Info

Contemplify

The Contemplify podcast kindles the examined life for contemplatives in the world. Through artful musings & conversations with scholars, creatives, and master teachers each episode delivers a subtly intoxicating* exchange on the contemplative lifestyle with practical takeaways to emulate in daily life. Host, Paul Swanson, is a husband, father and contemplative educator at the Center for Action and Contemplation and co-host of Another Name for Every Thing with Richard Rohr**. *Contemplify is best served with a pint in hand. Please listen responsibly. ** All shenanigans, tom foolery and bally-hoo posted on Contemplify are my own. Contemplify is not representative of the Center for Action and Contemplation or Richard Rohr on any matter.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
2024
January


2023
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
March
February
January


2022
November
October
September
August
July
May
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
April


2019
November
October
September
July
June
May
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: Category: Philosophy, Spirituality, Society & Culture
Aug 30, 2022

The poems of Todd Davis sharpen a reader’s spirit and focus, on the bloodstained teeth breaking apart the day-to-day doldrums and on the mythic imagination necessary to bear witness to this daunting moment in our species, on our planet. 

Todd Davis and I spoke back in 2019 about his book Native Species and he has read his poems in the last two years on the Contemplify Backporch Advent Outpost series. Today we focus on Todd’s latest book of poems, Coffin Honey. We step into the rich imagery of characters, landscape, and emotion vibrating off the pages of his work. We also do not shy away from the thick smoke of trauma, poetry as a survival skill, the cost of risking participation in crafting such poems, and much more. 

**Before we get started, I want to note that in this episode with Todd Davis we converse about sexual assault and self mutilation, in both personal and mythic stories. If that sounds like a conversation you are not comfortable listening to, we sure understand. Take care of yourself.**

Visit Todd’s website at todddavispoet.com to slip through the doors of his poetry.

Visit contemplify.com

Aug 16, 2022

Paula Huston has written a book, The Hermits of the Big Sur, that charts the history of the New Camaldoli Hermitage. A history born amidst Vatican II and World War II with even deeper contemplatives roots back to the 11th century in the mountains of Italy. Paula follows the ragtag set of novices who become the elders of the community, those who wandered to follow other calls, and those hermits who it their life’s work to be enfolded by Mystery. Paula Huston is more than author, but oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage aka a non-monastic member of the community. She shares with us the gifts her contemplative rhythm has brought to her days, the virtues of working an olive press and writer’s pen, and gleanings from being in friendship with the monks over these decades.

Visit paulahuston.com to keep tabs on her works of beauty.

Visit contemplify.com

Aug 2, 2022

(My audio starts shaky, but gets better after 8 minutes)

Bill Porter, aka Red Pine, calls the hermit life, "graduate school for the spiritually inclined." Bill Porter is a translator of Buddhist and Taoist mountain poets that uncross your third eye and waft the scent of a  fine scotch. 

What can I say about Bill Porter that he won’t say better about himself? I first stumbled on his book Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits while on retreat. His adventures and chitchats with hermits beckoned me to discover more about this hermit tradition and the man captivated by trekking into the mountains in search of monks living off the map. Bill is credited with an uptick of interest in the hermit life in China.

Stateside Bill Porter is best known under his translator name of Red Pine, translating the work of Cold Mountain, Stonehouse, Lao Tzu and others over at the granddaddy of beautiful publishing Copper Canyon. We talk about this and more. 

To visit Bill Porter, well if you bump into him in his hometown. To find his work online go his publisher Copper Canyon at coppercanyonpress.org.

Jul 30, 2022

The hermit life is cool. That is the stone that skips across this season of Contemplify. The urging, the calling, to retreat from the hustle of the red dirt economy. To wash your face with cold water. Blink away the dust. Sit still in the sun and watch the shadows kneel in prayer. This season of Contemplify highlights a few folks who touch the hermit life by study, proximity, and by craft.

There will always be those who are called to live the hermit life. Then there are those of us who tend to the hermit within. We learn from the hermit how to drop contemplative seeds into our smoothies, sing John Prine songs, and write the names of God on our hearts.

May 31, 2022
Musing from May 31, 2022
Feb 5, 2022

Fenton Johnson is the author of At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life.  His book Geography of the Heart:  A Memoir received the American Library Association and Lambda Literary Awards for best LGBT Creative Nonfiction, while his book Keeping Faith: A Skeptic’s Journey among Christian and Buddhist Monks received a Lambda Literary and Kentucky Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction. A regular contributor to Harper’s Magazine, Johnson has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and has been featured on Terry Gross’s Fresh Air.  He is emeritus professor at the University of Arizona and serves on the faculty of the creative writing program of Spalding University. Today we talk about At the Center of All Beauty, contemplative principles, the interior landscape as the frontier, embracing humility, the importance of a community of practice and of course solitude and the creative life.

Check out Fenton's work at fentonjohnson.com

Visit contemplify.com

Jan 21, 2022
Brie Stoner is a juggernaut of creativity who channels these forces as a musician, artist, podcaster, writer, teacher, and mother. Her latest project is a podcast called Unknowing; a conversation series with artists, spiritual teachers, authors and friends as she explores the practice of unknowing as the (beautiful, surprising, messy) spiritual path of creative possibility. As some of you know, we were co-hosts on the podcast Another Name for Every Thing with Richard Rohr.

Check out Brie Stoner’s work at thejourneyofbecoming.com (While there you can support Brie’s work as an independent creative. I am a big believer and supporter of independent artists, and Brie is one to support. Join her community of support today)

Follow Brie Stoner on the socials | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon

Visit Contemplify.com for more

Jan 7, 2022

Amy Frykholm is a writer, scholar, and journalist. Long time listener’s will recognize Amy as the second guest ever on Contemplify when we spoke about her book on Julian of Norwich. For those new to Amy's story, she has a PhD from Duke University and is a senior editor at The Christian Century. Her wry wit and adventurous spirit deserve a place in her accolades too. Today we talk about her latest work, Wild Woman: A Footnote, the Desert, and My Quest for an Elusive Saint. This cheeky quest follows Amy in the footsteps of St. Mary of Egypt as she seeks insight and inspiration from this wild woman, equal parts mystery and mystic. I am thrilled to have Amy back on Contemplify. 

Check out Amy’s work at amyfrykholm.com.

Follower Amy on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Visit contemplify.com

Dec 17, 2021

Stephen Mitchell is a translator, author, and poet. I was first introduced to his work through his translation of the Tao Te Ching. Stephen was educated at Amherst, the Sorbonne, and Yale, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. He is married to Byron Katie, founder of The Work. Today we talk about his latest work, The First Christmas: A Story of New Beginnings that tells the story of Jesus birth with imagination, humor, historical context and red-blooded gusto! As someone who has been steeped in Christmas narrative my entire life, I was elated by this telling packed with new perspectives and wise characters (including the ox and the donkey alongside their human counterparts).

You can check out Stephen’s work at stephenmitchellbooks.com.

Visit Contemplify.com

Dec 12, 2021

Blessed Darkness and Blessed Light, this Advent season. Here we are again, In the midst of Season Two of Contemplify and I am sliding in another bonus episode part of the 2nd annual Backporch Advent Outpost on Contemplify.

Today’s poet is Chris Dombrowski. I first read Chris’ book Ragged Anthem and then his earlier work in the book Earth Again. It wakes me to the day at hand. Dombrowski’s poetry has been a constant companion to me during this pandemic, his connection to earthbound attention, humor, musicality of our days, longing born from loss, whole-makin and restoration. I cannot say enough about the poetry of Chris Dombrowski. May these poems catch you in the moment you are ready to receive them.

Chris Dombrowski, will be reading three poems, ‘Francis’ from Ragged Anthem and ‘Possible Psalm’ and ‘Sustenance’ from Earth Again. There is a link in the shownotes for this episode at Contemplify.com to order Chris’ books. Visit Chris Dombrowski’s website at cdombrowski.com.

Take a sip, breathe a little deeper. Here is Chris Dombrowski pouring us an Advent nightcap.

Dec 5, 2021

Blessed Darkness and Blessed Light this Advent season. Here, In the midst of Season Two of Contemplify I am sliding in a bonus episode. This is the first episode of the 2nd annual Backporch Advent Outpost on Contemplify.

This year there will be one poet in each outpost, offering their poetry to gild the thin space beyond waiting or reception. Pour a tea or a finger of rye, consider this your Advent nightcap.

Todd Davis, will be reading two poems from his forthcoming book of poetry Coffin Honey from Michigan State University Press. There is a link in the shownotes for episode at Contemplify.com to pre-order Todd’s book,  Coffin Honey.

Take a sip, breathe a little deeper. Here is Todd Davis reading us first,  “Of This World” and second, “Wayfaring”.

Dec 3, 2021

Sister Joan Chittister is a member of the Benedictine Sisters, played a huge hand in developing the Charter of Compassion, was president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious., director of Benetvision, founder of Monasteries of the Heart, passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women’s issues, and church renewal, written over 60 books, and has a bird named Lady Hildegard. The focus of our conversation today is Joan’s book, The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life.

Check out the show notes at contemplify.com

Nov 19, 2021

J. Drew Lanham is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Master Teacher, and Certified Wildlife Biologist at Clemson University . He's the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature and the collection of poetry and meditations, Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts, which is the focus of our conversation today. And I just gotta share this self-descriptive line by Drew, “I am a wondering wander in love with nature and all the sensuality that falls softly in raindrops, rises riotously with each dawn chorus and whispers goodnight with Whip-poor-wills at dusk.” Drew is my favorite type of guest. A multi-hyphenated creature of the wilds; an academic, poet, writer, seer, teacher, prophet, justice seeker, and changemaker in culture. Drew’s generosity of spirit is evident in his pen and in our conversation. You will get a taste of his poetry today, and then purchase yourself a copy of Sparrow Envy.

Check J. Drew Lanham’s work at jdlanham.wixsite.com/blackbirder

Nov 5, 2021

Gary Nabhan (aka Brother Coyote) is an Ecumenical Franciscan Brother, a first generation Lebanese-American, seed saver, agro-ecologist, ethnobotanist, agrarian activist, and author. A former MacArthur Fellow, he has been called the "father of the local food movement" by Time. He currently holds the W.K. Kellogg Chair in Food & Water Security for the Borderlands. Gary has engaged with farmers and refugee farmworkers in Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, and Oman. Nabhan keeps orchards, gardens and greenhouses at his home in Patagonia, Arizona, then fishes and forages from an old adobe house on the shores of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. The focus of our conversation today is Gary’s book, Jesus for Farmers and Fishers: Justice for All Those Marginalized by Our Food System.

Check out Gary Nabhan’s work at garynabhan.com.

Visit Contemplify at contemplify.com

Oct 30, 2021

On the cusp of season 2, I was ruminating on how I might introduce the tonality of this series of conversations. The September musing jumped to mind.

In this musing, I reflected one some words to live by according to Ralph Waldo Emerson 

And there was one Emerson line that stuck to my ribs. No matter how hard I scraped, it would not leave me alone. 

"Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm."

Not cheerleader or car salesman enthusiasm. But enthusiasm as the fire within, the fire blazing the passions of being and becoming. In the resonance of this enthusiasm I learned that The greek roots of Enthusiasm mean being inspired by a god or as an incarnate possession. The muse of enthusiasm sings and inspires this season of Contemplify.

Each guest this season tends a contemplative fire, offering kinship and perspective. I raise glass around the fire to each of these resplendent souls. Over the course of our conversations we highlight the overrated and underrated notes of contemplative life, and ask questions that pierce our fears in the face of turmoil, and let go into the wildness of being fully alive.

Join me in kindling the examined life for all of us contemplatives in the world

Season Two of Contemplify starts next week. New episodes drop every other week for the rest of the year. Subscribe to Contemplify to ensure I can digitally hand deliver each new episode to you directly. I raise my glass to you, dear listener, as we journey together as contemplatives in the world kindling the examined life with enthusiasm.

Sep 21, 2021

September 2021 Musing on Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy of life.

Season 2 of Contemplify is getting warmed up on the stove. I'll let you know when it is ready to be served.

Visit contemplify.com

Aug 17, 2021

This marks the 100th episode of Contemplify. We celebrate the triple digit with a musing and an announcement.

Jun 17, 2021

A contemplative musing on machines, lifeblood, and facing the facts of life. 

Visit contemplify.com for more shenanigans

 

May 23, 2021

Scott Ballew is songwriter from Austin, Texas. He earns his keep as the Head of Films and Commercials at YETI, producing and directing films that inspire a life well-lived. During the pandemic, Scott dusted off his guitar and got to writing songs, polishing them, and then to his own surprise, releasing an album out into the wild. Scott Ballew’s first album is called Talking to Mountains. In our conversation we talk about the genesis of his album, the relationship between sobriety and creativity, the entanglement of humor and sadness, how legendary Texan songwriter Terry Allen helped form Scott’s artistic backbone, the perennial life questions that have been peppering him throughout his entire life and a good deal more. You can listen to Scott Ballew’s album Talking to Mountains on all the streaming services or head over to leisurerodeo.com to get your mitts on a cassette or an LP. And you read that right, that’s leisurerodeo.com.

Apr 18, 2021

There is so much I can say about the poet and essayist Leah Purpura. I’ll give this brief introduction, Lia was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the writer in residence at the University of Maryland, and has been published in all the notable places. I read her two most recent works, It Shouldn’t Have Been Beautiful, a book of poems, and All the Fierce Tethers, a book of essays, and was graced by her mastery of language and reverence for the awe and wonder in the details. Our conversation does not disappoint, Lia is wise, poetic, and enjoys the same teeter totter I do; playful with serious matters and serious about playful matters, balanced on the fulcrum of loving presence.

Mar 9, 2021

Jeffrey Foucault is a top shelf songwriter. Foucault has a slew of albums worth your collection and his latest album, Deadstock, should be the first one you pick up. Deadstock has been a real good friend to me in the ups and downs of this season. Foucault’s music makes a grown man like me swoon, sway, and slyly sing his lyrics to myself. This is the type of music that keeps me sane and holds my heart in communion with the whole heartbreaking human family. 

Our conversation holds the tenor of two respectful Midwesterners holding court while a storm blows in. A storm was coming to blanket Jeffrey’s place with feet of snow while I was sitting easy in the desert with pints of coffee peppering him with questions about literary influences like Jim Harrison and Barry Lopez, crafting an album, humor, Greg Brown, Chris Dombrowksi, fishing, and why poetry belongs in bars. These themes and much more built a trellis of conversation to cover us from the winter storm and desert heat. Doesn’t get much better than this for me folks, a real banquet of stories told with a lot of humor, humility, and generosity. 

Check out Jeffrey Foucault’s music and newsletter at jeffreyfoucault.com. Buy Deadstock, thank me now. Sign up for his newsletter, my favorite monthly missive (and that includes my own offering).

Feb 7, 2021

Andrew Krivak is the author of three novels: The Signal Flame (2017), a Chautauqua Prize finalist, and The Sojourn (2011), a National Book Award finalist and winner of both the Chautauqua Prize and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for fiction, and his latest novel, The BearIn our conversation you hear of Andrew’s formation as a Jesuit, our dwelling in the depth dimension of now, how his novel The Bear relates to that dimension and is also a manifesto against interiority, and so much more. Friends, I read The Bear and found it to be an incredibly moving novel about place, presence, courage and strength in uncertain times. And let’s face it, all times are uncertain. I have bought, loaned, recommended The Bear to countless people. After this conversation you will understand why.

Visit Contemplify.com to learn more.

Jan 17, 2021

Fred Bahnson is an immersion journalist of the soul and one of my favorite public contemplative intellectuals. If you’ve been hanging out around Contemplify, you have likely heard his name or seen links to his work. And I am sure that won’t be changing anytime soon. His most recent piece appears in Harper’s Magazine and is called ‘The Gate of Heaven is Everywhere’. It charts the contemplative turning in our times with gusto, charm, and sustained attention to the deep roots of the Christian contemplative tradition. Check it out, you’ll dig it. 

Much of our conversation plunges into Fred’s book, Soil and Sacrament which is a record of a pilgrimage of depth across the topsoil of sundry landscapes. Bahnson traverses through community gardens (Christian & Jewish), a Bennedictine monastery, and communal subsistence farming in Mexico. Within these pages, The incarnational questions I always walk around with in the back pocket of my heart echo throughout - how then shall I live? How then shall we live? 

Jan 3, 2021

Beverly Lanzetta is a profound teacher who invites her readers and students to engage in the fullness of Mystery each day through the cultivation of practice and rhythm. I was elated to get my mitts on her latest book A New Silence: Spiritual Practices and Formation for the Monk Within. Our conversation flows out of this work, we talk about contemplation rhythms, parenting, the archetype of the monk, the via feminia and so much more. Reflecting on A New Silence makes up the bulk of our conversation today, but I want to really emphasize how A New Silence provides many exercises and practical ways of moving into a monastic way of life. A New Silence is for any seeker who hears the call to a contemplative path in their own context.

Dec 21, 2020

I’m closing this Advent Series out with some poetic gifts. A few friends are stopping by to raise a glass and offer a poem or prayer, though I am unsure of the difference anymore. In this final Advent outpost, the Mystery is stirred by a couple of my favorite poets, Teddy Macker and then Todd Davis, before contemplative teacher Beverly Lanzetta brings us home with a prayer. Like I said, prayers and poems dip from the same well. Join us as we take our fill.

Visit Contemplify.com

« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next »