The most beloved book in the Old Testament – perhaps even the entire Bible – is the Psalms. This collection of 150 Hebrew hymns formed the spiritual life of ancient Israel – and of Jesus, along with monks, nuns, and mystics of every generation since. Modern-day musicians (U2), poets (Mary Oliver), and writers (Nan Merrill) have been influenced by this great biblical prayer-book. For this virtual conversation, join us for an evening celebrating the spirituality of the Psalms and to consider how they continue to influence us. We’ll look at our favorite Psalms, poems and songs inspired by or based on Psalms, and maybe imagine what new psalms for the modern era might be needed.
If you’ve attended Alice, Paul and Carl’s previous programs for the Oratory (on Star Trek and pop music), you know they combine a deep love for the Bible and the spiritual life with an equal appreciation for pop culture. St. Ignatius encourages us to “find God in all things”. Alice, Paul and Carl make the search fun!
One of the great joys of my work has been the opportunity to meet other writers, teachers, retreat leaders and spiritual directors who are also engaged in the heart-centered work of calling people into a deeper relationship with the Mystery-with-a-capital-M. And of the many wonderful people I have met in the contemplative community over the years, few have touched me as deeply as Mirabai Starr.
I first “met” Mirabai through her amazing and beautiful translations of mystical classics like The Interior Castleand The Dark Night of the Soul. When Mirabai came to Atlanta while promoting her book God of Love, we had the chance to connect through a mutual friend. We discovered a bond that truly made me think of her as a sister of the heart — for at that time, my wife Fran and I were parenting Rhiannon, who was terminally ill with kidney disease. She died not long after we met Mirabai, who herself was no stranger to the excruciating grief of losing a child, having suffered the death of her own daughter a few years earlier — a story she recounts in her memoir Caravan of No Despair. Nobody wants to bond over the loss of their children, but it’s a reality that some of us face, and those of us who walk down that harrowing road learn more than we ever could imagine about the landscape of loss, bereavement, and grief.
Fast forward to today, and I am so honored to share with you news that Mirabai, in partnership with her colleague Willow Brook, has put together a four-day online event that I believe will be a blessing to everyone — because grief, sooner or later, visits us all. Unfortunately, we live in a society that is often afraid of grieving, and too many people get caught up in myths or misinformation about this all-too-human reality. I’m pleased to invite you to participate in this free program, which is called Unraveling the Myths of Grief. It will take place online, over a four day period March 28 through 31, 2023 for an hour each day at 11 am Pacific time. You can trust that it’s led by these truly loving and wise women who intimately know the terrain through which they will guide you.
You may have been conditioned to judge yourself when certain feelings arise in the process of grieving any kind of loss, such as: emotional numbness, irritability, and exhaustion. These are natural and universal responses to shattering loss. We invite you to join us for a 4-day free online event, Unraveling the Myths of Grief, as we dispel the false notion that you are meant to “move on” from your loss and affirm that grief is a lifelong journey. While the landscape changes, and your capacity to carry your loss expands, your relationship with that which you have lost is ever-unfolding.
Unraveling the Myths of Griefwill leave you with a renewed sense of trust in your own authentic process, courage to reenter the stream of life with grief as a loving companion rather than a terrifying adversary and support you to discover the sacred wellspring at the heart of your loss. You can register for free at www.wildheart.space/griefmyths.
Whether you are currently meeting grief in the topography of your life, or know someone else who is grief’s companion, or simply recognize that sooner or later you will encounter this most human of experiences, this retreat is for you.
Now, just for fun: here’s a throwback picture from the 2016 Wild Goose Festival, the last time I saw Mirabai in person (hmmm, it’s been way too long). Fran took this picture of Mirabai, myself (yes, with short hair!) and a young Brandan Robertson (if you’re not familiar with him, he’s someone else well worth getting to know).
Mirabai Starr, Carl McColman, Brandan Robertson, at the 2016 Wild Goose Festival.
Once again, here’s the link to learn more about, and register for, Unraveling the Myths of Grief: www.wildheart.space/griefmyths.
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 online 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 recordings at a later date.
You get all eight talks for only $99 — and if you register by December 10, you get a free guest registration to share with a loved one! What a bargain… but only available for a limited time! The price goes up on January 1, so register now!
I feel really honored to be the last speaker before Cynthia, who is going to be speaking on the interspiritual legacy of Thomas Keating — you can rest assured I’ll be sticking around to hear what she has to say!
My topic is going to be “The Mystical Roots of Centering Prayer” — others will be speaking on topics including the Enneagram, Divine Therapy, Body/Mind/Heart Awareness, and more!
I’ll be speaking at 1:30 PM Eastern USA time on Sunday, January 22, 2023. But remember, if you can’t make it, register anyway and you can watch the recording at your convenience. See you there!
My friends at Friendship Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia (home of the B-52s and R.E.M.!) have invited me back to facilitate another one of their online forums. Here’s the details: registration is free, so I encourage you to attend!
THE FORUM @ FRIENDSHIP PRESENTS
The Eye of the Storm: Gratitude in the Chaos of Life
Few people would deny that we live in challenging, even chaotic times. Living a faithful life can be difficult even when everything is going well, so how do we persevere when it feels like the floor is dropping out beneath us? A Benedictine monk named David Steindl-Rast said “Gratefulness is the heart of prayer” — and many voices from Biblical times to the present agree with him. Why is gratitude so important? What can we do to foster a grateful heart — even when life seems chaotic? These are the questions we will explore together in this spiritual conversation facilitated by author Carl McColman. And we’ll do more than just talk: we will have some time for prayerful reflection and meditation on how gratitude can be the doorway to a deeper relationship with God.
Date: Thursday, November 11, 2021 Time: 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Eastern Time (USA/Canada) To register for this free Zoom event, send an email to: PastorTom@GoToFriendship.org
Sponsored by Friendship Presbyterian Church, 8531 Macon Highway, Athens GA 30606 • (706) 543-6077 • www.GoToFriendship.org
Invite Carl McColman to speak to your community: Book an Event.
In March 2020 I was scheduled to travel to western North Carolina to give a retreat on Celtic Spirituality. Alas, it was not to be: the Covid-19 pandemic happened. But the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, the sponsors of the retreat, asked if I would lead the retreat in 2021; a year later, and it’s still too early to host the retreat in person, but we are looking forward to gathering via Zoom to explore the riches of Celtic spirituality together.
