Best James Sheldrake Podcasts (2024)

1
Is hell really boring? Rowan Williams & Jesse Armstrong, Dante & William Blake 32:44

1M ago32:44

32:44

Rowan Williams and Jesse Armstrong talked at The Idler festival, partly around the idea, caught in the expression, “boring as hell”. But is that right, they asked, when a drama like Succession so clearly appeals to us? The question is fundamental, for an age inclined to regard hell as appealing or intriguing, is one on the way to being lost. Drawin…

1
Dante and civilisational decline. A dispatch on disillusionment in politics 14:44

2M ago14:44

14:44

Dante lived through a period of almost total social collapse. Civil war and city-state terror, practiced by the church as much as secular powers, drove him into exile for the last 20 years of his life. For a while, he lost everything. But then, through the trauma, he regained a ground and rediscovered the fullness of life. The Divine Comedy is the …

1
Hamlet – Rhetoric

3M ago

—

In an unprecedented second episode on a play, Sheldrake examines the linguistic DNA of Hamlet and finds three rhetorical techniques that perform what Shakespeare is also doing with the big ideas in this play: Hendiadys, Metonymy and Synecdoche. Podcasting on Shakespeare is a profound pleasure but, if you would like to buy me a coffee, click here: D…

1
Richard III – Queen Margaret

4M ago

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In an episode dedicated to a great Shakespearean, Mr John Branston, Sheldrake drifts slightly from the one-play-one-idea tagline to focus on one character in this play: Queen Margaret. After her long march through the Henry VI plays, how does she wrest some control of the audience’s perspective from Richard and, in the end, does it make any differe…

1
Special: Interview with RADA ex-Head of Voice Robert Price

4M ago

—

Few people in the world will have spent as many hours working on the delivery and performance of Shakespeare as Robert Price. After a career as an actor, he was the Senior Voice Tutor at RADA 2007-15 and a voice tutor at LAMDA for many years. He therefore has huge experience with and a rare perspective on how to ‘speak the speech’. A few weeks ago …

1
What is intelligence? Dante in an age of AI 42:20

9M ago42:20

42:20

Dante's imagery, particularly in the Paradiso, offers powerful prompts to developing the sense of what it is to be intelligent. He wrote for modern times, he said. And now, as AI becomes more pervasive, he can help us understand how machine learning and human intuitions are very different capacities. This was part of a talk given at the Scientific …

1
Seeing the Unsayable. Dante’s ineffable images 22:17

1y ago22:17

22:17

Reason fails before the greatest spiritual truths. That much is not news. But part of the genius of Dante is his conjuring of images that reach beyond the impasses of paradox and seeming contradiction. I consider 8 such moments when Dante sees the unsayable and offers images of the ineffable. - how darkness leads to light - how appearances can be t…

1
Hamlet – Is anything original?

1y ago

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In the first of two episodes on this mightiest of plays, Sheldrake compares the plot of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with its sources, uncovering a tremendous amount of ‘literary upcycling’ but also a profound and imaginative tribute to the power of theatre at the play’s core. First preview of Sheldrake on Shakespeare: Live! THIS FRIDAY 2nd June, 7pm at th…

1
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Why so popular?

1+ y ago

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In his return to the airwaves, Sheldrake considers the extraordinary popularity of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and concludes that it is the dark matter in the middle of this festive comedy sandwich that makes the play such a satisfying experience overall. iTunes Amazon Sheldrake on Shakespeare Live! London previews: Etcetera Theatre 2nd June Rosemary…

1
Dante and the Meaning of Easter 27:08

1+ y ago27:08

27:08

What is the meaning of Easter? How might Holy Week be more than an occasion for its retelling? Can death and resurrection live today, as they once did, 2000 years ago? Dante’s journey, in the Divine Comedy, begins on Maundy Thursday, 1300. It continues through the inferno, on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, before he enters purgatory on Easter Sunda…

1
Dante and Eternal Damnation 26:46

1+ y ago26:46

26:46

Dante would seem to be a key candidate for infernalism, the doctrine of endless punishment in hell for sinners who failed to turn to Christ. He’s said to be medieval and isn't that what they believed then? And doesn’t his Divine Comedy clearly, indisputably say as much? But Dante’s whole point is that nothing is as it seems to the unawakened eye. I…

1
Angels, Dreams & Myths. Dante on times of transition 16:59

1+ y ago16:59

16:59

The Divine Comedy is all about guides - finding guides, following guides, conversing with guides. Virgil and Beatrice are the best known, but there are other modes of guidance that Dante seeks and explores. Angels, dreams and myths accompanying Dante, even in the darkest moments. He learns to be present to them and trust that whilst in one encounte…

1
How can we transhumanise? And why we need to 34:57

2y ago34:57

34:57

Dante coined the word "transhumanise" in the Divine Comedy, 700 years ago. "Trasumanar" is the transformation he will undergo in order to share in the life of paradise. Today, the word has associations that are strikingly related to Dante's; partly quite similar, though changed in subtle but crucial ways. Understanding those differences illuminates…

1
Understanding Dante. A second Medicine Path podcast with Brian James 1:20:41

2y ago1:20:41

1:20:41

A joy to speak again with Brian, this time on Dante's Divine Comedy. We talked about what happened to Dante, what happened to Mark that opened up the Divine Comedy, how the poem works as an initiation, what it reveals about Christianity, what happens to Virgil, the nature of paradise, amongst other things. For more on Brian see http://brianjames.ca…

1
Dante, cosmology, and a conversation at Rupert Sheldrake's 80th do 12:30

2y ago12:30

12:30

Bernard Carr is a leading cosmologist who worked with Stephen Hawking and now investigates time, multidimensionality and consciousness, amongst other things. Bernardo Kastrup cites him as at the vanguard of the great task to integrate matter and mind. So I was delighted to get the chance to ask Bernard about images from Dante. We talked about relat…

1
Dante’s Paradiso. Awakening to the Light. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake 44:05

2y ago44:05

44:05

This episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues continues Rupert and Mark's exploration of Dante’s Divine Comedy, taking a lead from Mark’s book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey. Dante is now guided by Beatrice through the heavenly spheres and into the Empyrean. It is a journey into the abundance of infinity and eternity, wh…

1
Dante's transfiguration of time & love, seeking & suffering, telepathy & transhumanising 37:01

2y ago37:01

37:01

Various human experiences are deepened and resolved as Dante travels through hell, purgatory and paradise. The Divine Comedy can be read as an examination of this transfiguring of perception. From the alienation of hell, through the transforming time of purgatory, to the ever-expanding awareness of paradise: Dante show us how time & love, seeking &…

1
Dante on Idealism. Or Dante in dialogue with Bernardo Kastrup and others 45:12

2+ y ago45:12

45:12

This is a contribution to recent dialogues on idealism between Bernardo Kastrup, John Vervaeke, Matt Segall, Philip Goff and others, including myself. I draw particularly on: - Dante's account and analysis of his journey to the heart of consciousness in all its fullness - source and manifestation - in the Divine Comedy - how minds as we know them n…

1
Why Paradise? Part 3 of 3 talks on Dante's Divine Comedy 1:01:16

2+ y ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Paradise. Destiny for a chosen few? Dismissed today by many. Or might it be the end for us all? Dante tells us to follow closely in the richest, subtlest and most expansive part of the journey conveyed in the Divine Comedy. He shows us how to develop paradisal perception, the way to know this experience of reality now, and to become ready for it in…

1
Why Purgatory? Part 2 of 3 talks on Dante's Divine Comedy by Mark Vernon 1:00:06

2+ y ago1:00:06

1:00:06

The mode of life called purgatorial is a medieval superstition, according to some, and the very purpose of mortal life, according to others. So what did Dante make of Purgatory and what has it to teach us now? In the Purgatorio, the essence of the spiritual path is shown in encounters and discussions. Purging itself, for example, is not about being…

1
Sexual Mores & Divine Eros: Why we need Dante to teach us about love 25:54

2+ y ago25:54

25:54

The liberal world and western churches increasingly seem to suffer from the lack of a sophisticated understanding of erotic love - an approach not merely governed by morals but arising from insight into who we are and our deepest nature. Erotic love can be felt on nearly every page of the Divine Comedy, in perverted and desperate forms, as well as …

1
Why Hell? Part 1 of 3 talks on Dante's Divine Comedy by Mark Vernon 51:30

2+ y ago51:30

51:30

The notion of hell is delighted in by some and causes offence in others. So why did Dante write about this infernal domain on his journey through reality? What is its meaning? What might be learnt from it? The inferno illuminates how desires go awry, the nature of our being is misunderstood, perceptions narrow, and how societies, even civilisations…

1
Dante’s Purgatorio, How to be transformed: a conversation with Rupert Sheldrake 36:40

2+ y ago36:40

36:40

This episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues continues Rupert and Mark's exploration of Dante’s Divine Comedy, taking a lead from Mark’s book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey. Dante and Virgil have found the way out of hell and a new adventure begins on Mount Purgatory. They first encounter souls who are shocked by their …

1
The Way Up and the Way Down. Dante and the One Path from Hell to Paradise 1:16:18

2+ y ago1:16:18

1:16:18

Dante’s Divine Comedy famously opens with the poet wakening in a dark wood. His life has seemingly taken a wrong turn. But why must he embark first on a journey through hell, before ascending Mount Purgatory, only then entering paradise? What has the way into darkness to do with the way into light? He learns to say ‘yes’ to all of reality, and that…

1
Light, Love, Logos, Life - How to speak about God 38:13

2+ y ago38:13

38:13

John Vervaeke, Paul VanderKlay and Paul Anleitner asked what "God" means, with John challenging the Pauls to talk about God via Light, Love, Logos and Life, so as not to hide behind the "g" word. Drawing on Dante, I offer some thoughts... The original conversation is here - https://youtu.be/UGq34dLXrFI More about Dante and my work - http://www.mark…

1
The Darkness That Is Light. Thoughts from an exhibition 27:49

2+ y ago27:49

27:49

The Dante exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, for the 700th anniversary year of 2021, brought together some of the Divine Comedy’s greatest illustrators, living and dead, from Monika Beisner to William Blake and Sandro Botticelli. Here are my reflections on these studies in line and light depicting darkness and life. Modern works discussed include …

1
Listen to audiobook chapter from Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey! 10:22

2+ y ago10:22

10:22

Audible have released the audiobook of Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey. I hope you enjoy the first chapter, Inferno 1. For more information go to Audible. And for more on the book as a whole see my website - https://www.markvernon.com.By Mark Vernon

1
Dante's Inferno, Part 2, dangers in spiritual seeking. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake 38:57

2+ y ago38:57

38:57

This episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues is the second part of a conversation between Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon on the Inferno of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Deeper regions of hell are explored, in which individuals aren’t just confused about life but have become wedded to their confusions and the seeming power they bring. The deep ramifica…

1
Angelology with Lorna Byrne. A conversation and inquiry with thoughts from Dante and Blake 55:24

2+ y ago55:24

55:24

Dante and Otherworld Journeys was an online conference organised with the Scientific and Medical Network - https://scientificandmedical.net/events/dr-kayleen-asbo-lorna-byrne-dr-peter-fenwick-mariel-forde-clarke-david-lorimer-felicity-warner-dr-mark-vernon-dante-and-otherworld-journeys/ This is the conversation, with extra thoughts, that I had with…

1
Dante's Inferno and the meaning of descent. A conversation with Rupert Sheldrake 30:24

3y ago30:24

30:24

The Divine Comedy by Dante is one of the great spiritual works of the Christian tradition. But how can it be read and what does it mean? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the first part of Dante’s cosmic pilgrimage. It takes Dante through the circles of hell, until he reaches the lowest poin…

1
Dante and Otherworld Journeys - online conference booking now! 1:20

3y ago1:20

1:20

Dante was clear: he wrote so that others might follow him on otherworld journeys. So what might this mean? With the Scientific and Medical Network, an online conference, Sat 27th Nov, to explore this issue. Join individuals who have studied it and others who have so travelled. Full details here - https://scientificandmedical.net/events/dr-kayleen-a…

1
Dante and Spiritual Intelligence - a lecture to the Temenos Academy 53:45

3y ago53:45

53:45

This lecture was given to the Temenos Academy on Tuesday 19th October 2021 - a particular delight as it was on its perennial philosophy course that the Divine Comedy first began to open up to me. See here for more details - https://www.temenosacademy.org I make some remarks on the Inferno and Purgatorio first, about how spiritual intelligence recog…

1
How To Know Paradise and Know It Now - the way of #Dante's #Paradiso #DivineComedy 44:07

3y ago44:07

44:07

Today, people feel Dante's Paradiso is irrelevant. It's not. It is the place of true perception and delightful knowledge, and the goal of the Divine Comedy. The question is how to follow Dante's lead and become aware of this domain of reality that is here, now as much as anywhere. In this illustrated talk, I track how Dante's perceptions expanded a…

1
Book Launch and Celebration of Dante 700, 14 Sept 2021, event recording 1:06:18

3y ago1:06:18

1:06:18

For further details about Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey - https://www.markvernon.com/books/dantes-divine-comedy-book For further details about the Dante Society of London - https://dantesocietylondon.com/index.html 2:34 Welcome 3:23 Dante’s first 700 years 6:08 Dante Society of London 9:14 Invoking Dante today 10:33 Intro…

1
Why Dante Matters - a conversation with the Church Times podcast 23:35

3y ago23:35

23:35

Mark Vernon talks about Dante and his new book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey (Angelico Press) at the Church Times podcast. This year marks 700 years since Dante’s death, and the Church Times of 10 September 2021 includes features by Robin Ward and Alexander Faludy, as well as several reviews of books published to mark th…

1
Book launch! Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey 0:37

3y ago0:37

0:37

To preorder Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey see - https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781621387480/dantes-divine-comedy To join me and register for the online book launch on 14th September at 6pm BST see - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mark-vernon-on-dantes-divine-comedy-tickets-168394477415?keep_tld=1 For more details…

1
DEVOLUTION (w/Tim Minchin) 1:11:16

3y ago1:11:16

1:11:16

Descend a few rungs on the old evolutionary ladder with us in this, the season 2 finale of Clever Creature. Mordant, multitalented Australian songwriter and actor Tim Minchin, the lyricist of the musicals MATILDA and GROUNDHOG DAY, talks with Jason about creative evolution, cultural devolution, and not taking yourself too seriously. There's short f…

1
Did Dante really go to paradise? 31:40

3y ago31:40

31:40

In this 700th anniversary year, the truth of the Divine Comedy is a key issue. Modern critics may explain its spiritual veracity by putting its impact down to social construction and performativity. But Dante knew about literature as much as he knew about divine life. He is emphatically clear that he has travelled to the high heavens and seeks to w…

1
AUTOTOMY (w/Andre Gregory) 1:22:27

3y ago1:22:27

1:22:27

“If your castle’s made of sugar, don’t blame the rain when it melts.” Sometimes, you’ve just got to kill your darlings. You're a cuttlefish, say, and something’s got your arm in its jaws? No worries. Just eject it! It’ll grow back later . . . In biology, that’s called “autotomy”. In this episode, legendary theater director Andre Gregory talks to Ja…

1
GERMINATE (w/Ross Gay) 1:14:39

3y ago1:14:39

1:14:39

“He will come back with scars and with stories to tell…” This episode is about new beginnings that lead to surprising outcomes. Poet and essayist Ross Gay talks to Jason about precious things beheld and forgotten. There’s a twisted fairytale about weed farming, big box stores, and grand designs. And Jason goes solo with a tune of prayer and self-fo…

1
EMERGENCE (w/Merlin Sheldrake) 1:12:34

3y ago1:12:34

1:12:34

Word by word, a story emerges. Neuron by neuron, consciousness emerges. The story, song, and conversation of this episode are about that mysterious process whereby things become bigger than the sum of their parts. Cambridge mycologist Merlin Sheldrake talks with Jason about how fungal networks solve complex problems, and how LSD and polyphonic musi…

1
Dante and the Divine Masculine 24:04

3y ago24:04

24:04

Categories like feminine and masculine can constrain as much as illuminate. But there is no denying that men and male entities play a major, often surprising part in Dante's journey through the Divine Comedy. This talk complements my look at Dante and the Divine Feminine, now considering Dante's encounters with figures such as Belacqua and Statius,…

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