The Christian Mysticism Podcast

What is the phenomenon of a Near Death Experience? Is there a connection with mysticism? In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire explores the visions experienced by some who have died and come back to life with incredible stories to tell of what they saw on "the other side," both wonderful and frightening. Although not short of critics and skeptics, medical studies and veridical evidence provide a compelling argument for their existence and their possible connection to mysticism. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For children, Christmas is full of mystery and mysticism. But many of the Christmas symbols we all enjoy today also have their origins in Christian mysticism. On this special Christmas episode, Dr. Carlos Eire explores some of those symbols and their deep connections to Christian mysticism. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Anthony of the Desert (251 -- 356 AD) was one of the first Christian hermits whose mystical ecstasies had him struggling with demons and eventually led him to an Eden-like way of life. Also known as St. Anthony the Great, he is considered one of the fathers of monasticism, blazing a trail for future monastics and inspiring millions of Christians.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although older, St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603 - 1663) was a contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton, but St. Joseph never cared to obey the law of gravity. Known as the "village idiot" since childhood, St. Joseph went on to levitate in front of countless witnesses, including the pope and even royalty, leading many of them to conversion. His extreme levitation was documented by some of the most prominent people of the day, leaving little doubt he was truly a mystic, and a unique one at that. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire talks about his new book, They Flew: A History of the Impossible. The book explores the seemingly impossible physical phenomena of levitation and bilocation by Christian mystics, as well as some of the charlatans who managed to fake these feats. Dr. Eire's book also delves into malevolent mysticism, including witches and those who claimed to receive their powers from Satan. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Given Christianity's 2,000-year history, the number of mystical heretics is relatively small, but occasionally they pop up. Throughout history, there appear to be outbreaks almost every century, one of the largest ones taking place in the 14th century with the Free Spirit Heretics. In this episode, we explore that movement and others all the way to the 20th century.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, 1447 – 1510) experienced mystical raptures that gave her profound insights on purgatory and the afterlife. She was beatified 1675 and canonized 1737. St. Catherine was born to a rich and powerful family in Genoa, Italy and married off at an early age, but endured a horrible marriage. That led to her conversion and life of prayer and penance. St. Catherine devoted herself to working at a hospital, and her husband eventually converted as well and joined her at the hospital.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Catherine of Siena was a 14th century Dominican nun and affective mystic who was very focused on love and the salvific dimension of Christ’s suffering. St. Catherine was also a stigmatist, theologian, philosopher, and helper to the poor and suffering as well as a highly esteemed peace negotiator and political ambassador, even serving as such for popes.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century German nun and mystic who eventually was canonized and given the title of doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. She was not only a visionary mystic who was given the gift of seeing and understanding the deepest mysteries of the Christian faith through spectacularly colorful images, but St. Hildegard was also a woman with incredible achievements. Among those achievements were being an abbess, a writer, a poet, a composer, a dramatist, a philosopher, a botanist, and a medical writer and practitioner.St. Hildegard's music also matched her incredible visions. There are more surviving chants by St. Hildegard than by any other composer from the entire Middle Ages, Moreover, she is one of the few known medieval composers to have written both the music and the words.Here are some links you can follow to see and hear St. Hildegard's brilliance as we discuss in this episode:Illustrations for Scivias (Know the Way)https://www.healthyhildegard.com/scivias-illustrations/Text for  Scivias (Know the Way)http://www.columbia.edu/itc/english/f2003/client_edit/documents/scivias.htmlIllustrations and text for Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works)http://www.hildegard-society.org/p/liber-divinorum-operum.htmlHildegard's musichttp://www.hildegard-society.org/p/music.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Clyua6LKk (9 hours of music)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8MGiPo5IxU&list=RDEMpkCeOPHCumrjqOP395xk5A&start_radio=1&rv=0YTOiJ-zjP0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYcEChBSClo&list=OLAK5uy_nJez_L5_xEzOeIgUp4rEsPrdri_ZJIG-EIf you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16th century mystic St. John of the Cross was a very complex man who had a difficult life. However, his moving poetry and scientific detailed accounts showed a pathway to God within. A close associate of St. Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross was focused on self-emptying and self-abandonment, with close similarities to Meister Eckhart and the Cloud of Unknowing.If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.