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The Lion, the Mouse, and the Dawn Treader: Spiritual Lessons from C.S. Lewis's Narnia
C.S. Lewis built his illuminating story of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader around the Christian from resisting God's grace to discovering the reality of sin to finding relief in the waters of baptism. This voyage, for Christians of all ages, is full of adventures, temptation, discomforting silence, dealing with “Dufflepuds” (distractions), and a final terrifying journey to the “Island of Darkness” (the dark night of the soul). As the Dawn Treader sails beyond where the stars sing, you will discover a world of wonders characterized by light and clarity, and encounter Aslan–Christ–himself.
- GenresChristianitySpirituality
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
6 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Carl McColman
37 books112 followersCarl McColman writes about the spiritual life, covering topics like mysticism (The Big Book of Christian Mysticism), contemplative prayer (Answering the Contemplative Call), monastic spirituality (Befriending Silence), Celtic traditions (An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom), Paganism (The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism), and Wicca (When Someone You Love is Wiccan).
He is also a blogger (www.patheos.com/blogs/carlmccolman) and podcaster(www.encounteringsilence.com) .
Why did Carl McColman, a Catholic author, write books about Paganism? Read the answer here: www.patheos.com/blogs/carlmccolman/20...
He is also a blogger (www.patheos.com/blogs/carlmccolman) and podcaster(www.encounteringsilence.com) .
Why did Carl McColman, a Catholic author, write books about Paganism? Read the answer here: www.patheos.com/blogs/carlmccolman/20...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 30, 2012
Near the start of this book Carl McColman very helpfully distinguishes the two words 'spirituality' and 'mysticism'. Spirituality he says refers to 'the dimension of living intentionally in relationship with God, whereas mysticism implies a can't miss it experience of God's presence in our lives'. He then goes on to point out the obvious but an obvious often overlooked, that not all spiritual people experience God in the same way and I think that is always a good starting point in any discussion or approach to the knotty problem of God in our lives.
This is a book examining the spiritual implications and challenges inherent in CS Lewis' 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. If you do not know the Chronicles of Narnia, it would be a bit of a pointless exercise as foreknowledge of the story is a fairly necessary prerequisite, though not totally imperative, to really draw the benefits McColman is trying to share. If you know the book as a fantasy piece, believe in the possibility of God and all that that implies but have never delved into that meaning, this book would be a useful starting point. If you know the book and enjoy it as a simple child's story but have no truck with spiritualizing the story, this book might well drive you to fury or at least very loud tutting.
Being in the second category, though well aware of the idea of pilgrimage and journey in 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' I had never really examined it that closely, I found this book simple to read but quite thought provoking. As with so many of this type of literary/spiritual/theological type book it is a case of ' the curate's egg'..ie Good in parts.
Some of the chapters, and there are seventeen of them none longer than 9 pages and most of them of 6, are easy to read and, on the surface at least, easy to digest. There is meat here or, since McColman is a vegetarian a good deal of nourishing tofu. (For reasons that may be obvious from the anti hero Eustace's preachy vegetarian,tee-totallism McColman feels under attack from Lewis' 1950's mindset). The reflections contained in the chapters are not going to transform a life I don't suppose but they make you think. Each chapter, taking various incidents and characters from the novel, deals with different aspects of the spiritual journey, its strengths and Graces and also its temptations and inevitable backslides.
There were some clever insights and if it enables a sympathetic reader to look deeper into this lovely member of the Chronicles family and draw out more meaningthen he/she had before then that cannot be a bad thing.
This is a book examining the spiritual implications and challenges inherent in CS Lewis' 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. If you do not know the Chronicles of Narnia, it would be a bit of a pointless exercise as foreknowledge of the story is a fairly necessary prerequisite, though not totally imperative, to really draw the benefits McColman is trying to share. If you know the book as a fantasy piece, believe in the possibility of God and all that that implies but have never delved into that meaning, this book would be a useful starting point. If you know the book and enjoy it as a simple child's story but have no truck with spiritualizing the story, this book might well drive you to fury or at least very loud tutting.
Being in the second category, though well aware of the idea of pilgrimage and journey in 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' I had never really examined it that closely, I found this book simple to read but quite thought provoking. As with so many of this type of literary/spiritual/theological type book it is a case of ' the curate's egg'..ie Good in parts.
Some of the chapters, and there are seventeen of them none longer than 9 pages and most of them of 6, are easy to read and, on the surface at least, easy to digest. There is meat here or, since McColman is a vegetarian a good deal of nourishing tofu. (For reasons that may be obvious from the anti hero Eustace's preachy vegetarian,tee-totallism McColman feels under attack from Lewis' 1950's mindset). The reflections contained in the chapters are not going to transform a life I don't suppose but they make you think. Each chapter, taking various incidents and characters from the novel, deals with different aspects of the spiritual journey, its strengths and Graces and also its temptations and inevitable backslides.
There were some clever insights and if it enables a sympathetic reader to look deeper into this lovely member of the Chronicles family and draw out more meaningthen he/she had before then that cannot be a bad thing.
January 17, 2026
This is a lovely book. It reveals some of the intersection between the 2,000-year-long tradition of Christian spirituality and the writing of C.S. Lewis. I particularly like how Carl
- comes back repeatedly to our need to trust in and rely on God and God’s desires for us;
- demonstrates that we never fully leave behind the purgative way, however mature we are in our faith;
- touches on the Dark Nights of the Senses and Spirit simply and clearly;
- indicates that we are not all called to the contemplative life, that many are called to a life of active service, and one is not better than the other.
- comes back repeatedly to our need to trust in and rely on God and God’s desires for us;
- demonstrates that we never fully leave behind the purgative way, however mature we are in our faith;
- touches on the Dark Nights of the Senses and Spirit simply and clearly;
- indicates that we are not all called to the contemplative life, that many are called to a life of active service, and one is not better than the other.
March 4, 2018
Surprised about what The Voyage of the Dawn Treader book was actually about —-contemplative life. I read it with this - Carl McColman’s reading guide. This time was so fun because I always loved Reepicheep the mouse and Lucy’s sightings of Aslan, but when I read it again after years of spiritual reading/bible reading...it’s like a whole new dimension opened up around the story. Wonder of wonders!
August 1, 2024
A great companion to the Narnia books. Helpful in better understanding the ties between the Narnia books and Christianity.
February 1, 2016
The Lion, The Mouse and The Dawn Treader is a book by Carl McColman. The subtitle says it all; Spiritual Lessons from C.S. Lewis's Narnia. This is an e-book, so there was no jacket description, but the title leaves little to guess at.
Honestly, I am really not sure what to think of this book. On the one hand, having read C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it was fun to have this quasi-conversation about what is really going on in the book. After all, I'm not sure I ever knew The Chronicles of Narnia to be just a story. On the other hand, I think I may just prefer to read the chronicle rather than the lesson book.
The stories of Narnia have some very clear spiritual implications and lessons to teach.
However...
I don't know anything else about Carl save for what he has written in these pages. I sometimes wondered if Carl was stretching things a bit. I had just recently read the chronicle that was being addressed here, but I wondered how deeply between the lines Carl was sometimes reading.
Don't get me wrong. Carl writes very well. It showed creativity and much thought. It's not that he didn't make sense. But at points it felt like a pastor who really wanted to use a clip from a movie yet struggled to make the spiritual connection.
Then again, who am I? Maybe I don't read enough into what C.S. Lewis was writing. At 94 pages, this was a quick read and offered many positive points to consider.
I received this book from Viral Bloggers, a special e-book edition. They give me books. I tell everyone what I think. They don't tell me what to think.
Honestly, I am really not sure what to think of this book. On the one hand, having read C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it was fun to have this quasi-conversation about what is really going on in the book. After all, I'm not sure I ever knew The Chronicles of Narnia to be just a story. On the other hand, I think I may just prefer to read the chronicle rather than the lesson book.
The stories of Narnia have some very clear spiritual implications and lessons to teach.
However...
I don't know anything else about Carl save for what he has written in these pages. I sometimes wondered if Carl was stretching things a bit. I had just recently read the chronicle that was being addressed here, but I wondered how deeply between the lines Carl was sometimes reading.
Don't get me wrong. Carl writes very well. It showed creativity and much thought. It's not that he didn't make sense. But at points it felt like a pastor who really wanted to use a clip from a movie yet struggled to make the spiritual connection.
Then again, who am I? Maybe I don't read enough into what C.S. Lewis was writing. At 94 pages, this was a quick read and offered many positive points to consider.
I received this book from Viral Bloggers, a special e-book edition. They give me books. I tell everyone what I think. They don't tell me what to think.
April 11, 2013
Very insightful. Carl makes some really good connections between Lewis' book and the contemplative life. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews