Mystablogical miscellanea
Select texts for new subscribers
Greetings from Tokyo, where the birds are just returning to find refuge in the nascent blossoms, among them the little mejiro:
One white-eye shoots green
Afoot the fort of shipping crates.
Rust and song conspire
Against a salt-grey sky.
I am delighted to welcome many new readers to Catechetical Mystablogy this month. For some of you, this will be your first email from me. Thank you for inviting me into the dizzying plethora that no doubt clogs your inbox as it does mine.
For the sake of relatively new readers, I thought a brief survey of some older posts might be helpful, and hope that this short list might help you navigate my sundry scribblings.
Scripture
Scripture is my start point, aided by the Fathers and the Platonic tradition in the broadest sense. This first essay on Wisdom starts from Proverbs 8 and builds up the picture, followed by a much more detailed zoom-in on the figure of the Forerunner, St John the Baptist.
Dionysius
After Scripture, the single greatest influence on my thought and spirituality is the work of Dionysius the Areopagite. This commentary is the beginning of a longer (and as yet incomplete) reading of his Mystical Theology, the summation of his work:
Sacramental Metaphysics
Dionysius’ liturgical view of the cosmos inspires my understanding of God’s self-manifestation in the world, and the Church’s priestly and kingly vocation of reconciliation:
Spirituality
As a priest, I also try to give some more practical teaching on how to apply these lofty metaphysical ideals to the daily life of prayer:
Buddhism
Christian Platonism provides the foundation for my long-standing work on Buddhism, and especially the True Pure Land tradition:
Anglicanism
Readers may be forgiven for not realising that I am an Anglican, and an English one at that. If that doesn’t put you off, you may like to read some of my thoughts on monarchy and the Book of Common Prayer.
Finally, in preparation for Easter, here follows some thoughts on that great feast of the Light and its Platonic resonances:
I pray that at least some of these words may help you pursue a blessed Lent. If so, please do share them with others:
Yours in Christ
Fr Thomas Plant