An Implosion of Light. Talking mystical experiences with James Harpur and Mark Vernon

06/07/2025 54 min
An Implosion of Light. Talking mystical experiences with James Harpur and Mark Vernon

Listen "An Implosion of Light. Talking mystical experiences with James Harpur and Mark Vernon"

Episode Synopsis

James Harpur’s new book, "Dazzling Darkness: The Lives and Afterlives of the Christian Mystics", begins with an account of a mystical experience that happened to him - “an implosion of light”, as he describes it. That led to his book, Dazzling Darkness, in pursuit of the path that leads to ultimate reality: God.Mark Vernon’s new book, "Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination", is the result of Mark’s engagement with his local mystic, William Blake, as well as practices based on encounters and texts including The Cloud of Unknowing.In this conversation they explore the nature of mystical experience, as well as the mystics that speak powerfully to them, from Saint Columba to William Blake, via Marguerite Porete and Teresa of Avila, Ramana Maharshi and Krishnamurti.For more on James’s book, Dazzling Darkness - https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/dazzling-darkness/For more on Mark’s book, Awake! - https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/awake/0:00 Two books on mysticism!01:55 James’s mystical experience07:00 Mark’s encounter through contemplative practice11:58 The Irish mystics that speak to James18:00 Living the porous life22:49 Mysticism after monasticism29:30 Church life and mystical life32:01 Seeking spiritual directors33:00 The voice of Krishnamurti40:32 The presence amidst the diversity42:30 What happens after the ecstasy?52:00 Sustaining the double vision

More episodes of the podcast Inner Life, Talks and Thoughts