"…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 Story of a Medieval Women s Movement. I am fascinated by the Beguine movement as I think it is incredibly instructive for our times. Sr. Laura brings a contagious passion and a catalog of wisdom to the Beguines that I hope seeps into your soul. Can’t wait for you to hear more about the Beguines movement.

Visit Sr. Laura Swan at lauraswanosb.com | YouTube: @BenedictineLauraSwan | Facebook: laura.swan.505

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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.com | IG: @contemplativeleader | Substack: thecontemplativeleader.substack.com

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 books, but in a word here or there that opened a new direction or portal of insight.

Visit Cynthia Bourgeault at cynthiabourgeault.org

“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 earned a B.A. from Moody Bible, an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Peter is the author of multiple books and is widely known for his series of profound daily prayers in Paraclete Press' book series Centering Prayers, which is the center of our conversation today. . Peter and I talk about prayer as abiding, centering, and radiating, Peter’s unfolding journey since we last spoke, the ripening role of the Advent season, and so much more.

Visit Peter Traben Haas at christchurchtelluride.com | ayearintheschoolofjesus.com

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Backporch Advent Outpost with Hadewijch and the Mother of Love

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"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 Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times was adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and was shortlisted for the Porchlight and Barnes and Noble Book of the Year. The Electricity of Every Living Thing, her memoir of a midlife autism diagnosis was adapted as an audio drama by Audible. Katherine’s podcast, How We Live Now, ranks in the top 1% worldwide, and she has been a guest presenter for On Being’s The Future of Hope series. Katherine lives with her husband, son, two cats and a dog. She loves walking, sea-swimming and pickling slightly unappealing things. Katherine and I talk about tasting words, the wisdom of beholding only a handful of pieces in an art museum per visit, and we examine the necessity and importance of community drawing on specifically her chapter titled “Congregation” from her latest book, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, and so much more.As always you can visit contemplify.com for the shownotes on this episode and learn more about Katherine by visiting katherine-may.co.uk, signing up her Substack newsletter, and listening to her podcast How We Live Now.

Visit Katherine May at katherine-may.co.uk | IG: @katherinemay_ | Pinterest: @katherinemay_

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"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 conversation with Andrew Krivak on his novel, The Bear. In addition to The Bear, Andrew has written a trio of books on a family lineage, beginning with The Sojourn (a National Book Award Finalist), The Signal Flame, and Like the Appearance of Horses. It is this latest book, Like the Appearance of Horses that we zero in on today. He holds a BA from St. John’s College, Annapolis; an MFA in poetry from Columbia University; an MA in philosophy from Fordham; and a PhD in literary modernism from Rutgers. Currently, Andrew is a volunteer discussion facilitator in the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Family Connections Center, and a Visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing at Harvard. He lives with his wife and three children in Somerville, Massachusetts, and Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

In our conversation we talk about the profuse and evocative layers in Andrew’s writing, the multiplicity of the journey of hero or heroine, death as a character and and much more.

Visit Andrew Krivak at andrewkrivak.com.

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"Dr. B was passionate about expanding our understanding of the Christian contemplative tradition, reminding us that contemplation isn’t the sole domain of those who can retreat to quiet places. She understood, from her own life and from the traditions she carried forward, that contemplative practices must also arise in the midst of struggle, in the heart of communities pressed against the weight of history and oppression. She helped us see that the Christian contemplative tradition, too often framed through a narrow, Eurocentric lens, was far richer and more diverse than we had realized. It’s a tradition that belongs to all of us—and she called us to honor it fully by embracing its breadth and depth"

— Brian McLaren, posted on Center for Action and Contemplation's website

Dr. Barbara Holmes served as president of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, as well as professor of ethics and African American religious studies. She was ordained in the Latter Rain Apostolic Holiness Church in Dallas, Texas, and has privilege of call in the United Church of Christ and recognition of ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In addition to her work with law firms, Holmes has worked with homeless missions, HIV/AIDS ministries, and international ministries in Kenya (the Presbyterian Church of East Africa) and Japan. The author of numerous books including Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church, Race and the Cosmos, and Crisis Contemplation: Healing the Wounded Village. Holmes earned an MS from Southern Connecticut University, an MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary, a PhD from Vanderbilt University, and a JD from Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Dr. B was a Core Faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation. Dr. B passed away on October 15, 2024.

In this 2016 episode, Barbara shares about her own contemplative lineage, reflections on the contemplative aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement, the contemplative and social impact of Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé,  and her sense of hope in the next generation.

Visit Dr. Barbara Holmes's work at drbarbaraholmes.com and her podcast The Cosmic We.

Visit Dr. B's obituary is here.

"I was recently giving a sermon and found myself spontaneously quoting from Amy Leach's singular and surprising new book. I expect many readers will find their own lives troubled (in the Biblical sense) and enlightened by her fresh perceptions. She has lived into a hard-earned and entirely credible wisdom, the best evidence for which is her irrepressible sense of humor. One feels companioned by this book, and sorry when it ends."

Amy Leach grew up in Texas, lives in Montana, and earned her MFA from the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in The Best American Essays, The Best American Science and Nature Writing, and numerous other publications. She is a recipient of a Whiting Award in Nonfiction, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and a Pushcart Prize. Amy Leach is the author of The Everybody Ensemble, Things That Are, and her most recent work which is the focus of our conversation today, The Salt of the Universe: Praise, Songs, and Improvisations.

In our conversation Amy and I talk about leaving the tradition you were raised in, music that stirs the soul, being overchurched, salty pickles, and so much more.

Visit Contemplify.com for the show notes to this episode.