It is easy to assume that we know ourselves. After all, who could be more familiar with me than, well, me? But contemplation teaches us that there are many layers to the self, some superficial, but others so hidden from us that only God can know us at these extraordinary depths. Enter an exploration in this episode with guidance from St. Augustine and the wisdom teachings of Jesus to discover your True Self. 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 3-day meditation retreat (Decemb...
Jul 06, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 21
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 di...
Jun 29, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 20
There is prayer, and then there is prayer. When you pray, do you ever get the sense that you’re not really praying? That nothing much is happening? Through the teachings of John Climacus, a 7th century spiritual teacher, and through personal story, Thomas speaks to the importance of attention in our prayer life. Ultimately, our quality of attention and quality of prayer turn out to be one and the same offering. Upcoming, in-person offerings with Thomas: 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th -...
Jun 22, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 19
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 d...
Jun 15, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Jesus tells us that “unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone.” Rumi, the Sufi poet, echoes this wisdom, declaring that, “Except for dying…no other skill impresses God.” What does this mean? How do we “die before we die?” Prepare to enter the mystery in this episode and discover what “plentiful harvest” awaits on the other side of life. Upcoming, in-person offerings with Thomas: 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the con...
Jun 08, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Father Richard Rohr shared at a recent gathering that his spiritual practice nowadays is to, “ look at something till I love it. It doesn’t take very long.” What could this mean? What would that be like? Thomas shares a related scripture in this episode and invites you to see with the eyes of love, and to marvel how all things are made new. Upcoming, in-person offerings with Thomas: 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the contemplative life (still accepti...
Jun 01, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 16
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 ou...
May 25, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Today’s episode offers a longer, deeper meditation to help you integrate the themes and skills from the past 7 episodes. Practice fasting not just from food and drink, but from thought and feeling. Consent to God’s Presence and action within. Cling to nothing. Risk getting lost— forget even who you think you are. And trust that you hold in hand the only key you need to unlock the Divine Force in your life. 7-day meditation retreat (September 30th - October 7th) 9-month deep dive in the contempla...
May 18, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 14
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 bright...
May 11, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 13
It feels assuring to know the answers to the most important questions in life. It takes more humility to admit we might not know where we’re going, and at a deeper level, who we even are. Thomas reflects in this episode on the vulnerability of not knowing and shares a poem from Thomas Merton that shows this special kind of faith in action. And now that Thomas is all done with graduate studies, he’ll be dedicating more time to his teaching practice and the broader community. Learn more about two ...
May 04, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 12
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 t...
Apr 27, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Happy Easter, friends. In this special episode, Thomas explores Jesus’s words to marry when she recognizes Him risen from the tomb: “Do not cling to me.” From a contemplative perspective, what could this mean? What happens when we stop clinging to our wrong ideas, our limiting beliefs? With open mind and open heart, we can come to know the Living Presence that is already in our midst. Christ is risen, indeed! Enjoy this Easter meditation.
Apr 20, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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...
Apr 13, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Contemplation asks us to let go of everything and simply rest in the Divine presence. But how, exactly, do we do that? In this episode, Thomas introduces more formally the method of Centering Prayer, developed by the spiritual giant, Father Thomas Keating. What we find in Centering Prayer is that attention follows intention. Each time our attention wanders, we gently renew “our intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.” Upcoming workshop : Thomas will be in Salt Lake City May 15-...
Apr 06, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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 S...
Mar 30, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Thomas guides a longer, deeper practice in this episode, weaving the themes from the previous five episodes together. Whether you’re a regular listener or first-timer, this episode provides a great opportunity to internalize some of the deep principles at work in contemplation and to bring your own unique flavor to them. 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 alwa...
Mar 23, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 6
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, m...
Mar 16, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this two-part episode, Thomas offers guidance on trauma-sensitive practice. Any time we practice meditation or prayer that goes beyond the thinking mind, it can create an environment where intense experiences arise in the body. Which leads to part II, the Divine Therapy. We can learn to trust this purification process and be healed through our prayers beyond what we ever imagined was possible. Ultimately, God invites us not only to heal through prayer, but to become healers ourselves as we le...
Mar 09, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 4
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 hi...
Mar 02, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
It’s not uncommon for people who have been praying their whole lives to hit dry spells and even to wonder if anything worthwhile is happening when they pray. In this episode, Thomas explains how too much talking can drown out the “prayer of quiet,” which promises to take us to new depths in our relationship with the Divine. 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 av...
Feb 23, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 2
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....
Feb 16, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 1
The sun is setting on Mindfulness+. She lived a good, full life. But don’t fret! Where there is a sunset, there is always a sunrise. Look for a new podcast, One Heart One Mind, by Thomas McConkie on this same feed in the coming days.
Feb 13, 2025•3 min
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 personh...
Jan 03, 2024•26 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Confusion gets a bad rap. When we feel clear, when we know who we are and where our life is headed, we often suppose that this is a desirable way to be. On the other hand, when we feel confused, it’s as if we can’t quite relax. There’s a queasiness in our body that we long to get rid of. But what if clarity and confusion are just two facets of a single gem? What if we need confusion to truly be clear, and clarity to unlock the power of “divine confusion?” Have a listen to this episode and see if...
Dec 27, 2023•23 min•Season 6Ep. 24
A colleague of mine recently asked me, “How do we be love?” As soon as he asked, I felt any intellectual response buckle under the weight of his question. There were no words. But I walked around with the question, and let it in deep. The following meditation arose out of that inquiry, which I’m honored to share with you here. Love and Blessings on your day. -Thomas If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deductible dona...
Dec 20, 2023•20 min•Season 6Ep. 23
What is Metalineage? Gloria Pak returns to the studios for part II of this lively conversation. How can we take the best from all our influences without sacrificing what we take to be essential? How can the lineages and traditions that speak to us individually bring one another to a greater fullness? The conversation culminates with a question for all of us: how is metalineage living through you? How will you express your highest values in this life, leaving nothing good behind? If you feel fed ...
Dec 13, 2023•25 min•Season 6Ep. 22
This is a special episode. Gloria Pak visits the Mindfulness+ studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts to engage Thomas in a conversation about his recent book, At-One-Ment: Embodying the Fullness of Human Divinity . What does it mean to belong to a tradition? What does it mean to leave a tradition? If we’ve left, are there meaningful ways to continue to embody and bring forth the best of the lineages that form us? How do we engage in our “local-ness” while also making way for the universal wonder of ...
Dec 06, 2023•30 min•Season 6Ep. 21
In an immature contemplative practice, we tend to assume that the whole point is to learn to draw as much pleasure from each meditation session as we possibly can. As we become more experienced, however, we learn that it is natural to traverse many “realms” throughout the day and throughout our lives. The question becomes, can we remain as fully awake in the realm of the gods as we can in the depths of hell. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leavi...
Nov 29, 2023•23 min•Season 6Ep. 20
If meditation practice hinged solely on the effort we put into it, the hours and minutes we logged each day, we’d be in trouble. Sooner or later, we would exhaust ourselves from all our diligent efforting. But the deeper we move into this practice, the more we become aware of effortless practice—the free ride that Nature provides, if we know how to catch that updraft. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deductible do...
Nov 22, 2023•22 min•Season 6Ep. 19
It is no secret that the Millennial and Gen Z cohort are losing their religion and seeking new ways to feel wonder and awe. But what is it about traditional religion that repels some? In a word, it may be certitude. What would it look like to honor all that our ancestors knew and realized, while being more open than ever to the Mystery and Unknowing of human life? The upcoming generations seem to be asking these questions intuitively, embodying new forms of wisdom on our planet. Listen to Little...
Nov 15, 2023•21 min•Season 6Ep. 18
