The Mysticism and Spirituality of St. John of the Cross

Workshop Details

As a basis for meditation we will use two poems by St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night and the Spiritual Canticle. The format will involve two half hour periods of meditation interspersed with readings and shared reflections. The poems are the fruits of St. John’s deep meditation, and our own meditation will allow for a deeper appreciation of St. John’s words.

St. John of the Cross was a sixteenth century Spanish Carmelite friar. He was a close associate of Theresa of Avila, and together they worked for the reform of the Carmelite order within the Catholic Church. He was drawn to a deeply contemplative life from an early age, and his profound experiences are recorded primarily in his poetry on which he also wrote extended prose commentaries. He is regarded as one of the finest Spanish poets. There are Jewish and Islamic influences in the background to his work and the love mysticism that he writes about bears close affinities with the work of Rumi and Hafiz.

If some participants are new to meditation we will have a brief introduction to a simple form of meditation.

All sessions will be on Zoom.