TRANSCRIPT: Dr. Kimberly D. Russaw: …here I’m even thinking about people who could have been part of important movements. For me, whether it’s the suffrage movement, whether it’s the civil rights movement, whether it’s Black Lives Matter, Say Her Name, Me Too, all of that. What if what we’re dealing with here in our modern context isContinue reading “The Unnamed Mystics | A Conversation with Dr. Kimberly D. Russaw”
Author Archives: Cassidy Hall
Opening Unto Mystery | A Conversation with Dr. Elyse Ambrose
How am I willing to be changed by what I encounter in the mystery?
“One need not be a contemplative monk in a remote monastery to be overwhelmed by a sense of human inter-connection.”
Jim Forest was an activist and author, but more than anything he was a man of relationship and ritual. To know Jim was to know his family, his partner Nancy Forest-Flier, to feel his friendship, and to see the countless ways he saw and loved the world with great wonder. Jim looked and listened withContinue reading ““One need not be a contemplative monk in a remote monastery to be overwhelmed by a sense of human inter-connection.””
The Fierce Call of Love | A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
“Love is the call on our lives. And it’s a fierce call, a fierce love. And I believe that if we could speak more about that we could build a revolution that included people of faith and people of no faith.”
Recent Publications: Blessings & Reflections
This beautiful compilation of blessings from enflshed was a powerful project to be a part of. You can order this incredible book of blessings, “HELD: blessings for the depths” here. (Note: The first run of the book sold out and this is a pre-order for the second run). You can read the blessing I contributedContinue reading “Recent Publications: Blessings & Reflections”
Maybe it’s time for me to let go of Thomas Merton
Today marks 53 years since Merton died in Bangkok, Thailand. I wrote the following article originally published by The Christian Century on December 6, 2021. “How can we be sure younger generations learn about Thomas Merton?” Every time I show Day of a Stranger, the documentary film I made about the Trappist monk, I’m asked some form of this question. ViewersContinue reading “Maybe it’s time for me to let go of Thomas Merton”
Speaking Down Barriers | A Conversation with Poet Davelyn Hill
Transcript: DAVELYN HALL: I don’t think I can say that I am a mystic without being connected to community. So I can’t say that for me. I need to be connected to community in order to be a mystic, how do you not? Cassidy Hall: Welcome to Contemplating Now, a podcast about the intersection of contemplation andContinue reading “Speaking Down Barriers | A Conversation with Poet Davelyn Hill”
Breathing Mysticism | A Conversation with Dr. Angela N. Parker
Transcript: Dr Angela Parker: I don’t often think about contemplative actions going together. But what does contemplative action look like among people where the breath of God is going through groups of people? And I think that’s what we see with protests, with the Black Lives Matter protests, that there’s that contemplative action that actuallyContinue reading “Breathing Mysticism | A Conversation with Dr. Angela N. Parker”
The Privilege of Contemplation | A Conversation with Dr. Anthea Butler
“being a contemplative doesn’t mean that you escape society, or you escape the world, but that you find a place to anchor yourself firmly first of all, and then secondarily, take care of those things in the ways in which you need to take care of them.”
Time, Tenderness, and Terror: Reflections from a Hospital Chaplain
the presence of personhood and accompaniment is an offering beyond words. The statue of immovable presence and peace amid unfathomable loss is at best a sentiment.
Cassidy Hall 