*******CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS. WILL BE RESCHEDULED********************
Date: Friday, June 7
Time: 8 pm
Admission: $8
Presented by: Shannon Taggart & Liminal Analytics
Author Michael Grosso will discuss the life of St. Joeseph of Copertino, a 17th century mystic famous for his remarkable physical phenomena, which often took place without warning and in public. This lecture will detail his life, especially the spectacular levitations, and show how they aroused fear, awe, wonder, envy, and suspicion – especially from the Inquisition. The story of Joseph shows how fame for miraculous performance almost destroyed his life, and how he used his saintly talents to protect himself from the church and his insatiable fans.
Michael Grosso studied classics and received his PH.D. in philosophy from Columbia University. He taught philosophy at Marymount Manhattan College, City University of New York, and City University of New Jersey. He is now affiliated with the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. His main interest is consciousness studies and philosophy of mind. Among his books, he co-authored Irreducible Mind, wrote The Millennium Myth, Experiencing the Next World Now, Soulmaking, etc. He is currently completing the book The Strange Case of St. Joseph of Copertino: Ecstasy and the Mind-Body Problem. Also a painter, Grosso is interested in the interface between art and psychical research.