The Divine Liturgy as Mystical Experience

Most characterizations of mystical experience emphasize its private, esoteric, and non-sensory nature. Such an understanding is far removed from the original meaning of the term mystikos. For the ancient Greeks, the ”mystical’ was that which led participants into the awareness of a higher reality, as in the initiatory rites of the ancient mystery cults. This usage was taken over by the early Church, which similarly designated the Christian sacraments and their rites as ”mystical’ because they draw participants into a higher level of reality. I argue that the Divine Liturgy is a form of ”mystical experience’ in this sense, and that philosophers have missed a great deal by excluding such communal acts from the scope of mystical experience

Online communities

“Our online community provides a dynamic forum for you to discuss current topics and concerns with the wider education community.“ This quote is taken from the Teachernet website [ ], but could be claimed to apply to any number of education sites. Increasingly, online content is being complemented by with opportunities for readers to interact with each other or participate in debate. This article will look at the proliferation of such ‘online communities’. It will consider how they might be used to support teachers and school managers, how they might be most effectively used and how ‘virtual’ communication complements and overlaps with the ‘real world’. Finally it challenges the very notion of this dichotomy. What then is an online community? Simply it is community, a collection of people, who are communicating or working together online. Often the term is used to describe the software or online space – “Click here to enter our community” – but if it is a true “community” then it must involve a defined membership, however loose that definition

Participatory Art Methods in Practice: An Artist’s Tentative Steps into Field Research

This project aimed to examine if community projects can have a positive impact on art jewellery practice. This was done through the development of a community project with a group of Irish Traveller women, in collaboration with Brent Irish Advisory Services (B.I.A.S.) and a number of volunteers. This was then treated as a case study and analysed. A qualitative research approach was taken, within a naturalistic context and the project was further contextualized by investigating a selection of other jewellers' practices. The objects made during the project were not treated as data, though professional reviews were carried out on completion. The project led to the development of a new collection of jewellery and a book inspired by my experiences

Sharing the Love, Feeding the Hungry

The biblical injunction to share one’s bread with the poor is for Christians intimately linked with the Eucharist and the Eucharist with the upbuilding of the Church. We will explore New Testament and other early Christian insights into these fundamental theological connections, and examine the consequences for eucharistic celebrations today

Vortex boundary-layer interactions

The interaction of a turbulent boundary layer (on a flat plate) with a strong artificially-generated longitudinal vortex, which may or may not actually enter the boundary layer, was studied. Experiments, including extensive hot-wire measurements, were completed for the case in which the vortex does enter the boundary layer, and measurements for the somewhat simpler cases in which the boundary layer and vortex remain distinct are now in progress. Contours of total pressure (recently acquired) and of turbulent kinetic energy at various downstream positions are presented to show the overall development of the vortex imbedded in the boundary layer

The University of Greenwich Maths Arcade

I had been exercised for some time about how to stretch our most able students and those who have more prior mathematical knowledge, whilst at the same time support those with weaker backgrounds or who take a little longer to grasp the mathematical concepts we teach. When the opportunity came to put in a bid for University funding I devised a project designed to address these two ambitions

A spin-recovery parachute system for light general-aviation airplanes

A tail mounted spin recovery parachute system was designed and developed by the NASA Langley Research Center for use on light general aviation airplanes. The system was designed for use on typical airplane configurations, including low wing, single engine, and twin-engine design. A mechanically triggered pyrotechnic slug gun is used to forcibly deploy a pilot parachute which extracts a bag that deploys a ring slot spin recovery parachute. The total system weighs 8.2 kg (18 lb). System design factors included airplane wake effects on parachute deployment, prevention of premature parachute deployment, positive parachute jettison, compact size, low weight, system reliability, and pilot and ground crew safety. Extensive ground tests were conducted to qualify the system. The recovery parachute was used successfully in flight 17 times