The Ecstasy of St. Teresa (of Avila), Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 16th c.
Is it possible to have an unmediated experience of God? A direct encounter with the divine that transcends any use of the senses or even the intellect?
The classical answer is – yes! And its pursuit is the goal of the mystic tradition (an element of the spiritual life that is accessible to us all, though most connected with the apophatic-affective attrait).
In this episode we examine Christian mysticism through one of its most famous teachers, St. Teresa of Avila.
If you’ve ever desired to know God directly, to encounter grace at the core of your soul, this episode is for you.
St. Benedict, commissioned by St. Benedict Mission, Young, AZ
In this episode, we turn to the next of our spiritual “personality types” (i.e., attraits) – the apophatic-speculatives.
What defines an apophatic is a basic desire to escape distraction. They are the ones who love the very idea of a silent retreat or the spiritual practice of “simplicity.”
They are not anti-creation. Nor are they anti-social or anti- much of anything (other than clutter, noise and frenzy). But for them, it is easy to be over stimulated by the world and a quiet, cozy, peaceful environment is best. They love minimalism.
And as speculatives, they also love the life of the mind and have a basic need for life, faith and the universe to make sense. (Want to drive a speculative crazy? Force them to watch someone fold a map incorrectly!) You will find them near books, lectures, museums and generally, more books.
Kirk’s photo of the Bay of Naples. Benedict’s monastery – Monte Cassino – is located in the hills above where this was taken. (Lest your vision of monastic life be one of dark caves and deprivation!)
The best type of prayer for a A-S is the ancient tradition of lectio divina (described in the podcast). And their patron saint is Benedict – the early 6th century monk who established the first formal monastic order (the Benedictines) with his composition of The Rule (of St. Benedict).
Apophatic-speculatives are heirs of a very deep spiritual tradition and have many resources available to them. If you are the kind of person who’d love nothing more than a simple cup of coffee, a silent retreat and a good book, you may well have found your attrait!
Just as some people need faith to make intellectual sense, so others need to feel it – to have the emotional experience of God’s presence, to know in the manner of the heart and not the head. These are the “affectives.” (And all of us are affective to a degree, some just more so than others.)
In this episode we explore the affective side of spiritual practice, particularly for those who relate to God by means of the senses and the created world (nature, art, music, food…) – those on the “kataphatic” side of the spectrum. Indeed there are whole schools of Christian spirituality and prayer developed by and for the kataphatic-affectives.
If you’ve ever struggled to build a consistent set of spiritual practices that felt right to you, that fit your style and personality, this series is for you.
