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Thanks for Stopping By
I’m glad you’re visiting my website. I’m Carl — and here’s a little bit about me. I am a writer, blogger, podcaster, spiritual director,...
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Books by Carl McColman
What Richard Foster and Dallas Willard were to my generation – prime tour guides to the spiritual life – I hope and believe Carl McColman will be fo...
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How to Support this Blog
Readers like you make this blog possible. When you make a pledge to support this blog, you not only have the satisfaction of knowing you are partnering with me ...
A Dream and a Book (How I Learned About Christian Mysticism)
For episode 2 of my new podcast, Schola Mystica, I tell a brief story about how I first learned about Christian mysticism, beginning with a dream I had shortly ...
Some Journal Entries from A Young Aspiring Contemplative
I’ve been refurbishing my office over the past few months, and so one of the tasks I’ve taken on is reviewing my old journals. Most of them I’...
Balancing Faith in the Word with a Scholarly Understanding of the Bible
Sometimes, people grow up in conservative churches where the Bible is often read in a very literal or fundamentalist way. Such persons might go on to study at a...
Wisdom During Difficult Times from Evelyn Underhill and Julian of Norwich
Today I led a day of reflection for the Mary Brewster Committee of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Ridgfield, CT. This committee is tasked with creating...
Two New Podcasts, One Existing Podcast, and a Youtube Channel for You to Explore
Dear friends, I’m excited to announce that I have launched two new podcasts. Each one will be oriented toward exploring mystical spirituality — one in a m...
Video: Just what IS Mysticism?
What is mysticism? It’s a question I often get asked, so here is a short little video where I try to sort it out a bit.
Is Non-Attachment a Christian Virtue?
Recently I received a note from a long-time reader of this blog who was questioning me on something I have previously written, basically this: Why Experience is...
Need Help? Ask the Angels
Today, September 29, is the Feast Day for the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. It’s traditionally known as “Michaelmas” and in the Epi...
Optional Reading List for the Zeitgeist “Contemplation and Practice” Course
From September 28 through November 9, 2020 I’m leading a program called “Contemplation and Practice” through Zeitgeist Atlanta. Here are some ...
Basic Breath Meditation
Brief instructions for a basic breath meditation, with timed silence for practice. Suitable for meditators at all levels of expertise (including beginners) and ...
The Challenges of Spiritual Simplicity
One of the most attractive, although challenging, qualities of the Cistercian charism is simplicity. It’s a principle immediately apparent in Cistercian a...
Get Verbum to Study the Bible, Explore the Mystics, and… Read a Few of My Books, Too!
It’s no secret to anyone who has been reading my blog for a while that I’m a huge fan of Verbum. Verbum is a Bible study software designed specifica...
Christianity and “Other” Philosophies — Discerning Boundaries (and When to Cross Them)
A question came to me recently from a reader named Allen: I am reading some stoic philosophy. Can we learn from other philosophies or is all we need to know ab...
Julian of Norwich, Universal Salvation, and “All Shall Be Well”
A long-time reader of this blog emailed me recently with the following question about Julian of Norwich: Lately I’ve been re-reading the Showings of Julia...
Hildegard’s Mystical Vision of the Trinity
Today is the feast day of the medieval mystic, saint, and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard of Bingen. She died on September 17, 1179. I previously wrote a column...