Turning to the Mystics with James Finley A Coaching Session on Gabriel Marcel
May 26, 2025
They explore Gabriel Marcel’s distinction between problematic thinking and mysterious awareness. Moments of love, art, silence, and suffering are presented as openings to a deeper presence. Practices like fidelity, hope, and love are offered as ways to notice subtle interior quickenings. Personal stories and a guided meditation invite listeners to cultivate attentiveness and communion.
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Two Modes Of Consciousness
- Gabriel Marcel distinguishes two modes of consciousness: the problematic (practical, objective) and the mysterious (secondary, unitive).
- The mysterious reveals our non-objectifiable interiority and God's infinite presencing within our very being.
Make A List Of Thou Moments
- Make a list of your “thou moments” — brief experiences where you sensed a sacred presence in a person, place, or event.
- Use those moments in prayer or journaling to cultivate habitual sensitivity to God’s presence.
Fidelity Hope And Love As Modalities
- Marcel frames each thou moment through three modalities: fidelity, hope, and love.
- These modalities reveal God’s oneness with us and call for reciprocal living in time.
