{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/63c56ea82ec7b80011454223/6908d87eeed20bbc016ec899?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"27: Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on the Meaning Crisis and Rediscovering the Sacred","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/63c56ea82ec7b80011454223/1762187373934-46030069-2623-4cc2-8625-d2df9f07db65.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Mark Vernon is a former priest turned psychotherapist who has spent the last 30 years exploring one central question: how do we find meaning in a secular age?</p><p><br></p><p>After a crisis of faith pulled him away from the Church’s inner sanctum in his youth, Mark turned to Plato and Jung in pursuit of a deeper understanding of purpose, connection, and the soul. Today, his writing bridges ancient philosophy, religion, and modern psychology, a powerful triad he also applies to his work as a therapist.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we discuss:&nbsp;</p><p>✦&nbsp; The overwhelm of conflicting meanings and remembering the sacred</p><p>✦&nbsp; The spiritual thread connecting Dante, William Blake, and Jesus</p><p>✦&nbsp; How wonder helps us access the divine</p><p>✦&nbsp; Why psychotherapy is a path for ‘spiritual intelligence’</p><p><br></p><p>Mark's work invites us into the depths of wonder and spirituality as a necessity for the soul.</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters</p><p>0:00 Intro: The modern crisis of meaning</p><p>5:08 Psychotherapy and the vertical dimension of life</p><p>11:25 The cloud of unknowing and mystical experiences</p><p>18:19 Kairos time: Moments of spiritual significance</p><p>23:01 William Blake on joy and eternity</p><p>27:04 Death as a transcendent and transformative experience</p><p>33:08 Early Christianity's deeper mysteries and meanings</p><p>40:44 Humility as an expansive spiritual virtue</p><p>50:56 Owen Barfield and the evolution of consciousness</p><p>57:35 Ontological shocks and transformative experiences</p><p>1:02:41 Outro: The importance of sacred experiences</p><p><br></p><p>Follow Mark:</p><p>Website: <a href=\"https://www.markvernon.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.markvernon.com/</a></p><p>Instagram: <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/platospodcasts/?hl=en-gb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.instagram.com/platospodcasts/?hl=en-gb</a>&nbsp;</p><p>X: <a href=\"https://x.com/platospodcasts\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://x.com/platospodcasts</a>&nbsp;</p><p>YouTube Channel: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@PlatosPodcasts\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/@PlatosPodcasts</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination: <a href=\"https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/awake/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/awake/</a>&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Follow Wonderstruck:</p><p>Website:<a href=\"https://wonderstruck.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> </a><a href=\"https://wonderstruck.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://wonderstruck.org</a></p><p>Newsletter: &nbsp;<a href=\"https://newsletter.wonderstruck.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://newsletter.wonderstruck.org</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>YouTube:<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod</a></p><p>Instagram:<a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/</a>&nbsp;</p><p>TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wonderstruckpod</p><p>Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonderstruckpod</p><p>Apple Podcasts:<a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Spotify:<a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw</a></p>","author_name":"Striking Wonder Productions"}