EPISODE · Jul 1, 2026 · 1H 59M
"God, Rid Me of God": Celtic Spirituality, Bede Griffiths, and the Cosmic Christ | David Cassian Cole
from The Spiritual Context Podcast · host Bishal Karna
A mystical experience at nineteen changed David Cassian Cole's life forever — setting him on a journey through Celtic spirituality, Christian mysticism, Eastern Orthodox hesychasm, twenty years inside a dispersed new monastic order, and now the teaching of Fr. Bede Griffiths and a recontextualization of Christianity through the Upanishads. David's is a life devoted to truth, wherever it leads.We talk about the Cosmic Christ, panentheism and the sacredness of nature, the Jesus Prayer and Sanskrit mantra, suffering and spiritual dryness, and what it means, in his words, to "release the divine from all of our concepts."David Cassian Cole is the founder of Waymark Ministries and author of The Celtic Year, Celtic Prayers & Practices, The Mystic Path of Meditation, and The Art of Peace: Life Lessons from Christian Mystics. Visit: www.waymarkministries.orgChapters00:10 The Mystical Experience: Encountering the Cosmic Christ11:58 Living in the Mystery, Not in the Knowing15:48 Celtic Spirituality: Seeing and Experiencing the Divine in and through Nature21:27 Understandings of Nature: Reductionist, Pantheism, & Panentheism27:53 New Monasticism: A Structure for Spiritual Freedom33:29 New Monastic Vows: Simplicity, Purity, and Obedience38:05 Rhythms of Spiritual Practice44:15 Created to Be in Community: Individuation & Belonging48:10 Bede Griffiths and Christianity Through an Upanishadic Lens54:01 Devotion to Truth Over Tradition59:29 Bede Griffiths as Guru: The Marriage of East and West01:06:07 Shantivanam Ashram & Sanskrit Hymns and Chants01:10:31 The Jesus Prayer and Hesychasm01:14:39 Recontextualizing Sin as Deviation or False Belief01:18:44 Living from Higher Consciousness01:22:16 "God, rid me of God": Mystical Experience and Understanding of God01:28:57 Any Experience of Love is a Divine Experience01:31:30 Spirituality in Family Life01:36:12 Acceptance, Compassionate Response, and Suffering as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth01:42:44 Dry Periods as Periods of Spiritual Transition01:46:23 "Words Aren't Always Necessary When You Are Praying"01:47:16 Balance between Action and Surrender01:53:36 Waymark Ministries, Forest Church, and Community EngagementMusic for this episode by Benjamin Bigelow
What this episode covers
A mystical experience at nineteen changed David Cassian Cole's life forever — setting him on a journey through Celtic spirituality, Christian mysticism, Eastern Orthodox hesychasm, twenty years inside a dispersed new monastic order, and now the teaching of Fr. Bede Griffiths and a recontextualization of Christianity through the Upanishads. David's is a life devoted to truth, wherever it leads.We talk about the Cosmic Christ, panentheism and the sacredness of nature, the Jesus Prayer and Sanskrit mantra, suffering and spiritual dryness, and what it means, in his words, to "release the divine from all of our concepts."David Cassian Cole is the founder of Waymark Ministries and author of The Celtic Year, Celtic Prayers & Practices, The Mystic Path of Meditation, and The Art of Peace: Life Lessons from Christian Mystics. Visit: www.waymarkministries.orgChapters00:10 The Mystical Experience: Encountering the Cosmic Christ11:58 Living in the Mystery, Not in the Knowing15:48 Celtic Spirituality: Seeing and Experiencing the Divine in and through Nature21:27 Understandings of Nature: Reductionist, Pantheism, & Panentheism27:53 New Monasticism: A Structure for Spiritual Freedom33:29 New Monastic Vows: Simplicity, Purity, and Obedience38:05 Rhythms of Spiritual Practice44:15 Created to Be in Community: Individuation & Belonging48:10 Bede Griffiths and Christianity Through an Upanishadic Lens54:01 Devotion to Truth Over Tradition59:29 Bede Griffiths as Guru: The Marriage of East and West01:06:07 Shantivanam Ashram & Sanskrit Hymns and Chants01:10:31 The Jesus Prayer and Hesychasm01:14:39 Recontextualizing Sin as Deviation or False Belief01:18:44 Living from Higher Consciousness01:22:16 "God, rid me of God": Mystical Experience and Understanding of God01:28:57 Any Experience of Love is a Divine Experience01:31:30 Spirituality in Family Life01:36:12 Acceptance, Compassionate Response, and Suffering as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth01:42:44 Dry Periods as Periods of Spiritual Transition01:46:23 "Words Aren't Always Necessary When You Are Praying"01:47:16 Balance between Action and Surrender01:53:36 Waymark Ministries, Forest Church, and Community EngagementMusic for this episode by Benjamin Bigelow
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"God, Rid Me of God": Celtic Spirituality, Bede Griffiths, and the Cosmic Christ | David Cassian Cole
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