Turning to the Mystics with James Finley

In this bonus episode, Jim Finley offers an Advent meditation on the gift of God in and as our lives. In this teaching, Jim provides an image of this gift, the invitation to awaken to its presence, habituate it through practice, and offer it back to the world. In expressive poetic form and mystical knowing, Jim will draw you into the mystical significance of the Advent season.We will return in March with our 3rd mystic, St. John of the Cross!Resources:Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org  Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

In this bonus episode of Turning to the Mystics, Jim Finley and Kirsten Oates offer a 10-minute grounding meditation to help nourish us in times of strife and stress, as many are feeling today and all these long pandemic days. Please listen and join us in quiet meditation (with the occasional sounds of construction in Jim’s backyard.)Resources:Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org  Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

In this episode, Jim and Kirsten answer questions that were submitted by the listeners during the airing of the 2nd season.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   For the transcript to this podcast, you can find it here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

In this episode, Jim and Kirsten answer questions that were submitted by the listeners during the airing of the 2nd season.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   The transcript for this episode can be found here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

In this episode, Jim and Kirsten have their second dialogue around the sixth and seventh mansions of Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle and discuss the path it provides for spiritual transformation. In this episode, Kirsten references a translation of the Interior Castle by Mirabai Starr. You can get it here.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   For the transcript to this podcast, you can find it here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

In this episode, Jim and Kirsten have their first dialogue around the sixth and seventh mansions of Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle and discuss the path it provides for spiritual transformation. In this episode, Kirsten references a translation of the Interior Castle by Mirabai Starr. You can get it here.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   For the transcript to this podcast, you can find it here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

Today on the show we have our friend Richard Rohr on the show. In it, we talk about how he discovered Teresa of Avila, the impact she made on his life, and what her work means for us today.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   The link to the transcript can be found here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

Dive into the profound world of Teresa of Avila as the conversation unfolds on the spiritual ascent through the seven mansions of the soul. Explore the challenges mystics face in articulating prayer amid personal suffering and how divine grace sustains them. Reflect on the transformative power of recognizing divine presence during struggles. Lastly, engage in a contemplative prayer session that invites meditation, setting the stage for future discussions on spiritual teachings.

This is the fifth session that focuses on the mystic, Teresa of Avila. In the tenor of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, James Finley begins with a passage from the sixth mansion of Teresa’s The Interior Castle, and reflects on the qualitative essence of the spirit of this text, and finishes with a meditative practice.Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   For the transcript to this podcast, you can find it here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

Before we venture into the 6th and 7th mansions, we wanted to pause and air this bonus episode in which Jim, Kirsten, and special guest Mirabai Starr explore the life story of Teresa of Avila, and what it means for us today. Mirabai is a scholar, a translator, a teacher, and a bereavement counselor who has led many retreats—including several with Jim—and an award-winning author of multiple books, 3 of which focus on Teresa, and most recently Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics. You can learn more about her at www.mirabaistarr.comResources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org   The transcript for this episode can be found here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Check out our online course on the Interior Castle, details are here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!