Philosophy and Life
Recent writing and occasional thoughts on assorted matters.
- The awakening to Eternal Life! Reading Blake’s Jerusalem May 24, 2026 - https://youtu.be/EkBcFrygTKY How to read William Blake's "Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Albion." Brilliant to talk with Susanne Sklar about this great, epic poem. … Continue reading The awakening to Eternal Life! Reading Blake’s Jerusalem
- Carl Jung’s Penultimate Concerns May 23, 2026 - Jung was asked about God and said, he knew. But what did he know and why might that much matter? New essay at my Substack, A Golden String. … Continue reading Carl Jung’s Penultimate Concerns
- The Campaign For Real Intelligence May 9, 2026 - AI hype and reality is confusing, but also an opportunity “For a tear is an intellectual thing.” William Blake To read the headlines, you would think that intelligence is about processing information, solving problems and collecting data. But it’s not. Real intelligence is about understanding, richness and the shining beauty of life; there should be a campaign. It shows up… … Continue reading The Campaign For Real Intelligence
- Making Sense of the Resurrection of the Body. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake & Mark Vernon May 2, 2026 - https://youtu.be/xtcMkxQ5_Q0 Many people report apparitions of their loved ones after death, and even of loved dogs and cats. But how do these after-death communications align with the Christian teaching of the resurrection of the body? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon explore the evidence for the post-mortem appearances of humans and non-humans, and ask how it… … Continue reading Making Sense of the Resurrection of the Body. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake & Mark Vernon
- Trust Your Inner Plant, As The Mystics Say May 2, 2026 - Psychedelics dominate vegetal spirituality. But there is another herbaceous tradition Devotion to shrooms, communion through imbibing, enthusiastic psychonauts preach. But I can report on an alternative spiritual intimacy with plants, thanks to a wonderful talk, based on her book, by the scholar-practitioner, Simone Kotva. We were speaking at a symposium in Oslo, entitled Being Human Otherwise, and Kotva’s presentation was… … Continue reading Trust Your Inner Plant, As The Mystics Say
- What exactly is health? Apr 25, 2026 - This is the script for my Thought For The Day delivered on BBC Radio 4. The strike by resident doctors highlights the severe tensions faced by the National Health Service. The tragedy of the dispute, and any disruption experienced by patients, is that all sides involved no doubt very much want health services to improve. So as resolution is sought… … Continue reading What exactly is health?
- Splashdown. Now Comes The Greatest Danger Apr 11, 2026 - Apollo astronauts suffered much after their return to Earth. Will those on Artemis? My third year undergraduate physics project was to measure the heights of mountains on the Moon. I didn’t get to go to the Moon, but, instead, had to take the best photographs I could through the university telescopes and calculate the heights from the lengths of… … Continue reading Splashdown. Now Comes The Greatest Danger
- As Above, So Below. Christian Hermeticism, Easter mysteries and enjoying the inside of the whole world Apr 2, 2026 - https://youtu.be/8W7GuYIVitg Ancient Egypt is much associated with the origins of western perceptions of God. In the Corpus Hermeticum, the Black Land is called a “temple of the cosmos” and a “consecrated statue”. The orientation of the Nile from North to South, highlighting the passage of the Sun from East to West, so wonderfully manifests the principle: “As Above, So Below”.… … Continue reading As Above, So Below. Christian Hermeticism, Easter mysteries and enjoying the inside of the whole world
- Is There A There There? Testing Re-enchantment Mar 21, 2026 - The play of the medieval infinite scroll evoked divine presence. Might it do so again? Human beings had lived with, and loved, the infinite scroll long before the electronic version was rolled out a couple of decades back. The earlier type took the form of illuminated manuscripts and Books of Hours. These colourful parchments captivated the eyes of our forebears… … Continue reading Is There A There There? Testing Re-enchantment
- “I will not cease from Mental Fight” Widening the war in the time of mercurial Trump Mar 7, 2026 - Various types of bombardment are a feature of war. The worst kind is, of course, being directly in the line of fire, unprepared and innocent. “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?” observed Mahatma Gandhi:… … Continue reading “I will not cease from Mental Fight” Widening the war in the time of mercurial Trump