Your Instructors
Marc is an award-winning instructor and author focusing on the contemplative path as a means of inner transformation. He has been a Centering Prayer Practitioner for over a decade and is a presenter-in-training with Contemplative Outreach. He is also the author of the book Dante’s Road: The Journey Home For The Modern Soul, winner of a Nautilus Book Award based loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy, drawing on poetry and music for transformational exercises. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, a member of Spiritual Directors International, the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a member of the Tau Community of Interfaith Franciscans, and a founding member of Contemplative Light. Read more at www.marcthomasshaw.com.
Marc is an award-winning instructor and author focusing on the contemplative path as a means of inner transformation. He has been a Centering Prayer Practitioner for over a decade and is a presenter-in-training with Contemplative Outreach. He is also the author of the book Dante’s Road: The Journey Home For The Modern Soul, based loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy, drawing on poetry and music for transformational exercises. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, a member of Spiritual Directors International, the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a member of the Tau Community of Interfaith Franciscans, and a founding member of Contemplative Light. Read more at www.marcthomasshaw.com.
Clint Sabom is the Creative Director at Contemplative Light
MARC’S STORY
Like many of us in college I was trying to find my tribe. So many of the writers and professors I was most drawn to seemed to have one thing in common. They would quote and reference the Christian mystics. It seemed like a mark of wisdom. Why were all the wisest people I knew interested in many of the same figures? I’d pick up quotes here and there and scribble them into a notebook, but I really had no idea who these figures were beyond a superficial understanding and how their lives and teachings fit together.
When I went to seminary the mystics still called to me. I took whatever classes and projects I could to immerse myself in their lives and teachings. Years later, after becoming a long-time contemplative practitioner and experiencing some of the transformation they describe, I came back to these teachings with fresh eyes, and decided I’d pass along what I had learned from these greatest of Christian spiritual teachers and some simple ways to hold these complex threads together.
“Mysticism is the name of that organic process which involves the perfect consummation of the Love of God: the achievement here and now of the immortal heritage of man.
— Evelyn Underhill
OUR QUESTION TO YOU
If you could travel through time and learn directly from the great Christian mystics like Dionysius the Areopagite, Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, or even modern mystics like Evelyn Underhill, how would it deepen your spirituality or practice?
Are you or those you serve being called to the same kind of awakening?
What knowledge did these figures obtain and why did it radically change not only their own lives, but their whole world?
Most of us get bits and pieces of figures like Julian of Norwich and John of the Cross, but what makes each of these figures unique? What are the threads that connect them? How did they respond to the challenges of their own time and place?
What can we learn from their inspiring examples as towering figures of spirituality? What makes them great?
Course Description
Drawing on the best available writing on the topic of Christian Mysticism both ancient and modern, we’re happy to share a special course on the Christian Mystics Sacred Lives: An Introduction To The Christian Mystics.
This course helps contemplatives, healers, clergy, and spiritual directors get a handle on the daunting subject of Christian Mysticism to draw on this timeless wisdom for their own spiritual journey AND to provide care to those they serve.
After taking this powerful course, you will know:
- The path of mystical transformation
- The four main mystical types
- The three eras of mystical flowering in the Christian West
- The lives, key teachings, challenges, and major works of TWENTY of the Christian mystics:
- Dionysius the Areopagite
- Bernard of Clairvaux
- Hildegard of Bingen
- Richard of St. Victor
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Ramon Llull
- Mechthild of Magdeburg
- St. Bonaventure
- Meister Eckhart
- Henry Suso
- John of Roosbroec
- Julian of Norwich
- Catherine of Siena
- Nicolas of Cusa
- Teresa of Avila
- John of the Cross
- Jakob Boehme
- Therese of Lisieux
- Evelyn Underhill
- Giordano Bruno
Bonus Material
AS A BONUS, WE’RE INCLUDING
- Some of the original writings of the Christian mystics
- A download of a timeline of the Christian Mystics
- Bonus Video: The Christian Mystics and Activism
- Bonus Video: Lessons on Leadership from the Christian Mystics
- Bonus Video: Christian Mystics and the Healing of Persons
- Bonus Video: The Mystics and Nondual Awareness
- An Instructor Discussion on Christian Mystics FAQ
- Christian Mystics Reading List
What Others Are Saying
“Many consider the Christian mystics tangential to Christianity as a whole. I am happy that this certainly is not the case for Clint Sabom and Marc Thomas Shaw of Contemplative Light. Both see the Christian mystics as central to Christianity, especially for twenty-first century seekers, who hunger for direct personal experience. And both have a personal passion for the mystics. Their new course highlights the history of 20 Christian mystics and shows their relevance for our spiritual journeys today. Highly recommended!” Dr. Amos Smith, author of ‘Be Still And Listen’
“You exceeded my expectations, thank you. It is a valuable overview, and so helpful to place the mystics into their historical context. I appreciated the many original sources you provided. The additional teaching on non-duality, healing and Q&A are excellent. Thank you!!!” Mary D., Cleveland, OH“I just completed my first time through listening to the course. Wow! I loved it! I’m listening back through and am loving how smoothly the supplemental material ties in.” Neil F., Encinitas, CA
