Thomas Moore is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul. He has written thirty other books about bringing soul to personal life and culture, including The Soul of Christmas, which was published in 2016 by Franciscan Media. In his youth Thomas was a Catholic monk and studied music composition. He has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Syracuse University and was a university professor for a number of years. He is also a psychotherapist influenced mainly by Carl Jung and James Hillman. In his work he brings together spirituality, mythology, depth psychology and the arts, emphasizing the importance of images and imagination.

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(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:04:26) Writing 'The Soul of Christmas'

(00:07:17) The Christmas Tree

(00:15:35) What Do We Mean by 'Mystic' or 'Magic'?

(00:19:22) Gift Giving: The Heart of Christmas

(00:24:01) Light in the Darkness

(00:30:02) Lessons from Psychotherapy for Christmas

(00:34:30) Universality of Christmas

(00:39:01) Incarnation: The Transcendent and the Ordinary

(00:44:14) Christmases of our Youth

(00:48:53) A Lived Theology at Christmas

(00:50:29) Christmas: Lessons on Peace

(00:52:42) Santa Claus: The Holy One

(00:58:30) Body, Soul, Spirit

(00:59:28) Angels and Messengers

(01:04:51) Embracing the Transcendent in Everyday Life

(01:07:47) A Mystical Christmas

(01:10:13) Conclusion