Bringing neighbours together in celebration and worship
Women Mystics Series
In 2021, Community Interfaith Educator, Harold Rosen, led us in a “Women Mystics Throughout the Ages” study series.
Each month, we explored the lives, insights, and deeds of 10 outstanding women of history. Their spiritual radiance, intellectual brilliance, and moral courage overcame the barriers of their patriarchal cultures. They were provocative and influential reformers who could not be ignored or overlooked. Two were martyred, each wrote and spoke with power and eloquence, and in due course, all were officially or unofficially beatified. They shared a mystical, visionary and futuristic bent, but also had significant social impact in their own turbulent times. Their lives span over 2500 years, and range from the West to the Middle East to India We discussed their relevance to current religious, social, and spiritual issues.
The schedule was, as follows:
Session 1 – Introduction and Srimala, Indian Buddhist queen (c 500 BCE). You can watch the recording here.
Session 2 – Hypatia, Alexandrian Greek philosopher-scientist and martyr (c 400 CE). You can watch the recording here.
Session 3 – Rabia, Iraqi Islamic Sufi poet-teacher-counselor (c 750). You can watch the recording here.
Session 4 – Hildegard of Bingen, German Christian abbess-theologian (c 1150). You can watch the recording here.
Session 5 – Julian of Norwich, English Christian anchoress-writer (c 1400). You can watch the recording here.
Session 6 – Mirabai of Rajasthan, Indian Hindu poet-reformer (c 1530). You can watch the recording here.
Session 7 – Teresa of Avila, Spanish Christian monastic reformer (c 1560). You can watch the recording here.
Session 8 – Tahirih of Persia, Perisan Baha’i visionary-martyr (c 1850). You can watch the recording here.
Session 9 – Mirra Alfassa of Pondicherry, Indian visionary ashram-founder (c 1930). You can watch the recording here.
Session 10 – Review and Barbara Marx Hubbard, American futurist-visionary (c 1980). You can watch the recording here.
