Mysticism of Passion, Penance & Divine Darkness - Angela of Foligno

The interiority of mystics is notoriously difficult to access - We will never really know about the inner life of mysticism from the outside. But in the 13th century mystical writings of Angela of Foligno we have one of the best glimpses imaginable. Having experienced a profound conversion in her mid-life, Angela takes us on step by step journey through the redemption from sin, the "game of love" as the souls pursues the divine, the depths of dejection and sorrow and the collapse into the divinely dark nothingness of the Trinity.
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Recommended Readings:
Angela of Foligno : Complete Works - 978-0809133666
McGinn - The Flowering of Mysticism: Men and Women in the New Mysticism - 978-0824517434

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

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[@beepboop204]

[@johnmazzel2898]

Always a treat when Dr. Sledge talks about medieval women’s mysticism

[@MrKoalaburger]

My exact thoughts.

[@jennifer.perren]

Agreed

[@hkrsztt]

Everyone knocks on religion in the Middle Ages-certainly not without some very good reasons...but man. Their mystics were truly next level.

[@mikaeelmalik1724]

They just don't mystic like they use too

[@Lazer_puppy]

@@mikaeelmalik1724 We gotta bring back that old school heresy 😂

[@gre8]

I was one of those rather sceptical of monastic contributions to human knowledge. To me, it was a way of life that might bring peace and purpose to those who engage in it, but hardly anything that could be helpful or useful to anyone else. That is until I read Evagrius Ponticus. I was absolutely blown away by the depth of psychological insight of the man and completely changed my mind on monasticism and it's contributions once we decipher the mystical overtones of their language.

[@joejohnson6327]

@@Lazer_puppy I just disrobed, flogged myself & lovingly fondled a huge crucifix. It ain't gay if you do it with Jesus.

[@Raphsophomes]

To me this seemed like the most evil depiction of Christ ive ever seen

[@AtunSheiFilms]

Making out with the corpse of the unrisen Christ in the tomb is some serious Goth girl cred.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Angela could certainly be the patron saint of goths

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Or "Our Lady of holy shit you drank leper water"

[@MisterCynic18]

"Abyssated - Oh Unknown Nothingness" Man this channel is amazing for death metal song titles

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Yep band names are our side hustle around here

[@nataliet4293]

I'm practically furious I'd never heard of this woman before. This so throughly vibes with the representation of suffering i was taught as a child that pushed me away from the church. Just hiding her fullness to further whitewash what they taught...

[@TheKrispyfort]

You're now aware of her

[@petegdula4749]

As a Third Order Franciscan myself, I thank you for making this video. Most of us Tertiaries are far from Angela's commitment to Christ. This is comparable to the lives of St Clare of Assisi and St Theresa Lisieux.

[@tendiesoffmyplate9085]

It takes no effort to be a good and pious person. It takes effort to be unchristian

[@bobliminal2664]

St Teresa of Avila too

[@TheSunship777]

I don't think she was committed as a Christian but more as a Aghori . Christs body was "prepared" to receive the Christ. What does prepared mean? It means to be fit in body soul and spirit and not to make a train wreck out of ones physical being . Judith von Halle is interesting however Stigmata seems incomplete as a Christian Initiation regardless of devotion.

[@brightbite]

One does not need to engage in extreme self-hating behavior in order to experience the ecstasies of the Mystic Saints.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Be A Lot Cooler If You Did

[@tdarons]

@@TheEsotericaChannellol

[@Ricca_Day]

Bet she would disagree with you completely. Suffering is a gift, but it’s a very difficult gift to understand. It wears away the ego and creates a void through which a penitent feels compelled to bare themselves in that darkness, to become completely yielded to Spirit to beg remedy. When Grace gives the bandages to bind up the wounds of the soul. Emotional pain and loss are effects that take coal and turn it into diamond, with each wound being a part of the revealing from base to brilliance. I’ve called a similar process pealing a spiritual onion, each layer makes you cry, but in the end, there’s nothing left, whereas the spiritual pearl is created because of the grain of sand that makes the oyster so uncomfortable that it must secrete what becomes that pearl of great price. I’m personally not masochistic enough to self-inflict pain.. but life has been more than adequate to provide.

[@jeannined7532]

Yes, that's the tricky part about suffering. Anything can be used by the untransformed ego to decorate itself and keep from doing the necessary work all while looking pious and saintly. For most human beings, especially in modern culture, self-inflicted suffering is a dangerous hubris for all but the most insightful, rigorously honest human beings. I have a spiritual director to keep me from conning myself this way. The safest way for me to work with suffering is to let life bring it on and be willing to walk through it and learn what I need to learn. I really benefited from your quite beautiful description of how suffering has such a potential for growth. During meditation, I was startled by an inner revelation: "Our task on earth is to turn suffering into love."

[@JennySimon206]

​@@Ricca_Day oh well if that's all, I have perhaps the most painful infliction on the planet. Small fiber neuropathy and medications have made it worse and now I'm stuck on a synthetic pain medication because they won't give me the natural stuff. Can't get it on the street now either. I am about to undergo a rapid detox because the side effects are worse. Edema is not doable for someone who's small nerve fibers in their skin are disintegrating. Lopsided edema so it's clogging my lymph nodes. My gods. That's why they got rid of all the drugs except fentanyl and xylazine, to bottleneck everyone onto their drugs. The drugs that caused so many side effects, people left the program time and again. So they got rid of their competition. Natural drugs. The ones that work. Prob one reason I am so damn psychic. Also been dancing w death for a very long time.

[@TranscendentBird]

So good! I LOVE the idea of the 4 women evangelists. Filing that away for a painting idea down the road.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

They're really daring thing for him to suggest but I think it's an extremely powerful and why suggestion - I was very floored by it. Also who doesn't want to see more fantastic art of these amazing women?

[@Benni777]

Yes! That’s be a great series about this type of Christian mysticism 🙏🏼

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I've actually done videos on the beguines generally and another one on Hadewijch

[@jamescorbin5638]

It’s amazing how much light emanates from ‘the dark ages.’

[@brynawaldman5790]

the dark shows the light where to shine

[@jeannined7532]

Indeed. I've heard it said that it's the winners that write history, so it's no wonder that the middle ages has been labeled as barbaric and backward. Of course it is in part, like any age. But our post modern oppressve cult of materialism is what fuels the economic beast and so any kind of interior knowing is considered subversive and dangerous in a culture that requires slavish obedience to outer authorities. Isn't this a great KZbin channel??

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Shaming the academic knowledge hoarders was a highlight of a great video.

[@Protogonas]

In the future people will be doing esoterica videos of Dr. Sledge's Esoterica videos.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

metaterica

[@genghisgalahad8465]

​@@TheEsotericaChannel I'll pitch in for Mesoterica to fit the channel's chosen glyph logo! Metsoterica at the Met in the space colony station orbiting Jupiter!

[@ladylongsleeves3175]

My mom just got me your mug for my birthday, I'm so happy!!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Such a cool mom :) Glad to hear from you!

[@ladylongsleeves3175]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Aww, mom is also happy now

[@hyponomeone]

Wow... this is near disturbingly beautiful. It nearly brought me to tears when you talked about washing leppers... what a human being. I can't believe I'd never heard of this saint... beautiful.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Angela of Foligno!! 👀 🕳 🌠 My goodness!! Medieval mysticism is no-holds'barred breathtaking, I'm gobsmacked! The badassness of Esoterica truly lives up to the channel's name! It's practically Esoterica obscura! 🕳 👀 🌠!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Yeah I don't get why she's not more widely known

[@genghisgalahad8465]

@@TheEsotericaChannel well after the episode, I kinda get why now she's been obscured, on top of the already patriarchal society then and now...kinda like a "we don't talk about Foligno*?

[@genghisgalahad8465]

@@TheEsotericaChannel I am thoroughly shell-shocked even in attempts to kinda have it on in background in ear....

[@genghisgalahad8465]

​@TheEsotericaChannel in fact, I'm gonna simply like all 👍the community posts, leave a like and kudos on the episodes themselves, but seems like I had an entirely different harrowing version this ep than everybody else in comments! So I'm steering clear of obscure women of Christian mysticism and stick to and dive deep into Jewish mysticism and even the Qlippoth/Klippoth until The Divine Feminine Shekinah features in episodes of Jewish Mysticism, or until The Desert Fathers come along in Esoterica or a followup to Hildegard of Bingen and the many mansions, and the Beguine women! 🎉 Other than that, I'll be dodging dark obscure medieval Christian mystic women like Neo in the Matrix dodging...

[@jesseberg3698]

Angela's descriptions really capture the absolute chokehold intrusive thoughts can have on someone suffering with OCD.

[@Aleph-Noll]

yeah if someone acted this way in modern times they would need to see a doctor lol

[@courtneybrock1]

I LOVE learning about the female mystics of the Middle Ages. It’s remarkable how women have been washed from the Christian tradition, when research into the historical Jesus shows women were a prominent part of his ministry. Often taking equal footing with the men. Female evangelists were part of Christianity before “Christianity” existed. Which makes the female mystics of the Middle Ages more closely tied to the origin of the largest religion in the West than the majority of it’s male leadership over the last 2000 years. Yet, it’s only through academic conversations through channels like yours that Christians are even made aware of their contributions. Which are fascinating in theirselves, but even more so when understanding the status and deference their teachings were given at the time. It’s also fascinating (and troubling) that the time prior to a male-dominated Renaissance is referred to as the “dark ages.” When it’s clear how many boundary pushing contributions to literature, art, and spiritual cannon existed in the centuries before. Many of which happened to come from women. Thank you for your dedication to scholarship and sharing these amazing stories on your channel.

[@joejohnson6327]

Very few medieval (& ancient) women in Europe were allowed to make any contributions at all to literature & the arts in general, let alone "boundary-pushing" ones...

[@BojoPigeon]

I went to Catholic School through high school and I'm learning about Catholic mystics on this channel that I never heard about before. I really appreciate the educational content on here. Also so many of the videos on this channel fight the idea that the Middle Ages were a time of only dogmatic elites and superstitious peasants. There were brilliant, radical thinkers during this time. And "Brother A" sounds like a secret agent's assistant.

[@darmokandjalad7786]

One of my professors is writing about mysticism and intimacy with Christ in the 15th century right now, this was fascinating both as background and in its own right!

[@MichaelYoder1961]

Compelling story-telling. I was captured by this - thank you, Justin! More on women mystics would be great.

[@Its_claude_yall]

I’d love to see a video about Julian of Norwich. No judgement if you have to reuse some pictures of Medieval nuns.

[@TempehLiberation]

I remember reading about her in Inner Experience by Bataille and being utterly captivated by her experience. Thank you for this!

[@alexanderporto9310]

Great Video!! didn’t know how much people really scarified for the divine

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Yeah these mystics went hard

[@nursedawnydawn4583]

Thanks to you i recognized and bought Hermetic Mysteries by Mary Anne Atwood at Half priced books on a whim and it has become my guide for the past year. I am so grateful for your education.

[@marmorgo5021]

Dear Dr. Sledge, it always blows my mind all the love and passion you put in your work. I truly love being your patreon, please keep producing these marvellous pieces.

[@christosanesti518]

Happy Rosh Hashanah!!! Dr. Sledge. Your videos on Medieval mysticism, are gems.

[@Vocatus2222]

Brother you have outdone yourself with this one. I was captivated for 27 minutes, and added her complete works to my library. Well done Dr. !!

[@daemonad]

Wow. This was amazing. Her account offers a mirror to middle ages and beyond. You have shed a light into something that most of the cushy modern people can never dream of grasping. Not that they would even want to, sadly. I also love how once again the church took a rational position while acknowledging that this woman could be onto something. Thank you.

[@endtimesninja1235]

Stigmata is such an amazing phenomenon

[@C.C.369]

Wow it's so refreshing to hear someone giving such honest information like saying "listen she wrote in umbrian dialect and it was translateted in Latin, which she found would at best give her intentions, and then it was translated from there again" etc. - I feel like every ancient text/book should have such a beautiful honest intro.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

She didn't write it but dictated it. But yeah, being honest about the source is vital.

[@C.C.369]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Well then you, my friend, are vital ^^🙏❤️

[@jdesarro73]

You are a great storyteller

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I mean it's not hard with this kind of material

[@kickmenot2]

Very intense and shocking.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Yeah Angela is pretty over the top

[@rmc224]

Thanks!

[@reverendnathonofficialarti7295]

It is my hope that someday in the future, someone as brilliant as you will be reading my books and trying to figure out what the hell, I was talking about. You Rock.

[@thegreatdivinie]

Today is the day I took a look into Esoterica. I hope to return here with some inspired content.

[@chasingamurderer]

Boom, there it is! Great job!

[@mikaeelmalik1724]

Yo new drop from our favorite alchemist

[@jbaquinones]

I guess we are continuously chasing to grasp that fish like in your logo. Some harder than others. Thanks for another great video. 🙏

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Trying to, brother - hope you're well!

[@jbaquinones]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Im great. Thank you. I wish you the same. ❤️

[@marykayryan7891]

I really do not mean to sound cynical (I promise I am not cynical about mystical experience), but is anyone else getting the sort of sado-masochistic sexual vibe from this woman's writings and experiences. I know that a part of many mystical practices aims at transforming physical lust into spiritual states, but this takes it to a whole new level--pretty extreme. Thoughts?

[@CalloCallay]

Absolutely. See also Teresa of Avila. I believe it’s called ‘bridal mysticism’.

[@matthewschuh3332]

Divine darkness! My favorite current esoteric subject obsession; thank you doctor Sledge! Please cover more mysticism of darkness and nothingness, but thank you for this!!!

[@JohnnyKooter]

The divine darkness does fascinate, abyssate and abacinate me. Thanks Doc.

[@sam-lz6pi]

Brilliant stuff. Many thanks!

[@Bildgesmythe]

Thank you for this channel

[@traviswadezinn]

Very powerful episode - excellent job!

[@Runsinwaves]

Very passionate delivery Dr. Sledge. TY

[@AcrylicGoblin]

This is a wonderful channel! Fascinating video, as usual.

[@Prince-of-Whales666]

Thank you for introducing this fascinating woman !! Brilliant work as usual

[@marshalldarcy7423]

Thank you for this presentation. It is most important.

[@glenn_desert_witch]

Thank you for the wonderful presentation and introducing me to a new dark mystic.

[@user-tc4oy6su8x]

Fascinating..thanks for the memory

[@ponyote]

Abyssating. I learned a new word from you! Thanks!

[@marieahmed6758]

A new one!!!! Thank you 🙏

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

Thanks so much for this! I had certainly encountered Angela of Foligno in my previous studies, but had never gone into too much depth with her; my focus was more on Marguerite Porete, Meister Eckhart, and a few others. This is an excellent appetizer for studying her further! McGinn is awesome, and one of the highlights of my time during my M.A. in Religious Studies was when he was an endowed lecturer in my program at Gonzaga (this was in '99, if I am not mistaken), where he gave a presentation on apocalypticism (which he was just beginning to do major work on at the time), but we also had a sort of graduate "ask me anything" session with him one day, and of course I asked him several things about mysticism and particular mystics (like Marguerite!). I have two of the volumes of his work on mysticism (including the one you referenced here!) on my shelves next to the "Marguerite Section" and various other Christian mystics and works on Christian mysticism. An amazing scholar, and a damn nice guy! :)

[@chrisferi7478]

You are the definition of enlightement Dr Smedge.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I'm neither enlightened nor smedge

[@genghisgalahad8465]

​@TheEsotericaChannel Shirley, you must be joking!

[@bobtalbott336]

An excellent episode.

[@mq7wn]

It cant be described how profoundly impactful your channel can be

[@itsROMPERS...]

Yes it can.

[@SobekLOTFC]

Very insightful video, as usual, Dr Sledge. Keep up the exceptional work 👏

[@aviva_maria]

Thank you for your input, Sir!

[@lukeeastwood]

Excellent, so well described, fascinating faith bordering on madness.

[@atana.potnia]

One of the most interesting and fascinating episodes!

[@thebeatls09k]

SAINT ANGELA!!! Lets goo I'm legit emotional over this! I want to thank you so much for sharing the deep mystical tradition of the catholics. So over looked so moving and beautiful. As a catholic who also loves exploring the ideas displayed on this channel, I thank you for not having Catholic fever. Love you so much doc.

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Thank you for another wonderful presentation Dr Sledge. Religious fanaticism can overwhelm the senses like it did for Angela. The spooky season is upon us once again and it is our duty to all children to make this year's the best ever. Keep up the good work!

[@grimmace2131]

Thank you Dr. Sledge! L’shanah tovah!

[@bobfalconer]

THANK YOU excellent as usual.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Many thanks and thank you especially for your generous donation to the channel!

[@nsclady1CMSOOC]

She was one of favorite mystic ...i was alway intrigued by her.

[@mmac8379]

You are seriously amazing. Thank you so much for your dedication, and allowing us to enjoy your words. You rock Justin.

[@camillapalmer82]

Great video. Thank you 😊

[@romeosantos3261]

Talk about finding what you love and let it kill you.

[@scottydees2748]

Thank you.

[@chriswhitenackmediaproduct6906]

I haven't commented on here and years, but after THAT fascinating picture of someone's spiritual journey... Damn, I got it so ridiculously good. Thank you for real sizing my suffering. I'll pass on the bathwater and decomposing flesh.😅

[@Quinnie789]

I LOVE ESOTERICA I LOVE ESOTERICA LETS GO ESOTERICA

[@Benni777]

I can’t believe that, since I grew up Catholic, that I’d never hear of Angel of Fellinia until now. But I can clearly understand now, since most, if not all of her accounts are either redacted or mistranslated either on purpose or on accident, since she was a woman, and men were the ones who could translate any religious texts. A lot of her recounts are very poetic: “The earth is pregnant;” which is one of my favorite lines from her.

[@andrewrichens5733]

Well she is a canonized saint so it’s not like Catholicism continues to ignore her

[@Elven.]

what makes you feel good about this? I don't understand

[@Elochai_]

She reminds me of Margery Kempe! Great episode, thanks Dr. Sledge.

[@Kyootpid]

This was the most accurate account of communication with the divine that iv ever heard, u most definitely have a stronger connection the closer 1 comes to death which is y u can't get lost always looking for messages and focus on what the messages r actually trying to convey otherwise u will be lost for good.

[@The_Crow-]

This is the first I heard of her. You told her story so beautifully. Thank you ❤

[@katem3553]

I have a strong stomach. I dont get grossed out, but that story with the lepers....ugh that got me. Needed a minute and a sip of water. But great video! I'd heard of Angela but was not familiar with her story.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I'm guessing leprosy free water, right?

[@katem3553]

....sure af hope so. Lol

[@slickandslaycious6579]

Very interesting

[@andrewkuiper8831]

Angela of Foligno and Bataille was the greatest crossover episode of all time

[@lifearttimes]

One cannot know GOD or divine light of the soul without the darkness. RISE✨UNITE✨SHINE✨

[@blancafhg]

Ultimately you've been showing your deeply franciscan inclinations, doctor ;) I like that. Is there any chance for a video on the mysticism of Blessed Heinrich Seuse? (not franciscan but equally interesting).

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

You have no idea how much happiness it brings me to know that I don't have a dog in that fight

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Suso and Tauler in the hopper

[@PaulHaesler]

I'm frankly flabbergasted you got through that without using the word "masochism" once.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Didn't get those vibes from her

[@amattes1960]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Now that is a very interesting point! I would love to know why.

[@PaulHaesler]

@@TheEsotericaChannel There's a pretty explicit glorification of suffering and mortification of the flesh throughout. You pointed out a couple of examples of sublimated eroticism, but a lot of other bits suggested to me a powerful ... sensuality of suffering, if not overt eroticisation. That drinking the gross leper water bit immediately struck me as fetishistic. But I haven't read the original text.

[@Elven.]

@@PaulHaesler thank you for pointing these things out. I'm former atheist and I'm still disturbed with the reality of God and becoome more disturbed when I hear these accounts, while catholics in comment sections all celebrate these stuff as poetic and misterious

[@TheKrispyfort]

My mother used to say "the darker it gets, the more you can see"

[@a.n.c.australia]

To understand what it is about is to live that thing

[@lacanian_lifter]

The rarest of rarities-the elusive feminine jouissance! :0

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I really had to hold back going full Lacan in this video.

[@DarcyS369]

There is no Light without Darkness

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I don't think of light and darkness as logical co-relatives.

[@itsROMPERS...]

That's doesn't make any sense. It's like saying "there is no _water_ without _no water."_

[@oaxacachaka]

Great balance of denotative and narrative knowledge(i had to use big words, sorry:)). Great storytelling and imagery, very captivating.

[@WorldEverett]

There's an incredible song by Current 93 - Moonlight You Will Say, that quote Francis de Assisi and mentions that godly shriek. It's hard to say what genre it is, but it's mystical folk to me, you gotta check it out!

[@rulisa1131]

Chill, Angela. Damn! 😂 Seriously though, thank you so much Justin for the work you do!

[@wrestlersmith97]

I know I'm projecting here, but as an autistic person; Angela approaching a place of importance that was possibly over-full of nice smells and singing, then feeling compelled to vocalize? Sounds like stimming before we had the words for anything near the subject. And believe me, if your only positive experiences with stimming come from church, it can be hard to break the correlation

[@shanshine512]

She gets it.

[@ChrisChaka]

I feel like this story inspired the French horror movie Martyrs. It has the same enlightenment through physical torment theme, though decidedly not self-imposed. I'll have to rewatch it to see if there are any direct references to Angela.

[@tdarons]

L’shana Tova to you and yours!

[@SpectralThought]

Great episode! If possible, make a video about Sabazios.

[@deanparker5548]

Fascinating topic, I always thought if someone was actually touched by God, they would be in hell after the touch had ended, to be separated from God.

[@thomzwiefler6305]

For a moment Ithought this was a Esoterica style video devoted to Angela's Symposium.... now I want that haha

[@JennySimon206]

Horomones can put you into impending doom. I spent an entire day and night between life and death. I was having an acute episide of something else, a medication reaction, Lymphedema masked by sweating and my horomones were also off. Boy was the Veil really open that day. I am a Seer already and I'm in chronic pain. A ton of it.

[@ernestboehm1584]

she is the saint Urebetino is obsessed with the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco my book club just discussed it last saturday

[@veryaries_Awndreea]

I consider this type of worship and connection the true meaning of "Left Hand" path. I used to think St Theresa in India an example, but this is a good one too.

[@NAB9717]

Angela of Foligo's Cry. Sound atheist reply: "Love Unknown Why? Why? Why?

[@christophermccurdy9555]

HAHAHA! I love when you swallowed the word "Brill" instead of saying it XD