Contemplify

Sasha Waters, an American documentary and experimental filmmaker, feminist and educator. She has produced and directed over twenty films and we are here today to talk about her latest, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World , which will be theatrically released July 3rd ( see dates and locations of screenings here ) and will air nationally on the PBS series American Masters on August 25th,...

"With poetic clarity and theological depth, Beverly Lanzetta names the sacred within the human, the Divine Feminine within tradition, and the transforming power of contemplation for our wounded world." — Fr. Adam Bucko Beverly Lanzetta, Ph. D., is a theologian, contemplative scholar and teacher, and the author of a number of groundbreaking books, her most recent is the centerpiece of our conversat...

"In the ashes of all we have lost, a world of liberation is waiting to be born, if we are brave enough to labor for it. Like the wisest midwife, Liza Rankow takes our hand and offers practical tools to unlock a courage we did not know we had. The result: a journey into healing, spirituality, and social justice that rebirths the world within us and around us." — Valarie Kaur, author, See No Strange...

Philip Connors is a fire lookout, essayist, and author of four books. A former journalist at the Wall Street Journal , Connors has been a fire lookout in the Gila National Forest for over twenty years. In our conversation today we focus on his latest book, The Mountain Knows the Mountain: A Fire Watch Diary , the life of a fire lookout, attention and dialogue with place, and I reignite the questio...

"Through her graceful poetry and pristine instrumentation, the folk singer delivers indictments of modern indignities alongside moments of hope." — Pitchfork Anna Tivel is an award-winning songwriter and musician from Portland, Oregon. In our conversation we traverse many topics; short stories, poetry, checking for shit on your shoes, and Anna's latest spellbinding album,  Animal Poem . For me, th...

"Here is a rosary of soaring myth, gripping narrative, and deep wisdom, all told with breathtaking verve that enchants and sweeps us along, from first word to last. A superb, inspiring read." — Gabor Maté, author of The Myth of Normal Dr. Martin Shaw a writer, mythographer, wilderness guide, and Christian thinker. In our conversation we delve into his latest book, Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That...

Season 7 is hatching. A series of conversations has come together, mighty and beautiful folks offering feathered insight and story from their unique perch in the world (I am going to shift things up a bit and share a conversation once a month for Season 7).  But first, here and now, Teddy Macker is going to share a piece that gave me goosebumps the first time I encountered it. If Contemplify had a...

Musing on obituaries with your name on it.

Remembering Lerita Coleman Brown

Musing on my personal non-liturgical liturgical calendar that runs from December 11 - December 10 each calendar year.

"In radiant, lyrical prose, Gail Straub takes us on a voyage like no other, both into little-known places across the globe and, most memorably, the inner realms of the soul. …..this is a journey that no reader will forget and, I believe, all readers will, in their own way, hope to emulate." — Andrew Carroll Author and empowerment pioneer Gail Straub's latest book Home Inside the Globe: Embracing O...

Mark Longhurst is an author and contemplative guide who has spent years exploring the sacred dimensions of everyday life. In our conversation we talk about his book The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God , a beautiful invitation to discover the divine presence woven throughout our daily movements. Mark draws on his experiences as an activist, pastor, father, husband, art enthusiast as a way to gladly ope...

Haleh Liza Gafori is a translator, performance artist, vocalist, and educator whose work bridges ancient Persian mysticism with contemporary spiritual longing. In our conversation we talk about her latest book Water , a luminous collection of new translations from the 13th-century Persian mystic Rumi, following her acclaimed debut Gold (you can find our first conversation on Gold in the Contemplif...

"This book is just what the world needs right now. At a time when tensions are hot, divisions are growing, and uncertainty is the order of the day,  Sacred Parenting  is a call to reconnect with what matters most: our children, our families, ourselves, and our God. The authors offer gentle wisdom and contemplative practices as antidotes to the high-volume, fast-paced, do-or-die world in which we l...

This is a repost of my conversation with Dr. Larry Ward. Dr. Ward passed away on August 19 at his home in Rhode Island. He was a Buddhist teacher, author, and co-founder of The Lotus Institute . He left behind a legacy of peace and advocacy for healing individual and collective trauma. I only ever interacted with Dr. Ward online, but his big soul, wisdom, and laughter came through with so much hea...

"You can trust Amy Frykholm as a modern-day amma who knows the terrain of the soul. Reading Journey to the Wild Heart is like going out to the desert for a word. It helps us slow down, let go, unknow in Silence, and embody Love.― — Carmen Acevedo Butcher, author of Practice of the Presence Amy Frykholm is a writer and journalist who makes her third appearance on Contemplify ( round one , round two...

"To read a new and selected collection is to experience the evolution of a voice, in this case an essential voice in American poetry. To sit with the whole of these transportive, immersive poems is to awaken like a wild riparian corridor in spring. Wildflowers on the banks. Birdsong in the branches. The reader's heart is a bud: open. Beautiful work." — Chris Dombrowski, The River You Touch   Poet...

"…Swan's book provides an accessible overview of beguine spirituality in the context of their own times…[it] does a good job of explaining both the beguines' spiritual practices and their continuing legacy." — Commonweal Sr. Laura Swan is a Benedictine sister, spiritual director, author, teacher, and archivist. In our conversation we talk about her book The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten St...

Patrick Boland is an author, teacher, coach, and consultant. In our conversation we talk about his book The Contemplative Leader: Uncover the Power of Presence and Connection . Patrick is a whipsmart, strategic thinker with a contemplative heart and presence. Patrick's atypical approach to leadership brings a new vitality to leadership development. Visit Patrick Boland at thecontemplativeleader.co...

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault is a mystic, teacher, writer, Episcopal priest. In our conversation we talk about her book  Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic . A book that should not have, but did, surprise me with its brilliance in understanding the route Thomast Keating took on (and off) wellworn mystical maps. And Cynthia has had an outsized impact on my life over the years, yes in her...

"Practice simply is one intensification of what is natural and around us all the time. Practice is to life as poetry is to spoken language. So as poetry is the practice of language, "practice" is the practice of life." - Gary Snyder SEASON 6 TRAILER  contemplify.com

On this last episode of Season Five of Contemplify, we welcome Rev., Dr. Peter Traben Haas. Rev., Dr. Peter Traben Haas rises each morning watching the light shade from dark to dawn and the still silence births words. His aim as a pastor and writer is to deepen spiritual fecundity by exploring biblical wisdom, verse by verse. He is an ordained Teaching Pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and e...

Backporch Advent Outpost with Hadewijch and the Mother of Love visit contemplify.com

"I love Katherine May's new book, Enchantment.… It's a beautiful offering of light, truth and charm in these strange, dark times." — Anne Lamott Katherine May is an internationally bestselling author and podcaster living in Whitstable, UK. Her most recent book, Enchantment became an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her internationally bestselling hybrid memoir Wintering: The Pow...

"Andrew Krivak is a novelist, poet, and memoirist whose work has been compared to William Faulkner's in its rich sense of place, to Wendell Berry's in its attentiveness to natural beauty, and to Cormac McCarthy's in its deep investigation of violence and myth. Yet all of Krivak's writing, and especially his fiction, presents a truly singular vision." — Image Journal You might remember  my last con...