Temenos Academy Newsletter February 2025
Temenos Academy
|
 NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY
2025
PROFESSOR JOHN CAREY Monday 3 February In the chair Hilary Davies Those attracted by the work of the Temenos Academy are frequently people for whom words like ‘academe’ and ‘academic’ have uncongenial connotations: rationalism, positivism, reductionism, careerism, pedantry, arrogance, susceptibility to intellectual fashions. It is easy to caricature ‘academics’, and such caricatures are often not wide of the mark. Why then should the Temenos community be, of all things, an ‘Academy’? This question can be seen in a different light if we view it not from the perspective of the embattled present but from that of tradition – which is, after all, the perspective of Temenos. In former times, while the dangers of intellectual pride were certainly recognised, it was nevertheless also held that knowledge is closely akin to wisdom, just as wisdom is akin to holiness. Drawing primarily on patristic and medieval sources, but with reference to other traditions as well, we will seek to learn from these older insights. JOHN CAREY is Professor of Early and Medieval Irish at University College Cork. His books include A Single Ray of the Sun: Religious Speculation in Early Ireland (1999, 2011), Ireland and the Grail (2007), Ten Basic Principles That Inspire the Work of Temenos (2015), and The Mythological Cycle of Medieval Irish Literature (2018). He is a Fellow of the Temenos Academy, serving on its Academic Board and Council; and he is general editor of the Temenos Academy Review. Venue
& Admission
E
temenos...@myfastmail.com [Image Credit – Paris, BnF, Français 9198. Vie et miracles de Notre Dame, en prose française, arrangés par Jean Miélot]
Living in an Age of Spiritual Crisis DR RUPERT SHELDRAKE & DR MARK VERNON Monday 17 February In the chair Emma Clark Much of the modern world has become uncoupled from the transcendent in a cultural experiment Nietzsche called the death of God. But might this spiritual crisis prove to be a time of rebirth? In this dialogue, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the evolution of wisdom traditions from west and east alongside the great modern enterprise called science and its continuing development. As the materialist, progressive ideology that has dominated the sciences for two centuries wanes, and as scientific studies show that religious and spiritual practices have major benefits for physical and mental health, what insights might we cultivate, as we live in and through these times? RUPERT SHELDRAKE, PhD, is a biologist and author of more than a hundred technical papers and nine books, including Science and Spiritual Practices. He studied at Cambridge and Harvard Universities. He was a fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and also a research fellow of the Royal Society. He worked at the University of Malaya on rain-forest ferns, and in Hyderabad, India, on tropical crops. In India, he also lived for two years in the ashram of Fr Bede Griffiths in Tamil Nadu. He is currently a fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California and of the Temenos Academy. He lives in London and is married to Jill Purce. His web site is www.sheldrake.org MARK VERNON is a psychotherapist, podcaster and writer of journalistic articles as well as books. He has a PhD in ancient Greek philosophy, and degrees in theology and physics. His books include A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling and the Evolution of Consciousness, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey , and the forthcoming, Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination, to be published in June 2025. He used to be a priest in the Church of England and lives in south London. For more see www.markvernon.com Rupert and Mark have a dialogue series that can be found via their websites and at other places online including YouTube. In over 90 conservations, they have considered matters from Rewilding Christianity to Purposes in Nature and Minds. Venue
& Admission
E
temenos...@myfastmail.com
ADVANCE NOTICE
Humanity
and Nature in Eastern Orthodox Christianity
The
Learning the Imagination: These Several Streams
Full details of the study day can be found HERE. Full
details of all evening lectures can be found
HERE.
ISLAMIC
MYSTICISM MODULE
Two places have become available for the 10-week Islamic Mysticism module of the Foundation Course in the Perennial Philosophy. Weeks 1-5 study the full text of ’Attar’s The Conference of the Birds and introduce the basic principles of creation, unity, self-knowledge and the spiritual quest. Weeks 6-10 examine the work of Ibn ’Arabî based on selected readings from The Ringstones of Wisdom and explore these themes in greater depth. The
Art Workers Guild,
To
find out more or to book a place:
Eric
McElroy, composer and pianist, will be giving a lecture-performance
entitled ‘Estranged Sisters: A Discourse on Music and Poetry’
on Wednesday 12 February, organized by our friends at Sorbonne-Nouvelle
University in Paris.
https://temenosacademy.org/main-lecture-archive Many of our audio recordings are available as PODCASTS.
The Temenos Academy is registered with PayPal Giving Fund UK. When using PayPal if you choose you may also make a donation in support of the Temenos Academy. Thank you
EMAIL
temenos...@myfastmail.com
|
