For more on Dante do see. Details of my book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey, are here. Also, use this code, “dantemv”, to get £10 off my Divine Comedy course at The Idler via this link.
Author: Mark Vernon
Easter Sermon: How Dante teaches us the power of now
This piece is published by The Idler. (Use code, “dantemv”, to get £10 off my Divine Comedy course at The Idler and click here.) If there were one big lesson that Dante learns as he struggles through hell and up Mount Purgatory it would be this. The present moment, right now, is the only moment… Continue reading Easter Sermon: How Dante teaches us the power of now
Descent is Ascent – How the road up is the road down in Dante
Making sense of why Dante had to travel through hell, what was going on in purgatory, and how that’s all linked to the destination of heaven, comes with appreciating how, in the spiritual life, descent and ascent are profoundly linked. Dante explores the links between virtues and vices, moving beyond the literal, high places are… Continue reading Descent is Ascent – How the road up is the road down in Dante
Dante in love
Use this code, “dantemv”, to get £10 off my Divine Comedy course at The Idler via this link. The year was 1274, May Day to be precise. The young lady Beatrice was walking the lovely streets of Florence and she approached a youth called Dante. She smiled. Instantly, he was besotted. Little did he know… Continue reading Dante in love
Dante’s Divine Comedy in 100 Images – new online course!
Use this code, “dantemv”, to get £10 off with this link. What you get: Video: Nine half-hour richly illustrated video lessons. Audio: The option to download and listen to the course lessons in podcast form. Notes: The course is accompanied by downloadable and printable notes. These include an outline of the structure and story of… Continue reading Dante’s Divine Comedy in 100 Images – new online course!
Longing for the Infinite – 7 key features of Dante’s transhumanism
The word transhumanism was coined by Dante to capture his realisation of divine life in paradise. It has been colonised today by technologists dreaming of utopias. I explore 7 key differences to recover Dante’s vision from the Divine Comedy, in the 700th anniversary year of the great poet’s death, which is also to explore the… Continue reading Longing for the Infinite – 7 key features of Dante’s transhumanism
How to be Christian – Jordan Peterson & Jonathan Pageau
Some reflections on the fascinating conversation between Jordan Peterson and Jonathan Pageau: – Maybe it’s not how to be a Christian but to realise how you already are – Why symbology, developmental maps and archetypes become as many rabbit holes – That the beginning and ground matters as much as the end and theosis –… Continue reading How to be Christian – Jordan Peterson & Jonathan Pageau
Freedom to be – on Iain McGilchrist and Rowan Williams
Iain McGilchrist and Rowan Williams were in dialogue on Friday 19th February 2021, a beautiful exchange that was sadly not recorded. Here I offer some thoughts on it, particularly in the light of reflections offered by Matt Segall. It concerns transcendence and immanence, being and becoming, eternity and processes in space and time – or… Continue reading Freedom to be – on Iain McGilchrist and Rowan Williams
Panpsychism – a conversation with Rupert Sheldrake
The discussion of alternative worldviews, from various forms of materialism to types of idealism, has exploded in recent years, and the notion of panpsychism is in the middle of the debate. In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon explore the different types of panpsychism being proposed, from more conservative forms… Continue reading Panpsychism – a conversation with Rupert Sheldrake
Identity Crisis – on culture wars and the spiritual self
My column from The Idler, Nov/Dec 2020. Cancel culture or keep culture? Where do you stand? Third positions seem excluded when it comes to these intense disputes, which inflame public debates over everything from gender identity to national history. Only, there are alternative responses, and an important option is found in wisdom traditions. Ancient philosophers… Continue reading Identity Crisis – on culture wars and the spiritual self