Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School

Expand your understanding of the ways religion shapes the world with lectures, interviews, and reflections from Harvard Divinity School.

  1. Bulletin Long Read: Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool

    1D AGO

    Bulletin Long Read: Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool

    In this long read from Harvard Divinity Bulletin, author and educator Sarabinh Levy-Brightman starts treating sleep as worthy of attention and cultivation as any other soulful domain. As a result, she experiences shifting energies and curious moments of insight. This special audio version of "Sacred Sleep of the Wandering Fool" is narrated by Sarabinh Levy-Brightman and appears in the Autumn/Winter 2025 issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin. Read or follow along on the Harvard Divinity Bulletin website: https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/sacred-sleep-of-the-wandering-fool/

    43 min
  2. Meaning Makers of HDS: The Sacred Work of Presence

    JAN 27

    Meaning Makers of HDS: The Sacred Work of Presence

    Meaning Makers of HDS is a new podcast by the Harvard Divinity School Office of Communications that explores the many dimensions of human meaning making. In interviews with HDS alumni, faculty, and others, this podcast showcases how members of the HDS community create meaningful lives—through religion, spirituality, faith, and beyond. Each episode features conversations that highlight the deeply personal and diverse ways people wrestle with life’s biggest questions.  In the first episode of Meaning Makers of HDS, we spoke with two HDS alumni serving their communities as chaplains: Maytal Saltiel, MDiv '12, and Ailya Vajid, MTS '11. Throughout the conversation, Saltiel and Vajid discussed their respective understandings of the chaplain's role, how through the chaplain's sacred work of presence they help others find meaning across the spectrum of life experiences, and how they personally make meaning in their own lives.

    33 min
  3. From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman

    JAN 26

    From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman

    In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time. Gary Lachman Bio Gary Lachman is an author and lecturer on consciousness, counterculture, and the Western esoteric tradition. His works include Dark Star Rising (Tarcher, 2018), Beyond the Robot (Tarcher Perigee, 2016), and The Secret Teachers of the Western World (Tarcher, 2015). A founding member of the rock band Blondie, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in London.

    1h 28m
  4. Hope Podcast: Featuring Hannah Snyder, MTS Candidate

    12/12/2025

    Hope Podcast: Featuring Hannah Snyder, MTS Candidate

    This week we're joined by Hannah Snyder (MTS 1). We discuss the sense of imposter syndrome she felt within her own religious community, the complications and pressures she felt as a religious community leader, and about the sense of fulfillment she eventually found as a participating member of religious community life, and more! Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast-featuring-hannah-snyder-mts-candidate

    26 min
  5. Hope Podcast: Featuring Austin Ball, MDiv Candidate

    12/12/2025

    Hope Podcast: Featuring Austin Ball, MDiv Candidate

    This week we're joined by Austin Ball (MDiv 1). We talk about the difficulty learning and growing that comes with leaving home, about navigating multiple religious belongings, about the unexpected intersections of intellectual and spiritual life, and more. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/11/hope-podcast-featuring-austin-ball-mdiv-candidate.

    25 min
  6. Integrating Wisdom Christianity and ‘The Work’ of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault

    12/12/2025

    Integrating Wisdom Christianity and ‘The Work’ of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault

    For episode 18 of the Pop Apocalypse, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest, Cynthia Bourgeault. Cynthia is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice. Her work brings the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, ‘The Work’ of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Over the course of the episode, we discuss Cynthia’s religious upbringing and early mystical awakening, her academic training in Medieval sacred drama, and how she came to the priesthood. Then we do a deep dive into Bourgeault’s relationship to the practice and theory of The Work and how she came to integrate them with the Christian wisdom tradition. As the interview comes to a close, we discuss the benefits of life as a hermit, the impact of the Gospel of Thomas, and how contemplative Christianity speaks to the spiritual concerns of so many in the early 21st century. BIO Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She divides her time between solitude and sailing the waters around her seaside hermitage in Maine and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths.

    1h 21m
  7. Hope Podcast: Featuring Michelle Millben, MTS '26

    12/02/2025

    Hope Podcast: Featuring Michelle Millben, MTS '26

    On this episode of the Hope Podcast, we hear from MTS candidate Michelle Millben about family, spiritual math, and the substance of things hoped for. Transcript: https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/12/01/hope-podcast-featuring-michelle-millben-mts-candidate.

    30 min
  8. Learning to Love Your Enemies: A Conversation with Rev. Matthew Potts

    11/25/2025

    Learning to Love Your Enemies: A Conversation with Rev. Matthew Potts

    What does it really mean to “love your enemies”? In this episode of the Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley talks with Rev. Matthew Potts—Professor of Religion and Literature at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church—about forgiveness, anger, and living with harm without letting it define us. Edited by Eden Olayiwole. Sermon audio courtesy of the Memorial Church of Harvard University. Intro and outro music: “How Did This Happen,” courtesy of Extreme Music (Art House 3).

    15 min
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4.2
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Expand your understanding of the ways religion shapes the world with lectures, interviews, and reflections from Harvard Divinity School.

Information

  • Creator
    Harvard Divinity School
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    491
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Harvard Divinity School