Wisdom Camp 2026: Radical Mysticism

Further Conversations at the Intersections of Subversive Contemplation, Playful Visioning, Storytelling and Interior/Exterior Healing and Transformation

WISDOM CAMP
Pre-Festival Offering
Thursday September 3, 2026

9 am–5 pm

cost: $59.00

Facilitated by Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman
 
What happens when contemplation refuses to stay quiet and compassion refuses to sit still? Since the story of Mary and Martha, seekers have wrestled with the tension between stillness and service, between listening deeply and acting boldly. Yet across spiritual history, some of the most transformative voices have woven these threads together: mystics who reshaped the world, and activists whose work flowed from profound interior depth. Drawing inspiration from legendary mystics, psychologists and activists such as Howard Thurman, Simone Weil, the Buddha, Carl Jung, Esther Perel, and Gabor Maté, this day-long gathering invites participants into a spacious exploration of inner life as a compass for courageous, meaningful engagement with the world.
 
Guiding the experience are Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman, two Atlanta-based contemplative co-conspirators committed to curiosity, connection, and holy imagination. Carl is the author of The New Big Book of Christian MysticismRead the Bible Like a Mystic, and other works that explore contemplative wisdom for everyday life. Debonee is a queer-centric therapist, death doula, community convener, and executive director of Zeitgeist, a center without walls for spiritually independent seekers and their allies. Together they draw from a wide constellation of contemplative communities, including the Living School, Shalem, Contemplative Outreach, Holy Rascals, Ligare, and the California Institute for Integral Studies. Expect rich conversation, shared discernment, playful spirituality, and an openhearted trust that deep listening can spark creative, love-rooted action in our time.
 
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

Experience 1
Radical Mysticism: Playful Possibilities for the Contemporary Crisis
with Debonee Morgan and Carl McColman

Experience 2
Dissolving Binaries, Dissolving Dualities: The Polarity and Paradox of the Contemplative Life
with Carl McColman

Morning Practice: Befriending Silence and Stillness 

Experience 3
Trauma and Broken Attachment: From Woundedness to Wholeness
with Debonee Morgan

Experience 4
Contemplation as Resistance: The Subversive Side of Mary and Martha
with Carl

Experience 5
Love and Re-ligion: Authenticity and Beauty (Beyond the Institution)
with Debonee

Afternoon Practice: Embodied Prayer/Meditation

Experience 6
Living Presence: Conversation and Connection in the Service of Personal and Planetary Healing
with Carl and Debonee

FACILITATORS

Debonee Morgan


Debonee MorganDebonee Morgan is a Certified Spiritual Director, licensed psychotherapist (specializing with Religious Trauma) and the Exec Director and principal teacher at non-profit Zeitgeist – creating education, practice and community for Spiritually Independent people in Atlanta and beyond. Ordained by Rabbi Rami Shapiro as a Holy Rascal and honored to be a graduate of the inaugural cohort of Richard Rohr’s Living School, Debonee is committed to the perennial and panentheistic tradition, (as Richard says, “What’s true is true everywhere.”) She is certified as an End-Of-Life Doula and in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy by the California Institute for Integral Studies. Debonee is an active member of Spiritual Directors International, teaching at multiple conferences, and a contributing writer for their publication, Presence. She’s a firm believer that the only true answer to any theological question is, “I don’t know.”

Carl McColman

Carl McColmanCarl McColman is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and speaker and teacher on mystical spirituality and contemplative living. He is the author of many books, including The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Eternal Heart: The Mystical Path to a Joyful Life, and Unteachable Lessons: Why Wisdom Can’t Be Taught and Why That’s Okay. His latest book, Read the Bible Like a Mystic was published in June 2025. He is one of the co-hosts of the Encountering Silence podcast, and blogs regularly at Patheos, Medium, and his own website, www.anamchara.com. Carl’s approach to contemplation and mysticism is inclusive and expansive; he is dedicated to exploring the common ground between faith traditions, with a particular interest in the connecting points between Christian, Buddhist and Pagan wisdom.

Anamchara (Blog)
Mystical Journey
Encountering Silence Podcast
Carl’s Patreon Page

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.