JAMES FINLEY on Mysticism, Psychedelic Drugs, Transgender people, Thomas Merton and Richard Rohr
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- Description:
An in-depth interview with James Finley (Host of 'Turning to the Mystics', teacher at the Centre for Action and Contemplation).
For a transcript & more go to: www.whatiwannaknow.com/james-finley/
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Defining his ideology
2:40 - Unpacking Mystical Experiences & the power of meditation
11:34 - "Being Born Again"
13:37 - Finley describes a mystical experience he had
16:52 - Physical manifestation of mystical experiences
18:04 - Are psychedelic drugs spiritual?
22:56 - Mystical Sobriety
25:04 - Was Jesus Christ a mystic?
27:16 - Was Jesus the greatest mystic?
32:31 - Do Christians often misinterpret Jesus' teachings?
36:54 - Thomas Merton's radical interfaith
39:48 - Did the CIA kill Thomas Merton?
41:45 - How do you know if you're called to be a mystic?
46:38 - How to avoid trappings of fame as a famous mystic
50:24 - An enlightened asshole?
52:15 - Seeking mysticism to combat trauma
57:08 - Why do so few people turn trauma into triumph?
1:00:54 - Origins of evil and making sense of mass tragedies
1:09:00 - Should we abolish the Papacy?
1:12:27 - Transgenderism
1:15:22 - Gender pronouns for God
1:17:55 - Influence and legacy of Richard Rohr
1:22:02 - Finleys' response to atheists
1:24:03 - Is God really real? 
Видеоклипы
Thank you so much for this beautiful, enlightening talk. Jus the tone of James Finley's voice seems to soothe my troubled soul.
My first time on this channel, it’s been a gift to experience James Finley. The interview was sublime. The interviewer made it possible. You asked relatable, timely, authentic, and timeless questions and are smart enough to let James shine without chiming over him. This made you shine. It was a luminous interview. Thank you to both of you.
Ryan - I have admired James Finley for many years (he changed my view of spirituality and God). This was one of the BEST interviews I’ve ever seen with him. You are quite the interviewer and such an authentic, genuine soul & seeker! Oh how I wish I had one/100th of your wisdom and curiosity at such a young age. If I had a person I’d like to meet in this life - it’s James Finley. Kudos! He’s such a special presence and a living,breathing mystic.
The heart recognizes the presence of love, truth and beauty shining forth. The rational mind can only bow. Thank you for this nourishing interview.
What a beautiful gift this is, Ryan. Thank you for obeying the call, the imperative of your awakening heart. This is a very special interaction between you and Jim, and we listeners are blessed by it. You are planting seeds for contemplative hearts that will, in turn, impact many others in positive ways.
Keep going, keep shining the light, brother. 🙌💕🦋🌟
Best interview with Finley I have seen so far. Great questions.
What an incredible treasure Jim Finley is.
He sure is!!!
Ryan, this is the first time I’ve watched you. Because of your honest and earnest desire to understand mysticism, you gave us an amazing gift. This is a wonderful exchange. Blessings 🙏
Thanks Ryan, we're so blessed to have Jim, thanks for sharing his wisdom more widely x
Wow Ryan, I don’t think I can add anything to the wonderful words that people have written about your fantastic interview with Jim. Your contribution melded with Jim’s contribution created such a mystical community that is a gift to all of us, and together we are all enriched and encouraged as we walk this path. Thank you so much, and God’s blessings on you and your journey 🙏
I am a big James Finley fan, yet your interview revealed parts of him I have never seen or heard before! Keep following the call! Your courage and authenticity resonate!! Blessings on your journey; this is just the beginning!
Thank you Ryan you seem to have found your purpose. I live in Australia and
you are giving me the opportunity to hear from this amazing being. Definitely another mystic on the planet . Please talk with Richard too when he is well enough. I send love and blessings for your ministry.
I have listed to many interviews of J.F. but this was one of the very best ever ~!~ - what profound & interesting Q's ~!~ Bravo
Thank you Ryan !
This video is a blessing in my life! Thank you🙏🏻
Thank you so much Jim; for your humanity and unaffected insights, understanding of the rich mystical tradition..interpretation (demystification!) of Merton's legacy etc - you have prized open the door to 'the Palace of Nowhere' for many of us ...and enriched our lives by making a whole tradition accessible.
This stirs my own waking thoughts. Thank you both.
This has (apart from entheogens & gender - about which Finley said up front that he knew very little) been, for me, the most inspiring, deeply spiritual interview I've had the great privilege of watching. Finley's 2hr 15min video "Becoming a Healing Presence in a Traumatized World" is another treasure. Blessings.
Thank you very much Ryan. I too greatly receive the beauty and insights and deep compassion and wisdom of James Finley. I agree with others you asked wonderful questions that are in many peoples' hearts and I am so glad you added the post-script because as the video was working towards a conclusion I thought to myself one of the beautiful aspects of it was the way you allowed yourself to be both deeply touched and deeply challenged by James' wisdom and responses. It was like you allowed us to witness some of your own' journey of awakening heart' as Finley so beautifully called it. May you continue to pilgrim courageously on this journey.
Thank you ALL for making this available in my life!!🙏
A further reflection on this vid:
I have seen James give formal presentations but it was great to see him informally and relaxed at home... a better flavor of who he is.
To me he was so saturated in presence. Less a case of what he believes and more about what he knows and is. I say this not to idolize or divinize him. He is an inspiring signpost along the way.
You asked him some great questions. Lots of gems in there. Thanks so much.
This was epic!
Your questions were wonderful and you did a great job to make the conversation very engaging and covered what can be some very uncomfortable ground
A wonderful conversation. Thank you for making it available.
Thank you for the interview, I enjoyed listening to it.
Thank you Ryan. An amazing interview. I love the breadth of the questions. Some challenging topics but such enlightening discussions.
The real way to understand Christianity is to listen to a holy Christian. Thanks Ryan. This interview is a genuine blessing.
No, the way to understand Christianity is to learn about Christianity and it's origins and listen to tge world renowned Bible scholars like Bart Erhman who aren't Christians but are atheists because then they don't inject their bias into their theology.
Most Christians don't seem to know much about their own holy book. There are so many problems there are so many problems with it, like there are no eye witness accounts to anything in the gospels and they were written 40 years after Jesus death by anonymous authors
ugh this is so good... thank you. I'm trans btw, and I hear the call myself. I think being trans is a part of my spirituality ❤
If God transcends gender, then I reflect that nature of God. I think that it's really telling of where our society is that we exclude gender-expansive people, when in many cultures around the wold, gender non-conforming people were considered to be deeply spiritual. It's sad to see trans people get excluded from faith practice when we have so much to teach everyone about bodies, transformation, and radical honesty in the face of actual danger. ❤️
I think that ability to speak the truth about ourselves in love is a deeply spiritual act. It accepts reality for it's fullness, and then asks us the harder question, "how then shall I live?" Whether or not being trans is a choice is completely beside the question in my mind. To me, being trans is a great mystery, and I simply don't understand why I'm trans. Was I was always this way, or did something chang in me one day? I don't know.
I do know that it has made me see life more wholly ever since coming out. In other words, I can stand in the gate between the masculine and feminine, and, by being the other for the last half of my life, transcend both, and, not just see both sides of sexism, but experience it. Being trans isn't just an expression of who I am; it's also an expression of non-dualism!
I think this interview might make a good introduction to the schism of Catholic mysticism for my friends & family.
That covered so much spiritual terrain. So much to unpack. Loved it all.
Keep having these conversations. ❤
This was an absolutely amazing interview! This IS your path! Do more interviews with contemporary spiritual thought leaders!!!! Do THIS MORE!
Wonderful interview, thank you for posting this Ryan.
What an amazing dialogue between the 2 of you. Thank you very much for communication of wisdom & understanding. God Bless
Wow! Thank you Ryan for having Jim and for asking the questions I’ve always been wondering about. Please share more RUclipss on this topic
Beautiful. What we all need today. ‘Be still and know that I am God.’
Many years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a retreat in the course of which Dr. Finley gave talks.
Jan 21, 2024 Thank you so much Ryan on this day I needed to hear this hope, this love, this understanding, you are truly a gifted interviewer, and I love that Jim Finley thanked you for all your viewers
This was one of the best interviews …..thank you so much 🩵💙🩵💙🩵
Wonderful interview, beautiful man. Thank you so much for this inspiration.
Thank you so much🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 for this space. Such a beautiful and insightful moment. 🕊️
Faaaaaantastic! A great surprise to listen to. Thank you.
Ryan, excellent interview! Please share more RUclipss on this topic
Great questions Ryan- very genuine and I learned alot. Be blessed. Keep going!
wonderful listen ! thank you
This is Your Call 🙏
I've long said that society is in the middle of a great change. Change is always difficult.
Wonderful interview🙏🏽💚 Deep bow to you both!
Hey Ryan, what James said is right and true, the work you’re doing here is your call…..keep going cause I already know a beautiful young man who will be blessed and encouraged by this podcast because you are making it accessibility to him and his/your generation who are currently going though big changes, just keep going
My understanding has lead me to know that this is achieved through surrender. That is the difficulty because there is nothing we can “do”. My mind wants to help so bad but the moment “I” gets close it steps back fearing the ego death.
Ryan thank you for following your call. Illuminating show.
" be grounded & face their lives"
Great discussion! Thank you for doing this.
James Finley is a true mystic.
Amazing!
Christ is coming back for a pure and spotless Bride. God so loved the world that He gave Himself to be sacrificed for us to be able to experience His Divine mystical Love. It wasn’t nails that held Jesus to the Cross but His love and His cross is the Threshold we cross over into that made the way for us to be One with Him. Hallelujah no greater love than this! ❤
i know that i am
i exist because of Creation
i know by Its Beauty that All of Creation is Sacred
i witness the beauty that humans create
i witness the kindness and compassion that humans create
i witness the unspeakable horrors that humans create
my survival after death is not important
every day i offer up my witness
to The'First'Cause'Creator - to The'Unknowable'Unknown
through prayer and meditation
Really interesting. But at the same time a reminder to stick to talking about what you actually know and have experience of. The parts about psychedelics are obviously lacking in knowledge, to the point that one wonders why it is even in there.
Yep
✨be here now do no harm help others be still close eyes listen to your breathing✨
thank you very good questions may I comment about any drugs to open to the mystic union Even thhe psycedelic guru Terrance Mckinna admited that drugs could not give holiness to any one The mystics speak of the way of purgation and suffering as as part of the Royal road not selfish seeking for enlightenment .there must be growth to heaven not
'storming" by any substance they may show a window but they are never the door
How do you know when you are called to be a Mystic? You will know when you can't escape it
Excellent interview! Great job.
In listening to James Finley we can find the secret of life.
Great chat, thanks Ryan and Jim! I wonder if anyone knows where the Merton saying comes from about there being certain things you have to accept or you'll go crazy (at 1:25:34)? Could be in a book or could have been direct to Jim from Merton himself...
Top of page 4: cac.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/TTTM_Transcript_TMS7.pdf
Thank you.
How do you understand the resurrection, in which people regularly encounter the resurrected Christ? For me it is unique to Christianity.
Thank you!
The meditation you mentioned is a very nice idea, but it is far removed from Psalms. The Hebrew written by King David does not saying related to the meditation you shared. It's a very nice, possibly powerful, meditation, but it is not from the Psalms King David wrote.
I believe in God the God of Abraham, Mozes, and I am a follower of Jezus Christ Son of God, our Lord. Mister Finley conveys his concern about the word of God as given to us through the Holy Bible. Are these concerns about how Finley found a couple of topics where mr. Finley, had he been given the chance, would have outperformed our Creator. This concerns me somewhat, as you might imagine.
How do you understand the justice of God? I ask because traditional atonement theory doesn't satisfy. Is there a way we must also be accountable?
For a long time I am a big "fan" of James Finley and his writings and talks. So joyful that finally after 17 years he as written a new book "The Healing Path". All an all this talk with Ryan Kohls is great and insightful and Finley shows his strengths as a contemplative teacher. However he should have turned down the questions about Psychedelic Drugs and especially Transgenderism. He answer to the later is far too short for such controversial issue and he does not reflect on the complex and challenging aspects. But I can highly recommend his books on talk on Contemplation and the Mystics and he remains an expert on Thomas Merton.
I am wondering how you integrate academics with your religious convictions - or is that pretty seamless? Do you think maybe some of the biblical writings had some influence from the “ burning bush”?? Here’s something interesting James Finley, my brothers name was James Finley, my fathers name was James (Wait) Finley, we are from county Cork Ireland , do you know where your Finley shade comes from? I would love to have the chance to
Speak to you on the phone . You at e psychologist? I have insane amounts of trauma that I can’t seem to resolve or “ fix” I seem to have very bad sensory issues. I’ve recently lost my right leg and well, this hasn’t helped
Thanks for the great interview- Finley's expertise is clearly mysticism- clearly a wisdom elder in these matters. However, he had nothing to contribute to the conversation around Psychedelics or Transgenderism... putting those things in the title was misleading.
God is the creator of gender and we should be all heading towards mystics
An you still must move on..
?
Trying to give mystics a hierarchy is rather anathema to the unitive way of God .God is happening at our nonplanning level.
you asked him how he would describe transcending, to those of us who don't understand what it is and haven't experienced it?
his response was: ''well first let me tell you how we do it''
No no no no sorry mate but that's ridiculous, what good or use is it telling me how you do a thing, before telling us what the thing actually is? we need definitions otherwise you're just talking past each other. Although, this doesn't surprise me from a ''spiritual'' ''new age'' type individual as they hold numerous fallacious beliefs. I just care about what's true.
With marijuana in my experience, on regular basis, less is more. 10 milligrams is more than enough. More than that makes me sloppy.
✨🤍🤍
Oddly enough, my relationship with God began with disillusionment with God and my country. I was raised Catholic but never truly believed, so when puberty began and I realized that I was attracted to men my family left the church. This was also around 2008, when Obama was first running for office and the topic of LGBT rights was being argued in the political theater yet again. My atheism and disdain for American politics allowed me to study other cultures and their religions, which fostered a deeper respect for others and their beliefs. As a teenager I dabbled in Wicca (it was cool at the time in LGBT circles lol), which reawakened my spiritual side and set me on the path I am today. I fell out of that rather quickly, as very little in it spoke to me personally, though I still keep the Wiccan Sabbaths as I have always been a bit of a Naturalist. I was really amazed to discover the works of Merton and Rohr, their thoughts on recognizing the Spirit in an interfaith capacity and Gods eternal connection with every one and every thing in Creation spoke to me on such a personal level. I really do believe this change in thinking for the "new era" as you put it will revitalize the church and help evolve humanity's consciousness. I've been thinking a lot about organized religion for a while now, and have found a local Progressive Methodist Church (sorry Catholics) which I'm interested in attending. I think that while we don't share every belief, it seems like a pleasant community which is dedicated to being a force for good in my area.
Fall in love with Jesus, Christ alone and God’s Word. We are to have no other lovers or substitutes. He is above all else. Read The book of the Ephesians, Colossians the Gospel of John. Christ is the expressed manifestation of the Trinity. Christ and the Father are One. Jesus said If you have seen me you have seen the Father. Jesus said I alone AM the Way the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but through Me. And “God has given me power and authority over all the power of the enemy”
T S Elliott said “Christ is the still point of a turning world.” Drugs of any kind especially marijuana and psychedelic drugs taps into the Penial gland which opens the mind to the second heavens the demonic realm. It summons “powers” to oneself as Finley just quoted it is magic or is of the occult. The occult uses drugs in their rituals. The Bible says the occult is an abomination to God. God is pure and nothing is to be used to mechanically alter our experience with God. Nothing in the Bible says to use mind altering substances. Those are idols. Kabala is Jewish occultism. You can’t contaminate Christianity with other beliefs. I suggest reading Madam Jeanne Guyon’s The Song of the Bride 15 th century mystic.
James does say at one stage( re transgender) what does he know. He then demonstrates lack of knowledge by saying someone had a sec change. You can't change sex , you change gender.
Do the homework before you speak please. Rest was quite good.
There is no 'enlightenment' as all these senile gilded caged birds prove.
that is a real an enlightened sentence ...meaning you must know everything to state such a thing😘
@@davidferrington7588 I don't know everything it's your 'enlightened' that act like they do.
Dear Lord Jezus thank You for all the blessings You bestow on me every day. Please forgive me my sins for which I repent. Thank You for Your unending love and the promise You made to save us from judgement through faith in You. I pray for the souls of the people who are straying away from the Word of God; who believe that they themselves are a god, or can become a god through spiritual practices that are not taught through Your word as we find it in the holy Bible. You alone are God almighty. Please open their eyes so that they may see clearly, open their ears so they may hear. Please take all confusion away from them so they can understand clearly the error of their ways. This I pray in the name of Jezus, amen.
Hahahahaha I love this comment!!
james finley using Thomas Merton to turn a profit. shame on him
He washed out at Gethsemani after seven years, he is a nut.