NEW FOR 2019: Now available! An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom draws on myth, folklore, poetry, and the tales of Celtic saints and heroes, to explore the spiritual tradition of the Celtic peoples — a tradition rooted in hospitality, love of nature, and a mystical sense of the presence of God. The Celtic way is more important […]
Sister Kathleen P. Deignan, C.N.D. is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years. She is currently composer-in-residence of Schola Ministries and is the founder and director of Iona Spirituality Institute at Iona College, New York, and previously directed the Iona … Continue reading Kathleen Deignan: Silence and Nature (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
A few months ago I wrote about smartphone apps that are designed to support a daily prayer practice. Most of the people who left comments on the post expressed how much they appreciated apps like the ones I wrote about, since they found that in today’s busy world, having words…… Read more at Patheos
I’m preparing for a retreat I’ll be leading in Scotland next month, and so I’m reading a book called Island Spirituality: Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris by Alastair McIntosh. In the book, he tells of a conversation he had with a Free Church (Presbyterian) pastor named Rev. Calum MacDonald. We sat down over a cup […]
Our conversation with musician, songwriter/poet, and Quaker Carrie Newcomer concludes this week. Carrie continues to share with us her insights into the relationship between poetry and lyrics, between music and silence, between creativity and authenticity — and how love can change everything for the better. Like the first part of this conversation, she also graces … Continue reading Carrie Newcomer: Silence, Song, Blessing and Waiting (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
Recently I led a Celtic spirituality retreat through the Copper Beech Institute in Connecticut. During the retreat we talked about such topics as the spirituality of holy wells, thin places, and the concept of “the edge of waiting” as a Celtic way of contemplating. One of the participants sent me an email after the retreat […]
I’m leading a retreat called “Growing in Faith and Trust” at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. Come spend a weekend praying with the Trappist monks and reflecting with me on how prayer, trust, and a generous heart work together to help us grow spiritually — and find joy in the journey. The retreat begins on Friday, June 21 and runs through Sunday, June 23, 2019.
To register for this retreat, call (770) 760-0959 (if no one answers, leave a message — this is a monastery, not a hotel!)
| Date: | June 21, 2019—June 23, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Event: | The Spirituality of Trust Retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit |
| Topic: | Growing in Faith and Trust |
| Sponsor: |
Monastery of the Holy Spirit Retreat House (770) 760-0959 |
| Venue: |
Monastery of the Holy Spirit (770) 760-0959 |
| Location: | Conyers, GA 30094 |
| Public: | Public |
To invite me to speak to your community, click here.
What is the relationship between silence and music? This week’s guest, acclaimed folk musician and educator Carrie Newcomer, helps us to explore this provocative question. “To do music you have to be comfortable with silence… a song without the pauses is just cacophony. You have to be able to breathe, and take a breath. Juxtaposition: … Continue reading Carrie Newcomer: Silence, Song, Blessing and Waiting (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
In today’s episode, the hosts of Encountering Silence speak with contemplative teacher James Finley, following his reflection on the spirituality of silence which we released last week as episode #62. If you have not yet listened to episode 62, we encourage you to do so before listening to this episode — click here to listen … Continue reading James Finley: A Conversation on the Spirituality of Silence (Part Two) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
We know the first woman who wrote a book in the English language (at least, the first one that has been preserved for posterity). But there is a lot about that author, who lived in the fourteenth century, that we don’t know. We know she was a visionary based in Norwich, England.…… Read more at Patheos
Contemplative author, teacher, retreat leader, and psychologist James Finley returns to the Encountering Silence podcast this week. At James’s suggestion, when we recorded this episode we began by giving him the opportunity to share his own reflections on the spirituality of silence. After he finished this presentation, we engaged in a time of shared dialogue … Continue reading James Finley: Reflections on the Spirituality of Silence (Part One) → … Read more at Encountering Silence
A reader named Dave recently sent this question to me: Hi Carl, could you please give me some suggestions on reading for the false self/ego? Just going through early chapters of New Seeds of Contemplation and it’s really gripped me to dive deeper. He didn’t specify what passage(s) in New Seeds…… Read more at Patheos
Today’s post is written by Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD, author of When the Heart Speaks, Listen: Discovering Inner Wisdom. “Inner stillness offers the keys to the universe. The answers to any question or dilemma I encounter are revealed if I listen to the silence within.” As a spiritual director/companion and retreat…… Read more at Patheos
One of the most attractive, although challenging, qualities of the Cistercian charism is simplicity. It’s a principle immediately apparent in Cistercian architecture: the monasteries and churches of the Cistercian order, whether built in the 12th century or the 20th, are typically remarkable for their aesthetic simplicity. There are few if…… Read more at Patheos
In response to a post I wrote last year — “What to Do When Prayer Gets Dull” — a reader recently left this comment on Facebook: Carl, I think it would be useful to guide folks about what to do if the dryness period persists….I find comfort in reading mystic…… Read more at Patheos
What is the future of humanity? Will we ever evolve beyond our current identity of homo sapiens? After all, our ancestors weren’t always homo sapiens. Go back far enough and we find homo neanderthalensis or homo erectus in our past. We’ve evolved before, so doesn’t make sense to assume that we shall evolve again?…… Read more at Patheos
