Jim Conlon is a beloved poet, priest, educator and friend of the earth. His many books soulfully explore the connections between science, faith, and the sacred wisdom of our ancestors.
Springbank Papers Vol 2
Springbank Papers Vol 1
At the Edge of Wonder (October 2018)
Wondering Between Two Worlds (May 2018)
For more than 50 years, Jim Conlon has been a pilgrim wandering between a world broken by poverty, neglect, and degradation, and a world lifted on the wings of redeeming love. In this new volume, he takes us inside the depths of his own heart, revealing precious gifts of creativity, hope, mercy, and endless gratitude for the spectacular adventure of being alive.
“Seldom do you find so much beauty, hope, and wisdom all in one place! This is the wonderful fruit of Jim Conlon’s full life of growing and changing—and passing on that growing and changing to so many of the rest of us. We—and creation itself—are all the grateful beneficiaries.”
Becoming Planetary People (May 2016)
Becoming Planetary People (Trowbridge & Tintera, 2016), carries forward Thomas Berry’s project of infusing the scientific version of our origins with the poetry and majesty of ritualized religion. The book adds to the growing chorus attempting to incorporate the beating heart of the “new story” into the theological body of classical Christianity. In this sense, the title of the book, “becoming planetary people,” can be seen as an updating of the concept of “catholic”—a word that no longer automatically carries its own original meaning of “universal.” LEARN MORE
“How education can become an action for liberation in our Planetary Age is the challenge Jim Conlon undertakes in this book. With a creative use of story, poetry, and the wisdom of the new cosmology, he pushes the encounter between science, spirituality, and eco-justice to new levels of understanding and engagement. A refreshing and challenging read.”
Sacred Butterflies: Poems, Prayers and Practices (Wyndham Hall, 2013). The sacred practice of composing poems and prayers is a gateway to another, freer, mode of understanding. With this collection of spiritual verse, Conlon invites us to activate our innate, God-given creativity. Leading by example, Jim calls readers to create a dynamic integration of their interior lives and the everyday world, to be poets, priests and politicians themselves. When the path forward seems clouded and unclear, Jim counsels us to put pen to paper, to tap into our inner muse, for guidance and direction. LEARN MORE
“Seldom can we enjoy such intelligence, vision, and inspiration in one fine place! Read Jim Conlon’s offering of words and let them lead you far beyond words—into a big and beautiful world.”
Invisible Excursions: A Compass for the Journey (Wyndham Hall, 2012). The most autobiographical of Jim's books, Invisible Excursions shows the mysterious workings of the Spirit in Jim's life--how he was lead from a sure career in the energy business to being an energetic protector of the earth's resources. Throughout the narrative, Jim uses the twists and turns of his own life to shed light on the universal call to holiness, compassion, and passionate faith. LEARN MORE
“I am awed by James Conlon’s ability to lead the reader succinctly and poetically through the vast journey of change that has shaped a new vision for our day.”
“Jim Conlon has been one of the most important spokespersons for the Great Work for many decades. His story is one of dedication and commitment to bring forth a life generating vision for the emerging Earth community. We are all in his debt!”
Beauty, Wonder and Belonging: A Book of Hours for the Monastery of the Cosmos (Wyndham Hall, 2009, revised 2013). Explore the wider horizons of your human experience. This new edition invites the reader to engage in the rhythms of the day to explore the mystery of the divine and the human experience unfolding within the universe. Stepping over the threshold of each dawn and dusk, our origin story reveals our sacred purpose within the Great Work. LEARN MORE
From the Stars to the Street: Engaged Wisdom for a Brokenhearted World (Novalis, 2007). Writing from deep within his quest for authentic spirituality, Conlon shows how making the best of difficult times is a lifelong quest. Connecting with science, theology, and personal narrative, Conlon presents a fresh approach to realizing the Christian vision within the larger context of the universe and the landscape of the human soul. In this dynamic integration between action and contemplation, poetry, and engagement, Conlon creates new vision and language for the crises and the opportunities that mark our current history. Here are the tools, the strategies, and the great hope we all need if we are to be true agents of change. SEE AMAZON PAGE
At the Edge of Our Longing: Unspoken Hunger for Sacredness and Depth (Twenty-Third Publications, 2004). Conlon addresses the dislocation that many of us experience in today’s world. He proposes that it is by reflecting on and responding to our experience of longing that we will develop a spiritual strategy for living in and transforming today’s world. Conlon explores our longing for soul, for life, for Earth and for the divine, with a major section devoted to each. He presents an inclusive range of ways of seeing and integrates the different perspectives of engaged cosmology in relationship to biology and ecology, quantum physics, psychology, and cultural analysis. SEE AMAZON PAGE
The Sacred Impulse: A Planetary Spirituality of Heart and Fire (Crossroad, 2000). Conlon asks today’s spiritual pilgrims to include in their search for inner peace a vision of humankind’s unique place in the universe. This prophetic challenge calls for new ways of understanding the interrelationships that keep our planet viable.
Ponderings from the Precipice: Soulwork for a New Millennium (Forest of Peace, 1998). In a response to our turbulent times, Conlon presents brief reflections that are based on a sound, expansive spirituality that we can integrate into daily living. Each pondering inspires understanding and action that can heal our souls and the Earth. The book includes a soul work section with concrete ways to further explore and transform. Conlon extends a hope-filled invitation to ponder key questions that confront us, and thus to find the drive at the heart of our experience and relationships, leading us toward expanded justice and the possibility of a planetary Pentecost. SEE AMAZON PAGE
“To ponder means to weigh. James Conlon’s ponderings are not ponderous, not labored, yet they concern weighty matters worth weighing on the balance of the heart.”
“This is an inspiring series of reflections that flash through the mind in the course of daily affairs at this threatening moment in the history of the Earth. ”
Geo-Justice: A Preferential Option for the Earth (Wood Lake Books, 1990). Geo-Justice is a personal and planetary challenge, a new context for theological reflection, a way to discover our most timely task, the converging terrain between a spirituality of the Earth and social and environmental justice. SEE AMAZON PAGE
“Jim Conlon has put together pieces of a new understanding of our mysterious journey in the universe, a new cosmology so much needed to lead us out of the current mess into a better next millennium. He will enter history for having coined the new concept and work of Geo-Justice.”
“Geo-Justice initiates a new context for theological discussions of justice issues. Gone forever are the former dualism that pitted human social concerns on one side, and environmental concerns on the other. Conlon establishes a holistic orientation that assists us in exploring the justice implications of One Earth, that helps us hold our minds open both to the beauty and the crisis of our time, and that enables us to articulate our deepest convictions and plan or action.”
“The ecology movement which began with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring…is the most significant transformation movement, perhaps, since the beginning of civilization….This book on Geo-Justice is a flowering of the entire movement.”
Lyrics for Re-Creation: Language for the Music of the Universe (Bloomsbury, 1997). In response to the explosion of modern scientific knowledge in our world, Conlon argues that a profound reinvention of our lives, our actions, and our institutions is necessary so that we can enter into our true roles in this sacred universe. He explores practical strategies in the work of education, community organizing, environment action, psychology, and cultural reinvention with this aim of invoking a new era of humanity, one he calls the ecological age. SEE AMAZON PAGE
“This book is ideal for discussion or study groups. It is packed with reflection questions and action steps. The reader is offered the opportunity of a dynamic between his or her own particular life and the processes Conlon describes for renewing the face of the earth. It’s not a book to read quietly in an armchair, but one to mark up, underline, and copy pages to hang on the wall. This is a book that will get used, even beat up.”