly-released offering from Wm. P...

Patricia Monaghan 1946-2012

The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog

I am sad to note the passing of Patricia Monaghan, who died yesterday after living with cancer. Pat wrote the foreword for my Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom. She also was very supportive behind the scenes, introducing me to several fascinating people in Ireland who helped me with my research into Celtic spirituality, whether pre-Christian or Christian.

Pat, of course, was known as a Goddess writer, and she and I lost touch after I became a Catholic. The...

Purity

Teilhard de Chardin

Purity does not lie in separation from but in deeper penetration into the universe.

— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

I stumbled across this quote from Teilhard while reading an essay by Annie Dillard called “Flying in the Middle of Art.” She doesn’t provide the original source, and I googled it and couldn’t find it that way either. So I’m not sure exactly where or when Teilhard said this. And I suppose it doesn’t matter. It’s one of those lovely “words” of wisdom, similar to what...

Instead of singing for your supper, how about blogging for books?

Sorry, there’s no illegal whiskey involved.

This post is aimed at people who blog, or have a podcast, or in some other way like to express themselves online. If you are not such a person, feel free to skip this, unless you’d like a peek into how book marketing works…

My irrepressible friendMike Morrellis a publicist who promotes progressive Christian books. One of the ways he does this is by seeking bloggers who would be willing to read his client’s books and write reviews on their blogs. He di...

Richard of St. Victor on Contemplation

The more I read Richard of St. Victor, the more I love him. Here are a few jewels from the fifteenth chapter of Book IV of The Mystical Ark:

See to it that the very time He begins to knock at the door is not the first time that you begin to want to throw out the crowds of those who make noise… All thoughts, empty as well as noxious, which do not serve for our benefit must be judged to be strangers. In truth, we possess them like domestic servants or slaves, whom we involve for our use or benef...

Three Myths of Mysticism?

Last night I joined the good folks at Countryside Church in Omaha, NE for their weekly webcast, Darkwood Brew. Needless to say, our topic was Christian mysticism. The host, Dr. Eric Elnes, invited me to comment on what he described as three “myths” related to Christian mysticism — three common misconceptions that many Christians might have about mysticism that might prevent them from taking it seriously as a means of fostering a deeper spirituality.

Here are the three myths:

That mysticism, eve...

Buy my Kindle

I’ve just upgraded my Kindle. Which means I have an old one in need of a new home.

If you’d like to be its new owner, .

If the winning bid is above $75, I’ll throw in an autographed copy ofThe Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader.

This is the 2011 model Kindle Touch, with the Amazon black leather case. The case has some scuffs on it, but the Kindle itself is in like-new condition. Of course, the cable is included, but I don’t have original packaging. Also not...