Contemplify
Episodes
Compline (Life of a Day Series #5)
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully." — Russian proverb I raise this frosty pint in your dire...
Vespers (Life of a Day Series #4)
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
'There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes in order to...
None (Life of a Day Series #3)
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good s...
Terce (Life of a Day Series #2)
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
My old pal Thomas Merton wrote, '[Contemplation] can be suggested by words, by symbols, but in the very moment of trying to indicate what it knows the...
Matins & Lauds (Life of a Day Series #1)
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
My intention here is to kick off the Life of a Day series in grand style, with coffee. This is the first installment of the Life of the Day series her...
Life of a Day Series (Trailer)
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How does contemplation appear in the life of your day? I've heard from many of you that this question lingers as you listen to the contemplative echo ...
The Mystery Never Leaves You Alone
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode came to life a month before my newborn son. Inspired by friends, poets and writers I mused over the words to offer my son as he packed up...
Anything Goes | Dan Reeder
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"One of the foremost outsider artists in modern folk." - The New Yorker The first time I ever heard the music of Dan Reeder was when someone sent ...
Awake in Mindful Silence | Phileena Heuertz
20 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Phileena writes here with such simple clarity—and easy readability—because she knows she does not need to prove, convict, or defend anything. M...
Daring A Journey of Texture | Theodore Richards
09 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Theodore Richards latest work's A Letter to My Daughters: Remembering the Lost Dimension and the Texture of Life. Theodore Richards is a philosopher, ...
Wild Mystic Folk for Lovers, Gamblers, and Rovers Alike | Luke Redfield
18 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I love the kinship one can feel with a poet, author, or musician. The right song or poem can track you down and settle into the liturgy of your life. ...
Wendell Berry & Gary Snyder are Distant Neighbors | Chad Wriglesworth
10 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"In Distant Neighbors, both Berry and Snyder come across as honest and open-hearted explorers. There is an overall sense that they possess a deep an...
Contemplative Happy Hour | Tessa Bielecki
20 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Tessa said something that completely change my path and my life. She said that 'falling in love with life was the first step on the a mystical path...
Should a Hermit Like Bob Dylan?
16 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Famed contemplative hermit Thomas Merton wrote in his journal in the mid 1960s, 'Should a hermit like Bob Dylan? He means at least as much to me as so...
Del Barber is an Easy Keeper
26 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The first time I hung out with songwriter extraordinaire Del Barber was back in 2005 when he drove me from Calgary, Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba. I f...
Rediscovering the Prayer Wheel with David Van Biema
10 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"This bold recovery of a long-forgotten path to prayer, expertly situated in its historical context and made accessible for modern-day believers, ma...
Lauds (of Coffee)
30 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
'What I wear is pants. What I do is live. How I pray is breathe.' These 3 sentences come from my self-adopted contemplative grandfather, Thomas Merton...
Shaped by the Dance Between Landscape & Consciousness with Gail Straub (Author of The Ashokan Way)
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Quoting the ancient I Ching, [Gail] writes about "coming to rest in motion." She should know: a world traveler and social activist, Gail brings th...
Contemplate Your Death Five Times a Day with Hansa Bergwall (Co-Founder of WeCroak)
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I have only purchased one app for my phone. I find cell phones to be a necessary nuisance, helpful enough that I keep one, annoying enough that I keep...
Heartfulness in the Space Between Things with Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu (author of From Mindfulness to Heartfulness)
09 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu (スティーヴン・マーフィ重松) is a subtle and winsome teacher. I had the privilege of being in the student seat...
How Death Prepares You For Life: Buddhist Teacher Frank Ostaseski on The Five Invitations
27 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Ostaseski knows death. Not in a metaphorical or figurative way, but through concrete presence. Frank has held hands, laughed with, cried with an...
Montaigne in a Deer Stand: A Roughneck Contemplative on Philosophy, Bon Iver, and Marriage with Michael Perry (Author of Montaigne in Barn Boots)
06 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Perry is a roughneck contemplative. A term that I am hoping he will half smirk at in self-recognition from his deer stand. We got together to ...
The Reverence Chocolate Evokes with Shawn Askinosie (Author of Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul)
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You know that old story of a successful criminal defense lawyer who quits practicing law to start a bean to bar chocolate factory? Yeah...it's a new s...
The Sunday Letters: A Practice in Contemplative Thinking with Jana Marie
12 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"The Sunday Letters are always a thoughtful and welcome stop during my week. You get a moment to pause, to consider and to reflect … and Jana ofte...
Transforming Cinemas into Meditation Halls with Director Max Pugh on Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hahn
02 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Thich Nhat Hahn is a world renowned Zen Master, author of more than a 100 books and in my opinion, a winsome meditative stroller. Dr. Martin Luther Ki...
(MiniSeries, Episode 5) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
23 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
(MiniSeries, Episode 4) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
22 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
(MiniSeries, Episode 3) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
21 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
(MiniSeries, Episode 2) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
20 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
(MiniSeries, Episode 1) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
19 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
(MiniSeries, Introduction) Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
18 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ali Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, part-time university instructor and business owner. But if i was going to name her post in the w...
Mystic Soul Project and the Essence of Deep Spirituality with Teresa Pasquale Mateus
21 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today is Teresa Pasquale Mateus, a trauma specialist, contemplative practice teacher, author and co-founder of Mystic Soul Project, an organi...
Ordinary Mystic & Contemplative Shoveler (Mark Longhurst Interviews Host Paul Swanson)
19 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you are a regular listener to the Contemplify podcast, you might be scratching your head and wondering why I am pairing a drink with this conversat...
A Handbook to Midlife: Philosophical Tools, Wisdom & Avoiding the Midlife Crisis with Kieran Setiya (author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide)
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Written with charming simplicity and wry humor, Midlife is a philosophically rich source of what might be called 'the higher life hacks' – refl...
Enlightenment Through Endarkment, or Bumbling Our Way to Possible Magic with Teddy Macker (Author of 'This World')
21 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Who touches this touches a man. Incredibly moving, risk-taking, original, and deep. I was in tears a number of times while reading it. Magnificent."...
Teddy Macker Reads "A Poem For My Daughter"
20 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Mark, reading the poetry of Teddy Macker who I will interview on Monday. His poetry stops time. Equal parts Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, St. Francis a...
Be Open to the Unexpected and Find Pure Presence with Tracy Cochran (Editor at Parabola Magazine)
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The winding road of life leads you to beautiful vistas and the shallows of hardship. Tracy Cochran shares her experiences of the vistas and the shallo...
Cal Newport on Kindling an Examined Life Through Deep Work (author of Deep Work)
24 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Cal Newport is a clear voice in a sea of noise, bringing science and passion in equal measure. We don't need more clicks, more cats, and more emojis...
(Bonus Episode!) Dr. Barbara Holmes from 2016 in Celebration of the Revised Edition of Her Book, Joy Unspeakable
17 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Barbara Holmes served as president of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, as well as professor of ethics and African American religious s...
Mindfulness in the Christian Tradition with Dr. Amy Oden (author of Right Here, Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness)
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amy Oden is a Professor of Early Church History and Spirituality at the Saint Paul School of Theology. In her latest book Right Here, Right Now: T...
Blueprint for an Authentic Life with Jeff Johnson (180 South, Bend to Baja)
17 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Johnson has surfed distant shores, climbed mountains you've never heard of and travelled to corners of the world most people couldn't place on a ...
The Enneagram as a Tool for Excavating Your Essence with Chris Heuertz (Author of The Sacred Enneagram)
05 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"The Sacred Enneagram is not a just book about an ancient personality framework with a funny name. It is a roadmap to self-understanding written by o...
Exploring the Silence and Laughter of Eternity with Carl McColman
28 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
'What Richard Foster and Dallas Willard were to my generation – prime tour guides to the spiritual life – I hope and believe Carl McColman will b...
Thomas Merton, Wisdom Sophia and a Dash of Pink Floyd with Christopher Pramuk
07 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
'Christopher Pramuk's latest work, At Play in Creation, offers a truly stunning introduction to the long-held but often forgotten Wisdom tradition. ...
Tasha Wahl on Discovering a God of Love in 'The Shack'
25 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Tasha Wahl is the founder and creator of The Butterfly Effect whose mission statement is so lovely I want to share it here...The Butterfly Effect is a...
Ecstatic Experiences for the Spiritually Mediocre with Jules Evans (Philosopher and Author of The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience)
19 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today is the multifaceted Jules Evans and trying to encapsulate Jules in a brief bio is near impossible, but let me start by sharing some his...
The Wendell Berry Way of Seeing: Filmmaker Laura Dunn on 'Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry'
26 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Dunn is the documentary filmmaker behind the film The Unforeseen, which took home the Independent Spirit Truer Than Fiction Award and was exe...
The Buddhist Monk Who Adopted 85 Children: Filmmaker Andrew Hinton on His Documentary 'Tashi and the Monk'
20 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Contemplify, the basecamp for budding contemplative whose pursuit is to kindle the examined life through c...
Titans of Inaction: The Graduation Address
06 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Who is there that can make muddy water clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually become clear of itself. Who is there that can secure ...
Lodro Rinzler: When Work Becomes Meditation Practice
22 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
'This is a magnificent book [The Buddha Walks Into the Office] that just happens to be truly fun to read. Accessible, urgent, and life-changing.' - S...
Contemplating the Universe (Bonus! Practice Episode)
19 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This bonus practice episode invites you to ground your being in contemplating the universe. This practice is from Nancy Ellen Abram's book, A God That...
Becoming Esteemed Ancestors with a Cosmic Vision - Nancy Ellen Abrams (author of A God That Could Be Real)
16 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
'You will find that your beliefs are enriched by reading Abrams's [A God That Could Be Real]. I am thrilled that we have the creativity and original...
David Michie: Meditate to Know Thyself (Author of The Dalai Lama's Cat and Hurry Up and Meditate)
08 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
'You get the sense that this guy practices what he preaches. There's a confidence and peace that inspires.' - Modern Sage Magazine David Michie is...
Scott Hartley: The Future Needs Philosophers (Author of The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why The Liberal Arts will Rule the Digital World)
25 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Hartley is venture capitalist and author. In 2016 he was a finalist for the Financial Times and McKinsey & Company's Bracken Bower Prize for the...
Washing Dishes with Thich Nhat Hahn and Hitchhiking to Thomas Merton: Jim Forest on a Life Worthy of Such Friendships
03 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Henry David Thoreau, by no means the most conventional man of his time, lamented on his death bed, "What demon possessed me that I behaved so well."...
Art is Resonance: The Ambient Internal Landscape of Musician and Ecopsychologist Russell James Pyle
25 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Russell James Pyle (russelljamespyle.com) is a national touring Musician and Ecopsychologist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Russell is one of a kin...
In Rhythm with Life: Alana Levandoski on Being a Contemplative Artisan and Collaborating with James Finley
17 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"The thing about Alana [Levandoski] is that she's gifted. She's not just gifted as a musician, which she is, but she's gifted as a lyricist...she tea...
The Priest of the Woods and the Fullness of the Earth with Stephen Blackmer
07 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Blackmer is founding executive director of Kairos Earth and chaplain of Church of the Woods. Steve comes to this with 30 years of conservation...
The Contemplative Hint: Seeking to Say the Unsayable within Christianity with Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas
01 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
�Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas is the author of several books, including Centering Prayers: A One Year Daily Companion for Going Deeper into the Love...
The Generous Cadence of the Singer of Solitude: Kevin Dann on Henry David Thoreau (Author of Expect Great Things: The Life and Search of Henry David Thoreau)
20 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, an...
A Clear Life - Charlie Parr on Harlan Hubbard's Payne Hollow: Life on the Fringe of Society
12 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"[Charlie] Parr may have been born during the Nixon era, but you can taste the grit of the Dust Bowl in his music."- Dusted Magazine In this episode, ...
Minimalist Parenting and Cultivating a Family Dynamic with Christine Koh
02 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Christine Koh is a music and brain scientist turned multimedia creative via channels as a speaker, writer, designer and consultant. She spent a decade...
A Syllabus for Newfound Seriousness with Christy Wampole
28 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Christy Wampole is an assistant professor in the department of French and Italian at Princeton, and the author of "Rootedness: The Ramifications of a ...
Voicemail - Seeing the World Through a Lens of Awe: Brie Stoner on Pablo Neruda
19 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"I have a crazy, crazy love of things." - Pablo Neruda Brie Stoner is a student, musician, and writer at becomingultrahuman.com. Besides contributing ...
The Past Has Arms: Risking Relationship with Ourselves So We Can Grow Up with James Hollis, PhD
03 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
"We would rather be ruined than changed We would rather die in our dread Than climb the cross of the moment And let our illusions die." - W.H. Auden I...
Voicemails - Alison Kirkpatrick on The Conscious Parent / Mark Longhurst on The Brothers Karamazov
20 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alison (Ali) Kirkpatrick is a writer, speaker and educator and you might say professional inspirer of goodness. You can find her blog #SignsOfLove at ...
The Other is Us: Connecting to Knowledge, Wisdom and One Another with Barbara A. Holmes
02 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Barbara Holmes served as president of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, as well as professor of ethics and African American religious st...
Raghu Markus on How John Coltrane, Ram Dass and a Healthy Dose of Self-Inquiry Can Transform Your Life
21 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Raghu Markus is currently the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation and has been an associate producer for on-line and television e...
The Courage to Be Present: Moving the World Towards Compassion with Marianne Elliot (Activist, Author, Yoga Teacher, Ultramarathon Runner)
12 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
"Marianne is one of the best teachers I've experienced and I've been a teacher for many years." - Brene Brown Marianne Elliot is a human rights advoca...
Filmmaker and Cultural Anthropologist Jenny Phillips on the Wisdom Found Behind (and Beyond) Prison Bars
01 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
"Jenny Phillips is a cultural anthropologist, filmmaker, writer and psychiatric nurse. She has a psychotherapy practice in Concord, MA, specializing i...
Your Teacher's Teacher: Mirka Knaster on the Dharma, Quirks and Stories of Munindra (Teacher of Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Kamala Masters and many more)
20 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
"Munindra was one of the most important teachers for Westerners in the establishment of Vipassana and mindfulness meditation." - Jack Kornfield "Mir...
Trailblazing in Academia, David Germano on the Contemplative Sciences
11 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
David Germano is a man who holds many posts at the University of Virginia. Germano's astute and focused work related to the integration of contemplati...
Radical Dharma with Lama Rod Owens: A Fresh Approach to Enlightenment and Social Change
01 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Lama Rod Owens (@lamarod1) holds the space for vulnerable conversation to unfold. I was going to write a spot-on bio, but the one posted on his websit...
Spiritual Wanderings: The Natural Curiosity of T.D. Mischke
20 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
T.D. Mischke (@TommyMischke) is a radioman that has fled the studio for the open road and the stories waiting to be told via his latest project, The M...
Sit in Your Shack, and Your Shack Will Teach You Everything, Dialogues with Andrew Gingerich
10 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Gingerich embraces a prophetic, contemplative lifestyle. Of course he would object to this description, because his pursuit is internally drive...
Growing Basil and the Art of Eavesdropping, Dar Williams on Building Community through Positive Proximity
02 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dar Williams (@DarWilliamsTour), "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." (The New Yorker), is thoughtful and charming as she tells stories a...
Creating Empty Spaces, Toinette Lippe on the Mindful Art of Being
20 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
"Each day is valuable...Do not compare it with a dragon's bright pearl. A dragon's pearl may be found. But this one day out of a hundred years cannot ...
The Life and Art of Thomas Merton: Morgan Atkinson on Crafting the Contemplative Documentary
10 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Atkinson has documented the life of Thomas Merton over two films. The poetic contemplative Thomas Merton lived an ever expanding and continual ...
Simone Weil: Attention, the Agent of Love with Eric O. Springsted
30 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Eric O. Springsted spends some time with Contemplify to explore the life and attention of Simone Weil. The French philosopher, mystic and activist...
Democracy of the Cosmos: John Muir's Prophetic and Moral vision | A Conversation with Donald Worster (Author, Professor)
21 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Worster ( @TheWorster1979 ) connects with Contemplify to traverse the life and passion of John Muir. The American icon who combined intelligenc...
Julian of Norwich: Loving Without Annihilating Difference with Amy Frykholm
21 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Frykholm (@AmyFrykholm) joins Contemplify in conversation on visionary 13th century contemplative and mystic Julian of Norwich. Bring some mead t...
Drinking Beer with Thomas Merton to Kindle the Examined Life
20 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This episode introduces the premise and possibilities of the Contemplify podcast. Contemplify kindles the examined life for contemplatives in the worl...