One Heart One Mind

In the final episode of this season, Thomas speaks to the role of sincerity in prayer life. Many of us have a tendency to think we've got to do it all—that if we're going to grow spiritually, we've got to do it by the sweat of our brow. But in a world of Grace, a little sincerity goes a very long way indeed. 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 3-day meditation retreat (December 11th-13th)

In a world moving at hyperspeed, it's difficult enough to find a moment to touch into genuine stillness. But even if we do manage to center ourselves in prayer and meditation, how do we remain still and centered throughout the full catastrophe of each day's events? Thomas shares a practice in this episode that will help you "train to remain" in stillness, to abide in a deep reservoir of Silence. 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 3-day meditation retreat (December 11th-13th)

One of our first tasks as a human being—from the moment we're born—is to form a healthy sense of self. Without it, we can't navigate the world, form relationships, and move choicefully towards the things we want. At a certain point, though, our sense of self starts to get in the way. We start to mistake our possessions, even our ideas, for who we really are. Jesus, master teacher, saw this pitfall in our humanity and instructed us to turn away from these attachments, to accept the cross as he did. Contemplative prayer can show us the way. 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 3-day meditation retreat (December 11th-13th)

What would it be like if, at will, we could "silence the mind and be aware at the core of our being." Sufi Master, Kabir Helminski writes that from these depths we receive "help from the Source of Life." As we learn to join ourselves with this Source—some would call it God—we find that it contains all the qualities of Spirit in potential, waiting to express through our unique vessel. Upcoming, in-person offerings with Thomas: 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the contemplative life (still accepting applications)

At the heart of contemplation is an attitude of total surrender to the Divine. This is easier said than done, of course. In our minds, we may sincerely believe that we wish to do God's will in all things. But the moment the bitter cup is served, we often find ourselves protesting and howling at life's unfairness. Christ's prayer in Gethsemane is an archetype of perfect "willingness": the willingness to experience exactly what life gives us to experience in each moment, trusting that it is for our good. And it's not only Christianity where the virtue of "willingness" figures prominently. Listen as Thomas takes a comparative look at the Buddhist tradition's take on this "divine abode." Upcoming, in-person offerings with Thomas: 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the contemplative life (still accepting applications)

In a sense, contemplative prayer is none other than the practice of deepening one's faith in God. But faith manifests in many guises. Perhaps a less obvious quality of faith is confidence. What does it mean to sit with a "restful confidence," fully trusting that God is bringing about a mighty work in you? Listen to this episode as Thomas draws from the inspired thinking of Sri Aurobindo as well as a favorite scripture of his from back home. May you live prayerfully, always with a "perfect brightness of hope." 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the contemplative life (still accepting applications)

It's common in Christian life to focus on the aspects of God that we can know and understand—we say God is merciful, patient, loving like a parent…It is less common for most of us to attend to the aspect of God that is too subtle to perceive, too deep to fathom. In this school, to say anything of God is to say too much. This is classically known as the via negativa, leading to the unknowable God. And yet walking this path of unknowing, we come to know things, we come to a new intimacy with God that we couldn't have previously imagined.

We delve into the Gospel of Thomas this week, a treasure trove of contemplative inspiration. Have you ever gone through an experience where you simply weren't the same person on the other side? What part of you passed away, and what new quality came into being? Give yourself some space to settle in for this one, and, as Jesus invites, "Come into being as you pass away." Logion 42, tr. Lynn Bauman Yeshua says, Come into being As you pass away. Upcoming workshop: Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-17 to guide students in embodied practice, meditation and all sorts of surprises! Scholarships and financial aid always available.

Most people in the Christian world are familiar with the spiritual discipline of fasting. We abstain from food and drink for a designated time to draw our hearts closer to God. But what about letting the faculties of our mind fast. In the words of an anonymous writer from the 14th century, you will at first find this "terribly painful," but in time, "would not willingly give it up for all the material joys and rest in the world." Come, join us in the fast! Upcoming workshop: Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-17 to guide students in embodied practice, meditation and all sorts of surprises! Scholarships and financial aid always available. Passage from the Book of Privy Counseling: "Relying on God's grace to lead and guide you, you will come to [the] deep experience of his love by following the path [of contemplation]. It demands that you always and ever strive toward the naked awareness of your self, and continually offer your being to God as your most precious gift. But I remind you again: see that it is naked, lest you fall into error. Inasmuch as this awareness really is naked, you will at first find it terribly painful to rest in for any length of time because, as I have explained, your faculties will find no meat for themselves in it. But there is no harm in this; in fact, I am actually delighted. Go ahead. Let them fast awhile from their natural delight in knowing. It is well said that man naturally desires to know. Yet at the same time, it is also true that no amount of natural or acquired knowledge will bring him to taste the spiritual experience of God, for this is a pure gift of grace. And so I urge you: go after experience rather than knowledge. On account of pride, knowledge may often deceive you, but this gentle, loving affection will not deceive you. Knowledge tends to breed conceit, but love builds. Knowledge is full of labor, but love, full of rest." —Anonymous author, The Book of Privy Counseling, translated by William Johnston.

Contemplation is all about cultivating a relationship with the Divine, and relationship is inherently vulnerable. It's not surprising then that when we set out to cultivate this most unique of relationships that we find ourselves putting up defenses—resisting the process of deepening our encounter with God. But even our resistance proves to be a great resource in opening our hearts in prayer. Upcoming workshop: Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-17 to guide students in embodied practice, meditation and all sorts of surprises! Scholarships and financial aid always available.

In a world where the mind and body are too often split, not only do we do a lot of talking in our prayers, but we forget what a vital instrument the body is in our prayer life. In reality, we can't pray without the body. Our body IS prayer. In this episode, you'll learn to "ride the waves" of the body's knowing into deeper communion with the Divine. Welcome to One Heart, One Mind, One Body. Upcoming workshop: Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-17 to guide students through practices from his recent book, At-One-Ment. Scholarships and financial aid always available.

In this inaugural episode, Thomas McConkie introduces the lost jewel of contemplation in the Christian tradition. He shares a brief spiritual autobiography, invites the listener to come see for themselves, then dives right in with a wisdom bomb from Howard Thurman: on cultivating atmosphere and spiritual presence. Upcoming workshop: Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-17 to guide students through practices from his recent book, At-One-Ment. Scholarships and financial aid always available.

You've heard something like this before—without death, we could never know the preciousness of life. When a loved one falls ill, suddenly our relationship with them is imbued with an entirely new quality. But what happens when the loved one who falls ill isn't human? What if it's a lake whose life we mourn? In this season finale, Thomas shares about a close friend of his who initiated him in death, and Great Salt Lake, who is now in dangerous decline. He invites us all to reconsider what personhood is, and what it might mean to open our hearts to the lands that sustain us. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deductible donation to Lower Lights School of Wisdom. We're grateful for your support! Want more guidance from Thomas? Come to our monthly online practitioners retreat. Have a practice question for Thomas? Leave a voicemail Voicemail. We would love to hear from you. Also, check out Thomas's new book here