The Mantra of the Holy Fool is not a single mantra, but a tradition that persists in religious cultures around the world. Because of its simplicity and intense devotional aspect, mantra has always thrived along the margins of those cultures. We find its deepest expression among the dispossessed or disenfranchised, the poor or the powerless, the eccentric or the slightly mad. Holy Fools can be saints or sinners, sages or simpletons. There are even tales of Animal Fools who reached the deepest levels of mantra.

Why are there Holy Fools in every tradition? The answer is simple: The mantra would be nothing without them. They are its truest practitioners and the custodians of its deepest wisdom.

The mantric fool lives by an “inner rule”—an invisible agreement with the deity who vouchsafes them a lifestyle and an outlook that defies ordinary convention. Their values are not the world’s values. Their religion is not the religion of the world. The gods delight in them, the priests are often appalled. Holy Fools flout convention, subvert authority, and shake things up wherever they go.

Over the course of four Friday evenings, we will explore the wisdom of these holy innocents, discovering some of the deepest secrets of mantra.

Week One will offer an introduction to the archetype of the Holy Fool, focusing on mantra as the principal point of entry to the spiritual world of these unconventional figures. We will learn:

• Who the Holy Fools are

• What makes them holy

• How they practice mantra

Week Two explores Holy Fools from four traditions, focusing on what they have in common and how they interact with spiritual cultures of which they are a part. We will learn:

• How to thrive at the margins

• How to find a path and follow it

• How to “take back the mantra,” making it our own

Week Three takes an in-depth look at a contemporary Holy Fool and asks the question, can such persons still thrive in a modern, secular world—and, if so, what do they have to teach us about that world? We will discover:

• The Fool’s “message” for a world on the brink of collapse

• The perils of the Fool’s “journey” in a capitalist society

• A “promise” for those who listen to that message and follow the journey it recommends

Week Four asks, what is at stake for the world if the Holy Fool becomes extinct? Is there any true spirituality or religion without them? Is there any real LIFE without them? We will learn:

• How to tell the difference between Holy Fools and Counterfeit Crazies

• How to support the Fools when the odds are against them

• How to find and nurture the Holy Fool within us through mantra

There will be time for Q & A during each session. The videos will be sent to all registrants at the end of each session, so attendance at our meetings, while it is encouraged, is optional.