A Thousand Names For God – Details, episodes & analysis

In the quest for spiritual growth, the quest for truth does not seek conclusions but rather opens the path to deeper questions. In today’s episode, I explore the vertical imagination of the French philosopher Henry Corbin. Using his book The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, I explore his understanding of what it means to be human and to walk the spiritual path.  

This exploration happens through the mythology of the Exile, as seen through Sohravardī’s Recital of the Occidental Exile. The Exile represents the soul's journey trapped in a well, constrained by oppressive forces, yet seeking light and liberation through spiritual ascension. The Exile is a metaphor for the soul's struggle against the forces of conformity and forgetfulness, ultimately striving for reunion with the Divine, symbolized by the quest for the "Emerald City" or “the Cosmic North”. Corbin illustrates this as a battle of consciousness, where mystic awareness resists the secular forces that try to reduce the individual to madness or heresy. On the other hand, the Seeker is portrayed as a fragment of divine light, searching to reunite with the source of all light. This mystical journey leads to a profound cosmic salvation where the individual, transcending geographical boundaries and personal limitations, reaches a direct relationship with the divine. In this transformation, the "man of light," or the subtle body, emerges—an essential aspect of spiritual development that allows one to perceive and experience the spiritual realms. Through these narratives, Corbin emphasizes that the spiritual path is not a collective journey, but a deeply personal one, where the seeker must confront their inner darkness and strive to manifest their light. In the end, the seeker’s relationship with the divine is intimate, unique, and unshareable, a relationship defined by love, the highest expression of being.

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You can find today's intro and outro music here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1b5jf2kJ73trBAbME4eSSq?si=b6283c50a12f47a7

In today’s episode, I am joined by Tom Cheetham, an author, teacher, biologist, and poet whose work delves into the role of creative imagination in human life and culture. During our conversation, we explore Henry Corbin’s concept of the Imaginal realm, discussing its profound implications for how we perceive and engage with reality. We also examine the necessity of moving beyond consensus reality in spiritual life, as well as the limitations of both religious and scientific fundamentalism.

The best way to stay in touch with Tom's work is by subscribing to his Substack @ https://www.tomcheetham.com/blog, or you can check out his books by clicking here

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The intro and outro music for today's show is the song Divide by Odesza featuring Kelsey Bulkin

Today's show is about exploring the archaic worldview. When the ancient way of seeing is recovered, the sacred is made visible. 

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Sources mentioned in today's show:

Hatab, Lawrence J. Myth and Philosophy: A Contest of Truths. Open Court, 1992. 

Homer, Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, 2nd edition, 1998.

Krell, David Farrell. “Martin Heidegger the Anaximander Fragment.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, vol. 1, no. 4, 1973, pp. 576–626

Leland, John. “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022.

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, et al. The Birth of Tragedy, and Other Writings. Cambridge, University Press, 2019. 

Vervaeke, John. Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54l8_ewcOlY.

In today's show, I feature another Deep End episode with Dr. Danielle McGinnis, where she and I talk about the psychology and spirituality of Pornography and porn addiction. 

For more from Rick, go to www.rickalexander.com

In today's Deep End episode, Danielle McGinnis and I discuss our views of embodiment on the psychological and spiritual path. 

Today's episode is another Deep End Podcast with Dr. Danielle McGinnis. In this show, we talk about the relational dynamics that result when only one person in the relationship is committed to 'inner-work'.

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In today's Deep End episode with Dr. Danielle McGinnis, we discuss themes around Memorial Day and how to make sense of our experience with the holiday through a psychological lens. 

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Today's episode is another 'Deep End Podcast' with myself and Dr. Danielle McGinnis where we discuss the nature of the psychic complex and the way it impacts our ability to love.

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Today's episode features another 'Deep End' podcast with Dr. Danielle McGinnis where we discuss some of the mythic motifs surrounding the Easter story. 

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Today's teaching comes from chapter 15 of my latest book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache.

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