Contemplify
215 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 153 ratingsThe 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.
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Episodes
008: Sit in Your Shack, and Your Shack Will Teach You Everything, Dialogues with Andrew Gingerich
September 10, 2016 18:21 - 1 hour - 54.5 MBAndrew Gingerich embraces a prophetic, contemplative lifestyle. Of course he would object to this description, because his pursuit is internally driven and extrinsic validation does not go far with him. At times he speaks like a modern-day Desert Father (in our conversation he unknowingly paraphrases one of the most famous lines by Abba Moses), with the winsome nature of Thoreau and the delivery of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. In this episode, I sit in Andy’s shack during a soft rain to ...
007: Growing Basil and the Art of Eavesdropping, Dar Williams on Building Community through Positive Proximity
September 02, 2016 05:00 - 1 hour - 53.6 MBDar Williams (@DarWilliamsTour), "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." (The New Yorker), is thoughtful and charming as she tells stories about her local community, but don't let her laid back delivery fool you, she is passionate about community life and the revitalization of small towns everywhere. Known for her songwriting chops, Dar takes us down another avenue to talk about "positive proximity", the focus of her forthcoming book. In this episode, Dar dives into the themes of s...
Growing Basil and the Art of Eavesdropping, Dar Williams on Building Community through Positive Proximity
September 02, 2016 05:00 - 1 hour - 53.6 MBDar Williams (@DarWilliamsTour), "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." (The New Yorker), is thoughtful and charming as she tells stories about her local community, but don't let her laid back delivery fool you, she is passionate about community life and the revitalization of small towns everywhere. Known for her songwriting chops, Dar takes us down another avenue to talk about "positive proximity", the focus of her forthcoming book. In this episode, Dar dives into the themes of s...
006: Creating Empty Spaces, Toinette Lippe on the Mindful Art of Being
August 20, 2016 19:30 - 47 minutes - 38.3 MB"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 be retrieved once it is lost." - Zen Master Dogen This quote easily tripped off the lips of author, editor, illustrator and brush painter Toinette Lippe. An artist of many pursuits, Lippe had a distinguished publishing career at Simon and Schuster (under Robert Gottlieb, who later became editor of The New Yorker), Knopf and then as the editor...
Creating Empty Spaces, Toinette Lippe on the Mindful Art of Being
August 20, 2016 19:30 - 47 minutes - 38.3 MB"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 be retrieved once it is lost." - Zen Master Dogen This quote easily tripped off the lips of author, editor, illustrator and brush painter Toinette Lippe. An artist of many pursuits, Lippe had a distinguished publishing career at Simon and Schuster (under Robert Gottlieb, who later became editor of The New Yorker), Knopf and then as the editor...
The Life and Art of Thomas Merton: Morgan Atkinson on Crafting the Contemplative Documentary
August 10, 2016 06:30 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBMorgan Atkinson has documented the life of Thomas Merton over two films. The poetic contemplative Thomas Merton lived an ever expanding and continual openness to God's love and Atkinson beautifully captures this on film. In this episode discover Thomas Merton as the rescuer of the contemplative tradition in Christianity, the middle-aged monk who fell ass over heels in love with a student nurse, and open dialogues with other religious traditions through the depth of each's contemplative strea...
005: The Life and Art of Thomas Merton: Morgan Atkinson on Crafting the Contemplative Documentary
August 10, 2016 06:30 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBMorgan Atkinson has documented the life of Thomas Merton over two films. The poetic contemplative Thomas Merton lived an ever expanding and continual openness to God's love and Atkinson beautifully captures this on film. In this episode discover Thomas Merton as the rescuer of the contemplative tradition in Christianity, the middle-aged monk who fell ass over heels in love with a student nurse, and open dialogues with other religious traditions through the depth of each's contemplative strea...
004 Simone Weil: Attention, the Agent of Love with Eric O. Springsted
July 30, 2016 04:30 - 55 minutes - 51 MBEric O. Springsted spends some time with Contemplify to explore the life and attention of Simone Weil. The French philosopher, mystic and activist dared to imagine an authentic life based on the attention and practice of love for all of humanity. Weil came into her own through a contemplative stance hard-won through affliction and openness. Springsted has spent his entire career drawing from the deep well of wisdom that is Simone Weil. In our conversation we focus on what Simone Weil migh...
Simone Weil: Attention, the Agent of Love with Eric O. Springsted
July 30, 2016 04:30 - 55 minutes - 51 MBEric O. Springsted spends some time with Contemplify to explore the life and attention of Simone Weil. The French philosopher, mystic and activist dared to imagine an authentic life based on the attention and practice of love for all of humanity. Weil came into her own through a contemplative stance hard-won through affliction and openness. Springsted has spent his entire career drawing from the deep well of wisdom that is Simone Weil. In our conversation we focus on what Simone Weil migh...
Democracy of the Cosmos: John Muir's Prophetic and Moral vision | A Conversation with Donald Worster (Author, Professor)
July 21, 2016 04:15 - 47 minutes - 37.9 MBDonald Worster ( @TheWorster1979 ) connects with Contemplify to traverse the life and passion of John Muir. The American icon who combined intelligence and curiosity with a grounded love for the wilderness. Muir held a natural contemplative bent that married an abiding sense of purpose. The landscape of John Muir's life is pretty well documented, in my conversation with Donald we focus on the unique character of John Muir, the life lessons the current generations could learn from him and th...
003: Democracy of the Cosmos: John Muir's Prophetic and Moral vision | A Conversation with Donald Worster (Author, Professor)
July 21, 2016 04:15 - 47 minutes - 37.9 MBDonald Worster ( @TheWorster1979 ) connects with Contemplify to traverse the life and passion of John Muir. The American icon who combined intelligence and curiosity with a grounded love for the wilderness. Muir held a natural contemplative bent that married an abiding sense of purpose. The landscape of John Muir's life is pretty well documented, in my conversation with Donald we focus on the unique character of John Muir, the life lessons the current generations could learn from him and th...
002: Julian of Norwich: Loving Without Annihilating Difference with Amy Frykholm
July 21, 2016 04:05 - 1 hour - 50.2 MBAmy Frykholm (@AmyFrykholm) joins Contemplify in conversation on visionary 13th century contemplative and mystic Julian of Norwich. Bring some mead to the table because we cover a lot of ground here; the near death experience of Julian that catapulted her writing (by the by, Julian was the first woman to write a book in English), Amy's life-altering encounter with Julian, a Noble prize winning contemplative geneticist who listened to corn, drink recommendations for a conversation on Julian o...
Julian of Norwich: Loving Without Annihilating Difference with Amy Frykholm
July 21, 2016 04:05 - 1 hour - 50.2 MBAmy Frykholm (@AmyFrykholm) joins Contemplify in conversation on visionary 13th century contemplative and mystic Julian of Norwich. Bring some mead to the table because we cover a lot of ground here; the near death experience of Julian that catapulted her writing (by the by, Julian was the first woman to write a book in English), Amy's life-altering encounter with Julian, a Noble prize winning contemplative geneticist who listened to corn, drink recommendations for a conversation on Julian o...
Drinking Beer with Thomas Merton to Kindle the Examined Life
July 20, 2016 02:34 - 1 minute - 1.52 MBThis episode introduces the premise and possibilities of the Contemplify podcast. Contemplify kindles the examined life for contemplatives in the world through musings and interviews with scholars, creatives, and practitioners. Visit us at Contemplify.com
001: Drinking Beer with Thomas Merton to Kindle the Examined Life
July 20, 2016 02:34 - 1 minute - 1.52 MBThis episode introduces the premise and possibilities of the Contemplify podcast. Interviews with contemplative scholars, creatives and practitioners in tow for those interested in the contemplative streams of the Buddha, Stoic philosophers (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca), Christian mystics (Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, etc.), Transcendentalism (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, etc.), Naturalists and Environmentalists (John Muir, Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, Wendell Berry, etc), Cr...