Contemplation and Castanets - Catholic and Carmelite Spirituality

Begin the day by renewing your Carmelite Promise before the Lord. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may we remain faithful in prayer, simplicity, and love, following Christ with perseverance and trust.

For more Catholic content, please follow our other podcasts:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Under Thy Protection⁠ (Prayers in English)
• ⁠Bajo Tu Amparo⁠⁠⁠ (Prayers in Spanish)
• ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (Bilingual Prayer Channel)

About: Contemplation and Castanets is a podcast dedicated to Carmelite spirituality and the life of the Carmelite family. We explore the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and other Carmelite saints, along with topics related to contemplative prayer, mental prayer, Carmelite formation, OCDS life, religious vocations, Carmelite legislation, and the mission of Carmelite friars, nuns, and seculars. Whether you are discerning a vocation, living the Carmelite charism, or simply seeking a deeper life of prayer, you’ll find reflections, discussions, and resources rooted in the rich tradition of Carmel.

Oración del Alma Enamorada

This beloved Carmelite prayer is traditionally attributed to St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church and one of the greatest mystics of the Christian tradition.

Written in the language of love, surrender, and union with God, the prayer expresses the soul’s complete trust in the Divine Will and its longing to belong entirely to Christ.

This recording presents the prayer in its original Spanish, preserving the beauty and depth of St. John’s spiritual language.

Whether used for prayer, meditation, or quiet reflection, these words invite us to entrust ourselves more fully to God and to discover, with St. John, that Christ alone is enough.

“The heavens are mine, and the earth is mine… because Christ is mine, and all things are mine in Him.”

Saint John of the Cross (1542–1591)

For more Catholic content, please follow our other podcasts:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Under Thy Protection⁠ (Prayers in English)
• ⁠Bajo Tu Amparo⁠⁠⁠ (Prayers in Spanish)
• ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (Bilingual Prayer Channel)

About: Contemplation and Castanets is a podcast dedicated to Carmelite spirituality and the life of the Carmelite family. We explore the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and other Carmelite saints, along with topics related to contemplative prayer, mental prayer, Carmelite formation, OCDS life, religious vocations, Carmelite legislation, and the mission of Carmelite friars, nuns, and seculars. Whether you are discerning a vocation, living the Carmelite charism, or simply seeking a deeper life of prayer, you’ll find reflections, discussions, and resources rooted in the rich tradition of Carmel.

The Rule of Saint Albert — Complete Text

Written in the early thirteenth century by Albert of Jerusalem for a small band of hermits living near the spring on Mount Carmel, the Rule of Saint Albert is the foundational charter of Carmelite life. It is brief - just twenty-four paragraphs - and yet it holds everything: solitude and community, silence and labor, the armor of God and the tenderness of a prior who meets his brothers at the door.

This episode presents the complete Rule in a single reading, without commentary, offered as an invitation to listen slowly and let the words do their work.

After releasing the Rule one paragraph at a time, this is the full text gathered in one place — for those who want to sit with it whole.

For more Catholic content, please follow our other podcasts:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Under Thy Protection⁠ (Prayers in English)
• ⁠Bajo Tu Amparo⁠⁠⁠ (Prayers in Spanish)
• ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (Bilingual Prayer Channel)

About: Contemplation and Castanets is a podcast dedicated to Carmelite spirituality and the life of the Carmelite family. We explore the teachings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and other Carmelite saints, along with topics related to contemplative prayer, mental prayer, Carmelite formation, OCDS life, religious vocations, Carmelite legislation, and the mission of Carmelite friars, nuns, and seculars. Whether you are discerning a vocation, living the Carmelite charism, or simply seeking a deeper life of prayer, you’ll find reflections, discussions, and resources rooted in the rich tradition of Carmel.

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠

The Rule of Saint Albert is a contemplative audio series within Contemplation and Castanets, offering a slow, prayerful listening to the foundational rule of the Carmelite Order.
Written in the thirteenth century by Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the Rule is presented one paragraph at a time, read without commentary and followed by silence. This series is intended as an audio divina, an invitation to attentive listening, interior reflection, and fidelity lived over time.
Podcast presented by ⁠⁠alittlepilgrim⁠⁠