Protestant Mysticism during the sixteenth century and consciousness in the West was beginning to turn back on itself in a heightened way. People had a sense of the individual self that resembled a pressure-cooker, often feeling alienated from God altogether. Individuals worried excessively about their eternal destiny and desperately needed to find assurance and escape from the oppressive claustrophobia of the separate self. The development of Protestant mysticism was the result.
In this mini-retreat, we will explore how union with God was practiced in the new context of ultra-individuality. We’ll examine the mystical side of Martin Luther, the Calvinist turn toward Nature as a place to find God, the Quaker path of silent meetings, and spiritual social work as sources for divine union (with special attention given to the teachings of the mystic Howard Thurman), and the Shaker ability to find God in exquisite craftsmanship. Stephen will also give attention to the ‘Invisible Church’ experience of the mystical wing of the Anabaptists and the spiritual theology of Lutheran mystic Jacob Boehme.
For the past three decades, Stephen Hatch has experimented with living as a “Worldly Monk,” with a family, a business, and a daily rule of silence, solitude, meditation, and hiking in nearby wild places. He has a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Colorado State University and an M.A. from Iliff School of Theology, where he specialized in Medieval Mysticism. Stephen is an adjunct professor at Naropa University, where he teaches Contemplative Christianity. He taught at The Center for Contemplative Living during the mid-90s and trained with Father Thomas Keating in Centering Prayer in the mid-80s. Currently, he spends a lot of time doing landscape photography, linking it to his work in Wilderness Mysticism. He is the author of the book: “The Contemplative John Muir.” Stephen grew up as an evangelical Christian. His mother’s family members were prominent Pennsylvania Quakers.
