William Blake: the Christian Mystic who speaks to us now

In this talk, Mark Vernon will endeavour to follow the golden string that Blake said he places in our hands and which leads to heaven’s gate, built in Jerusalem’s wall. Blake is one of the most important post-reformation mystics, in Vernon’s view, as well as a figure with a penetrating mind who enjoyed everyday encounters with spiritual beings like angels. His vivid writings, arresting artworks and fascinating life lead us to what he called Jesus the imagination and pathways to Eternity - a worldview formed in a tumultuous era of war, discontent, rapid technological change, and human estrangement from nature.

Dr Mark Vernon is a London-based psychotherapist, writer and former Anglican priest. A keen podcaster and a columnist with The Idler, he speaks regularly at festivals and on the BBC. He has a PhD in Philosophy, and degrees in Theology and Physics. His new book is Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination, and his previous book topics include Dante, Plato and Christianity.