As you may know, this blog is supported by readers like you through a membership program called Patreon. You can join Patreon for a low monthly fee, and get access to guided meditations, study guides for mystical classics, poetry and other unpublished writings, and the opportunity to participate in Zoom calls with me (Carl).
Plus, depending on the membership level you select, you can get some nifty thank you gifts as well, including autographed books and “contemplative swag” like posters, prayer cards and mugs. Sign up today!
Hi friends, just wanted to give readers of this blog a look at what your membership in my Patreon program will provide in 2024.
If you’re new to Patreon, it is an ongoing membership/crowdfunding program specifically for writers, musicians, podcasters, artists, game designers and other “content creators.” It’s a way for you to invest a small monthly amount (most people choose between $5 and $20) to support the ongoing work of a specific creative person (or persons). As I say at the bottom of every page on this website, my blog is made possible through the generous people who make this monthly support.
But Patreon is far more than just a way for feeding the starving artists. It’s been designed so that participation in Patreon includes membership rewards, which could include exclusive or early access to new work, special work that is exclusively for members, opportunities to interact with the artists/writers, and so forth. Once a year or so, content creators are encouraged to update their membership rewards programs, so that current and prospective Patreon members know what is included with their membership.
Here is a rundown of my current menu of Patreon membership rewards. If you are already a Patreon member, you’ll have access to the rewards based on your membership tier. If you are not currently a member or would like to change your membership amount, you can sign up by clicking here.
“The Contemplative Study of Mystical Writings” is available to all Patreon members at Tiers II and above.
Overview of the Program
Here are the tiers available to patrons who support Anamchara.com. Note that the membership levels are inclusive of the rewards from all previous tiers, so if you opt for tier II you get the rewards for both tiers I and II; with membership in tier III, you get access to all the materials from tiers I through III.
Tier I: Basic Supporters ($5 or more per month, or $51/year):
Patreon members at this (or any level) have members-only access to 1-2 (sometimes more) exclusive or new writing from me (Carl McColman). This runs the range from meditations, to poetry, to newsletters, to first drafts of future blog posts or book chapters. This is a chance to get a “behind the scenes” look at the life of a contemplative blogger, with the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to make the blog possible each month.
Tier II: Companions in Silence ($10 or more per month, or $102/year):
I know everyone is weary of Zoom — but it remains a powerful tool for long-distance interaction. Membership at this tier gives you access to bi-weekly Zoom calls with me, that include time for centering prayer, a brief presentation from me on a topic related to contemplation or mysticism, and time for shared reflection and discussion. Come every time, or just when you can. Each session stands alone; all are available to support your spiritual practice. In January we will start with two calls a month, one on a weeknight and one on a weekend day. This program may expand to three or even four calls a month, depending on demand and number of participants. If enough members want to meet weekly, we’ll find a way to make it happen.
Tier III: Contemplative Learners ($20 or more per month, or $204/year):
In 2022 I started The Contemplative Study of Mystical Writings: a series of self-study course materials designed to help you unpack some of the most challenging writings from the mystical and contemplative tradition. Once or twice a month I send out emails with detailed study guides, spiritual exercises, and quotations for reflection from the visionary writings of mystics. These study guides will open up your deep dive into wisdom writing. Remember, the monthly Zoom meetings and exclusive access to new writing is also available at this level; and members at this tier (or higher) get bonus goodies (see below).
Bonus Reward for Tier III: All members at the $20 or higher level get presents! And in 2023 there may be two presents: in the first quarter, current members will receive an autographed copy of one of my books (you’ll get to choose which one); and then when the new book comes out (probably in November, although that is subject to change), current members get an autographed copy of that one as well.
You can join Patreon at any time; your membership begins the day you join, and renews each month (or year) on the anniversary of your joining. Join now and you’ll get immediate access to the current membership rewards. The new rewards will be available in 2023: Tier II meetings will begin in January, and Tier III study materials will begin in February. Tier I benefits are already available on an ongoing basis. Books for Tier III members will be mailed out in the spring, and then as soon as the new one is published.
Contemplative Study Program (Tier III): What Will We Be Reading Together?
Here are seven books that current Patreon members have voted on. I’m not sure how quickly we will get through these books, but figure we’ll get through at least four in 2023. And of course, I plan on creating course materials like this until I retire, so over the next 8-10 years I expect to create 30-40 study guides for both classic and contemporary mystical/contemplative writings. For 2023, we’ll begin with at least four books from this list:
Membership can be cancelled at any time, and if you are unhappy with your membership for any reason, write to me and I can refund you for up to the past 90 days. Please note that you are supporting a writer, and sometimes your rewards may be delayed depending on my overall schedule including deadlines, speaking engagements, etc. On the other hand, current members have access to both current and previous membership rewards, so for example if you opt for the contemplative study program, you’ll have access to an ever-growing library of study materials, for as long as you remain a member.
If you have any questions, please let me know, using the “Contact” form at the bottom of this page. Otherwise, I hope you will prayerfully consider joining the circle of contemplatives and visionaries who partner with me each month to keep this blog running. A deep bow of gratitude!
A note from Carl: Friends, I am currently writing a manuscript that I am calling Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. I’ve identified fifty-two key themes, wisdom teachings, and mystical principles of the Christian tradition — and each month, I take one of those themes and I wrote a meditation based on it. I’m well over halfway done — in fact, the meditation I’m sharing with you here is #37. I publish these meditations, as I write them, on my Patreon page, but once in a while I like to share them with everyone, like I am doing this month.
I hope you enjoy this meditation — and to learn more about my Meditations on the Christian Mysteries project, please read the note at the end of this post.
Meditations on the Christian Mysteries, #37. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit
When I was a child, my mother sat me down one day and told me that I needed to learn the basics of the Christian faith. She rattled off what I needed to know: the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, The Ten Commandments, and the Beatitudes. I wasn’t very old — maybe only five or six — and while so many years later I can still vividly remember that conversation (probably because I had no idea what any of those things she mentioned were), I’m afraid I don’t remember the actual process of learning any of these elements of the faith. At the time my family and I did not attend a church, and I suppose my mother was worried about my spiritual well-being. As it turned out, we did not find our way into church until I was in the sixth grade, where the school’s ecology club (of which I was the president) was co-sponsored by a teacher who happened to be a Lutheran pastor’s wife. My mom, having been raised a Lutheran, prevailed upon my dad to take me to church, and off we went. When we joined the church six months later, my dad had to be baptized — while mom made sure that each of us boys got sprinkled, my father apparently had not received even that most basic of Christian initiations.
After more than a half century later, I can look back at my mother’s program for childhood catechesis, and while I think just memorizing a creed and a few Bible verses is hardly the key to spiritual formation, I’m even more struck by what was missing in mom’s list: the fruit of the spirit, from Galatians 5. Indeed, I don’t recall the Lutherans — at least during my adolescence — ever really placing much emphasis on Saint Paul’s list of nine essential marks of the Spirit’s work in the life of the believer. It wasn’t until I fell in with charismatic Christians during my high school years, that the following passage was pointed out to me.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. — Galatians 5:22-23
You notice it begins “by contrast” — in the three preceding verses, Paul wags his finger at the bad behavior that he ascribes to “the flesh,” ranging from carousing and drunkenness to sorcery and idolatry, with (of course) fornication lead the pack. In a fit of dualistic pique, Paul dourly warns his readers “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” While I understand that any community needs to set and enforce boundaries, I do think Paul’s tone is rather more judgmental than what would be useful, at least in our day. I reminded of the Quaker adage, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” And, indeed, as soon as Paul stops cursing the dark and lights his own candle, his language becomes both more poetic and far more inspiring: he notes that there “no law” against the fruit of the Spirit — in other words, part of the deal of calibrating our lives to the leading of the Spirit in our hearts is that we are invited into a place of radical, existential, freedom.
In other words, when our lives are marked by love, joy, peace, and all the rest (we’ll take a closer look in just a minute), then we are in a place where it’s not so important whether or not we have followed all “the rules.” What this means, looking at the backstory of my own family, is that memorizing the creed or the Our Father or the Beatitudes, while certainly a nice thing to do, is really not as important as allowing the Spirit to plant the seeds in one’s heart that will bear this kind of fruit.
Indeed, even my father’s baptism is less important than his willingness to allow the Spirit to shape in him the fruit of love, joy, peace, etc.
Let me clarify: just like I believe in the importance of healthy boundaries, I also believe that rituals like the Sacraments of Initiation carry meaningful and important spiritual blessings into our lives, blessings that sometimes we might not receive any other way. So in making this point, I am not so much trying to diminish the importance of “the rules” (sacramental or otherwise), as I am pointing out how much infinitely more important the Spirit’s unbounded and un-quantifiable work in our hearts must be — infinitely more important than the already-sublime importance of Baptism and the Eucharist and the “law”!
So let’s take a journey through the fruits, one by one, to briefly reflect on why there merit such praise from Paul — and such attention from us. I’ll take them in reverse order.
9. Self-control. Traditionally this was translated as “Temperance,” and perhaps that word has fallen out of favor because of its association with opposition to the consumption of alcohol (“Temperance Leagues” being all the rage in the nineteenth century). But temperance is more than just teetotaling, it implies moderation and discipline as essential qualities for a good character. A psychology at my university once told me “Everything in moderation, including moderation!” — implying that once in a while, we even need to indulge in our indulgences, if for no other reason than to learn why moderation makes the most sense for a sustainable lifestyle. Paul, fresh from shaming drunkards and carousers, is pointing out that for most of us, learning a disciplined or temperate way of life is probably something where we have to let the Spirit of God take the lead.
8. Gentleness. I continue to be amazed — and saddened — by how easy for so many people to engage in aggressive or hostile behavior — not only toward others, but even toward themselves. We don’t know how to be gentle with our spouse, our children, our colleagues and co-workers, our neighbors and friends and extended family. So when it comes to people who vote differently than we do, or who we see as threatening to our cultural or social identity: forget it! So Paul is raising a pretty high bar here: be tender, be delicate, be gentle. Treat others with the kind of light, non-aggressive courtesy and compassion that we hope to receive — not only from one another, but especially from God. In other words: you are created in the image and likeness of God, so start acting like it!
7. Faithfulness. The Greek word Paul uses here, πίστις (pistis) carries not only the sense of fidelity, but also trust and commitment and reliability. It’s perhaps related to the Benedictine value of stability — a settled, steadfast bond that remains sustainable and resilient over time. It is a recognition that saying “yes” to something or someone has ramifications that flow through space and time, and being willing to live in accordance with the boundaries that this “yes” entails. It’s not a cage, but rather a stage: a foundation for living a life of intentionality, freedom, and joyful love (fruits that appear higher on this list). Faithfulness is the recognition that love is something deeper than whatever we choose, or feel, in any given place or moment. It’s bigger than that: faithfulness is how the Spirit enlarges our hearts so that we can take in that bigness.
6. Generosity. If faithfulness is the embodiment of stability and steadfastness, then generosity is the embodiment of flexibility and flow. This is the Spirit-value that recognizes the essential impermanence of all things save for God, and that as we live in this impermenance, we are invited to share freely and lavishly with others: to share our resources, our gifts, our talents, our time, our very selves. Marriages founder when there is a lack of generosity; communities turn in on themselves and eventually run the risk of rotting out from within. Generosity understands that diversity and sharing and non-attachment make both individuals and communities stronger. It’s the spirit that fueled the movie It’s a Wonderful Life — George Bailey was the avatar of generosity, while bitter old Mr. Potter incarnated the lack of generosity. It’s the Spirit who can help us all be a bit more like George Bailey.
5. Kindness. Interestingly, my Greek dictionary defines both the words that get translated here as “generosity” and “kindness” as goodness. Kindness, of course, implies relatedness: think of one’s kindred — but it also echoes back and circles round to gentleness. It carries the connotations of benevolence, mildness, and of course, mercy. Kindness does not generate profit or uphold boundaries, but it does foster connection and warmth and is conducive to intimacy. It is, in short, one of the qualities that makes life worth living. It is the unmerited capacity to simply be good and nice and friendly to others, whether the “other” is a stranger in need, or someone close to you that can easily drive you up the wall. In either case, kindness is not always an intuitive response, hence our need for the Spirit to cultivate it within us.
Bernini’s Holy Spirit Window, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican. Photo by Dnalor 01.
4. Patience. I’m reminded of the playful bumper sticker: “Be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet!” Every single one of us could place that message on our cars. We are all works in progress, unfinished masterpieces of God’s creativity and love; but because we are unfinished, we are not always graceful or excellent or skillful. We let one another down. We make mistakes. We fail to meet deadlines. Patience is a kind of social lubricant that allow the future to be imperfect because of a profound trust, or hope, in a better future. I am saddened when I read people online — including some people I admire — who criticize hope. I get where they’re coming from: hope, at its worst, can be a kind of opiate that leeches away our energy and resolve to make things better now. But that’s not Godly hope, that’s an infernal counterfeit of true hope, which does the precise opposite of the counterfeit version: true hope inspires action in the present, out of trust in the future, but because it is an action grounded in patience, it is shaped by love as much as by urgency, be peace as much as by challenge, by love as much as by need. Patience is not the failure to act, but rather the understanding that any act, no matter how important, is always just one moment in time, and that this moment must always remain subject to the grace of eternity.
3. Peace. Many of us, even if we are not in recovery, find meaning in the famous prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” It’s a great roadmap for a conscious life, but I do think there is one subtle flaw in the prayer: it seems to suggest that serenity — that is to say, peace — is only a passive thing, only relevant when we are faced with circumstances beyond our control. But I believe the fruit of the Spirit offers us peace in the midst of courage and wisdom as well. May we find the serene courage to act intentionally and gracefully; and may we be blessed by a wisdom so steeped in deep peace that our discernment truly is Spirit-breathed. For the Spirit who offers us peace does not want to give us peace only in a piecemeal fashion: true peace can take root in our hearts even when we must act with speed and insistence and care. Such, peace, of course, is the “peace that passes all understanding” — a fruit of God’s Spirit.
2. Joy. My book Eternal Heart is structured around my belief that the mystical life leads us to joy, and furthermore that the path to joy is marked by gifts already given to us in our hearts. This I believe. But I also recognize how elusive joy seems to be in the lives of so many people. For so many of us, life seems to be burdened by sorrow, grief, suffering, anger, doubt, and even despair. How can we repair the broken places in our lives so that joy may more fully and sustainably flow in our hearts? I don’t know that there is an easy answer to that question; certainly the answer will differ for each one of us. But I do believe that if we try to cultivate all of the fruit of the Spirit — beginning, like I did, with the more prosaic ones like discipline or gentleness or faithfulness — that in doing so, we create the space in our hearts for the action and movement of the Spirit, that will eventually lead us to joy. There is a lightness to joy that is related to delight: “take delight in the Lord and you will receive the desire of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). It’s helpful to remember that the Greek word for joy is χαρά (chara), which in turn is related to the word for grace, χάρις (charis) — both imply “gift,” for joy, like grace, is ultimately a gift we receive more than a skill we achieve. May we open our hearts to receive the gift that the Spirit wishes so generously to give.
1. Love. And finally we come to the Greek word ἀγάπη (agápē), which of course is love in its fullest and most exalted sense, not the refracted colors of the rainbow of human love (friendship, eros, charity, and so forth), but the pure unprismed light of Divine Love, the love that by its very nature finds fulfillment in giving itself away. Here I am only reminded that, as the first letter of St. John repeatedly reminds us, “God is love” — God is agápē; agápē is God. This fruit is the ultimate fruit of the Spirit’s presence in our lives: the Spirit gives us Her very self, for we are created in the image and likeness of agápē, therefore it is our calling and destiny to embody this self-giving love. May the Spirit bring this to fruition in all our hearts and lives!
So, to finish this meditation: what does that all this have to do with contemplation? While we may associate contemplation with silence and stillness, it is important to remember that silence and stillness are simply the pause between breaths: we inhale, we are still, we exhale, we are silent. The fruit of the spirit are related to contemplation in the same manner as respiration is related to silence and stillness. They need and complete each other. Without the pause, we can never transition from breathing in to breathing out and back again. Without respiration, there is no life to sit in silence and stillness. Likewise, the fruit of the Spirit is a map for the God-infused life, a life that we open ourselves to through the practice of humble contemplation. Contemplation does not in itself yield the fruit of the Spirit, but rather it is the gesture of consent that invites the Spirit in, yielding to the Spirit’s agency and action in our lives.
The above post is part of an on-going work in progress called Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. As I write these monthly meditations, I first share them with the friends of this blog who make a monthly pledge to support it through Patreon. Patreon is a crowdfunding website specifically designed to support artists of all kinds: visual artists, writers, musicians, video producers, and other creative professionals. People can make a monthly pledge at any amount (the recommended minimum is $5, but it’s okay to pledge even less than that) to support the artist of their choice. Thanks to the miracle of crowdfunding, all those gifts combine to help artists keep on creating the art/writing/music that their supporters love.
Part of the fun of Patreon is that the artists are encouraged to share news, works-in-progress, or other “behind the scenes” updates with their patrons. So I try to post something regularly to Patreon, usually once or twice a month. Often I include one of these meditations. Of course, the plan is, once all the meditations are written, to publish them in book form, so everyone will have access to them eventually. But the patrons get a “first look” — which is really important to me as a writer, since they can provide feedback to let me know what is working (and what isn’t) with my work-in-progress.
I have other projects in mind, of course. So once this one is completed (probably sometime next year), I’ll launch another work-in-progress, where patrons will get a first look while the project is being written.
Please consider making a small monthly pledge to support this blog through Patreon. Not only will you receive the spiritual blessing of knowing that you are helping to keep this blog going (and growing), but you’ll also get access to patron-only content as well. Hope to see you there: click the button below to get started.
Hello friends, here’s a little video for you to watch…
I recently did some training with the folks who operate Patreon, the membership website that provides a way for individuals to support creative professionals (like me). Over 100 people help make the Anamchara.com blog possible through Patreon, and their ongoing support has made a profound difference in my ability to manage — and write new content for — this blog.
Patreon encourages its creative professionals to develop small “thank you” gifts for current and new patrons. As I reflected on this idea, what came to mind was a series of prayer cards — cards with beautiful images on one side and meditations, prompts or other prayer-related writing on the other side, writing drawn from either this blog, or one of my books, or even new writing specifically for the card. I very quickly created four of these cards and had them printed up. I’ve got ideas for at least two dozen (!) more, so I will continue to create new prayer cards, probably 1-3 new ones each quarter.
These will not be for sale — they’ll be available exclusively as thank you gifts for patrons. All patrons will receive PDF copies that you can print for yourself or store on your electronic device. Patrons at the $10/month or higher levels will get actual cards, mailed to you from me. And for patrons at the $20/month or higher levels, I’ll autograph the cards.
Whenever I poll the patrons of this blog, you consistently say that most of you support the blog just because you love it, and not for any “perks” you may receive. I understand and appreciate that! Still, these cards are a fun thing for me to do as a special way of expressing my gratitude for your support. I hope you will enjoy the cards.
Four times a year I offer an online Quiet Day/Day of Reflection for the generous patrons who support the Anamchara website/blog/knowledge base through Patreon. The next such quiet day will take place on Saturday, October 2, 2021. The theme for this Quiet Day will be the Spirituality of Saint Francis, and will include a Zoom session with time for silent prayer, lectio divina, time for shared reflection on the spiritual meaning of the Franciscan Way, and time for conversation. If you are not currently a patron, please consider making a pledge and joining the circle of supporters. In addition to the Quiet Days, you’ll receive a monthly newsletter and regular opportunities to read some of my work-in-progress. For more information about Patreon and to make your pledge, visit www.patreon.com/carlmccolman. Thank you!
Four times a year I offer an online Quiet Day/Day of Reflection for the generous patrons who support the Anamchara website/blog/knowledge base through Patreon. The next such quiet day will take place on Saturday, August 7, 2021. The theme for this Quiet Day will be the Feast of the Transfiguration, and will include a Zoom session with time for silent prayer, lectio divina, time for shared reflection on the spiritual meaning of the Transfiguration, and time for conversation. If you are not currently a patron, please consider making a pledge and joining the circle of supporters. In addition to the Quiet Days, you’ll receive a monthly newsletter and regular opportunities to read some of my work-in-progress. For more information about Patreon and to make your pledge, visit www.patreon.com/carlmccolman. Thank you!
A note from Carl: Friends, I am currently writing a manuscript that I am calling Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. I’ve identified fifty-two key themes, wisdom teachings, and mystical principles of the Christian tradition — and each month, I take one of those themes and I wrote a meditation based on it. I’m over halfway done — in fact, the meditation I’m sharing with you here is #28.
I hope you enjoy this meditation — and to learn more about my Meditations on the Christian Mysteries project, please read the note at the end of this post.
Meditations on the Christian Mysteries, #28: Healing
I have a friend who is a Wiccan priestess; on her car she has a bumpersticker that proclaims simply this: “Witches Heal.” Whatever you make of witches (or Wiccans), I invite you to ponder this question with me: why don’t Christians have a bumpersticker that says, “Christians heal?”
After all, Jesus built his reputation as a healer and wonderworker. Read Matthew, chapters 8 and 9 — fresh off his preaching his foundational Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes on a veritable healing spree — and not only healing but also casting out demons, raising a girl who had died, and even calming a storm. And remember, Jesus said to his followers that anyone who believes in him will do “even greater things” (John 14:12). And sure enough, the healing and miracle-working carries on in the Acts of the Apostles, with the disciples taking over after Jesus ascended.
If you are a Pentecostal Christian, you probably believe in miraculous healing; for example, a popular charismatic author, Francis MacNutt, built his ministry around celebrating healing as a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit (writing books such as Healing and The Prayer That Heals). Some other churches, like the Christian Scientists and the Unity School of Christianity, also stress spiritual healing. But it seems like most mainstream Christians regard healing as something that God does mainly through, well, ordinary medicine.
In saying this, I do not mean to belittle the miracle of modern medicine or the many dedicated and often heroic healthcare workers around the world who truly have dedicated their lives to the science of healing. Doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals are true healers, and for so many people, the ordinary process of getting quality care from physicians and other healthcare providers may be all they need — to get, regain, or maintain their health.
But does the science of healing blind us to the spiritual dimension of healing? Is it really possible, speaking spiritually, for Christians — all Christians — to bring healing into the lives of those they know and love? I’m not suggesting this is magic (like my Wiccan friend might believe in); all healing from a Christian perspective naturally begins with God. But does God only heal through the hands of someone who holds an advanced medical degree?
Unction (Extreme and Otherwise)
Perhaps there is no better sign of how Christianity lost its original mission as a force for healing in the world — and how that healing mission just might be reviving in our time — than the Catholic sacrament of “Anointing of the Sick.”
Before 1972, this sacrament was known as “Extreme Unction” (unction being the Latin form of “anointing”). The word extreme is used here in an archaic sense: meaning “last.” So this anointing was typically understood as a “last anointing” — or, to use a more popularized term, “last rites.”
Technically the last rites involve more than just the anointing of the sick; it includes an opportunity for the dying person to confess sins one final time, and then to receive the Eucharist. But the whole point behind this idea of last rites is that it only happens when death is imminent.
I still remember my catechist (the teacher who helped me prepare to become a Catholic) saying, “the problem with ‘last rites’ is that if the priest showed up and you weren’t near death, it would scare you to death!” How ironic that a ritual act intended to celebrate God’s healing act was often only performed at a time when physical healing was no longer considered likely?
In 1972 the word “Extreme” was retired and “Unction” swapped out for the less forbidding (and foreboding) word “Anointing.” These days, many Catholic Churches offer this sacrament on a regular basis — maybe one Sunday each month, the priest will provide anointing after the Mass, and anyone who has any kind of ailment is welcome to receive it. Any kind of ailment: physical, psychological or spiritual.
I’ve received the anointing for back pain. I know people who have received as part of their journey to heal depression. It’s not just for people who are worried they could die — it’s a celebration of healing in all its many forms.
Once again there’s nothing magical about the oil, or the priest who is doing the anointing. The healing, like all healing, comes ultimately from God. But the sacrament is a powerful reminder that our prayers, intercessions, and love for one another are healing balms in their own right.
Yes, it’s true that not everyone who receives this sacrament will necessarily be cured of whatever affliction they are dealing with. But that’s just like not everyone who goes to the doctor gets the cure they might be hoping for. Healing is sometimes a physical reality, sometimes dramatically so (that’s what we call a miracle) — but healing might just as easily be offered only to our spirits, bringing us the healing God desires to give us — even if it’s not necessarily the healing we think we want.
The Healer Who Needs Healing
Henri J.M. Nouwen wrote many wonderful books, but one of his most loved works is The Wounded Healer. It’s a book about ministry (Nouwen is attempting to answer the question “What does it mean to be a minister in our contemporary society?”), but of course the author connects the dots between ministry, and healing, and the existential reality that we are all, in some way, wounded. Christians speak of Christ as the son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, and yet even Christ heals out of the wounds of his crucifixion. If Christ is a wounded healer, then how much more so is that true of the rest of us?
Healing — whether scientific or spiritual, sacramental or charismatic, mundane or miraculous — is always a gift from God, and yet it is a gift that we receive typically from the hands of another — a doctor, a minister, a psychologist, a prayer partner, a family member or friend. All of these people — all of them — are “wounded” healers. We do not heal from a position of strength, but rather we allow God’s healing to flow through us, even through our weakness, our woundedness, our vulnerability.
In the words of Henri Nouwen, “For the minister is called to recognize the sufferings of his time in his own heart and make that recognition the starting point of his service. Whether he tries to enter into a dislocated world, relate to a convulsive generation, or speak to a dying man, his service will not be perceived as authentic unless it comes from a heart wounded by the suffering about which he speaks.”
I think it’s important not to restrict healing to just something the professionals do. Yes, doctors, psychologists, or even priests (as the ministers of sacramental healing), all have a specific and particular role to play as agents of healing. But that does not mean the rest of us have no place to play in the dissemination of God’s healing love in our wounded, suffering world. If you are someone who has suffered from the slings and arrows of life, then you are someone who has the potential to be a wounded healer. We can all be ministers of this particular grace, whether “sacramental” or not.
Healing and Contemplation
How does this tie in to the practice of contemplation? We live in a time when Christians have begun to recover contemplation (and mysticism) as the birthright of all people — not just the super-holy or full-time religious leaders. As the Vatican II council described this, there is a “Universal Call to Holiness.” The parallel, of course, is the aforementioned Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. While its exuberant style of worship and evangelical theology may not be to everyone’s taste, there is no question that Pentecostalism has done much to restore this idea that we are all called to be healers (and prophets, and and so forth — but for now let’s just focus on the ministry of healing). Contemplation reminds us that we are all invited to be still and know God, to be cognizant that God comes to us in a sound of sheer silence, and that our destiny as followers of Christ is to acknowledge and celebrate that we are all created in the Divine Image and Likeness. The spiritual gift of healing simply takes this to the next level.
Christ heals.
In silence you and I discover that we are, literally, one with Christ.
Do the math: you are called to be a healer.
What does that mean? I don’t think it means that everyone is called to be a TV-style evangelist who helps people to get out of wheelchairs or to overcome debilitating syndromes. Healers like that are the equivalent of mystics who can levitate or live for years on nothing but Holy Communion. Is such a thing possible? I don’t know, maybe it is. Is it normal, or usual? Absolutely not. There’s only one Clapton or Segovia in any given generation, but thank heaven, millions of people are called to make beautiful music with the guitar. Healing operates the same way. Don’t compare yourself to a famous wonder worker, or a renowned saint like Mother Teresa. Ask in your heart, what is my calling? And seek to be faithful to the answer that emerges.
Some of us are called to be healers in scientific ways — as doctors, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare providers. Others provide a more spiritual kind of healing, as priests, ministers, pastors, or other spiritual leaders. But healing can also be channeled through the ability to fix someone a good meal, or to offer a sympathetic, listening ear, or to march for social justice. Some of us bring healing through art and creativity, in a variety of ways. Music, dance, poetry, painting… there are so many ways to create beauty, and beauty can be a force for healing. It’s probably wise not to second guess the blessings we are capable to bring others — and to avoid the twin temptations of over-estimating or under-estimating the role we are called to play in the economy of Divine grace and God’s healing energy.
The Buddhist author Charlotte Joko Beck wrote a book about Zen with the title Nothing Special. I love the delicious pun encoded in those words: for not only is it a celebration of humility, but it also reminds us that, in terms of the dharma, there really is something special about “nothing” — about emptiness and impermanence. The Christian corollary to this is kenosis, a rich Greek work that only appears once in the New Testament, meaning emptiness — as in, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:5-7). Christ’s self-emptying made the incarnation possible; he had to divest himself of his godhood, his divinity, to “fall” into Mary’s womb and embrace the ordinary messy life of being human.
You and I, likewise, are called into a gesture of emptiness, but instead of emptying ourselves of divinity, we might have to empty ourselves of ego-inflation, or self-importance, or self-consciousness, or self-denigration. The particular matter varies from person to person. But it is in this “nothing special” emptying that we create the space for the Holy Spirit to act — sacred elbow room, as it were. And when the Spirit has elbow room in our hearts, miracles can happen. Again, they might be tiny miracles (or not), they might seem perfectly ordinary and commonplace (or not), but what is common to all these miracles is that through them, healing flows, healing happens.
If you practice a sacramental, “catholic” form of Christianity, none of this is meant to belittle or dismiss the spiritual beauty and power of sacramental anointing. My daughter received the sacrament several times, the last time being the day before she died — when it really was part of her last rites. Those were moments of grace, even if they did not deliver a miracle — at least, on the surface of things. But I suspect miracles were delivered hidden safely in our hearts. I know I received grace in those moments, and I am confident Rhiannon did as well.
The celebration of the universal call to healing is not about dismissing the beauty of sacramental healing, but rather expanding its reach, by recognizing what the New Testament calls the priesthood of all believers. We are all called to holiness. We are all called to priesthood. We are all called to be mystics and contemplatives. And we are all called to be healers. Now comes the fun part: discerning just how that call can be uniquely manifested in each of our lives. Let the adventure begin!
The above post is part of an on-going work in progress called Meditations on the Christian Mysteries. As I write these monthly meditations, I first share them with the friends of this blog who make a monthly pledge to support it through Patreon. Patreon is a crowdfunding website specifically designed to support artists of all kinds: visual artists, writers, musicians, video producers, and other creative professionals. People can make a monthly pledge at any amount (the recommended minimum is $5, but it’s okay to pledge even less than that) to support the artist of their choice. Thanks to the miracle of crowdfunding, all those gifts combine to help artists keep on creating the art/writing/music that their supporters love.
Part of the fun of Patreon is that the artists are encouraged to share news, works-in-progress, or other “behind the scenes” updates with their patrons. So I try to post something regularly to Patreon, usually once or twice a month. Often I include one of these meditations. Of course, the plan is, once all the meditations are written, to publish them in book form, so everyone will have access to them eventually. But the patrons get a “first look” — which is really important to me as a writer, since they can provide feedback to let me know what is working (and what isn’t) with my work-in-progress.
I have other projects in mind, of course. So once this one is completed (probably sometime next year), I’ll launch another work-in-progress, where patrons will get a first look while the project is being written.
Please consider making a small monthly pledge to support this blog through Patreon. Not only will you receive the spiritual blessing of knowing that you are helping to keep this blog going (and growing), but you’ll also get access to patron-only content as well. Hope to see you there: click the button below to get started.
December 3, 2019 is “Giving Tuesday.” It’s a day designed to highlight the many worthy non-profit and charitable organizations that deserve our support — not just in December, but throughout the year.
May I humbly suggest that, on this Giving Tuesday, you might also consider supporting a creative professional — a writer (like me), or some other artist whose work brings joy to many people?
You probably know that my work as a blogger is primarily funded through Patreon, a membership website for people who want to support creative professionals like me.
Patreon allows people like you and me to offer monthly support to not only writers, but podcasters, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and game designers, for as little as $1 a month.
I myself currently support five different creative professionals through Patreon. The beauty of crowdfunding is that you can make a small, manageable monthly pledge — which adds up with the pledges from other patrons — to make a real difference for the artists you support.
This Isn’t About “Charity”
But Patreon is not meant to be a charity scheme. Those of us who receive support through Patreon are encouraged to offer something in return to our patrons. Something like a members-only newsletter, a special gift (like an autographed book), early access to new work, or even the opportunity for interaction with the artist you support.
So, if you’ve read this far (thank you!), obviously I hope you will visit Patreon and become a patron of one or more creators whose work you love. And I hope that includes supporting my writing. So today I want to highlight my newly revised list of benefits that patrons receive. I hope you’ll find these perks to be a meaningful expression of gratitude for your support.
Click on this graphic to become a patron.
Patrons who pledge $1 (or more) per month receive a special thank-you acknowledgment on the “Circle of Gratitude” page of my website, and a monthly newsletter for patrons only. If you pledge $3 or more, once or twice a month you’ll receive contemplative poetry that I have written, designed to inspire and support your spiritual practice.
For $5 per month you get all of the above, plus once a month I send you a meditation I’ve written on an aspect of contemplative Christianity. These are designed to “reframe” traditional Christian teachings in the light of mystical and contemplative practice.
For $10 per month you get all of the above, plus my “Contemplative Compass” column, specifically designed to offer practical advice and inspiration for supporting your daily spiritual practice. With an emphasis on cultivating a sense of wonder, deepening our relationship with silence, drawing on the wisdom of the great mystics, and fostering the virtues and values of a contemplative life, each month will offer new insight specifically geared toward deepening your spiritual journey. To learn more about Contemplative Compass, click here.
For $20 per month you get all of the above, plus an autographed book whenever I have a new one coming out — usually every 12-18 months. During years when I don’t have a new book, patrons will have the option of getting an autographed copy of one of my older books (note: this reward requires you have a USA mailing address).
For $50 or more per month you get all of the above, plus the opportunity to participate in a quarterly live event on Skype or FaceTime with me and the other patrons at this level (this will be limited to no more than 15 participants). We’ll explore a topic related to mystical or contemplative spirituality; you’ll have a chance to interact directly with me and with others who share similar interests.
For $100 or more per month you get all of the above, plus the opportunity to engage directly with me on a monthly basis, via Skype or FaceTime. We can explore specific questions you might have about contemplative or mystical Christianity, or we can prayerfully focus on your spiritual journey, listening together for how the Spirit is leading your journey.
The Spirituality of Creativity: and the Gift Economy
In all candor, since my writing is spiritual in nature, I would love to just be able to give it all away.
But we all know that we live in a world where mortgage payments and other bills just keep on coming. Patreon gives me the ability to keep writing, and to make my work widely available on my blog, where anyone can read it for free. It is not my intention to give some of my writing only to “paying customers.” So the poetry, the monthly meditation and contemplative compass are all work that, eventually, I hope to make available to the public at large. But patrons get to see this work first — in most cases, probably years before it will ever be available publicly.
So while I hope patrons will enjoy these perks that I’m offering, I also hope you will recognize that your monthly pledge of support is not just for me, but for everyone who reads my blog, many of whom might not be able to afford to make a pledge or join a membership site. Together, you and I will be making a difference: making sure that new content on mysticism and contemplative spirituality will continue to be available online, for anyone who seeks to learn about this lovely and meaningful spiritual path.
What Your Support Could Make Possible in the Future
When I first learned about Patreon, for a while I resisted setting up a Patreon account for my work. I thought, “Who am I to ask my readers to support my blog?” But I changed my mind when I realized that the support Patreon provides allows me to devote more time to my writing — which is not only a joy for me, but hopefully will be a blessing to the many people who read my blog each year. The more I am able to write, the more people are likely to discover the spiritual blessings of the four topics I focus on: Christian mysticism, Contemplative practice, Celtic spirituality, and Interfaith exploration. No one has to pay to read my blog. This material is available free to the public, thanks to the generosity of those who freely choose to be patrons.
As my patron support grows, I have several ideas of how I can expand my work online. I hope to begin including videos on my blog. I’d like to develop contemplative commentary on the Bible — as well as on the writings of the great mystics. And of course, I want to continue to expand Via Mystica, which I envision as an online “knowledge base” for the practice of mystical spirituality.
These are ambitious goals. They will take many hours, over a span of years if not decades, to complete. Your patronage can help to make these goals a reality, thereby increasing the amount of contemplative spiritual writing available to the general public online.
I hope you can sense how this all is based on giving — giving away quality spiritual writing for free online, made possible by the giving support of generous patrons. Please join this circle of generosity, by becoming a patron today.
Friends, I’m really excited about a new writing project I am launching next month through Patreon. I hope you will prayerfully consider joining me on this adventure.
Patreon is the crowdfunding website where readers like you are invited to support this blog and my other writing projects. Patrons through Patreon get early access to my current and future writing projects, including this new initiative. To learn more and to become a patron, click here.
This new project is called Contemplative Compass. It will be a monthly newsletter with original content, not available anywhere else, designed to offer practical, day-to-day support for people who are embracing the mystical element of Christianity. It’s for anyone who wants to explore the mystical side of Christianity. That includes Christians as well as non-Christians or spiritually independent persons who recognize that the mystical dimension of Christianity speaks to everyone.
Karl Rahner famously said “the Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist.” I think we are already living in the future Rahner (who died in 1984) was talking about. Many churches are facing declining and aging membership, and some are even closing their doors. The institutional side of Christianity is in crisis.
More and more people — especially young people — don’t want to be part of a religious institution.
But Christianity is more than just an institution. It preserves, generation after generation, a beautiful, deeply transformational, but largely hidden lineage of mystical, contemplative wisdom. And it is that dimension of Christianity — often unknown to the institutional side of the religion — that inspires and excites me, and that I am dedicated to exploring with the patrons who sign up for Contemplative Compass.
I know that the last thing most people need are tons of emails showing up every day (I know, you’re already reading Richard Rohr!) — so for Patreon supporters who sign up for Contemplative Compass, I only will be sending an email once a week. Some of these emails will be devotional in nature: original poetry or meditations that are written to support your daily practice. Once a month I’ll send out an informal, “behind the scenes” newsletter. But the heart of the program will be the Contemplative Compass email, with all-new material each month written expressly to support your practice — your contemplative journey.
Following the “compass” metaphor, each month I’ll be exploring four “directions” for cultivating our contemplative practice:
Reflect on the Mysteries — Live the questions of the spiritual life. Each month we’ll explore a question designed to foster and cultivate our deepening sense of wonder and encounter with the mystery that lies at the heart of the contemplative search. God seeks you — and does so by instilling in your heart a place of infinite longing. We’ll explore the questions that open that longing up to embrace the infinite.
Remember the Great Mystics — Honor the exemplars, the saints, visionaries, sages and teachers, from centuries ago or alive today, who embodied the promise and possibility of mystical spirituality. Each month we’ll celebrate a wisdom keeper whose life and teachings truly show us how to move deeper on the path.
Receive the Wisdom of Silence — Embrace the heart of the mystical life, by opening your heart and mind each day to the guidance that can only come directly from the Spirit, at a level deeper than words. Each month we’ll explore another facet of silent prayer and practice, always with an eye toward resting in the gift that is given: an invitation to go deeper to that place where we can be still and know.
Respond to your Unique Call — It has been said that the mystic is not a special kind of person, but each person is a special kind of mystic. There is no one-size-fits-all path into the mystical heart of Christianity. This is why Christianity has no “gurus” — only spiritual companions (like you and me) who accompany one another as we each seek to respond more fully to the guidance of the Spirit. Each month we’ll consider a virtue, a prayer practice, a Biblical story, or some other aspect of contemplation that can help us to more fully live the joyful, transformational, contemplative life we are called to live.
My hope for Contemplative Compass is that it will be a blessing for people of all walks of life and all stages on their spiritual journey: beginners as well as seasoned practitioners, devout churchgoing Christians as well as the spiritually independent. It’s meant to be an inclusive guide to what unites us, what calls us deeper, and what offers us transformation and possibility. In other words, it is meant to celebrate the spirituality of mystical love.
Contemplative Compass will not replace my blog, which I will continue to update as frequently as my schedule permits (most weeks I publish 2 – 3 new posts between my three blogs). The blog remains free for all readers — it is a ministry that I remain committed to doing as long as I can (and as long as people express an interest in it). But like the other content that is available exclusively on Patreon, Contemplative Compass is offered as a special thank-you gift for those who are able and willing to support my work through Patreon.
The Christian of the future will be a mystic, or will not exist. — Karl Rahner, SJ
Patrons will also have the ability to interact directly with me and the other subscribers of Contemplative Compass through the “Community” page on my Patreon site, where we can share with one another our experiences with the material we explore each month.
You can support this blog and my other writing projects for as little as $1 a month. There are six levels of support — each one offers specific rewards for those who sign up. The subscription to Contemplative Compass (which includes new poetry and meditations each month as well) is $10 per month. But there are others levels if you need to make a smaller pledge, or would like to make a larger one.
Remember, your financial support is not only a way of helping me (which I appreciate!), but also helps to keep new content posting to all of my blogs, which in turn helps more and more people each month discover the splendor and spiritual wisdom of contemplative Christianity. Thank you for doing your part to support this ministry!
If you aren’t familiar with Patreon — it’s a crowdfunding platform for creative professionals. It’s basically the means by which I am able to publish new content on my blogs (here, and Via Mystica, and my blog at Patheos). The support I receive through Patreon makes it possible not only for me to write every day, but also to continue doing the research that allows me to keep growing as a writer and a student of the mystical path. My blogs will always be 100% free (and the ones that I manage, I intend to keep ad-free), thanks to Patreon. So if you find my writing helpful, and would like to help make sure new content keeps coming, I hope you will prayerfully consider joining the circle of patrons. To do so, click here: www.patreon.com/carlmccolman.
To be a mystic is to be the explorer of both Divine and human mysteries (which corresponds to Jesus’s two essential teachings, “Love God” and “Love your neighbors”).
We often think that the essential way to do this is through spiritual practices such as meditation, contemplation, chanting the psalms, and working with a spiritual guide or companion. And, yes, all those things are important.
But there’s also the question of how we find the mysteries in the midst of the stories that give our lives shape and meaning.
I think this is why certain movies or books — think of Avatar, or the Harry Potter Series, or the Chronicles of Narnia — it seems there are some people who become so immersed in the story that it’s almost as if they belong “in” the story — rather than in the “real world.”
Indeed, each of the examples that I listed above begin with a person traveling from the mundane world to an alternative or interior world — where the magic is real, interior transformation happens, and the person finds his or her calling and destiny.
Friends, when we look at the great contemplative traditions of the world, at their heart is always a story — a narrative, that more or less conforms to the “hero’s journey” and that invites us to become so engaged with it, that we “enter into” the story in some real way and allow it to transform us, enlighten us, and empower us for a life filled with purpose, meaning, and service to others.
So, here’s where my thinking is going: contemplative and mystical spirituality invite us into the great story, just as they invite us into the silence within. In both of these venues: the sacred story, and the sacred silence — we are invited to a life transforming union with the Divine.
This is the working thesis for a new book that I have begun working on (see the bottom of this post to learn how you can be one of the first ones to read it).
Let’s Meditate on the Mysteries
Karl Rahner said “the Christian of the future will be a mystic or… will not exist at all.” Both David Steindl-Rast and William McNamara said “The mystic is not a special kind of person; each person is a special kind of mystic.” And — speaking in a more secular sense, but I think he’s on target — psychologist Rick Doblin points out that “mysticism is the antidote to fundamentalism.”
When I put these three soundbites together, I begin to think that mysticism is something that really needs to be explored as widely as possible — especially among Christians (of course, I write as a Christian; I hope adherents of every faith will plumb the mystical treasures of their own lineage). Let’s put aside for now what it means to be a mystic — although, to take McNamara and Steindl-Rast at their word, everyone already is one; the problem is, most of us don’t realize it.
So for now, we’ll just that issue aside, and instead focus on: what can I do to cultivate mystical spirituality in my life, starting today?
For years now, I my writing (books and blog) I have operated under the assumption that the best answer to that question is, “be silent.” And I still advocate silent prayer as a core mystical practice.
But today I want to invite my readers to consider joining with me in a corollary spiritual practice: let’s enter the Christian story, with an eye to its mystical heart, it’s wisdom for contemplative living.
So I’ve been mulling over, for a number of months now, a book that is organized similar to a catechism — it would take us step-by-step through the key elements of the Christian faith — but it would do so with this eye toward “entering the story” in a contemplative/mystical way.
My working title for this project is “Meditations on the Christian Mystery.” Don’t hold me to that: when a good editor gets involved in a book, lots of things usually change, and usually for the better. The title is often one of the most visible of changes.
But for now, let’s call this project Meditations on the Christian Mystery. I’m writing this post today, not just to announce this project (which is still in its infancy), but to seek your feedback. Do you like the idea? Any suggestions of topics I should explore, books I should read to deepen my understanding of the theology and spirituality of story? Or anything else you might want to suggest?
(If you think the idea stinks, you’re welcome to say so, but I’m pretty much committed to it so I think we’ll all have to agree that not everyone will like it and leave it at that).
Would you like to be one of the first to read this book?
My other reason for sharing this concept with you is related to a very mundane need. I rely on readers like you to provide financial support to keep the blog viable.
I recently spoke with a friend of mine who is a true patron of the arts — he provides financial support to about a dozen different writers and other artists through the service I use, Patreon. Since this friend is so knowledgeable, I asked him “What do you find most rewarding from the writers you support?” He mentioned that several of them are in the habit of sending their patrons their works-in-progress, one chapter at a time.
I realized I could do the same thing — and that Meditations of the Christian Mystery is probably the best book to be sending out.
This book is still in “first draft” mode, and I don’t have a publishing agreement on it (yet). That’s not a problem: if no publisher offers to bring it out, eventually I’ll self-publish. But that’s down the road a ways.
For now, I’m excited about the idea of sharing the book, a chapter at a time, with the patrons who support this blog; hopefully they will provide feedback and input that will help make the revision process go more smoothly.
So… if you would like to be among the first people who read Meditations of the Christian Mystery as it is being written, please make a $5 or more monthly pledge to this blog, via Patreon. That’s all it takes.
Now, I understand that not all people want to, or can, provide financial support to a blog. The blog remains free for you to read. And the book will eventually get published just like any other book. So please: only make a pledge if it gives you a sense of joy to do so. Otherwise, no worries, just know that I am glad you read the blog!
But if you do choose to make (or already have made) a monthly pledge, then look out: starting in August, you and I will be entering the story together! And may the mysteries help us to find the kind of mystics God created us to be.
Anamchara — an online resource for the exploration of Christian and interfaith mysticism, contemplative living, and silent prayer — includes a blog, a knowledge base, and audio/video content. It’s a labor of love and requires several hours each workday to keep going. This website is made possible by the generous support of readers like you.
When you make a pledge to support this site, you not only have the satisfaction of knowing you are partnering with me to keep quality contemplative writing available online, but you also get exclusive “first look” access at my new writing — including poetry, meditation, and encouragement for your ongoing contemplative practice. Depending on your level of support, you may also have first-look access to new videos, complimentary enrollment in online courses offered through my blog, and even the opportunity to participate in online retreats or spiritual direction.
After much consideration (and prayer!), I chose Patreon to facilitate financial support for my blog. Patreon is a website where you can support writers and other artists like me — people who are engaged in on-going creative work.
This website is a forum devoted to Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality. I write about the wisdom of the great Christian mystics of the past, the practices that can help you foster a meaningful contemplative practice in your life, and related topics (such as interfaith dialogue). I also regularly publish reviews of books related to contemplation and mysticism.
I began this blog very much as a hobby, because this is a topic dear to my heart. By the grace of God, I’ve had the opportunity to write several books and out of that I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to lead retreats and give talks at churches, monasteries and even seminaries. Contemplation and mysticism are important topics, and both practicing Christians and people who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious want to learn more about the rich heritage of Christian mysticism and contemplation.
This website fills an important niche. But because of the ongoing time commitment that a site like this entails, I depend on support from readers like you who have found this blog helpful on your spiritual journey.
You can make a monthly pledge in any amount on Patreon. Even just ten dollars a month gives you access to all the exclusive “first look” content that patrons get to see first. But truly, any amount is welcome — the miracle of crowdfunding is that many small pledges add up to a sustainable level of support. In fact, I encourage patrons to keep their pledged amount small, since that is more sustainable over the long haul.
When you make a pledge, you become part of the team — a team of patrons who join with me in the conviction that mysticism and contemplation are what Christians need, and what the world needs. Because of the support of patrons, I will be able to continue publishing new material, and hopefully expanding the voice (and reach) of this blog, to get the word out about mysticism and contemplation to others.
I regularly get emails from readers who tell me how important contemplation and mysticism is to their spiritual life. How many people are there who are in the same boat, but haven’t discovered the tradition of Christian mysticism — yet? Perhaps this blog will help them.
All patrons, at any level, receive a monthly newsletter from me, just for patrons;
If you pledge $3 or more per month, you get access to 1 or 2 never-before-published contemplative poems;
Pledge $5 or more per month, and in addition to the above you also get access to a monthly meditation on an aspect of the Christian contemplative path;
Pledge $20 or more per month, and every time I have a new book published I’ll send you a free autographed copy (sorry, this offer is only for USA residents);
Pledge $50 or more per month, and you’ll be invited to participate in a quarterly live-stream video conference with me; $100 or more a month gives you access to a monthly Skype or Zoom call with me which you can use for spiritual direction, coaching for your own writing practice, or simply a chance to chat with a fellow contemplative.
Together we can make a difference.
Thank you for your support.
If you are new to this blog, here are a few links to some posts that will give you a taste of what this blog is all about:
