St. John of The Cross | Season 3 Wrap-Up of “Turning to the Mystics”
In Season 3 of Turning to the Mystics, James Finley and Kirsten Oates turn to 16th-century Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross for spiritual guidance in an exploration of his writings. Over the course of this season, listeners will discover how to integrate the poetry and teachings of St. John of the Cross into their daily lives.
“Let God carry you into this depth of infinite Love. That is your ultimate destiny.”
—James Finley, Turning to the Mystics Season 3
Highlights from “Turning to the Mystics” Season 3
This conversational podcast delves deep into the work and ideas of beloved mystical teachers — and each season focuses on one specific mystic. Season 3 turns to St. John of the Cross.
Tune in for the courageous and sometimes surprising wisdom of a mystic who coined the term “Dark Night of the Soul.” We invite to you listen to each episode in Season 3 to step deeper into the wisdom of St. John of the Cross:
- Turning to St. John of the Cross — Welcome to season 3 of Turning to the Mystics.
- St. John of the Cross: Session 1 — This is the first session that focuses on the mystic, St. John of the Cross.
- Dialogue 1: The Ascent of Mount Carmel — Practice Lectio Divina with a passage from St. John’s “The Ascent of Mount Carmel.”
- St. John of the Cross: Session 2 — Reflect on the qualitative essence of the spirit of St. John’s text.
- Bonus Good Friday Homily: Are We Forsaken? — Enjoy James Finley’s Good Friday homily entitled “Are We Forsaken?”
- Dialogue 2: The Ascent of Mount Carmel — James and Kirsten discuss Session 2, which covered “The Ascent of Mount Carmel.”
- St. John of the Cross: Session 3 — Meditate on the teachings of St. John of the Cross.
- St. John of the Cross: Session 4 — Go deeper into the ancient practice of Lectio Divina.
- Dialogue 3: The Ascent of Mount Carmel — In this third dialogue episode, continue your study of “The Ascent of Mount Carmel.”
- St. John of the Cross: Session 5 — James explores the question: “How does a person in today’s world try to understand ‘The Dark Night’?”
- Dialogue 4: The Dark Night — In this episode, James and Kirsten discuss Session 5, which covered “The Dark Night.”
- Bonus Session: The Dark Night — In this bonus episode on “The Dark Night,” James explores two passages from the text.
- St. John of the Cross: Session 6 — James turns to Thomas Merton’s book, The Inner Experience, to summarize his understanding of “The Dark Night.”
- Dialogue 5: The Inner Experience — Thomas Merton’s The Inner Experience unpacks the mystical awakening that emerges out of “The Dark Night.”
- St. John of the Cross: Session 7 — Discover St. John of the Cross’s work on “The Spiritual Canticle” and “The Living Flame of Love.”
- Dialogue 6: The Spiritual Canticle — Our hosts discuss Session 7, which covered “The Spiritual Canticle.”
- St. John of the Cross: Listener Questions — James and Kirsten answer listener questions submitted during the airing of this third season.
- Bonus: The Dark Night, Depression and Suffering — Mirabai Starr shares on “The Dark Night of the Soul” and explores our understanding of suffering. Transcripts are available for each episode.
Transcripts are available for each episode.
“The mystic is not someone who says, ‘Look what I have done!’ The mystic is one who says, ‘Look what Love has done to me.’”
—James Finley, Turning to the Mystics, Season 3
A “Turning to the Mystics” Listener Story
We love to get feedback from members of our CAC community, who often share how our contemplative resources are making a difference in their lives. While Season 3was airing — which was during the COVID-19 pandemic — we received this thoughtful message from a CAC community member named Barry:
“St. John of the Cross’ teachings on the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ as a way of unknowing has been a leap of faith for me frequently. Darkness can also be an image of God — as is Light — since God is the Center of all things. This is now a daily experience for me during this pandemic; not as despair, but as hope in this Darkness and Light.”
How has the of the “Dark Night of the Soul” served as an illuminating concept for your life?
If you’ve also been impacted by conversations from Turning to the Mystics, we would love to hear your story.
On every season of Turning to the Mystics, we embark on in-depth explorations of the teachings of one unique mystic, and new episodes are coming soon!
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