The Christian Mysticism Podcast
Episodes
St. John Bosco: The dreaming mystic
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
St. John Bosco (1815–1888) was a mystic who received visions in his dreams so vivid they shaped the future of souls and nations. From prophetic enco...
Thomas Merton: A controversial mystic
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk, bestselling author, and mystic whose life bridged cloistered silence and global controversy. From a r...
Anne Catherine Emmerich: A visionary mystic
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) was an Augustinian Canoness born in Flamschen bei Coesfeld, Westphalia, in northwest Germany in 1774. One of nine ...
Essential Books on Christian Mysticism
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After many requests, Dr. Carlos Eire shares a reading list with our listeners.Great classic introductions:Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism: A foundat...
Emanuel Swedenborg: A most unusual mystic
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian who, in his midlife, became a Christian mystic and visionary after...
Relics and Mysticism
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is the connection between relics and mysticism? In this episode, we look at how relics have played an important role throughout church history, i...
Fr. Thomas Keating: Centering Prayer
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Father Thomas Keating (1923 – 2018) was an American Trappist monk who took the form of prayer used by Christian mystics over the past centuries and ...
St. Gertrude of Helfta: Constant contact with the Divine
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
St. Gertrude of Helfta (1256–1302) was a 13th century German nun who enjoyed constant contact with the divine through her mystical experiences. Know...
Mystical Visions
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mystics can experience mystical visions that give them insight into the spiritual realm and that can bring messages from God. Whether they are visions...
Mystical Apparitions
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For many Christian mystics who live holy lives of prayer and dedication, visions of heavenly beings are not out of the ordinary. However, heavenly vis...
Madame Guyon: A mystic for Catholics and Protestants
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born at the end of the 30-Year’s War, the worst bloodbath ever in Christian history, with Protestants and Catholics killing each other, involving mo...
The persecution of mystics
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why do so many mystics endure investigations, persecutions, and even imprisonment and execution? Mystics are always a potential challenge to church an...
St. Thérèse of Lisieux: The anti-mystic mystic
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) was a French Carmelite nun and a Doctor of the Church. She is known for her autobiography, Story of a Soul, whi...
Love in Christian Mysticism
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Love is an absolutely essential component of Christian mysticism. It is the driving force as well as the ultimate goal: to know God and to love God. B...
Mysticism and the embrace of pain and suffering
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pain and suffering is part of every mystical journey and throughout history, Christian mystics have embraced it. The classic path to mysticism can be ...
St. Faustyna Kowalska: The Secretary of Divine Mercy
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM (1905 – 1938) was a Polish Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna had apparitions of J...
The Bible and Mysticism: Part 2 - The New Testament
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In ou...
The Bible and Mysticism Part 1: The Old Testament
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In th...
Mysticism and madness
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is the human brain the source of mystical experience? You may be surprised to learn scientists have been able to map the part of the brain that become...
St. Gemma Galgani: The suffering mystic
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
St. Gemma Galgani (March 12, 1878 -- April 11, 1903) was a “Daughter of the Passion” and lived a short life of intense veneration and imitation of...
Mysticism and exorcism
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss the intersection between Christian mysticism and the phenomena of demonic possession and exorcism.If you would like to ord...
St. Padre Pio: The modern-day mystic
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
St. Padre Pio (1887-1968) was a 20th century ecstatic mystic, much like the mystics from the early age. A healer who was obviously influenced by St. F...
Evelyn Underhill: A pioneer in the modern study of mysticism
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Evelyn Underhill (1875 - 1941) was an Anglican and a pioneer in the modern study of mysticism who brought the teachings and writings of early Church m...
St. Martin de Porres: Living a mystical life without explaining it
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
St. Martín de Porres (1579-1639) was a Peruvian mystic, the son of a freed black slave and a Spanish nobleman, who despite the discrimination he suff...
St. Ignatius of Loyola: The nobleman and soldier who became a mystic
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Born in 1491, St. Ignatius of Loyola was a nobleman who wanted to be a soldier, but a serious injury took him off the battlefield and led to an unexpe...
St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi: The dramatic mystic
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Born in 1566 to one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Florence, St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi joined the convent at the age of 16 and so...
The Imitation of Christ: The mystic's handbook
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Written in the 15th century around the same time as the invention of the printing press, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis was printed in sev...
St. Gregory of Nyssa: The father of mysticism
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
St. Gregory of Nyssa was a 4th century Bishop who is highly revered by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in the west. His take ...
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was a 17th century French nun who experienced mystical visions with Jesus, where He revealed to her His Sacred Heart and ...
Mother Ivonne-Aimée: Battling demons and Nazis
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Augustinian nun Marie Yvonne-Aimée de Jésus Beauvais, also known as Mother Yvonne-Aimée de Malestroit, was born in 1901 and died in 1951. A true 20...
Near Death Experiences and Mysticism
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the phenomenon of a Near Death Experience? Is there a connection with mysticism? In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire explores the visions experie...
A Mystical Christmas
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For children, Christmas is full of mystery and mysticism. But many of the Christmas symbols we all enjoy today also have their origins in Christian my...
St. Anthony of the Desert: The father of monasticism
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Anthony of the Desert (251 -- 356 AD) was one of the first Christian hermits whose mystical ecstasies had him struggling with demons and eventuall...
St. Joseph of Cupertino: The extreme levitator
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Although older, St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603 - 1663) was a contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton, but St. Joseph never cared to obey the law of gravity. K...
They Flew: A history of the impossible
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire talks about his new book, They Flew: A History of the Impossible. The book explores the seemingly impossible physical...
Mystical Heresy: The Troublesome Dimension of Mysticism
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Given Christianity's 2,000-year history, the number of mystical heretics is relatively small, but occasionally they pop up. Throughout history, there ...
St. Catherine of Genoa: Purgatory and the Afterlife
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, 1447 – 1510) experienced mystical raptures that gave her profound insights on purgatory and the aft...
St. Catherine of Siena: The Affective Mysic
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Catherine of Siena was a 14th century Dominican nun and affective mystic who was very focused on love and the salvific dimension of Christ’s suf...
St. Hildegard of Bingen: The Visionary Mystic
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century German nun and mystic who eventually was canonized and given the title of doctor of the church by Pope Bene...
St. John of the Cross: The poetic and scientific mystic
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
16th century mystic St. John of the Cross was a very complex man who had a difficult life. However, his moving poetry and scientific detailed accounts...
Protestant Mysticism: Is there such a thing?
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century not only changed how Christians viewed the Church, but also how they viewed mysticism. In this episode,...
The Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda: The Lady in Blue
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda was a 17th century Franciscan Conceptionist nun whose life was filled with mystical ecstasies and revelations. ...
St. Francis of Assisi: The Nature Mystic
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Francis of Assisi was the first Christian mystic to manifest the Stigmata, and he went on to experience almost every other mystic physical phenome...
The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire discusses the physical phenomena exhibited by mystics from both past and current history. From cataleptic ecstasies, ...
St. Teresa of Avila: Part 2
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Few Christian mystics wrote so much about their divine encounters with God and provided as much rich detail as St. Teresa of Avila. The Spanish saint ...
St. Teresa of Avila: Part 1
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
St. Teresa of Avila led an incredible life that some would say was as amazing as her mystical encounters with God. In the first part of this two-part ...
Julian of Norwich
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Julian of Norwich was a 14th-century English hermit nun whose extreme dedication to God led to her having intense visions of Christ. Julian wrote exte...
Meister Eckhart
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meister Eckhart was a unique mystic who believed the spark of the divine existed inside every person and God was found within oneself, not outside one...
Hesychasts and The Cloud of Unknowing
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hesychasts in the Eastern Orthodox churches and The Cloud of Unknowing from the western church both hold up mystical prayer as a pathway to the sp...
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Carlos Eire takes us through the history of 12th century mystic St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a mystic theologian and Cistercian reformer who had incr...
Monasticism: The struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we learn about monasticism and how the monastic lifestyle of unceasing prayer and extreme denialism in a fight against the world, the ...
St. Augustine: The Prince of Mystics
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Born in 354 A.D., St. Augustine was a convert to Christianity who went on to become the Bishop of Hippo. His search for the Truth and God led him on a...
What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unhappy with the influence of Greek philosophy on Christianity, third-century Christian author Tertullian once asked, "What does Athens have to do wit...
The Origins of Christian Mysticism
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Christian Mysticism Podcast, Dr. Carlos Eire discusses the origins of Christian mysticism, from its roots in Jewish tradition t...
What is mysticism?
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode of the Christian Mysticism Podcast, Dr. Carlos Eire defines what is mysticism and explains what traits makes a person a mystic. I...
Coming Soon! The Christian Mysticism Podcast
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing the Christian Mysticism Podcast with your hosts Alberto de la Cruz and Dr. Carlos Eire, Religious History Professor at Yale University, co...