Welcome; join me in my 3 passions! | |||||||||||||||||
| 1. MEDICINE AND HEALING, | |||||||||||||||||
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I am interested in the intersection between medicine and healing, the human dimension of pain and suffering and the way we can bridge the gap between physical suffering and spiritual trauma. The crisis of modern man and the loss of soul does have effects which I believe are accessible through certain techniques (neo-Jungian). The original medical model whereby the body and spirit were totally separate (a la Descartes) is inadequate today where more and more symptoms are a mixture of physical and spiritual. We do not as yet have the tools to describe and categorize these new diseases of the soul that manifest themselves in truly physical and organic symptoms. What is clear that those who pay attention to the soul and its needs get better quicker. Why? Can we develop techniques for healing that employ ancient tools used by masters and theologians of late antiquity? Can we unlock their healing powers as seen in their ancient texts? That is my project. | ||||||||||||||||
| 2. LITERATURE AND ANCIENT TEXTS | |||||||||||||||||
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Ancient texts of late antiquity may provide clues to what I describe as "Textual Healing" practices used by the Early Church Fathers and rabbis of the third to fifth centuries. These scholars read or better "misread" the plain meaning of the Biblical text in order to provide healing for their respective faith communities. Each had been traumatized by different historical events, for the Chrisitian community, the lack of the imminent second coming of Christ, and for the Jewish community, the Hurban, or destruction of the Temple. I am examining their respective hermeneutics and methods whereby they employed creative techniques,often quite radical, about the nature and personality of God, in His dealings with man.In these texts lies a notion of healing where the reader takes spiritual comfort among a community of faithful. The question is: can we too tap into this resource of healing by using similar creative hermeneutical devices to read texts and heal through the reading of texts? | ||||||||||||||||
| 3. MUSIC | |||||||||||||||||
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Where does one begin? I believe the only way I can share with you this passion is to outline a few choice pieces that have moved me over the years and ask that you listen and comment! Bach's brandenburg concertos especially no.5! Mozart's immortal G minor symphony, written during a time of mortal illness, that seems to express the sum total of life's tragic qualities. Beethoven Quartet in C# minor, an incredibly complex piece that grew on me slowly. Elgar's serenade...who else but Elgar to capture the uniquely melancholic soul of the English! Sir Michael Tippet's Visions of St. Augustine, whose music actually transported me to those spheres! Sir Hubert Parry's Jerusalem and other works recently re-discovered...but I do not condone his awful politics! | ||||||||||||||||
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