Mark Vernon
Writer, therapist, speaker
About
I am a psychotherapist and writer, with a keen interest in ancient philosophy, and particularly the illumination of inner life. My writing covers subjects from friendship and beliefs, to wellbeing and living spiritually in the modern world.
Therapy
Psychotherapy
Many of life’s troubles are rooted in parts of ourselves of which we’re largely unaware. Like an iceberg, we are alert to difficulties only insofar as they break the surface, which is why it’s possible to struggle with problems for years. The subtler issues are hard to attend to.
Books
Blake“I can’t think of many writers today who make Christianity look like something worth getting involved with. Rowan Williams is one, Mark Vernon another. When I read them I feel excited by the possibility of a mind and soul transformed.”The Rev’d Richard Coles
Spiritual intelligence“The world is desperately in need the kind of spiritual intelligence which Vernon presents, based on humility, insight, compassion and, above all, joy.”Jane Clark
Dante“I started highlighting sentences I wanted to think about, but ended up with yellow stripes everywhere: there are insights on every page.”Susanna Clarke
Christianity“At a time when the outer forms of Christianity seem to be in a state of exhaustion and confusion, Vernon recalls us to an inner experience of Christ, a call to transformation of both vision and consciousness.”Malcolm Guite
Love“A profoundly benign and practical little book.”Oliver James
Friendship“This book will change the way you think about the people you see every day.”Sophie Howarth
To Listen
The Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues
Every few weeks, Rupert and Mark meet to discuss matters of shared interest, particularly in the fields of science, spirituality, and religion. Choose from over 100 now online!
What's On
- Mon, 2 November 2026
19:00 - 20:30A Way To Read Genesis with Martin ShawCourse
UnHerd Club, London - Fri, 6 November 2026
10:00 - 16:00The Christian Mysticism of William BlakeCourse
Sarum College, Salisbury - Sat, 14 November 2026
14:00 - 17:00After Therapy: Suffering in the Age of Big Mental HealthEvent
Verdurin, London - Sun, 15 November 2026 – Fri, 20 November 2026
The Nostos RetreatCourse
Broughton Sanctuary, Skipton, Yorkshire - Fri, 27 November 2026
Escaping The Cave: Plato in science, art and spiritualityEvent
Cambridge University, Cambridge - Fri, 11 December 2026 – Sun, 13 December 2026
Wild Christ with Martin ShawCourse
School of Myth, Dartmoor - Wed, 16 December 2026
19.30Blake’s Mystical ChristianityEvent
Online - Wed, 3 February 2027 – Sun, 7 February 2027
English Romantics Idler RetreatEvent
St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles, Dorset, UK - Sat, 27 February 2027
15:00Awake! Ignite your spiritual imagination with William BlakeEvent
St John the Baptist Church, Winchester - Sat, 24 April 2027 – Sat, 1 May 2027
Philosophy and Flamenco Idler RetreatEvent
Finca del Alamo, Cabo de Gata-Nijar National Park, Spain - Sat, 15 May 2027 – Sat, 22 May 2027
Idler Pilgrimage RetreatEvent
Villa Pia, Lippiano, Umbria, Italy
Short guides to the guides
Mark’s introductions
William Blake
William Blake is much loved but often misunderstood. His lines like “To see a world in a grain of sand” are enticing, but what exactly did Blake mean? Mark Vernon offers a way into this brilliant poet and painter who has a precise analysis of our times and offers a perceptual revolution.
Dante
The Divine Comedy changes lives. The masterpiece of the Italian poet is inspired, becoming a friend-for-life as its transformative message is revealed. And yet, the poem is difficult, too, asking readers to change as they engage with it. Mark Vernon’s guide unfolds this most profound of spiritual journeys.
Owen Barfield
Owen Barfield was the great friend of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien who both acknowledged that he was the genius of the Inkling group. His big idea is that the experience of being human radically changes over time and is changing right now in our time. This guide pursues why that so much matters particularly in relation to wisdom and mystical traditions.
Plato
The insights and images of Socrates’s greatest pupil, Plato, are like an everlasting spring. For 2,500 years, his dialogues have watered western civilisation and refreshed the lives of individuals. But Plato is often misread in the modern world, which struggles to grasp the vision he communicated of the living cosmos. This guide offers a remedy.
Carl Jung
The impact upon the modern world of the work of Carl Jung is immense. This guide examines the fundamentals of his depth psychology, paying particular attention to its significance for spiritual paths and religious beliefs. Jung felt that psychoanalysis had emerged to fill a psychic vacuum in the western world. How does he fill it?
Hear from me