Ancient Angelic Wisdom Meets Modern Science
In 1996, biologist Rupert Sheldrake and theologian Matthew Fox published the book, The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet. The book has been translated into many languages and continues to resonate with many people. It draws on the teachings of three major theologians, Dennis the Areopagite, Hildegard of Bingen and Thomas Aquinas (6th, 12th and 13th centuries respectively) who shared profound insights about spirits or angels. Astoundingly, Rupert found that Aquinas’s teachings on angels parallel many of today’s teachings on quanta. We will explore this and many other teachings on angels with time for Q&A.
Course Dates:
April 1st, 8th, and 15th, 2025, at 8 PM EST
Course Highlights
- Three 90 minute Sessions
- Life-time access to recordings (You can easily access missed classes)
- Accessible via a single Zoom link, ensuring a seamless and immersive learning experience
- Scroll down for outline of classes and for Matthew and Rupert’s bio
- $97 Reduced price available now through midnight 4/1 (no discount code needed)
- $127 Full price starts 4/2
Course Content:
Session One:
The Teachings of Aquinas on angels and humans and contemporary angelologist Lorna Byrne. In an interview with Matthew Fox, Irish peasant woman Lorna Byrne spoke of her life-long experience with angels including the issue of “unemployed angels” on the earth today. We will reflect on some of Lorna’s teachings. Aquinas teaches about angels and intuition, how they “cannot help but love,” are light, “announcers of divine silence,” governors of the universe and more. Rupert Sheldrake will join us for 17 minutes from a video made especially for this class to discuss today’s science and Aquinas and also the role of angels in the unfolding of the universe according to Alfred Russell Wallace who was along with Darwin launcher of evolutionary theory.
Session Two:
The Teachings of Hildegard of Bingen on Angels. Hildegard teaches that angels were involved in developing human language and that they deeply admire human work and worship . She sees their nature as a “glowing burning” and “living light.” And their work as “cosmic praise” and how humans replace the fallen angels and how conscience links humans to the sacred or demonic realms of the angels and the joy of God becoming a human (and not an angel) and how angels are present at the time of death and transition. And the angels’ contribution to worship. We will meditate on two paintings by Hildegard on angels and will also invite angels and Hildegard’s presence by way of her music. And how angels support humans in our struggle for ecological and social justice.
Session Three:
In the Conclusion to our book, Rupert and I pose questions for our times about humanity and the future unfolding of the universe and what role the angels might play in that future. Rupert will again join us from a pre-recorded conversation made for this discussion. Topics include what evolution and the new sciences teach us about reconsidering the role of angels in history past and future. Traditional teachings of religion and angelology are not enough. With a new cosmology and a new Earth crisis new questions arise. We will discuss these questions in light of the signs of our times. How can angels assist us today to think more cosmically and get over our anthropocentrism that is destroying the Earth? How can angels assist us to renew worship? And more.
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