Some Themes at the Heart of His Oeuvre
In part 8 of this series, Michael Lerner talks with author Jeffrey Kripal about some of the key themes that weave through all of his books, especially exploring the nature of consciousness itself.
Pre-Read for The Secret Body Series
In this introductory document to the Secret Body self-paced course, Host Michael Lerner offers an introduction to Jeffrey Kripal’s work, as well as suggestions on what to read to orient yourself to his work before, or while, you explore the conversations.
Mutants and Mystics
In part 7 of the series, Host Michael Lerner talks with Jeffrey Kripal about his book Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal. In the book, Jeffrey shows how creators turned to science fiction to convey the reality of the inexplicable and the paranormal they experienced in their lives. He spins out a hidden history of American culture, rich with mythical themes and shot through with an awareness that there are other realities far beyond our everyday understanding. You can find more information on his website jeffreyjkripal.com.
Authors of the Impossible
In part 6 of our series with Jeffrey Kripal and Host Michael Lerner, they discuss Jeffrey’s Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred. The history of psychical phenomena, Jeffrey contends, is an untapped source of insight into the sacred. The cultural history of telepathy, teleportation, and UFOs; a ghostly love story; the occult dimensions of science fiction; cold war psychic espionage; galactic colonialism; and the intimate relationship between consciousness and culture all come together in Authors of the Impossible, a dazzling and profound look at how the paranormal bridges the sacred and the scientific.
Serpent’s Gift
In part 5 of this series, Host Michael Lerner talks with author Jeffrey Kripal about his book The Serpent’s Gift—Reflections on the Study of Religion. The book is a provocative call for a complete reorientation of religious studies—a reversal of the Adam and Eve story—aimed at a larger understanding of the world, the self, and the divine. He considers Feuerbach’s Gnosticism, the untapped mystical potential of comparative religion, and even the modern mythology of the X-Men.
Esalen
In part 4, Jeffrey Kripal and Host Michael Lerner explore Jeffrey’s remarkable history of Esalen in Esalen—The American Religion of No Religion. This astonishing cultural history of the famed retreat and conference center in Big Sur provides a panoramic insight of West Coast counter-culture over the past half century. No one serious about understanding our times should miss it. You can find more information on his website jeffreyjkripal.com.
Roads of Excess
In part 3 of this series, Host Michael Lerner talks with author Jeffrey Kripal about his book Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism. Roads continues and expands Kripal’s exploration of homoerotics themes in world religion. It focuses on the inner lives of five great scholars of religion and their own engagement with the homoerotic themes in the saints and traditions they studied. Kripal also continues his own autobiographical experience with five “secret talks” interspersed with his five case studies.
Kali’s Child
In part 2 of this series, Host Michael Lerner talks with author and professor Jeffrey Kripal about his book Kali’s Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna. This was a revised version of his PhD dissertation at the University of Chicago. It was greeted with acclaim in the West and with vitriol by Hindu fundamentalists. It begins Kripal’s long study of homoerotic themes in world religions.
The Secret Body
In this series, Author and Professor Jeffrey J. Kripal talks with Host Michael Lerner about his body of work—more than 13 groundbreaking books about the mystical and the erotic, the relationship of mind and matter, and parapsychological phenomena.