Dr. John Vervaeke Deep Calls to Deep | Poetry, Prophecy, Philosophy in Ibn Gabirol with Zevi Slavin
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Feb 27, 2026 
Zevi Slavin, founder of Seekers of Unity and teacher of Jewish mysticism, explores Ibn Gabirol’s blend of Jewish thought and Neoplatonism. He discusses matter and form bound by divine desire. Conversation touches on poetry as seeing, prophecy as listening, the philosophical mediation between them, and the quest for a shared language bridging traditions.
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Reframe The Three Ps As Vertical Imaginal Modes
- Redefine poetry, prophecy, philosophy vertically: these terms flatten in modernity but function as imaginal modes connecting small and large worlds.
- Relevance realization (cognitive vertical axis) explains why these modes matter for meaning and orientation.
Poetry Is Creative Forming And Prophecy Is Paradigm Breaking
- Poetry is poiesis: an imaginal, creative push that generates new forms to extend or transform an existing paradigm.
- Prophecy is the inverse imaginal pull: the large world breaks into the small world to expose inadequacies and demand change.
Philosophy Holds Poetry And Prophecy In Tension
- Philosophy's role is to mediate and harmonize poetry and prophecy, keeping both the loyalty to our small-world practices and openness to the large-world realities.
- Philosophy cultivates wisdom (Sophia/Phronesis) to maintain finite transcendence without hubris or despair.