Hi — I’m Carl McColman; I also go by Skye. I like to say I’m Carl in print, and Skye among family and friends (like you).

I was in a serious car accident in 1992 which, among other things, led me to reflect on how I understand my purpose in life. I came to see that I love words and silence — language and contemplation. I suppose it is no surprise, then, that my life became oriented toward writing and spiritual practice in many forms. Over the years since then, this sense of my life’s vocation has led me to write about mysticism and other contemplative topics, to share my love for spirituality with others through speaking, leading retreats, and spiritual accompaniment (also known as spiritual direction), and, of course, to walking the talk, which means being faithful to my own spiritual practice and discipline.

Years ago, an author I told someone I deeply respect that I was writing a book on mysticism, and asked him for counsel. His advice surprised me. “Don’t’ call yourself a mystic,” he said, “just be one.” I try to obverse both of these points, so I try to avoid giving myself a label, but I freely admit: the yearning to live a mystical life is very much at the heart of my own spiritual walk, as well as the foundation of my writing and other work.

But we live in a world of labels, alas — especially when it comes to writing an “About me” page like this one. So I’ve come up with a way of referring to myself that I hope you will find insightful into who I am, but also just a little bit playful and irreverent — in a good way, of course.

So I describe myself as a feral contemplative. In other words: spiritually untamed, yet always seeking to remain deeply faithful to the whispers of guidance that seem to emerge in the most silent places of my soul.

I believe that contemplation is about learning to love the music (and the silence) resting between heartbeats and beneath all words. But there is a wild side to even the most disciplined spiritual life. If you try to cage me, I’ll invest everything into getting and staying free. This is why I have a deep respect but also a wary relationship with the religious side of spirituality. As much as I love the soothing cadences of Trappist monks and the fragrant incense of sacramental liturgies, I’m equally enlivened by the profound stillness of Buddhist meditation or the ecstatic dance of Celtic neopagans around a bonfire under a full moon. As I see it, a living contemplative practice must have deep roots, but to remain healthy it cannot be confined.

I am the author of a few books, including The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Eternal Heart, and An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom. In addition to writing this Substack, I am a co-host of the Encountering Silence podcast, and I maintain an active schedule as a retreat facilitator, pilgrimage leader, and spiritual director. My goal is that all of this work remains rooted in contemplative practice and joyful presence.

Yours in the silence,

Skye

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