LSD, Anxiety, and Contemplation: Can Psychedelic Therapy Support Spiritual Growth? (and Vice Versa)

November 16, 2023 By Carl McColman

Today (November 16, 2023) is the 85th anniversary of the discovery of LSD, by the Swiss chemist Albert Hoffmann. So happy birthday, LSD! Hoffmann first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide on this day in 1938, although it would be another four and a half years before he accidentally ingested some of the chemical — and discovered its psychedelic and entheogenic properties (those words, both of which are younger than LSD itself, mean “mind-manifesting” and “becoming divine within” — words that attempt to capture... Read more

Contemplative Prayer Summit coming up September 23 and 24: Register Now!

August 8, 2023 By Carl McColman

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I’m happy to invite you to register for an online offering Contemplative Prayer Summit that is taking place on September 23 and 24, 2023. Click here to register. Just for the sake of transparency, I am not speaking at this event (I’m leading a retreat that week) — but plenty of wonderful people are, like Kaira Jewel Lingo, Ruben Habito, Cassidy Hall, Matthew Wright, and Margaret Benefiel! Any one of these people would be worth the cost of this event... Read more

Interspirituality and Cultural Appropriation, or, How to Expand Your Faith Without Stealing From Others

June 28, 2023 By Carl McColman

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Recently I spoke about Christian mysticism and interspirituality for the Closer than Breath Christian Mystic Summit. One attendee, a person named Kurt, wrote a follow-up email to me and asked this question: Does the experience of interspirituality open one up to charges of some sort of ‘cultural misappropriation’ because I might adopt some practices or texts or whatever from a spiritual/religious tradition that was not my own? Is it only a hardened fundamentalist who would level that charge if I’m... Read more

A Conversation about Mysticism! Kate Rademacher and I talk about “The New Big Book” and other fun stuff

June 22, 2023 By Carl McColman

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My first interview talking about The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism has been released. It’s embedded above, or you can check it out on Youtube by clicking here. Kate Rademacher of Writing for Your Life and Compassionate Christianity sat down with me the other day for a Zoom chat about mysticism, theology, spirituality, writing, publishing, and other fun topics. We talked about the proper way to pronounce my last name and what I think is really going on with... Read more

Mysticism, Faith, and “Knowing” God’s Will

April 29, 2023 By Carl McColman

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A reader of this blog, named Peter, asked me a couple of questions recently. He had been at church where he heard a priest speak about a controversial issue with a kind of rhetoric that implied “this is what God wants for the church.” So Peter writes: So I put 2 questions to him. 1. Does he know there is a God and 2. Does he also know God’s plans. If yes, then I requested his explanation of how he... Read more

How Do I Meet Other Mystics?

March 29, 2023 By Carl McColman

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One of the patrons of this blog wrote to me recently: My question is, how do I meet other Christian mystics? Thanks for asking. It’s a question many of us ponder. Even though there is a long tradition of regarding mysticism as “the flight of the alone to the Alone” (in the words of Plotinus), it’s been my experience that many of us “aloners” nevertheless seek out the company and fellowship of others who are undertaking similar spiritual journeys. Indeed, this... Read more

Contemplative AI: Google’s “Bard” Answers My Questions About Mysticism, Centering Prayer, and Interspirituality

March 23, 2023 By Carl McColman

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So I got invited to be a beta-tester for Google’s new AI assistant called Bard. Yesterday I received an email from Google that said, in part: Meet Bard, an early experiment by Google Because you’re a Google One member, we’d like to offer you the opportunity to be among the first to sign up for the new Bard experience and provide feedback. Think of Bard as your creative and helpful collaborator, here to bring your ideas to life using generative... Read more

Register for the “Celtic Spirituality School” — Yearlong Program Begins February 11, 2023!

February 1, 2023 By Carl McColman

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Friends, I hope you will join me — and eleven other amazing Celtic and contemplative teachers and speakers, including John Philip Newell, Esther de Waal, Sharon Blackie, Christine Valters Paintner, and more — for the first-ever online Celtic Spirituality School which begins on February 11, 2023 and runs for a full year! Are you hungry for a more contemplative, earthy, embodied spirituality? If so, then Celtic spirituality may be just what you need. The Celts were masters at earthy spirituality. They... Read more

Discover the Three Forms of Contemplation, according to Evelyn Underhill! (Free Online Event: Sign Up Now)

January 5, 2023 By Carl McColman

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Hi friends! Join me on Thursday, January 19 for a special Zoom call in which I’ll be sharing Evelyn Underhill’s Three Forms of Contemplation. Click here to register for this free program. If you’re not familiar with Evelyn Underhill, a treat awaits you. She a leading Christian mystic of the early 20th century, and her writings influenced other significant contemplatives and mystics, from C. S. Lewis to Thomas Merton to Aldous Huxley! Her 1911 book Mysticism has for over a century now been... Read more

Join Me, Cynthia Bourgeault, Adam Bucko and more at the 2023 “Closer than Breath” Centering Prayer Summit!

December 6, 2022 By Carl McColman

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Hi everyone! I’m so excited about an upcoming online “Centering Prayer Summit” that I’ll be participating with — I want to make sure all my Patheos friends know about it. Hosted by my friends Keith Kristich and Jana Rentzel, this program features speakers like Cynthia Bourgeault, Adam Bucko, Mary Dwyer, Phileena Nikole and others (including yours truly). Eight speakers over a two day period, and if you can’t attend all of it as it is live-streamed, you can access the... Read more