Dante and The Expansion of Being with Mark Vernon (3 Sessions)

Dante is famous for his epic pilgrimage. But what does it mean to travel to hell, purgatory and paradise? How does he change to make such transports possible? In this three part series, we will ask what he discovers and realises about the nature of being, so that we might discover and realise more too.

Session 1 (29th March) Infernal Confines
In the first part of The Divine Comedy Dante enters the region of reality in which souls are tortured and stuck and realises their experience of life is severely restricted. They have become preoccupied with limiting desires and a narrow awareness of time. Dante must witness and experience these states of being if he is to avoid them himself. We will explore what that might mean for us too.

Session 2 (5th April) Purgatorial Transformation
In the second part, Dante enters the mode of being in which souls are changing and growing. They have realised that their experience of reality is self-limiting and that makes all the difference. With such awareness comes the possibility of change. Purgatorial transformation is not about shedding sin but become more resonate with reality, which we will explore in this second session.

Session 3 (12th April) Paradisal Perception
In the third part Dante become capable of perceiving and dwelling in the fullness of divine reality, which is all reality. He still makes mistakes, but he has come to trust that such experiences are thresholds to further perceptions. The journey into the conscious realisation that all is always in God becomes possible, as we will explore in this third session.

Dr Mark Vernon is a writer, psychotherapist and Associate with Perspectiva. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Aeon, Philosophy Now and The Church Times. He regularly contributes to programmes on the BBC and posts blogs, podcasts and YouTubes online. His most recent book Dante’s Divine Comedy – A Guide for the Spiritual Journey (Angelico Press 2021) was described by Susanna Clarke as “A marvellous book”: www.markvernon.com/books.

This is a 3-session weekly online course (using Zoom) 

Sessions:
Tuesday 29th March 7-8.15pm
Tuesday 5th April 7-8.15pm
Tuesday 12th April 7-8.15pm

Tickets:
£40 for an invitation on Zoom for all three sessions

You may sign up at any point during the course. You will receive a link to join future Zoom sessions and recordings of any sessions that you miss. 

 Image: La Divina Commedia, Paradiso, Canto X, Sandro Botticelli