What is a Mystic ?
Virginia Schwartz (centre, she teaches writing) organized an evening of readings under the name of Spiritual Writings. Some seven people visiting the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat shared their writings.
Sarada (Carolyn Stellatella, left) had just done her part, and this is a recitation made by yours truly (Hari Geninazza) from some of my poems and other writings (originals in Spanish). The story of the men in the bridge is -as far as I know- anonymous.
Mysticism: What is Mysticism and where did it come from? (part one)
What is Mysticism and where did it come from?
This is the first in a two-part series that explores the roots and branches of mysticism in all three traditions through stories, lives, writings, and experiences. Featuring presentations by:
-Mr. Bob Chodos, a long-time member and lay leader of Temple Shalom, Waterloo
-The Rev'd Glenda Meakin, retreat leader, teacher of Christian Meditation, and retired Anglican priest
-Dr. Timothy Gianottie, Director, American Islamic College, Chicago
This event took place on Saturday, November 16, 2013.
Highlights of Castile: Toledo and Salamanca
Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | We roam the region of Castile, starting in Toledo — so well-preserved and packed with cultural wonder that the entire city has been declared a national monument, on to Segovia for a festive day out with the locals, then to Ávila for a dose of medieval architecture, finishing with a traditional stroll in Salamanca's Plaza Mayor.
© 2004 Rick Steves' Europe
In the Beginning Was Consciousness
On May 1, 2003, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic science and spirituality, delivered the 2003-04 Dudleian Lecture. Professor Nasr is University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University and the author of numerous books, most recently The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity.
(AV17363) Wisdom of the Mystic Saints
Description: Wisdom of the Mystic Saints
Lecturer: Ralph Martin
Date Created: 1/29/08
Original Creator: University Lecture Series
Original Format: CD-DA
Original Digital Format: .WAV File
The Interior Castle (FULL Audiobook)
The Interior Castle audiobook
St. Teresa of AVILA (1515 - 1582), translated by Rev. John DALTON (1814 - 1874)
El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas (trans.:The Interior Castle or The Mansions) was written by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1577. After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of S. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer. In the hands of the Inquisition at that time, her Life was commonly believed to be the weight in the scale of whether to call her experiences heretical or not. Her humility and claims that, I am not meant for writing; I have neither the health nor the wits for it, almost prevented Teresa from composing The Interior Castle. However, according to a letter written by Fray Diego, one of Teresa's former confessors, Teresa was finally convinced to write her book after a she received a vision from God. Diego wrote that God revealed to Teresa,
...a most beautiful crystal globe, made in the shape of a castle, and containing seven mansions, in the seventh and innermost of which was the King of Glory, in the greatest splendour, illumining and beautifying them all. The nearer one got to the centre, the stronger was the light; outside the palace limits everything was foul, dark and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures. With that, Interior Castle was born. It contained the basis for what she felt should be the ideal journey of faith, comparing the contemplative soul to a castle with seven successive interior courts, or chambers, analogous to the seven heavens. Teresa's consumption of chivalric romances as a child subsequently influenced such imagery, which is prevalent in many of her mystical works. It is also not unduly speculative that living in a walled city like Ávila must have influenced her thinking. The concept of an interior life is still important in Spanish thinking in the twenty-first century. An English translation was published in London in 1852. (from wikipedia.org)
Genre(s): *Non-fiction, Religion
Language: English (FULL Audiobook)
The Interior Castle of St. Teresa of Avila, Fr. John Welch
Long before developmental psychologists charted the seasons and passages of our human journey, St. Teresa of Avila mapped the transformation of her personality under the impact of God's love in 16th century Spain. At age 62, this Carmelite nun wrote The Interior Castle, a classic summary of her prayer experience. She images the soul's journey through a crystal castle to its center, culminating in intimate union with God.
John Welch, O.Carm. is a Catholic priest of the Carmelite Order and currently serves as supervisor of the eastern region of the province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary. He holds the chair of Carmelite Studies at the Washington Theological Union and is past president of the Carmelite Institute. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Spiritual Pilgrims: Carl Jung and Teresa of Avila (Paulist, 1982) and When Gods Die: An Introduction to John of the Cross (Paulist, 1990) both of which received National Catholic Book Awards. His most recent book is The Carmelite Way: An Ancient Path for Today's Pilgrim (Paulist, 1996).
FRIENDSHIP WITH CHRIST ~ St. Teresa of Avila
Medieval Christianity: A New History
Professor Kevin Madigan discusses his recent book, Medieval Christianity: A New History, with two colleagues, Professors Luis M. Girón Negrón and Amy Hollywood.
00:00 Welcome and introduction by Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Parkman Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology and Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School
06:35 Kevin J. Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard Divinity School
30:40 Amy Hollywood, Elizabeth H. Monrad Professor of Christian Studies, Harvard Divinity School
50:50 Luis M. Girón Negrón, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
1:16:12 Response by Kevin J. Madigan
1:25:32 Q&A
Learn more about Harvard Divinity School and its mission to illuminate, engage, and serve at hds.harvard.edu.
The Holy Spirit: Setting the World on Fire
Presenters: Rev. Richard Lennan, Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Francine Cardman, Andrea Vicini, S.J.
The Holy Spirit: Setting the World on Fire
BOOK LAUNCH
Richard Lennan
Nancy Pineda-Madrid
Francine Cardman
Andrea Vicini S.J.
November 2, 2017
Presenters: Rev. Richard Lennan, Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Francine Cardman, Andrea Vicini, S.J.
Streaming Video Coming Soon!
The Holy Spirit helps believers grow in awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence and movement in their lives. This book (Paulist Press, 2017) addresses how we become of aware of the Holy Spirit's active and constant presence in our lives, how the Christian tradition has identified the Holy Spirit's movement among us, and the various ways in which we have responded to the Holy Spirit. Each of the authors represented in this book is a faculty member of the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. At this book launch, a few contributors reflect on the Holy Spirit in light of their own particular expertise: “Three Sightings of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church” (Cardman); “The Holy Spirit and the Pilgrimage of Faith” (Pineda-Madrid); and “Empowered by the Holy Spirit (Vicini, S.J.)
Sponsored by Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Coeditors: Rev. Richard Lennan is STM professor of systematic theology and professor ordinarius, and Nancy Pineda-Madrid is STM associate professor of theology and Latino/Latina ministry.
Contributors: Francine Cardman is STM associate professor of historical theology and Church history, and Andrea Vicini, S.J., is STM associate professor of moral theology.
A Centering Prayer Retreat with Fr. M. Basil Pennington, OCSD
This is a complete centering prayer retreat ideal for both individual or group use. Centering prayer is a very simple way of praying by making use of a prayer word. This retreat was videotaped during a retreat given in August, 1991 at the Spiritual Life Center, Wichita, Kansas. It presents a detailed explanation of how to practice centering prayer, and includes advice, stories and warm good humor as Fr. Pennington encourages the retreatants to make centering prayer an important part of their daily lives. Fr. Basil is one of centering prayer's pioneering presenters, a Trappist monk, and the author of many books on prayer and monasticism. Fr. Basil died on June 3, 2005 at the age of 72.
The Interior Castle: The Fourth Mansion, Chapter III (Teresa of Avila)
LibriVox recording of The Interior Castle
by St. Teresa of Avila.
Read by Ann Boulais.
The Fourth Mansion, Chapter III
El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas (trans.:The Interior Castle or The Mansions) was written by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1577. After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of S. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer. In the hands of the Inquisition at that time, her Life was commonly believed to be the weight in the scale of whether to call her experiences heretical or not. Her humility and claims that, “I am not meant for writing; I have neither the health nor the wits for it,” almost prevented Teresa from composing The Interior Castle. However, according to a letter written by Fray Diego, one of Teresa’s former confessors, Teresa was finally convinced to write her book after a she received a vision from God. Diego wrote that God revealed to Teresa,
...a most beautiful crystal globe, made in the shape of a castle, and containing seven mansions, in the seventh and innermost of which was the King of Glory, in the greatest splendour, illumining and beautifying them all. The nearer one got to the centre, the stronger was the light; outside the palace limits everything was foul, dark and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures.
With that, Interior Castle was born. It contained the basis for what she felt should be the ideal journey of faith, comparing the contemplative soul to a castle with seven successive interior courts, or chambers, analogous to the seven heavens. Teresa's consumption of chivalric romances as a child subsequently influenced such imagery, which is prevalent in many of her mystical works. It is also not unduly speculative that living in a walled city like Ávila must have influenced her thinking. The concept of an interior life is still important in Spanish thinking in the twenty-first century.
An English translation was published in London in 1852.
(Summary from Wikipedia)
Dr. Robert Morgan - Our Lady of Guadalupe: She Who Crushed the Head of the Serpent
The Knights of Columbus St. Louis Council 3949 presents lectures on a monthly basis. This video is the December 2014 Lecture given by Dr. Robert Morgan. Robert explains the history of the Our Lady of Guadalupe miracle, starting with warriors and explorers in Spain, and ending with the conversion of millions!
Samadhi Movie, 2018 - Part 2 (It's Not What You Think)
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Mirabai Starr: A Reading from God of Love
November 24 - December 1, 2013, Join Mirabai Starr, Greta Ronningen, Suba Ramesh Parmar, Amir Vahab and Swami Brahmananda as they present:
Turning to the Mystics for Guidance on Our Spiritual Path
In every religion or spiritual tradition there are mystics - those who are dedicated to the spiritual path and attain spiritual experiences. Their life stories and teachings can offer encouragement and guidance for those who are walking the spiritual path. Hear their stories, listen to their teachings, and learn how to become established in your own spiritual practice and how to experience profound states of peace, love and contentedness. Through lectures, experiential workshops, dance performances and concerts of sacred music you will get a glimpse of the bliss that the mystics are describing. What a better way to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. Join us at the sacred space of the Yoga Retreat and discover the spiritual truth of the mystics.
__________________________________
Mirabai Starr writes fiction, creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She teaches Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos and teaches and speaks widely on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. She has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of Dark Night of the Soul by sixteenth century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross, and The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life, by St. Teresa of Avila. She is the editor and writer of the 6-volume Sounds True series, Devotions, Prayers & Living Wisdom, the author of GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and contributing author to Living Fully, Dying Well: Reflecting on Death to Find Your Life's Meaning. Her poetry collection, Mother of God Similar to Fire, is a collaboration with iconographer, William Hart McNichols.
Sr. Greta Ronningen, CDL, MA is a professed member of the Community of Divine Love, an Episcopal monastery in the Benedictine tradition located in San Gabriel, Ca. She is a chaplain working with both adult men and women, and young girls incarcerated in Los Angeles. She has been involved with yoga for 35 years and co-created Yoga Works in 1986 with her ex-husband Yogiraj Alan Finger. Greta holds a Master's Degree from Claremont School of Theology in Spiritual Formation. She lectures and leads retreats based on her Master's thesis - Becoming Beguines: Living Love both Mystically and Apostolically.
Suba Ramesh Parmar is an award-winning dancer of the South Indian Bharatanatyam dance style. She is known for grace and dynamism in her expression and movement and is performing regularly at Sivananda yoga centers together with her gifted daughter Madhu Parmar.
Amir Vahab is one of New York's most celebrated and distinguished composer / vocalists of sufi and folk music. The virtuosos of Amir weave fiery instrumentals and songs of the historic lands of the Middle East and Central Asia; his work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional and mystical sensibilities in a way few artists can manage. Like Amir himself, his music symbolizes diversity-in-unity and his ensemble's aim is to draw the listener's attention to the spiritual dimension of existence.
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The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat provides an immersion experience into the daily practices of a yogic lifestyle. A spiritual sanctuary nestled in the beautiful Bahamas, the we offer yoga teachings derived from the deeply-rooted traditions of a renowned yoga lineage. The purpose of these spiritual practices is to help people of all cultures and backgrounds develop inner peace for a more harmonious world.
Established by Swami Vishnudevananda in the name of Master Swami Sivananda, our yoga retreat is a safe and supportive environment for deep and profound learning and inner healing. It presents a balanced approach to yogic living and spiritual study. The daily schedule includes meditation, pranayama (breathing practices), asana (yoga postures), balanced vegetarian diet, and satsang (spiritual discourse).
We offer Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Courses throughout the year, as well as many other certification courses, experiential programs, and yoga vacation options.
View our welcome tour video:
Browse our program calendar here:
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For more information please visit
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
Author Discussion: Religion Around Virginia Woolf
Stephanie Paulsell, HDS Susan Shallcross Swartz Professor of the Practice of Christian Studies and Interim Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, discusses her recent publication on Virginia Woolf.
Amy Hollywood (HDS) and Terry Tempest Williams (HDS) responded.
Learn more about Harvard Divinity School and its mission to illuminate, engage, and serve at
A Humbling Journey 2: The Theist Delusion (Ft. Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens) (FULL MOVIE 2018)
DESCRIPTION:
Theists are so sure they are right, they are so sure that they follow the one true religion. Yet they struggle to accept that if they were born in the middle east they'd feel just as confident about Islam or if born in India, they'd likely be Hindu. They refuse to accept that their belief is a byproduct of societal and cultural indoctrination. Rather they cling tight to these delusions. This movie aims to expose this aspect of religion and much more.
Challenging religion does not eliminate the possibility of the existence of a God or a higher power that unites us as human beings. However, the God that has been taught by churches, synagogues and temples is not truth. After all, each teaching fundamentally contradicts each other. These religions are man made ideology that is often endorsed for political reasons and societal control.
FEATURING:
Richard Dawkins
Christopher Hitchens
Sam Harris
Neil Degrasse-Tyson
Lawrence Krauss
Carl Sagan
CREDITS:
Tombstone da Deadman - My Stand (YouTube - Rational Warrior)
Max Richter - Embers
Gift Of Life-Thomas Bergersen - Thomas Bergersen - 50:20 - 51:37
Save Me - UPPM - FirstCom - Aaron Wheeler, Niri Sadeh - 1:04:55 - 1:06:30
Outro - M83 - 57:51 - 58:49
Byrd: Mass for four voices - 3: Credo - Peter Phillips: The Tallis Scholars - 4:54 - 6:31
Leave No Man Behind - Hans Zimmer - 2:07:58 - 2:09:20
Supernova - Ivan Torrent - 9:06 - 9:39
Imagine - John Lennon - 3:11:47 - 3:13:30
Sailor-UPPM - FirstCom - Ron Klein, Udi Harpaz - 1:42:29 - 1:43:28
Final – Deuter - 1:24:43 - 1:25:53
Nero - Extreme Music/2 Steps from Hell - Thomas Bergersen / Nick Phoenix - 30:08 - 30:49
Hurt-Extreme Music - Thomas Bergersen - 55:14 - 55:45
Powerslave (1998 Remastered Version) - Iron Maiden - 3:14:52 - 3:15:46
Your Hand In Mine - Explosions in the Sky - 12:09 - 15:26
All In The Outlook - FirstCom - Alexander Ace Baker, Clair Marlo - 1:11:54 - 1:12:28
Father Kolbe's Preaching - Orchestre Philharmonique National de Pologne - 27:56 - 28:26
The Road - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - 19:25 - 20:39
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
All source material found on this channel is to the best of my knowledge in compliant with THE UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976, TITLE 17, U.S. CODE SECTION 107.
Under the doctrine of FAIR USE, copyrighted material may be used for the purposes of: COMMENTARY, CRITICISM, NEWS REPORTING, RESEARCH, TEACHING, EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES OR SCHOLARSHIP.
Virgin Mary converts Harvard Professor Part 4 (Jewish Convert to Catholic)
December 6, 2013: Sacred Heart Church- Prescott, Arizona- Roy Schoeman: Notable Jewish Converts and the Gift of the Catholic Church.
Have Roy speak at your parish:
Pilgrimage with Roy to Israel May 28 to June 7, 2019:
Visit his website: SalvationisfromtheJews.com
Salvation Is from the Jews: $16.96 (Online Book Discount)
Honey from the Rock:
Roy Schoeman grew up studying Judaism under the most prominent Rabbis in American Judaism. After receiving a B.S. from M.I.T. and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, he taught at Harvard. His conversion to Catholicism led to a dramatic refocus of his activities. He later encountered the Virgin Mary!! In his own words: Yet every night before going to sleep, I would say a short prayer to know the name of my Lord and Master and God whom I had met on the beach. A year to the day after the initial experience, I went to sleep after saying that prayer, and felt as though I was woken by a gentle hand on my shoulder, and escorted to a room where I was left alone with the most beautiful young woman I could imagine. I knew without being told that she was the Blessed Virgin Mary. I felt entirely awake (and my memory is as though I had been awake), although I was dreaming. I remember my first reaction, standing there awed by her presence and grandeur, was wishing I knew at least the Hail Mary so that I could honor her! She offered to answer any questions I had. I remember thinking about what to ask, asking the questions, and her answers. After speaking to me a while longer, the audience was ended. When I woke the next morning I was hopelessly in love with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and I knew that the God I had met on the beach was Christ, and, and that all I wanted was to be as much of, and as good a, Christian as possible. I still did not know anything about Christianity, nor the difference between the Catholic Church and any of the hundreds of Protestant denominations. It took me another two years or so to find my way to the Catholic Church, guided by my love and reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Johann Adam Weishaupt: The Founder of the Illuminati
It’s the group at the center of major conspiracy theories. They’ve been accused of pulling the strings of major governments around the world, for inserting secret symbols in such prominent places as the U.S dollar bill. And conspiracy theorists have claimed that everyone from The Beatles to Tom Brady to Kanye West are more recent members of the centuries-old society…
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Jane Goodall: Living with Chimpanzees
Andre the Giant: The Gentle Giant
Father Spitzer’s Universe - 2017-08-16 - Fear Is Useless: Mitigating Fear And Choosing Consolation P
Fr. Robert Spitzer and Doug Keck continue discussing the fifth chapter of Fr. Spitzer's new book, The Light Shines on in the Darkness, on suffering with conviction about the Resurrection.