Remember you are dust, destined for Divinity.
This reminds me of the title of a wonderful book on the spiritual life I am currently reading (slowly, savoring every wise word): Beloved Dust, by Robert Davis Hughes III. Bob Hughes talks about how the heart of Christian spirituality is simultaneously a celebration of humanity’s sheer earthiness (remember, we are dust), and yet even in our humility (which means “of humus”, of the earth) we are deeply and profoundly loved by our Triune maker.
Traditionally, Ash Wednesday has been a day of repentance, and indeed it is wise to ponder one’s limitations and mistake-making on a day like this. But let us never forget that we are dust — dust beloved by God — dust destined for Divinity.
THE WEBSITE OF UNKNOWING (www.anamchara.com) is all about Christian mysticism, Celtic wisdom, interfaith spirituality, the emergent conversation, and assorted other topics.
Brigid’s Well in County Kildare, Ireland. This well is a lovely example of the ongoing practice of water veneration in the Celtic world. Many wells and springs are dedicated to Brigid in Ireland; this one is especially lovely because of its location, within walking distance of the town of Kildare (”the church of the oak”) where priestesses of Brigid, and later nuns, kept a sacred flame burning until the sixteenth century (and where, even today, Brigidine sisters keep a perpetual fire lit in honor of Brigid).
Notice how someone has superimposed a
Brigid’s Cross on top of the Christian cross.
Traditional customs do not die easily in the Celtic world.

https://anamchara.com/neart/
Concurrent with my love for Christian mysticism is a long-standing appreciation for the uniquely Celtic forms of Christian theology and spirituality: the traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, where for 1500 years Christian mysticism has existed less as an ascetical/contemplative practice, and more as a way of living mindfully in harmony with the natural world. I believe Celtic spirituality is the “unsung tradition” within western mysticism. To get a glimpse into the natural beauty of the Celtic path, visit my Holy Well page.
https://anamchara.com/neart/


My name is Carl McColman.
Although I was an Air Force kid, I spent virtually my entire childhood in Hampton, Virginia, and so I can confidently say “that’s where I’m from.” As an adult I’ve lived in West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee before settling in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area, where I remain, having moved here in 1993 when I got married. I have a profoundly handicapped stepdaughter, which is why we remain near the big city, although I love being surrounded by trees and so I’m always daydreaming about moving somewhere far away from the metropolitan rat-race.

But the city does have its benefits: not only do I enjoy many friends with varied interests and backgrounds and lifestyles and values, but I am a member of a richly rainbow-hued, immigrant-heavy, multicultural church (at last count our membership boasted over 90 nationalities!) and I work for a bookstore owned by a Trappist monastery (which means I regularly can participate in the liturgical life of the monks, a blessing for which I never cease to give thanks). Although I’ve been interested in contemplative Christianity since my high school years, my spiritual journey has also included a long-standing interest in Neopaganism — the spirituality of Goddess worship, nature veneration, reconstructed primal European religions like Druidism and postmodern equivalents like Wicca. For several years (right around the age of 40, imagine that) I was estranged from the church and identified as a Neopagan: a fact which is significant because I am also the author of several books, most of which concern neopagan spirituality. I returned to the intentional practice of the Christian faith in 2004, driven in large part by my ongoing devotion to Christian mysticism and my desire to express my personal spirituality in a contemplative manner, which for me is more easily done in a Christian rather than a Pagan context. As of this writing (January 2009) I am at work on a book about Christian mysticism due for publication in the spring of 2010; I’ve also begun work on a book exploring both the reasons why I abandoned Christianity for Neopaganism, as well as why I ultimately found my way back to the church.

Although I no longer identify as a Neopagan, the fact that I’ve written books about it means it will always be a part of me. But that’s not just okay — I count it as a blessing. I consider it a privilege to express my Christian spirituality in such a way that I can maintain a positive and gracious spirit of openness toward all that is good and true in other faiths. Paganism, like Buddhism and Vedanta and Judaism and Islam, can be a powerful means for grace to flow into our world. For this reason, I am happy to commend my books to anyone who would like to learn more about contemporary Pagan and Goddess spirituality. Please visit the books page to learn more about the books I’ve written. Finally, a few odds and ends about me: As I suspect this website makes obvious, I have a profound love for literature and for book collecting. Additionally, I am interested in vegan cuisine (I’ve been a vegetarian since 1987 and mostly-vegan since 2005), music (both sacred and secular, with a particular fondness for Renaissance choral music, British and Irish folk-rock, 70s prog-rock, and the good ol’ Grateful Dead), cats (I am owned by three), disability issues (a concern that naturally arises from having a disabled family member) and the integral theory of Ken Wilber. Please visit the Newsletter page to subscribe to my email list.
These are my books. Even though most of them are written from a neopagan perspective — a spiritual path I no longer identify with, since returning to the Christian faith in 2005 — I’m still proud of every one, and I hope that neopagans and people interested in neopaganism will continue to find my work in that area useful. If the list as a whole seems rather wide-ranging and multi-faceted, well, welcome to my spiritual world. Of course, I humbly hope you will buy some (or all) of these books; click on the title, cover graphic, or the “View on Amazon” link below each description to do so.

https://anamchara.com/about/books/