Carl McColman

One wintery evening when I was a teenager, I experienced a spontaneous spiritual awakening — my entire being filled with love and light, and a sense of infinite joy. I couldn’t really put it into words, but it seemed clear that I had experienced the presence of God. I couldn’t make sense of this, until an older friend gave me a book on mysticism.What is mysticism? It’s been called the future of Christianity, the antidote to fundamentalism, and the experiential heart of all true spirituality. It is found in every religion and yet it is truly universal, knowing no boundaries. It is the spirituality of meditation, contemplation, and inner transformation. But no one can ultimately define it, because it points us to a place in our hearts that is deeper than language, beyond all concepts, and simply grounded in wisdom, compassion, and divine union.The book my friend gave me was by Evelyn Underhill, and it introduced me to an entire tradition of great mystics and spiritual visionaries. I've dedicated my life to learning from these great mystics, believing their wisdom continues to be relevant for today — even though, sadly, both religion and secular society often ignores these great wisdom teachers.Since my own heart-expanding initiation into the mystical life, I’ve wanted to share mysticism with others — through writing about it, teaching and leading retreats, providing spiritual direction and companionship, and — since 2003 — writing what has been described as one of the leading websites devoted to mysticism, www.anamchara.com (Anamchara is a Gaelic word meaning “Soul Friend”).Everyone’s story is unique, of course, but since you are reading these words I suspect that the mystical life is calling you, too. I hope you’ll join Patreon where you can partner with me in my work to share mystical spirituality with others — and with you.Patreon is a program for people who want to support writers, artists, and other creative folks. When people kept asking me how they could support my blog, I found Patreon was a great tool for connecting supporters with creators. But this isn’t just a charity program: Patreon has helped me to connect with lovers of mysticism and contemplative spirituality from all over the world. Together we meditate, pray, and learn how to apply the teachings and wisdom of the great mystics to our lives.Here’s how Patreon works: for as little as $10 a month, you make a pledge to support my blog. Doing so, you join a community that gathers on Zoom twice a month to share silence, meditation, and conversation about our unique exploration of contemplative practice and mystical wisdom.If you can’t join us live, we record the meditations and/or presentations and archive them here on Patreon, exclusively for members. Over the years I’ve posted dozens of poems, meditations, videos and book study materials here on Patreon. So you get access to an ever-growing library of resources to inspire and help you on your personal exploration of the mystical path. And new material is added all the time — in addition to the new content on Anamchara, which (thanks to Patreon) continues to be freely available to everyone.So there are two reasons to join Patreon. It’s an act of generosity where you support me in my life-mission to share mysticism with the world through my website. But it’s also a way to connect with the resources I’ve created for patrons like you, and to join with me and other Patreon members on Zoom to support one another in our ongoing spiritual journey.Mysticism is inclusive, so everyone is welcome. I had my spiritual awakening in a Christian setting, so naturally much of my own work has been studying and sharing the wisdom of Christian mystics. But there are mystics in every religion, so I’m just as interested in the teachings of the Buddha, the wisdom of the Celts, or the deep peace of Mother Earth. Mystical spirituality is for people of every religion, creed, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or age. All are welcome!Mystical and contemplative practices inspire creativity and the quest for peace and social justice. This kind of spirituality is a key to a meaningful and joyful life.Through my blog, my books, and my poetry, I seek to share the wisdom and practices of the great mystics with readers like you.When you join our community on Patreon, you become part of a circle of contemplatives who share a mission to introduce as many people as possible to the wisdom of the mystics and the meaningful, joyful practice of contemplative spirituality.Please join us today on the mission to share the message of the mystics with everyone who seeks a deeper spirituality in our time.Your Patreon membership makes it possible for me to keep writing and to keep creating new content inspired by the mystics. Through your membership, you are helping to make mystical and contemplation writing available to the thousands of people who visit my blog each month, many of whom are not in a position to pay for my writing. These seekers depend on the support of people like you to keep contemplative and mystical writing freely available online. Your generosity directly blesses spiritual seekers around the world.Become a member today — let’s explore the mysteries together!Yours on the journey,CarlP.S.&nbsp;I hear from people who tell me they can’t keep up with all the content I’m posting here on Patreon (and on Anamchara.com). I understand; we are all so busy! Please see this as a library that you can dip into when time and your schedule permit. And remember: your support helps me to bring my work to others, through my website and social media. Thank you!

Free

This tier is for students, seniors, low/fixed income persons, or anyone who wants to participate in Patreon's Circle of Support but needs to keep the monthly membership cost economical and sustainable. You get access to all the same Member Rewards as the standard tier, and the same gratitude for your support!

Economy Membership

Get access to all the Members-only content on Patreon, including recordings of Guided Meditations and other presentations from past Zoom calls, study guides, poetry, and more — plus the biweekly Zoom calls hosted by Carl exclusively for Patreon members.

Standard Membership

Your contribution at this tier makes you truly a partner in Carl's ongoing ministry as a contemplative content creator. Get all the benefits of standard membership — and some extra perks for this tier, including a special thank you gift and an autographed book!

Sustaining Membership

In addition to all the member features, get the option of interacting with Carl one-on-one (via Zoom) on a monthly basis. Use this time for spiritual accompaniment, learning about mystical spirituality, or geeking out on Star Trek or the Beatles. Don't be surprised if Carl picks your brain about ideas for future writing!

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