Contemplative Christian and intrepid explorer of wilderness Stephen Hatch joins us for this deep conversation into his life and work. Stephen taught Centering Prayer and Christian mysticism at Naropa University and is a life long student of contemplative Christianity and the natural world.
Learn more about Stephen at: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.hatch.902
Partial List of Topics in Chronological Order:
0:00 Introduction
1:26 Julian shares about working with depression and insights from a weekend attending a Tony Robbins virtual seminar
6:16 Conversation with Stephen Hatch begins
His upbringing with Christianity
how his parents were fundamentalist and Stephen was attracted to the Quakers at a young age
Dads side Armenia, Mom's side Quaker
Carl Jung's writings that people from the West should not study yoga
What Stephen got from fundamentalist upbringing
What is contemplative Christianity?
Spirituality through the vehicle of Nature
Wilderness mysticism
Inter-spiritual
3 Different ways to do this
Stephen is mostly the first way
The contemplative path
Meeting the great contemplative Christian teacher Thomas Keating
What is Spiritual Direction?
To be a Christian - to listen to the presence of the divine in whoever you are with.
The Book of Psalms: "We are all Gods, sons and daughters of the most High"
Process Theology: there is an aspect of God that is learning and growing
There was a time in the 1980s where he didn't want to use the word 'God'
Ways to understand Jesus Christ and Christ Consciousness
Thomas Keating was Christ in a sense for Stephen Hatch
Book of Psalms
Mary Magdalene as the chief apostle
The Dead Sea scrolls
Jesus as the light and Mary as the warmth
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Gnosis - Knowledge
No such thing as static perfection
To be perfect is to be on the journey continuously
Constant Growth
The oppression of the idea of 'perfection'
Everyone has their flaws and because of this we need each other!
What is 'the body of Christ'
A true Patriarch is a person who has wisdom and they take the responsibility and are an honorable person, just as a true Matriarch is.
It is all Relational.
Mytho-poetic Men's Movement
Ken Wilber's influence on Stephen
Solitude as such an important part of the spiritual path to discover your inner source
Stephen's reflections on the scandal with Shambhala Buddhism: it's because humans are involved.
'The same measure you judge by, you will be judged by.'
Stephen thinks that it is dangerous to have a teacher as your prime source to God or Spirit.
Stephen's tradition comes from the Radical Reformation
How institutions are inherently flawed
Book recommendation: 'The New Monasticism'
A State of Mind Podcast: www.astateofmindpodcast.com
Somatic & Trauma Informed Psychotherapy, Psychedelic assisted Therapy, Meditation training & more: www.astateofmindcounseling.org
Support the show: www.patreon.com/astateofmind
