“The sacred has become frenetic, urgent, insistent, fed up with things, which is what I think lies at the bottom of the upheaval in the world at the moment: the upheaval comes because the sacred is not being included and it wants to be included, but it has no way in.”
I’m glad to be bursting back into your consciousness with the second Fragments of Light podcast episode – and even better, for once, you’re going to hear from someone else, rather than just me pontificating as usual.
Earlier this month, I was delighted to have a conversation with David Tacey, an Australian professor now aged 70, who has written fourteen books about the sacred, understandings that he’s come to through a fusion of Carl Jung, Aboriginal Australian beliefs and modern spirituality.
For me, David has really been something of a guiding light; he’s the person whose writings introduced me to the idea of postsecular theory, the movement to try and find a new synthesis of modern science and ancient spiritual understanding. Reading his writing, I felt that at last I was not alone in my searching.
As you’ll hear, there’s much common ground between David’s writing and my own understanding about how the sacred works and its role in our lives and the world - above all, the urgency which defines our relationship to it.
David has kindly agreed to share his email so that any of you can contact him directly to follow up on any aspects of this episode: D.Tacey@latrobe.edu.au.
The Urgency of the Sacred