Of Selfhood and Awakening. William Blake and the Book of Job

An audio version of this talk is at my podcast, Talks and Thoughts, available via podcast feeds. The Book of Job has been used to retell the Christian story, as with Carl Jung’s Answer to Job. It can also be sought for what it says about suffering. The Hebrew tale inspired William Blake in a… Continue reading Of Selfhood and Awakening. William Blake and the Book of Job

William Blake and learning from Covid. On dying before you die

This essay is published by Beshara Magazine. The pandemic is said to have exposed modern society to its vulnerabilities. Nowhere is this exposure clearer than in relation to death. Covid has revealed that, nowadays, most people have inadequate ways of relating to this fact of life. The weakness is doubly striking as wisdom and religious… Continue reading William Blake and learning from Covid. On dying before you die

Christmas according to William Blake – a warning

An MP3 of the talk can be found at my podcast feed, Talks and Thoughts. An article on Blake’s view of the Christ Child, viewed through his infernal method, can be found here. Here I discuss how William Blake used his infernal methods subtly to critique Christmas via his illustrations to Milton’s ode, On the… Continue reading Christmas according to William Blake – a warning

William Blake: Imagination and Spiritual Sight, Pt 1

William Blake argued that the imagination is the key human faculty for knowing fourfold vision, life to the full, and our divine destiny. But he also knew it needed cultivating, training, discerning. In this talk, I look at Blake’s images that can become part of such a training. I also describe the schema of Ulro,… Continue reading William Blake: Imagination and Spiritual Sight, Pt 1