The Autistic Mystic?
Caryll Houselander was a colorful, chain-smoking therapist who didn't fit in anywhere. Except for one place—right at the heart of divine Lov
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5 min read
Why divine union hurts sometimes
I made it to the desert -- and I was shocked. I can’t believe I made it to New Mexico. After spending the majority of the last two years...
5 min read
The Controversial Mysticism of Hindu-Benedictine Monk, Bede Griffiths
How I first met the Hindu Christ (and why we need this Benedictine monk to make the introduction)
3 min read
This gay priest saved me with his tenderness.
How Henri Nouwen's Inner Voice of Love rescued me after I left the convent. As I reeled in my illness, Nouwen invited me to tenderness.
3 min read
4 Unexpected Secrets About the Unbreakable Bond Between Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr.
Imagine, if you will, two icons of peace perched on the precipice of change. One, a Buddhist monk in saffron robes, the other a Baptist...
5 min read
Midlife Crisis: Expectation vs. Reality
When crisis strips away our normal roles - job, parent, spouse - what is left?
8 min read
The Truth about Thomas Merton’s Spiritual Mother
“Baloney!” were the first words Thomas Merton heard her say. The year was 1941 and Merton was teaching at St. Bonaventure University. The...
2 min read
Julian of Norwich: 8 Things You Didn't Know
Julian of Norwich is becoming a wildly popular mystic. Yet she lived as a recluse in a forgotten corner of England in the 14th century....
4 min read
The 19 Best Julian of Norwich Quotes
Julian of Norwich’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past century. Yet she spent most of her life literally entombed in her...
4 min read
The Untapped Goldmine of Etty Hillesum that Virtually No One Knows About
Etty Hillesum doesn't fit in boxes. Which might be why I'm so magnetically drawn to her. People who defy categories intrigue me. Somehow...
9 min read
Trauma and Well-Meaning Relatives
An Open Letter on the Occasion of my Wedding I blinked at my latest text messages. Within the past 12 hours, I had received two more...
5 min read
The Top 4 Books I Recommend in Spiritual Direction
If you’re like me, you’re always hungry to grow. Whether that means devouring podcasts, discovering a new framework to use for my...
8 min read
9 Ways to Know if You’re Growing Spiritually
Elia had big desires. Like many of the people I walk with in spiritual direction, she was hungry to learn. She wanted homework. Book...
5 min read
You'll never make a decision without doing this.
Lately I’ve discovered that I, and a number of my clients, have been struggling with existential FOMO. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is...
8 min read
Prayer and Orgasm Have More in Common Than You Think
The Mystics' Secret to Bliss I can’t remember the first time it happened in prayer. But I remember the first conversation I tried to have...
7 min read
The Surprising Reason Why You Don't Feel God
Let’s be honest: meditation is not always sunshine and roses. If you’ve ever tried to sustain a spiritual practice, you’ve probably...
7 min read
The World the Mystics Inhabited
Ineffable Longings, Incarnation, and the Sacramental Imagination I received a letter the other day that read: "I've been turning to the...
4 min read
When Fall is Ripe with Change
I sensed it even before I opened my eyes. Somewhere between the way the cool air nibbled at my toes, and the way the crisp aerosols...
7 min read
How to Live When You’ve Been Mostly Dead
I couldn’t speak.
I was pretty sure this is what Wesley from the Princess Bride had felt like when he had been “mostly dead” all day.
5 min read
Prayer and Orgasm Have More in Common Than you Think, Part 2
3 Secrets to Divine Intimacy There are two things that are certain, besides death and taxes. That is: wherever there are people, there...
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