I would like to share an old prayer from the Irish tradition with you. This prayer is called Fiery Creator of Fire and it was used at the lighting of the paschal candle. As this is the first Sunday of Advent, I thought there might be a number of you lighting candles over the next … Continue reading Celtic Candle Prayer →

Today I would like to share a poem from my friend Rachel Yordy. Rachel and I know each other through the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), to which we both belong. Rachel has a fascinating inter-spiritual background. Her formation in several communities (Mennonite, Bahai, Buddhist, and Indigenous traditions of North America) gives her a well … Continue reading midwifing the soul →

Are you looking for social media alternatives but not finding the right fit? So many community leaders, content creators, spiritual directors, and other online contemplatives have shared their frustrations with me about Facebook. Many are feeling especially frustrated by the way Meta is treating those of us who have curated and moderated the platform for … Continue reading Host Your Community On The Virtual Chapel →

What unites us? Everything is interconnected, love is all there is.In this video, Christi Belcourt and Justin Coutts have a wide ranging conversation, drawing from their many commonalities and differences. We discussed: Indigenous worldviews, language and traditions. Language's interconnectedness to nature and the universal consciousness of prayer beyond language or words. Shame, traditional teachings, and … Continue reading Interconnected Worlds: Indigenous Wisdom, Learning From the Land, and the Power of Love →

The following chant is a reworking of a poem I first released in Psalter of the Birds. If you would like to hear this chant and participate in the workshop I wrote it for, click HERE to learn more about Teachings With Justin and sign up! God who gave the pearl of great price to … Continue reading The Eye of the Storm →

Now that we are settling into our new digital home in The Virtual Chapel, I have built a space for people who want to explore the contemplative life together in more depth. With a monthly subscription, you will gain access to: Weekly group anamchara sessions on zoom Recorded workshops to watch at your leisure A … Continue reading Teachings With Justin →

Click HERE to sign-up! Over the years I have searched for a social media space where deep conversations between interesting and educated people are the norm. With great effort, I have stumbled my way into a handful of oases, where I have met fellow travelers who opened my mind and helped me explore my questions. I am … Continue reading Theology and Philosophy: For People With Big Questions →

I know lots of people who follow my work or are involved in our community find themselves somewhere in the process of deconstructing a fundamentalist, often Evangelical Protestant religious formation. For many such people, deconstruction is a long and arduous journey fraught with danger, both real and imagined.  If it sounds like I am describing … Continue reading Religious Deconstruction: On Zeal Without Knowledge →

Shifting Digital Environments The world is changing very quickly. Traditional social media no longer provides the stability and community it once did. This is only going to get worse. The development of AI profiles and increasingly predatory algorithms poses a genuine threat to the hearts and minds of everyone who interacts with them. Their designers’ … Continue reading Virtual Chapel Upgrade →

I am well pleased to share the following guest post from my friend Gilbert Márkus. Gilbert is a research associate and affiliate in Celtic & Gaelic at the University of Glasgow. He publishes books, academic articles, and lectures on a wide variety of topics, largely focusing on the island of Iona. His newest book is … Continue reading The Atheist is the Believer’s Ally: Apophatic Theology and Thomas Aquinas →