Prayer of Recollection with Carl McColman

Carl is the author of many books, including The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Eternal Heart: The Mystical Path to a Joyful Life, and Unteachable Lessons: Why Wisdom Can’t Be Taught and Why That’s Okay. He is one of the co-hosts of the Encountering Silence podcast, and blogs regularly at Patheos, Medium, and his own website, www.anamchara.com. Carl’s approach to contemplation and mysticism is grounded in the Christian tradition, yet inclusive and expansive; he is dedicated to exploring the common ground between faith traditions, with a particular interest in the connecting points between Christian, Buddhist and Pagan wisdom. Carl lives with his wife, artist Fran McColman, in Clarkston, Georgia, near Atlanta.

He writes: "The Prayer of Recollection reminds us that these kinds of silent methods of prayer are nothing new. It’s been over a century since [Evelyn] Underhill described this way of praying, and she in turn was drawing on the wisdom of the mystics of past, like St. Teresa of Ávila (16th century). The ways in which we describe silent forms of prayer may change over time, but the essential elements of this kind of prayer — restful silence, relaxed attention, a word or icon on which we focus our intention to be present to God — have a long history indeed."