I’m a contemplative writer and spiritual companion based in Atlanta. My work explores how an intentional spiritual life serves as a doorway to personal growth, spiritual happiness, and compassion for self, others, and all of creation.
On this website you will find information about my books (and if you live in the United States, you can order autographed copies here). I’ve written more than twenty books and the only common thread is that they all concern the spiritual life: here you’ll find books about Christian mysticism, Celtic wisdom, Neopaganism & Goddess spirituality, and more. My center of gravity is contemplative practice, and I embrace how the inner life can be expressed in a variety of ways.
You can also browse through hundreds of blog posts that I’ve posted to this website.
These days I post my new writing through Substack, where I maintain two slightly different newsletters. You can subscribe for either or both for free, and while Substack will try to get you to sign up for a paid subscription, that’s entirely optional: you’ll still get plenty of new writing without using a credit card.
Fullness of Joy takes its inspiration from the great mystic Julian of Norwich, who said “the fullness of joy is to behold God in all” — so this is my newsletter where “anything goes” and “everything belongs.” In the early days of blogging, I loved how writers (like me) would blog about whatever was on their mind, without worrying about how many clicks it would generate or whether it had the correct tags and keywords. That’s my mission for this newsletter: to write from a contemplative perspective, about whatever seems worth writing about: current events, spiritual practice, interspirituality, my latest discovery in books or music or movies, and so forth. New posts show up at least once a week. If you enjoy reading my blog posts, this is the newsletter for you.
Mystical Journey is a more focused newsletter, specifically geared toward supporting anyone who seeks to start or deepen a contemplative practice. Posts are more frequent (3 to 4 times a week) and shorter (most are 350-400 words). These posts are all designed to inspire prayer, or meditation, or reflection on the wisdom of the great mystics — or wisdom wherever it shows up, often from surprising sources (I’m not above quoting from the lyrics of popular songs). Occasionally I share some of my poetry (hopefully better than Vogon verse) and prayers. If you’d like to get a gentle reminder several times a week that contemplative prayer and silent meditation matter, this is the newsletter for you.
Subscribe to Mystical Journey.
Finally, there’s Patreon: an opportunity to connect with me and other kindred spirits through monthly Zoom calls and a small but hopefully useful library of videos, meditations, poetry, book study guides, and other writings. Full disclosure: Patreon is a program for providing support to independent writers, artists, musicians and other content creators, so here the action is behind a paywall, but the prices start at only $11 a month and there’s no commitment: if it’s not for you, cancel at any time. If you find my writing helpful and would like to do something generous to help me keep writing (or you just are curious to see what I’m like on a Zoom call), I hope you’ll give it a try, and join me for Centering Prayer, contemplative dialogue, and more.
Your Heart is a Chalice, Created to
Joyfully Receive and Share Divine Love.
Mystics and Contemplatives Show Us the Way.
About Carl McColman
More About Carl
Carl McColman is the author of numerous books exploring mystical spirituality and contemplative living, including The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Eternal Heart, Answering the Contemplative Call, An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom and Unteachable Lessons. His most recent book, Read the Bible Like a Mystic, was published in the summer of 2025. His work is informed by a variety of spiritual perspectives, from Christian mysticism and Zen Buddhism, to Celtic wisdom, earth-centered and pagan spirituality, and Wicca. Several of Carl’s books have won awards or recognition, notably Befriending Silence which won the 2015 “Georgia Author of the Year” award in the field of inspirational/religious writing. His work has been warmly endorsed by many leading voices in the field of Christian spirituality, such as bestselling author Brian D. McLaren who said, “If you don’t know about Carl McColman and his work, you should.” Carl studied at James Madison University (BA, English) and George Mason University (MA, Professional Writing and Editing). His formation in the spiritual life includes training and formation with the Shalem Institute in Washington, DC; the Institute for Pastoral Studies in Atlanta (under the direction of John Westerhoff); and the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA; where Carl is a Life-Professed Lay Cistercian: a layperson under formal spiritual guidance with the Trappist monks. He is a commissioned Centering Prayer presenter with Contemplative Outreach of North Georgia, and a spiritual director serving individuals both in metro Atlanta and online. Carl co-hosts the Encountering Silence podcast with filmmaker Cassidy Hall and theologian Kevin Johnson, and writes the “Mystical Journey” email newsletter on Substack. He also teaches online through Patreon. Carl and his wife, artist Fran McColman, live near Atlanta in a small house filled with cats, books, icons and love. Their daughter, Rhiannon, passed away after a long illness at age 29 in 2014. When they take a break from their creative work, you may find Carl and Fran wandering around the mountains of western North Carolina or taking long walks along the Emerald Coast of Florida.
Work with Carl
Carl McColman has a limited practice of spiritual direction – a one-on-one opportunity for Carl to accompany you as you seek to move more deeply into the life of prayer. Learn More »
A Word from Carl
(Because writing about yourself in the third person is awkward)
People say the nicest things…
Carl’s style of writing is so down-to-earth, so honest, human, and normal… If you don’t know about Carl McColman and his work, you should. — Brian McLarenCarl McColman leads us to the brink of lessons no book can teach, then frees us to go forward to learn them, trusting the God who meets us at every step of the unknown way. — Barbara Brown Taylor Carl McColman gives you much wise direction and broad understanding of the field of contemplative theory and practice. Here is your teacher! — Richard RohrCarl McColman presents the classic precepts and practices of the Christian contemplative path in a clear and helpful way. — Cynthia BourgeaultCarl McColman masterfully maps out for the serious spiritual seeker the nature of the mystical experience and outlines a clear and accessible pathway on how to get there. — Kyriacos C. MarkidesCarl McColman obviously earned his understanding of mysticism through years of research as well as his own personal spiritual journey and there is no more powerful combination for inspired writing. — Carolyn MyssCarl McColman leads us further into our hearts as sleuths in the mystery of life. What joy! — Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
