An Implosion of Light. Talking mystical experiences with James Harpur and Mark Vernon

I was delighted to catch up with Matt Segall. Our interests much overlap when it comes to figures like Plato and Owen Barfield. We reflected on the radical insights of such generative thinkers, who were keen to link thought to experience, thereby expanding perception. We asked why the cataphatic needs the apophatic in speculative and contemplative practices? Whether reality is ultimately personal? Was Barfield right about the evolution of language? What is the relationship between Plat...

Why is beauty so important to scientists, even those without religious convictions? And is that in some way connected to the failure of New Atheism, which began two decades ago this year? In this Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogue, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon consider how trials of spiritual practices suggest that the spiritual element makes a measurable difference, which in turn suggests ways to answers questions about beauty and the persistence of a sense that the universe is enchanted.&n...

What if apocalyptic biblical literature is not best interpreted through historical events, though they certainly have a bearing, nor through the symbolic, as if the imagery should be decoded? Instead, these texts are educations in imagination, reorientating readers to the vision of God. Such an understanding of the apocalyptic, which means “unveiling”, was certainly the view of William Blake and is a way to read the Book of Daniel, according to Professor Stephen Cook. His new commentary on Da...

An ancient intuition is that plants have souls and even participate in the life of God by virtue of being alive. But what sense can be made of that today? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon consider the Neoplatonic understanding that all living creatures, and perhaps all self-organising things, have a soul as part of their existence. But what does this imply about plant perception, plant intelligence, and plant awareness? Why do pla...

The Odyssey movie is brilliant. The combination of spectacle and seriousness that characterises Christopher Nolan’s film-making makes this one a must-see. I can wholeheartedly recommend it. However, this telling is Nolan's telling. The opening title reads: “A time of apparent magic”, which is a clear signal. Throughout a psychological option is offered for the presence of gods, sorcery and monsters and, quite explicitly, a moral imperative provides coherence to the meandering story. There a...