Beshara Magazine

09/01/2024

We begin 2024 with a poem performed by the British poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, who died on 7th December at the age of 65. He has been referred to as ‘the people’s poet’ because of his extraordinary ability to connect with audiences of all ages and cultures.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/poem-by-benjamin-zephaniah/

There were many strings to his bow: he was also a musician, an actor, a novelist and playwright, an educator and a lifelong political activist. But it is his understanding of the humanity we all share, beyond any divisions of race or culture, which has prompted us to present this poem at the start of 2024.

‘You have to look beyond the face
to see the person true

Down within my inner space
I am the same as you;

I’ve counted since that fire burnt
the many lessons I have learnt

You have to talk to me and not
The skin that holds me in…’

Wishing you all the best for the coming year. May it bring peace and happiness to all.

21/12/2023

In this week’s article, Dr Eric Winkel talks with Jane Clark and Richard Gault about what the wisdom of the great 13th-century philosopher/mystic, Muhyidddin Ibn ʿArabi, can offer us in these troubled times.

https://besharamagazine.org/metaphysics-spirituality/the-vision-of-ibn-arabi-eric-winkel/

Ibn ʿArabi is one of the most important masters of wisdom within the Islamic spiritual tradition and is of particular relevance to Beshara Magazine because his vision is based on the principle of unity – the unity of being. In his many books and writings he explores the implications of this unitive perspective at every level of being, from the spiritual to the material.

He has been less well-known in the Western world than other Sufi thinkers such as his contemporary Jalāl al-dīn Rūmi – whose death day, coincidentally, is celebrated today, 17 December – but in recent decades there has been a revival of interest in his ideas, and a flourishing of publishing and new translation.

Dr Eric Winkel is currently involved in one of the most ambitious of these projects, bringing into English his massive master work, The Openings Revealed at Makkah (al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), which consists of more than 9,000 pages in the original Arabic text. He explains:

‘My first area of study, in which I got my PhD, was in political philosophy, so I am very familiar with what people in that sphere would say about our current crises. But what I have come to by studying Ibn ‘Arabi is that it is not helpful to look at societies or politics, or analyse the behaviour of groups of people and things like that, because in the end, everything is an individual spiritual problem or issue.

If you consider, say, racism and ask: Where does it come from? How does it perpetuate it and become normalised? Or you look at military violence and territorial domination, and ask: How is it initiated and maintained? How is it strengthened? The answer is that all these things come down to the actions of individuals [...] which means it comes from who we are and what our intentions are.’

We hope that you enjoy the article.

Dr Eric Winkel talks to Jane Clark and Richard Gault about what the wisdom of the great Islamic philosopher/mystic can offer us in these troubled time

19/12/2023

INTRODUCING TIGER WORK BY BEN OKRI

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/tiger-work-ben-okri/

While the magnitude of climate change may have grown in our collective consciousness, it seems we have not yet found a response around which we can galvanise. In this short article, Barbara Vellacott introduces – and reads – a poem by the poet and novelist Ben Okri, taken from his new book ‘Tiger Work’: Stories, essays and poems about climate change. She surveys the work of other contemporary poets who have tackled the theme of environmental destruction, such as Carol Anne Duffy, Simon Armitage and Jane Hirschfield, but concludes that…

‘In Ben Okri’s book, I find something that holds these various strands of responses with something more: a strong energising spirit – what Okri himself calls ‘a spirit of ferocity and beauty.’ '

It belongs to a higher order,
Composed of fire, mystery, dreams
An alternative route of evolution
Form and sign of a divine solution…’

Barbara Vellacott reads from and discusses a new book of stories, parables and poems about climate change

03/12/2023

This article on the Kogi Indians by Nick Hunt appeared in a recent edition of Aeon. Many readers will remember that we did a feature on them earlier this year, and this piece gives further insights into the work that these remarkable people are doing to heal the planet.

I tried to go to a sacred place atop a mountain. But there are some places we cannot go – and some things we cannot know

13/11/2023

New Seminar Series

We are delighted to announce an upcoming seminar which will tackle the theme of work as recently featured in the magazine. As Richard Gault explored in his recent review of James Suzman’s book, Work: A deep history, from the stone age to the age of robots, our relationship to work shapes much of our world and warrants conscious and critical exploration. He asks:

Click here for the article: https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/work-deep-history-james-suzman/

‘How has it come to this, that we only recognise work as something we get paid for; that we do not emphasise its vital role in serving our soul, and that so much of what we do is of dubious real value? … One answer is simply that we have never been encouraged to ask these questions…’

On December 3rd at 3pm, Richard will be leading an open discussion on the topic. This is the first in a series of events drawing on material published in the magazine and will be a chance to exchange and expand ideas on pertinent issues of our time. The seminar is free of charge but you will need to register, and numbers will be limited.

Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-by-james-suzman-a-discussion-tickets-746176302407?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

A chance to discuss the topic of Work as discussed by James Suzman in a book recently reviewed in the Beshara Magazine.

13/11/2023

The current world situation, with war raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, presents a particular challenge to those people who wish to take a unified perspective – one which goes beyond polarities and tribalism in search of justice and humanity.

It is hard to know how to respond. At such a time, the gentle but insistent voice of Constantine Cavafy, the most famous modern Greek poet who is the subject of this week’s article, carries a welcome reminder that however extreme the external circumstances, there is always the path of keeping faith with the values and principles we know to be true.

https://besharamagazine.org/arts-literature/constantine-c-p-cavafy-poetry-personal-integrity/

Although much of his poetry is based overtly upon the events and myths of the ancient world, Cavafy’s underlying message is an eternal one. Editor and translator Andrew Watson, who has recently worked on a comprehensive new book about him for the Onassis Archive in Athens, explains that:

‘His vision arises out of a particular interpretation of ancient history, which he understood not as a succession of triumphs but as a salutary warning about human limitations and the capacity for self-delusion. However, Cavafy does not respond to this truth about the human condition simply with cynicism or despair. Instead, he reminds us that there is always the way of quiet fidelity to one’s own values, which do not depend for their justification on worldly success or glory.

Whatever the imperfections of the time and place in which one finds oneself, the corruption of the world around us, or the disappointments and failures of one’s own life – the attempt to remain faithful, as much as possible, to what one knows to be true is of value in itself.’

We hope the article resonates with you and would love to hear your thoughts on any of the issues it raises

Andrew Watson pays homage to Greece’s most famous modern poet, whose message of quiet fidelity to our own values still has great resonance today

29/10/2023

In an article earlier this year, we learnt about the extraordinary Kogi people in Colombia, who still remember the ancient wisdom of unity between humanity and nature and have preserved the knowledge of how to live in harmony with their land.

In our article this week, Charlotte Maberly reviews a book about another group who have managed to maintain their indigenous practices in the face of encroaching modernity – the Pomak people of the Mesta Valley in southwest Bulgaria.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/kapka-kassabova-elixir-book-review/

Kapka Kassabova’s Elixir describes her extended stay with these deeply knowledgeable people, who have an encyclopaedic understanding of their indigenous plants and their healing power. Setting out to discover a magical cure-all – an ‘elixir’ – what she actually finds is a profoundly different approach not only to health but to human life itself. As Charlotte writes:

‘This rollercoaster ride of a book, from the elemental to the mystical, reminds us that if we believe health to be as simple as taking the correct plants and drugs or finding the right fitness plan, then we are missing the point. It is the practice and depth of relationship we need to seek.

Kassabova’s call to her reader to ‘remember how to make ourselves whole’ is not prescriptive but is a heartfelt plea to reclaim our spiritual, physical and emotional unity with nature. Ultimately, she shows us, an elixir is ‘not a liquid or an object [...] it is a search for completeness.’

22/10/2023

British conductor James Lowe talks about the nature of music, and the importance of live performance in this digital age

22/10/2023

In our October article, James Lowe, artists director of the Spokane Symphony in Washington State, USA, talks about the art of conducting, the important of live performance in this digital age, and the influence of the Tao Te Ching upon his work.

https://besharamagazine.org/arts-literature/james-lowe-the-art-of-conducting/

“In good performances, there are moments of what I would call communion; when an audience and an orchestra are really ‘there’ together. You can feel it palpably … At the end of a profound piece… we sit in this incredible moment of presence with each other.”

British conductor James Lowe talks about the nature of music, and the importance of live performance in this digital age

03/10/2023

Our September article is a reflection by psychotherapist and writer Mark Vernon on the current debate about AI. Mark has been part of a discussion group organised by the International Society for Science and Religion which takes the novel view that far from heralding the demise of humanity, the advent of digital systems may present us with an opportunity to reevaluate our ideas about ourselves:

“Maybe the arrival in our daily lives of sophisticated algorithms and large language models like ChatGPT could be a chance to return to the perennial question of the nature of human consciousness, particularly in relation to what might be called ‘spiritual intelligence’. This type of awareness is associated with the capacity not only to think conceptually but also glean intuitively. It is particularly alert to the way we participate in life, from the embodied experience of things to an appreciation of what lies just over the horizon of our awareness, the ineffable…”

Mark Vernon dives into the debate surrounding digital technology

10/09/2023

Our article this week is a review by Richard Gault of a book which presents a radical new perspective on the history of work.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/work-deep-history-james-suzman/

James Suzman is an anthropologist who has specialised in the study of hunter-gatherer societies, and this is one of several books appearing recently which invite us to rethink the standard narrative about the way that human culture has developed through the stages of foraging and farming to our present, predominantly urban, way of life. Far from their lives being ‘nasty, brutish and short’, Suzman shows that:

‘… foragers ‘spent on average less than half the time employed Americans spent at work, getting to work, and on domestic chores’. They enjoyed not just much more leisure time than us; they had such a ‘modesty of material requirements’ that ‘in their own way they were more affluent than a Wall Street banker who despite owning more properties, boats, cars, and watches than they know what to do with, constantly strives to acquire even more.’ They lived necessarily in a close relationship with nature and they viewed it overwhelmingly as nurturing… And as nature shared with them, they shared with each other.’

16/08/2023

Our August article is an exploration by Charlotte Maberly of the growing interest in foraging and cooking with food gathered from the countryside around us.

https://besharamagazine.org/well-being-ecology/eating-the-wild-fi-martynoga/

Charlotte talks to the distinguished Scottish food writer Fi Martynoga about her own life and work, and also looks at the wider implications of the movement in terms of health, food justice and food insecurity. An important aspect of the contemporary movement is its potential to reconnect us with the natural world and change our relationship with it:

‘Richard Mabey made the point over fifty years ago that ‘one of the major problems in conservation today is not how to keep people insulated from nature but how to help them engage more closely with it.’ In fact, eating nature may be the best and most accessible method we have of creating bonds with it. Accepting something as food means we choose to open the boundary between external and internal – to, quite literally, incorporate the world. The act of eating immediately and viscerally exposes our vulnerability as humans, making it an opportunity for profound connection.’

31/07/2023

Our June article is about a new project involving the remarkable Kogi people who live in the Sierra Nevada del Marta in Columbia. As journalist and writer Alan Ereira explains:

https://besharamagazine.org/well-being-ecology/kogi-indians-bringing-the-land-back-to-life/

As journalist and writer Alan Ereira explains:

The idea is to invite a combination of scientists and anthropologists to participate in the regeneration of newly acquired devastated land in a river valley. The aim is to try to get us to understand how to bring the land back to life… The thinking [of the Kogi] is fundamentally rooted in what they regard as the certain knowledge that the land itself is a living being of which we are a part. They understand that the only way in which we can successfully work with the land and help it to be sustainable is to participate in this as a shared task where humans and the land work together.

Alan Ereira talks about the wisdom of the Kogi Indians and an important new UNESCO project in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia

11/06/2023

This week Charlotte Maberly presents a new video dialogue on the subject of consciousness between two excellent proponents of their very different traditions – Bernardo Kastrup speaking from the Western philosophical/scientific point of view, and Swami Sarvapriyanand from the Eastern perspective of Advaita Vedanta.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/introducing-bernardo-kastrup-and-swami-sarvapriyananda/

It is a wide-ranging conversation (long, but well worth the time) in which both men are able to present their own tradition with great clarity. But for Charlotte, the most profound point is perhaps made by their evident mutual respect for one another:

“Swami acknowledges that his own understanding benefits from having substantial material and an established wisdom to draw upon, while Bernardo “has to take modern science, philosophical thought and his own intuitions seriously” to make this thinking acceptable for the modern age.

Swami describes Bernardo’s work as courageous and essential: ‘This is the important thing – to think and rethink everything for oneself and in one’s own age.’”

18/05/2023

Our April article is entitled 'The Grandeur of the Night Sky' in which Dr Hannah Dalgleish invites us to rekindle our ancient relationship with the night at a time when light pollution is becoming a global disruption.

https://besharamagazine.org/well-being-ecology/the-grandeur-of-the-night-sky/

"As evidence around the ecological and physiological harms of light pollution continues to grow, it is equally important to give consideration to the night in spiritual and cultural contexts, and reflect on a more holistic view of the relationship between humans and darkness. Before the age of artificial light, one could easily gaze upon the stars and contemplate their existence in the unfathomable universe."

Hannah Dalgleish invites us to rekindle our ancient relationship with the night at a time when light pollution is becoming a global disruption

05/04/2023

Our March article is a conversation with Bettina Wichers, an independent gerontologist and lecturer at the University of Göttingen who has specialised in the understanding of dementia. Bettina has worked for more than 25 years with nurses and caregivers in nursing homes and has developed a unique framework, based upon the Integral Theory of the American philosopher and writer on transpersonal psychology, Ken Wilber, which aims to bring all the issues surrounding the disease – medical, psychological, social, spiritual – into a coherent framework.

https://besharamagazine.org/well-being-ecology/dementia-integral-approach-bettina-wichers/

She is currently engaged in writing a book which expresses her evolving understanding of dementia from a unitive perspective, and she very generously agreed to talk to us about some of the ideas she is developing. For example, talking about late-stage dementia, she says:

‘Even though the mind dissolves itself, it is still in consciousness, because this existence is always in consciousness; it never falls out of consciousness. So even with quite advanced dementia sufferers, there are still some lucid moments when consciousness kind of shines through. [...]

‘I think that we can only understand this by going into the transpersonal or spiritual realms. For me, this paradoxical lucidity is an opening into what is behind this existence; an indication that there is another realm beyond this physical world which is always there, for everybody. We can always remember that other realm, even though we don’t always know how to.’

We hope you enjoy it.

Gerontologist Bettina Wichers talks about her holistic understanding of this widespread disease of old age

02/03/2023

Our February article is an addition to our Thing of Beauty… series which celebrates the glorious music of J. S. Bach.

https://besharamagazine.org/a-thing-of-beauty/music-of-bach-st-john-passion/

Three hundred years after its composition, this not only continues to speak to contemporary audiences, but seems to be doing so more than ever. Robin Thomson introduces an ambitious new project to perform all of Bach’s work and make them universally available as high-quality videos. He tells us:

“There is no doubt that Bach was a deeply religious man and that he saw music as an act of praise. For instance, we know that he began all his manuscripts with the initials ‘J.J.’ – ‘Jesu juva’ – ‘Jesus help me’, as was not uncommon in the Baroque era and earlier. And the end of the manuscript would be inscribed SDG – Soli Deo Gloria – ‘Glory to God alone’. He eschewed the fashionable new genre of opera, considering it superficial, and gave himself to the tougher (and less well-paid) world of church music…

Also notable are the texts used in his sacred works. He drew on the rich German vernacular tradition, making clear his debt to Martin Luther for his encouragement of artistic expression in divine praise…”

16/02/2023

As a follow-up to our recent interview with Stefan Sperl on Neo-Platonism in the Poetic Tradition, here is a Youtube video of a talk given to the Beshara Trust specifically on the connection with Islam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4FzVNIfpqw

15/02/2023

Our article this week is a reflection by the writer Kathy Tiernan on the history of coal and colonialism in the North of England, bringing together our experience of the current winter with the world of the 18th century when the shape of our modern economy was being set.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/history-of-coal-and-colonialism-in-the-north-of-england/

It is an example of what seems to be a new trend in art and literature to draw out the global connections – across both space and time – which underpin our contemporary lives.

“Already, here, in this mid-eighteenth-century world, the fossil fuel revolution is well underway. London is swallowing coal in staggering quantities so that foreign visitors complain that their clothes are soiled by the sooty air in the capital. Much of it comes from Newcastle. Coal from the Tyneside coalfields is shipped down the river by the keel men to be loaded, chaldron by weary chaldron, from the rocking keels into the hold of a Whitby cat.

For while Newcastle may have the coals, Whitby builds the ships, the ‘cats’, that carry them. According to contemporary reports, not an oak tree is left standing within a hundred miles of the coast due to the demand for timber…”

29/01/2023

The Matter with Things

https://besharamagazine.org/metaphysics-spirituality/iain-mcgilchrist-the-matter-with-things/

Our January article is an interview with the psychiatrist, neuroscientist, philosopher and general polymath Iain McGilchrist. In his seminal work 'The Master and His Emissary' he presented the notion that the two hemispheres of the human brain approach the world in two very different ways, and argued for the importance – often overlooking in the modern world – of the right hemisphere, which sees the world as a unified, living process. In his most recent book, 'The Matter with Things', he further explores the philosophical implications of this idea.

‘I believe the it is profoundly the purpose of the cosmos to produce forever more individuated beings out of the whole that is One. And to do this without in any way threatening or impinging on the integrity of the whole. In fact, quite the opposite: the unfolding into individuation fulfils and makes more the whole. You might think of a tightly furled bud unfolding and unfolding and unfolding, and at every unfolding, more and more of the flower comes into being…’

Dr Iain McGilchrist discusses his most recent book which brings together neuroscience, psychology and philosophy into a unified vision.

18/01/2023

Reflections on the Significance of 6 May

Happy New Year to you all. We begin 2023 with a contemplation on the date chosen for the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in the UK. Richard Gault draws out both its astronomical significance and its cultural meaning as an ancient festival day associated with al-Khidr within the Islamic world, and St George within the Christian religion.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/reflections-on-the-significance-of-6-may/

‘Every day of the year will be special in some way to some people. Nevertheless, there are days whose significance straddles cultures, and 6 May is one of these. Indeed, it brings together cultures not normally seen as linked… It does this because, firstly, although it may not be immediately obvious, 6 May is one of the days of the year which marks a stage in the annual solar cycle… [it] exactly divides the thirteen weeks between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.’

Richard Gault explores the transcultural meanings of the date chosen for the coronation of King Charles III

06/01/2023

Faces of the Infinite

Our most recent article is an interview with Professor Stefan Sperl about his recent project which reveals the enormous influence of Neoplatonic ideas across time and geography, from antiquity to the present day, through the poetic traditions that absorbed them.

https://besharamagazine.org/.../stefan-sperl-faces-of.../

It is a vision which still has great relevance for the contemporary world: as Stefan maintains–

“The ethical, moral impetus of Neoplatonism is to bring about in our lives, in ourselves, and in our society, a oneness by inclusion, with all that this means – with all the concessions, the dialogue and mutual understanding that is required for it. Each human being is a manifestation of the One and the One is present in every part.”

Stefan Sperl talks about his project on Neoplatonism and the poetic traditions of the Near East, African and Europe

07/12/2022

Our new article is on the great Bengali writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore, whose legacy continues to inspire contemporary audiences in both the East and the West.

https://besharamagazine.org/arts-literature/rabindranath-tagore-participating-in-the-divine-playfulness/

Hina Khalid explores what she calls his ‘theological aesthetics,’ explaining how his art was underpinned by a deep spiritual understanding which saw everything in creation as a gift freely given by its maker:

‘At the heart of Tagore’s cosmology is the notion that the world is joyously sung into being. This creative sonic effusion is not a singular burst of divine activity but is continually resounding through the cosmos in ever-new forms [...] In Tagore’s words: “The universe is not a mere echo, reverberating from sky to sky, like a homeless wanderer – the echo of an old song sung once for all… and then left orphaned. Every moment it comes from the heart of the master, it is breathed in his breath.”’

Wishing you all the best.

Hina Khalid explores the theological aesthetics of the great Bengali poet

05/12/2022

The distinguished osteopath Richard Holding talks about his holistic approach to healing

05/12/2022

The Art of Acute Listening

Our October article was an interview with the distinguished osteopath and teacher Richard Holding

https://besharamagazine.org/well-being-ecology/richard-holding-the-art-of-acute-listening/

“The idea of presence – of being fully present in the moment – is at the heart of healing. By working to clear toxins and allergies, by dealing with trauma and re-establishing hormonal balance, we become more able to do this."

The distinguished osteopath Richard Holding talks about his holistic approach to healing

30/10/2022

Our last main article in September was on the widely-published Haiku artist George Swede, known for his quiet, wry observation of the world.

the game with
seven billion players
one ball

Robert Hirschfield talks to the Canadian poet and psychologist

10/10/2022

This week, David Hyams presents an inspiring film about the nature and function of fungi. This not only reveals the latest research, which is giving us a new understanding of these extraordinary beings, but suggests that they will play a crucial role in our future.

https://besharamagazine.org/newsandviews/fantastic-fungi-film-by-louie-schwartzberg/

The film proposes a route to the survival of humanity through the realisation of our role within a community of natural forces in which we come to see ourselves as part of an infinite network, working for the good of all beings. This community encompasses ice and water, minerals, people, animals, insects, and plants. Central to all of it is the increasingly understood function of fungi…

02/10/2022

Dr Renee Hattar talks about an innovative course in Jordan which explores universal spiritual values with young leaders

02/10/2022

https://besharamagazine.org/metaphysics-spirituality/renee-hattar-spirituality-self-development/

Our August article is an interview with Renee Hattar, director of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Research in Jordan, who talks about an innovative project which explores universal spiritual values with young leaders.

“We discuss what is called ‘the tradition of wisdom’. The idea of comparing religions is scary for many people. I mean, what are you comparing? Rather, we are interested in comparing concepts in these religions, and the idea of what makes a good man – or a good woman, because we started speaking also about why we don’t usually speak about women when we look at the role models of the saints.”

Dr Renee Hattar talks about an innovative course in Jordan which explores universal spiritual values with young leaders

20/09/2022

Spiritual Awakenings
Online event and book launch this weekend 24th-25th September. Free or by donation. Join the Scientific and Medical Network, Galileo Commission, Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences, and Institute of Noetic Sciences for a free two-day long online event which will see 22 established scientists and academics discuss how their earth-shattering experience of spiritual awakening changed their world-views and shattered their existing perceptions of reality and consciousness forever.

The two-day event is online and FREE. Register now:

The 57 essays in this volume are a wonderful and varied collection of personal insights into individual spiritual awakenings and the resulting transformation