Inner Life, Talks and Thoughts

William discusses the importance of taking Blake's Christianity seriously, highlighting the continuous incarnation and Jesus' role. They explore forgiveness, self-annihilation, and the divine breath in Blake's work. The failure of naturalism, mystical Christianity, and the need for an experiential relationship with the divine are also touched upon.

The podcast delves into the significance of 'trans' proxies in contemporary politics, exploring trans activism, transhumanizing, and transitioning the economy. It questions the lack of understanding of the soul in these issues, emphasizing qualities of relationship to our bodies, minds, and the natural world. Drawing on insights from Rowan Williams, it delves into the soulful element in politics and the importance of attunement, intuition, and connection to the divine spirit.

There is a link between rising levels of mental-ill health and political disillusionment. Feeling cut off is not just an economic and psychological problem, but is a symptom of a wider alienation arising from modern consciousness.Owen Barfield argued that contemporary political problems are fundamentally due to estrangement not only from others but from ourselves, due to a loss of soul and spirit to materialism and literalism.As Carl Jung put it, the gods have become diseases – diseases of the collective as well as individual psyche. The pre-political must address this crisis of anthropology if politics is to be restored.This is the sixth thought in which I’ve turned to a guide to illuminate the overwhelming feeling of malaise in this democratic year.Look at others on my YouTube channel: Plato on beauty, Aristotle on ethics, Jesus on being in the world but not of it, Dante and civilisational decline, and William Blake on the rise of abstraction.

The podcast explores William Blake's criticism of abstraction in politics, economics, and the humanities. It discusses the impact of generalizations on alienation and disillusionment, as well as the rise of populism as a reaction to abstraction. By highlighting the need for alternative visions and reconnection with nature, the discussion advocates for a shift away from abstract thinking towards a more meaningful engagement with the world.

The new movie Freud’s Last Session is well worth a watch, particularly if either man is of interest.The issues you might expect are aired between them, not least belief in God. But also the more shadowy sides to their lives - Lewis’s relationship with Janie Moore, Freud’s with his daughter Anna.I enjoyed it, though also wondered if they might have discussed other things and found common ground.There’s more about the film here - https://www.sonyclassics.com/film/freudslastsession

Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon explore the expansive concept of life, discussing how stars and atoms can have life cycles. They debate Whitehead's idea that even inanimate objects are organisms, touching on consciousness, the powers of nature, and the connection of all life. They question the origin of life and the experience of being alive, expanding the notion of life and the awe of existence.

I've been thinking about politics and disillusionment that seems most characteristic of now, in the West at least, and thinking about the prepolitcal  - what politics needs to work well.I've thought about Plato on beauty and Aristotle on ethics in previous posts.Now a third guide, Jesus on... which isn't immediately easy to say. And that's the point.Some would say that Jesus and politics is easy to define.- a preference for the poor- the prosperity gospel- or Christian exceptionalism and oppressive regimes.But the heart of Jesus and politics is not in practical policies or polities, I believe. He was in the world but not of the world. He stood for something more than was immediately obvious or practical He constantly acted so as to respond to the moment but so as to allow more to come in.That was why he talked of the kingdom that is near, revising apocalyptic expectations and ushering the transformation of the self.I mentioned David Lloyd Dusenbury's book, I Judge No One - see here https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/i-judge-no-one/And my book, A Secret History of Christianity - see here https://www.markvernon.com/books/a-secret-history-of-christianity

Disillusionment with politics is probably the most obvious feature of the current mood. This is, in part, because politics has collapsed onto anxiety about material improvement and lost sight of much more. In a secular society in which this facet of wellbeing is increasingly hard to deliver, politics appears therefore to be failing.So now is a good moment to consider what is sometimes called the pre-political - the more that politics needs.A second thought reaches back to Aristotle who asked about the relationship between ethics and politics. He agreed that democracy is the best political system but also that it isn't self-justifying. The deeper question of why it is the most "friendly" polity needs to be asked.But there is a problem with ethics, today. It has been weaponised, used to divide, deploy to stop thinking rather than encourage an engagement with the muddle of life. Ethics has become part of the disillusionment, I think.So in this thought, I ask why and what alternatives there might be. Which is where Aristotle can be a guide.

Disillusionment with politics is probably the most obvious feature of the current mood. This is, in part, because politics has collapsed onto anxiety about material improvement and lost sight of much more. In a secular society in which this facet of wellbeing is increasingly hard to deliver, politics appears therefore to be failing.So now is a good moment to consider what is sometimes called the pre-political - the more that politics needs.And a first thought comes from Plato, who would highlight the matter of beauty. He felt that if you lose touch with that, you lose touch with too much, and a loveless, ugly society would follow.Why does beauty matter? How come it is so unfashionable now, even embarrassing? What is it to be educated in beauty? Where can it be found?

Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon delve into the world of fields in science, from electromagnetic to morphic fields. They explore the concept of fields as hidden realities, drawing on ancient philosophical views and modern scientific understandings. Discussing the relationship between fields and consciousness, they highlight the enigmatic nature of fields in physics and their link to souls and minds.