Perennial Philosophy (Sawyer) Discussion Group

Third Sunday of the Month from 10 AM to 12 PM via Zoom

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82082611967?pwd=U3BLTEIwejZTV25FcUlTZzc4SStGQT09 In this discussion group, we’ll explore the perennial philosophy through Dana Sawyer’s “The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded”.

Dana unpacks the philosophy-spirituality of Huxley, Watts, and Ram Dass as well as contemporaries, including Mirabai Starr and Richard Rohr, revealing why this mystical understanding of our world is called “perennial.” During the 1960s and 70s, the “Perennial Philosophy” was the most popular theory regarding what the world’s mystical traditions held in common, and it was touted as the best platform for understanding the nature of human consciousness, including how to expand it therapeutically with meditation, yoga, and psychedelic drugs. The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded corrects several common errors in understanding the perennial philosophy while providing a short, up-to-date overview of the general perspective. The result is a demonstration of how the perennial philosophy applies to all who are interested in self-realization.

Dana Sawyer is professor emeritus of philosophy and world religions at the Maine College of Art and author of biographies of both Aldous Huxley and Huston Smith. His primary expertise is in Hinduism and Buddhism and for more than twenty years, his work has focused on comparative mysticism, theories of the “perennial philosophy,” and the value of psychedelic experiences in the study of mysticism.

Jeffrey Pinnette is the facilitator for this discussion group. He is a long-term Jung Center member and current serves on the Center’s Program Committee chair. He lives in Topsham.

The group will meet three times to discuss The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded and there is a reading assignment for each session as summarized below. However, it is not necessary to have completed the reading to attend. During each session, we will read passages from the reading assignment together and discuss.

Hi All, I recall Jeff mentioned a couple of books that might be coming after Pregnant Darkness....One being Neumann's Depth Psychology and a New Ethic, but there was another one am forgetting the name of it - can someone share? Thanks, Whit