Contemplify

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Philosophy
**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.

Latest Episodes:

Compline (Life of a Day Series #5) Feb 22, 2019

Show notes

"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 direction for this fifth installment of the Life of the Day series here on Contemplify where I'll be exploring my interpretation of the divine hour called 'Compline'.

Vespers (Life of a Day Series #4) Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

'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 wash the dishes.' - Thich Nhat Hanh

My intention here is to be present at hand to the dish in my hand. Perhaps we'll strike gold today and I'll communicate some semblance of that in this fourth installment of the Life of the Day series here on Contemplify.

None (Life of a Day Series #3) Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

"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 speech, good silence and nothing too much."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the third jaunt of the Life of the Day series here on Contemplify.

Terce (Life of a Day Series #2) Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

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 contemplative mind takes back what it has said, and denies what it has affirmed.'

So...how do I talk about contemplation then? Briefly.

My intention here is to grasp at words that give shape to the formless abiding, even if only for a moment. If we are lucky here today, I'll communicate some semblance of that in this second installment of the Life of the Day series here on Contemplify.

Matins & Lauds (Life of a Day Series #1) Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

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 here on Contemplify, which is the reimagining of the Divine Office into my own personal reflective interpretations as a contemplative in the world. The intention is to mark each of the Hours but in a form very different from their regular practice behind monastery walls. In other words, this is what a contemplative rhythm looks like in my particular life.

Life of a Day Series (Trailer) Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

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 calling you in your daily life. My hope is that this series will help you answer that question for yourself.

The Mystery Never Leaves You Alone Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

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 his belongings from the dark warmth of the womb and worked his way into the shivering light of humanity. Finally, I put ink to paper. Once complete, the following letter laid in waiting alongside the clutter of discarded receipts and grocery lists. The sacred and profane cohabiting on my night stand.

Weeks later, my son was born. Upon his entrance into this world, the world's response was immediate and in kind. Thunder clapped and rain poured in the desert. It's strange to be here. The Mystery never leaves you alone.

Here is that letter to my newborn son.

Anything Goes | Dan Reeder Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

"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 me a link to the video of 'The Work Song' (NSFW). Once I heard it, I had to find out who this guy was. I found out that his story is even more interesting than that song. I've been trying to set up this conversation with Dan for years, it took the kindness of his record label Oh Boy Records to put us in touch. Dan Reeder has a mind I enjoy being in conversation with, he looks at the world in unique angles (though he would never say that about himself).

Dan Reeder is an American musician and artist working and living in Germany. He has 3 albums and most recently an EP, Nobody Wants to Be You. You can find a book of his artwork entitled, Art Pussies Fear This Book. In our conversation we talk about his life as an artist, how he got connected with John Prine, how his perspective as an artist has shifted over the years and much more.

You can learn more about Dan Reeder's work at danreeder.com

You can follow Dan on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify.

Awake in Mindful Silence | Phileena Heuertz Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

"Phileena writes here with such simple clarity—and easy readability—because she knows she does not need to prove, convict, or defend anything. Mindful Silence contains not just her wisdom but the spiritual wisdom of the ages that is again standing the test of time and showing itself in the fruits of incarnational holiness. It is the great tradition of action and contemplation again showing itself."

-Richard Rohr, OFM

Eleven years ago I was a work intern at the Center for Action and Contemplation. A season of life that would unknowingly tether me to the contemplative journey. As a work intern, I lived in community with 6 other interns. If that weren't enough, we were also the guest house for retreatants. One evening as we were settling into our dinner, there was a knock on our door. I hustled over to welcome our unknown guest, who happened to be Phileena Heuertz. Over the course of the meal we would come to learn about Phileena's work with folks living in poverty and on the margins. She had just completed the pilgrimage, Camino de Santiago, and regaled us with stories of that experience. It was over the course of that meal that I first recognized the depth of Phileena's being and presence.

I'm grateful for my friendship with Phileena and the ways our paths have crossed over the years. Phileena has written a book that will surely find its place in the new contemplative canon, Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation. In Mindful Silence she weaves her story, contemplative themes and teachers alongside practices, with the invitation always at hand to take another step into greater healing and wholeness by embodying the contemplative way. In our conversation we sink into the themes of Mindful Silence, how her dog Basil has been a contemplative guide, the passing of one of her mentors Fr. Thomas Keating, and how on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy Phileena had an unexpected experience that continues to impart wisdom into her journey.

Phileena is a founding partner alongside her husband Chris of Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism. A spiritual director, retreat leader, writer, yoga teacher and exactly the type of person you want to find yourself in conversation with. Head over to mindfulsilence.org to learn about Phileena's book. Get a copy for yourself and a friend. This is the type of book that is resonates when read alone and relished when read alongside fellow travelers.

You can learn more about Phileena Heuertz's work at mindfulsilence.org, gravitycenter.com and phileena.com

You can follow Phileena on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Daring A Journey of Texture | Theodore Richards Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Theodore Richards latest work's A Letter to My Daughters: Remembering the Lost Dimension and the Texture of Life.

Theodore Richards is a philosopher, poet and novelist. He has won numerous awards for his writing, most recently winning the Nautilus Book Award for his book The Great Re-imagining: Spirituality in an Age of Apocalypse. As the founder of The Chicago Wisdom Project, editor of the online magazine Re-imagining: Education, Culture, World, and a board member of Homebound Publications, his work is dedicated to re-imagining education and creating new narratives about our place in the world.

You can learn more about Theodore Richards at theodorerichards.com, on Facebook, and Twitter.

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