The Hedge School: A Course on William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’

I give you the end of a golden string;

Only wind it into a ball,

It will lead you in at Heaven’s gate,

Built in Jerusalem’s wall.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I will be offering an online, in-real-time course on William Blake’s illuminated book Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion. I’ve been wanting to do this for a LONG time, and this seems an opportune moment.

The course will take place over eight consecutive Saturdays at 1:00 pm Eastern US time. It will begin on March 1, the Saturday before Lent begins (for both Western and Eastern Christians for a change) and end on Holy Saturday, April 19. Each session is recorded, so if participants have to miss a Saturday, all will not be lost.

Jerusalem is a story of fallenness and redemption, of human spiritual psychology, and of the power of the imagination. It has been called, among other things, “The Everlasting Gospel,” “The Gospel of the Imagination,” and “Blake’s Apocalypse,” for it is nothing less than a revelation. I have been studying the book since my early twenties, and every time I return to it I am blown away at the depth of insight and organic Christian intuition that shines through every line. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is at times breath-taking.

Jerusalem is composed of four books and in the course we will take two weeks for each book (it’s that dense and profound).

The cost of the course is $150. You can find out more by responding to this newsletter or emailing me: director@thecenterforsophiologicalstudies.com

Recommended editions

My favorite edition of Blake is David Erdman’s The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake (University of California Press). The commentary, by Harold Bloom, is enormously insightful as well as edifying.

I also adore the facsimile edition of Jerusalem published by The Blake Trust/Princeton University Press. My working text is the Erdman, though—I’d hate to mar the beauty of the facsimile with my marginalia!

I’m sure there are other good ones out there, but these are my go-tos and very trusty friends.

Young William Blake’s vision of a tree filled with angels

Shakespeare, Magic, and Religion: An Upcoming Course

I’m so happy to announce that I will be offering on online, in real-time course on Shakespeare, Magic, and Religion starting this January. In the course, we will cover eight plays of Shakespeare and the roles of religion and magic—not as distinguishable as you might think—not only in the plays but in Shakespeare’s world as well (not to mention ours). I promise: it will be fun.

Session will take place on Saturdays, roughly from 1:00 - 3:00 pm (Eastern US Time) beginning January 4th.

The fee for the course in $150.

TENATIVE SCHEDULE

January 4: Twelfth Night (which makes sense, because the next day is Twelfth Night.).

January 11: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (but it won’t actually be Midsummer).

January 18: Romeo and Juliet (just a couple o’ crazy kids with a dream)

January 25: Hamlet (perhaps the most theological play in the canon).

February 1: Pericles, Prince of Tyre (not a lot of people know this one—which is CRIMINAL).

February 8: Macbeth (by the pricking of my thumbs, this play is a banger).

February 15: Measure for Measure (another one not enough people know).

February 22: The Tempest (O brave new world, that has such characters in it!)

Following this course, be on the lookout for one on William Blake’s Jerusalem.

If you wish to take the course, contact me at director@thecenterforsophiologicalstudies.com and I’ll tell you what you need to do.

And here is a song I wrote to the lyrics of Shakespeare from Twelfth Night for your listening pleasure--and check out that fiddler!

A Fall Course on Sophiology

This will be pretty experiential and experimental as well as intellectually engaging. The course will incorporate readings from the great sophiologists, including, but not limited to, Hildegard of Bingen and Francis of Assisi, Boehme, Solovyov, Bulgakov, Teilhard de Chardin, and others. but it will also include dreamwork and experiences in Nature as well as in the arts. The course will be held in real time on Saturdays, starting at 1:00 pm Eastern Time (US) and running 1 1/2 to 2 hours a session for a total of eight weeks. It will start on September 21st. Course fee: $150

Those interested in enrolling can just shoot me an email and I will let you know what to do from there.