My Favourite Mystic

Host AJ Langley is joined this week by Joel Hecker to discuss the Zohar, an essential work of Jewish mystical thought. We discuss the complexity of its authorship, the concept of radiance, the difference between meditation and drugs, sex in mystical texts, and balancing an ascetic life with a wife and kids.  Follow us on Twitter @myfavmystic , and if you are enjoying the podcast, rate and rev...

CW: Mentions of SA, self-mutilation, and removing teeth from a corpse This week AJ Langley speaks to Lydia Walker ( @LydiaMWalker ) about Marie of Oignies (c. 1177-1213), a devout religious woman whose dedication to God earned her two hagiographers, Jacques de Vitry and Thomas of Cantimpré. We talk about the difference between the life she led and the priorities of her hagiographers, the discussio...

This week AJ Langley speaks to Samuel Baudinette about Albert the Great (d.1280), a German Dominican friar, philosopher, mystic, and accused sorcerer! We talk about the difference between a philosopher's comprehension of the divine and the beatitude of the Christian, his massive corpus of writings, his time walking around as bishop of Regensburg, and how being a man of means sometimes means that y...

Content Warning: Domestic Abuse This week AJ Langley speaks to Subhasree Chakravarty about the mathematic and mystic Khona. We discuss her sayings, poetic couplets, and advice for all areas of rural life. We also discuss disguising mathematical brilliance as mystical inspiration and calling out your father-in-law for being bad at his job. Follow us on Twitter @myfavmystic , and if you are enjoying...

This week special guest host Robert Dickins interviews the regular host, AJ Langley about the mystic commonly known as Agnes Blannbekin. We discuss confession, anonymity of mystics, bodily reunification, and Christ's foreskin.  Follow us on Twitter @myfavmystic , and if you are enjoying the podcast, rate and review us on your podcast app of choice!

In this week's episode, AJ Langley speaks to John Arblaster about Jan van Ruusbroec (c. 1294-1381), an Augustinian Canon and prolific mystical writer. We talk about finding the time to write, the fourth step on the path to God, the ease of being labelled a heretic, and the transmission of ideas through religious communities.  Follow us on Twitter @myfavmystic , and if you are enjoying the pod...

In this week's episode, AJ Langley speaks to Jessica Barr about German nun, mystic, and author of The Herald of Divine Love, Gertrude of Helfta (1256-1302). We talk about the community of nuns at Helfta, her love of literature, her relationship with the Divine, how she decided to take her religious vocation more seriously (quite a while after she joined the convent..),  the devotion to the sa...

In the final episode of My Favourite Mystic for 2021, AJ Langley is joined by Gemma Simmonds CJ to discuss the mystic and founder of the Congregation of Jesus, Mary Ward (1585-1645). We discuss the difficulties women faced when trying to live a religious life, the mysticism of the everyday, the determination of the Jesuit Order not to admit women, how easy is was to be accused of heresy, and how y...

In this week's episode AJ Langley speaks to Samantha Slaubaugh, PhD candidate in Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame, about the complicated French beguine Douceline de Digne (1214-1274). We talked about Douceline's influential brother, Hugh of Digne, the strictness of her religious life, the importance of community, levitation during raptures, "testing" mystics, and changing up the...

In this episode AJ Langley speaks to the Joseph Lumbard about Sufi mystic, writer, and preacher, Aḥmad al-Ghazālī. We talk about the metaphysics of love, getting ready for death, giving your older bother a crisis of faith and taking his job, and how hard it is to do research on people who think that your research is a waste of time. Also, near-death experiences, good teachers, and good books! Foll...

In this episode AJ Langley speaks to the "Margery Kempe Lauras", Laura Varnam and Laura Kalas about the wonderous Margery Kempe, and their new volume Encountering The Book of Margery Kempe , out this month (November 2021) from Manchester University Press. We talk about how Kempe's work invites the reader in, her place among her mystical and religious contemporaries, toe fondling, pike-gate, and Je...

AJ Langley speaks to Travis Stevens about the Cistercian nun Beatrice of Nazareth (c. 1200-1268). We talk about distrust of hagiographers, lovesickness, absence, saying "yes and" to ecstasies, the role of the "housewife" in Beatrice's text, and how everyone need to "werk it". We also talk about how great Amy Hollywood is, about making mysticism "sexy" for undergrads, and about Travis's podcast abo...

AJ Langley speaks to Dyan Elliott of Northwestern University about the spiritual marriage of the fourteenth-century couple Elzear (d. 1323) and Delphine (d. 1358). We talk about the intense bond of their relationship, their canonisation procedures (aided by nepotism), the risks of being very into poverty in the 14th century, and how some visions were not intended for an audience.  Follow us o...

AJ Langley speaks to Louise Nelstrop about the fourteenth-century English hermit Richard Rolle. We talk about Rolle's popularity during the medieval period, his experiences of heat, sweetness, and song, his focus on calming the mind, and how true love is shouting it from the rooftops and forgetting when you first met.  Follow us on Twitter: Louise Nelstrop: @nelstrop3 My Favourite Mystic: @my...

AJ Langley speaks to Hannah Victoria Johnson about the thirteenth-century beguine and mystic Mechthild von Magdeburg. We talk about love, suffering, sex grass, and Mecththild's desire to be below the Devil's ass-crack, all while Hannah attempts to convince listeners that Mechthild is easy to understand.  We also discuss our new "Envisioning Visions" project which aims to foster a fanart commu...

AJ Langley speaks to Alexandra Verini about the sixteenth-century Hindu mystic Mira Bai. We discuss her marriage to Krishna (and denial of her worldly husband), her poetry, the disapproval of her in-laws, and the connections to be found between medieval mystics of all denominations.  Follow us on Twitter: Alexandra Verini: @AlexandraVerini My Favourite Mystic: @myfavmystic AJ Langley: @mediev...

AJ Langley speaks to Georgia van Raalte about the British occultist, spiritual advisor, and author Dion Fortune (1890-1946). We discuss her construction of British spiritualism, her rejection of Indian "Masters" in favour of British "Masters", how novels can stimulate mystical experiences, and Christian esotericism. CW: racism/eugenics and how the people we study are often quite problematic. ...

AJ Langley speaks to Lydia Shahan about the 13th-century mystic, poet, and holy woman Hadewijch. A woman of mystery, we talk about how little is known about her life, about paradox, about desire, and about the joy of rendering a category useless.  Lydia Shahan is a second year PhD student in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. She looks are mysticism and devotional literature in the...

AJ Langley speaks to Liam Temple about the mystical writer and Benedictine Augustine Baker (1575-1641). We discussed his conversion experience, his eagerness for a quiet life of contemplation, the repeated thwarting of that desire, his advise to nuns on achieving mystical contemplation, his understanding of the varieties of mysticism, and how anyone who criticises is a scholastic who just doesn't...

AJ Langley speaks to Dr Laury Silvers about the Sufi mystic Shawana (9th century). We discuss the challenges scholars face when trying to find early Islamic female mystics, the impact of regional history on the articulation of mysticism, Shawana's weeping, and Laury's transition from academia to writing historical fiction. (CW: references to slavery and sexual assault) Laury Silvers is a retired p...

AJ Langley speaks to James Roberts about the Russian Orthodox nun, social activist, theologian and writer Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945). We talk about her theology and the mysticism of human communion, her mission to feed the poor (and her wheelbarrow full of vegetables),  her involvement in the French resistance, our pity for her housemates, and her chain-smoking, philosophy parties.&nb...

AJ Langley speaks to Michael Hahn about the lay penitent (Franciscan) mystic Angela of Foligno (d.1309). We discuss her importance as a theologian, her fear of damnation, her spiritual sons, the abyss, lots of screaming and weeping, and how family can get in the way of a religious life (CW: death of family discussed) Michael Hahn is a theologian and medieval church historian. While his research an...

AJ Langley speaks to Einat Klafter about the one and only Margery Kempe (c. 1373- after 1436). We discuss her pilgrimages, her co-authorship of her text, her sacralising of the mundane, and how she was just... a lot. (CW: depression and self-harm are discussed) Einat Klafter is a co-director of the Exceptional Selves Humanities Lab at the Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies at Tel Aviv Univers...

AJ Langley speaks to Lauren Cole about the mystic, writer, and polymath Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179). We talk about her medical texts, the effect of the humors on reproduction, the use of Adam and Eve, and foaming semen. Brief asides into the "gatekeeping" of the designation of individuals as "mystics" and Lauren's call for everyone to join her on TikTok ( @MedievalLauren ). Lauren Cole is an...

AJ Langley speaks to Jane Shaw about the mystic, writer, and spiritual advisor, Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941). We talk about her quest for authentic spirituality, her letters of spiritual advise (which are very funny and worth a read), her work as a retreat leader, and her ability to find a balance between spiritual and domestic life. Jane Shaw is Professor of the History of Religion and Principal...