SACRED SITES AS PORTALS
Saturday, September 6
2:00 – 4:00 pm (PDT)
In person and live webcast on Youtube
The magical wardrobe to Narnia, the Gate to the Upside Down in Stranger Things, the alien wormhole in Stargate—portals to alternate dimensions are a familiar trope in the worlds of science fiction and fantasy. But spiritual traditions from around the globe attest to the actual existence of sacred portals that transport visitors to distant times, places, and realities. This presentation will examine the writer Patrice Chaplin’s account of a Cabalistic initiatory tradition that leads seekers on a journey through portal sites in Northern Spain and Southern France, as well as Chumash oral narratives that identify “doorways” to other worlds in lake, mountain, and coastal regions of greater Santa Barbara.
Christopher Brown is Associate Professor of English at Santa Barbara City College. He holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition and an MA in English Literature, and has published and presented research on the foundational role of belief in the teaching and practice of critical thinking. Over the past two years, he has traveled to pilgrimage sites in Israel, Spain, and France. His current research focuses on sacred sites and spiritual traditions in Santa Barbara and surrounding regions.
- January 11 FORUM: CONCORD AND COMMUNITY
- January 25 FORUM: CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN MUSIC
- February 8 "THE MAGIC FLUTE" AS SYMBOLIC OF THE MASONIC WORLDVIE
- March 18 FORUM: MEDICINE: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
- April 5 INTERVIEW: VINOD (V.R.) VENKATARAMAN: IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSEPH MILLER
- April 19 FORUM: REGENESIS: FEEDING THE WORLD WITHOUT DEVOURING THE PLANET
- May 10 FORUM: TIMELESS TALES: COMMUNAL BONDS THROUGH STORYTELLING
- May 20 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: SPIRITUAL VALUES IN TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
- May 23 LIVE INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT
- June 14 FORUM: WHY IS TIME A PRIMARY CATEGORY IN ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD’S COSMOLOGY
- June 21 FORUM: THE COSMOPOLIS – CONCORD AND HARMONY IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY AND MODERN SCIENCE
- July 5 FOUNDING DAY ADDRESS: THE UNANSWERED QUESTION – CHARLES IVES
- July 12 FILM SERIES: THREE SATURDAYS IN JULY SUMMER FILM SERIES – THE SILK ROAD
- July 19 FILM SERIES: THREE SATURDAYS IN JULY SUMMER FILM SERIES – LION
- July 26 FILM SERIES: THREE SATURDAYS IN JULY SUMMER FILM SERIES – CHILDREN OF HEAVEN