Wisdom Camp 2025: Radical Mysticism
Subversive Contemplation, Playful Visioning, Storytelling and Other Keys to Interior/Exterior Healing and Transformation
Facilitated by Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman
Ever since the Gospel of Luke presented Mary and Martha squabbling with Jesus over who gets to sit at his feet and who has to work in the kitchen, western spirituality has had a difficult time integration deep contemplation with world-reforming activism. But some of the great mystics over the ages have also been visionary change-agents: and vice versa. Drawing on the wisdom of figures as diverse as Howard Thurman, Teresa of Ávila, the Buddha, Pauli Murray, Dorothy Day, and Simone Weil, this day-long event offers an opportunity to take a deep dive into interior exploration as a roadmap for discerning meaningful and effective action in the world at large.
Our day will be facilitated by Carl McColman and Debonee Morgan, two Atlanta-based contemplative troublemakers who bring a breadth of knowledge and perspective to our shared conversation. Carl is the author of The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Read the Bible Like a Mystic, and other books steeped in contemplation yet grounded in real-world spirituality. Debonee is a queer-centric therapist, death doula, community convener, and the executive director of Zeitgeist, a center without walls for spiritually independent persons and their friends and allies. Between them they have ties to a variety of contemplative and spiritually-visionary organizations, including the Living School, Shalem, Contemplative Outreach, Holy Rascals, Ligare and the California Institute for Integral Studies. What they bring to this experience is a deep desire for conversation, shared visioning, playful spirituality, interspirituality, and no-limits trust in the creative possibilities of the Spirit of Love.
Our day will include short presentations from Deb and Carl, conversations with them (and all participants), exercises for discernment and possibility-play, somatic practices like meditation and embodied prayer, and an appreciation for rest, silence, wonder, and not-knowing.
WISDOM CAMP EXPERIENCES
Wisdom Camp Experiences
Experience 1:
Radical Mysticism: Creating Alternative Visions for the Present Moment
with Carl McColman and Debonee Morgan
with Carl McColman and Debonee Morgan
Experience 2:
Spiritual Independence: Noisy Contemplation: Finding your radical center beyond institutions and labels
with Debonee Morgan
Morning Practice: Centering Prayer/Radical Silence
Experience 3:
Subversive Contemplation: Integrating Inner Liberation and Outer Activism
with Carl McColman
Experience 4:
Trauma and Healing: A Death Doula’s Approach to Crucifixion/Resurrection
with Debonee
with Debonee
Experience 5:
Paganism, Buddhism, Queerness, Psychedelics: Why Contemplation works well with a “hyphen”
with Carl
Afternoon Practice: Embodied Prayer/Meditation
Experience 6:
Writing (and Starring In) Your Own Sacred Story
with Carl and Debonee
with Carl and Debonee
FACILITATORS
Debonee Morgan
Debonee Morgan is a marriage & family therapist with several speciality areas, mostly centered around trauma: religious trauma (especially with LGBTQ+ folks); family systems, attachment & childhood wounding; and the pain and uncertainty of long-term and terminal illness, grief, loss and end-of-life issues (yourself or loved ones). She also see couples to help with communication issues, and explore how what we’ve learned in the past shows up in our current relationships. It’s all about making meaning, especially for experiences that are painful and hard to move through.
Debonee uses mostly psychodynamic (eg IFS) and somatic methods. In addition to nearly 30 years of experience of holding sacred space, she has additional credentials and certifications for Clinical Trauma Professional; Religious Trauma; End of Life Doula; Jungian therapy, Spiritual Director; and in May 2025, Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy.
Debonee takes a poetic and imaginative approach to therapy. Within the context of evidence-based techniques, she find that our own imaginations and authenticity are the most effective tools for healing and growth.
Carl McColman
Carl McColman writes and speaks about God, and silence, and love — about what ultimately cannot be put into words. In his words, “The heart of every word is silence, and the heart of spirituality is the mystery of love.”
Carl’s books — like The Big Book of Christian Mysticism and Unteachable Lessons — explore the spiritual life in a variety of ways. Carl’s approach to spirituality (and to life) is joyful and optimistic, filled with a sense of God calling us into deeper communion — and empowering us to transform the world.
Carl blogs about many aspects of spirituality. His often whimsical writing makes spirituality accessible and down-to-earth. He also cohosts the Encountering Silence podcast.
Believing that spirituality should bring people together rather than set them apart, Carl’s work explores many paths, from Buddhism to Celtic wisdom to Neopaganism — while remaining grounded in contemplative Christianity. He takes particular delight in exploring how ancient (and often hidden) dimensions of mystical insight can bring joy and purpose to all spiritual seekers today.
Check In for pre-festival events will be available on Wednesday from 1 pm to 5 pm, and Thursday from 7am to 9 am.
If you’re tent camping, there’s no additional campsite charge for Wednesday night.
Some campsite locations are restricted due to large venue tent construction in several areas.
RV campers will need to purchase an additional night.