Joan D'Arcy Cooper
Joan D'Arcy Cooper (1927–1982) was a psychologist, Yoga teacher, and author known primarily for her book Guided Meditation and the Teachings of Jesus,[1] which proposed that the words of Jesus were intended not to be taken literally but as the focus of meditations, in a manner comparable to the practice of Affective Piety.
Joan D"Arcy (Jeancon)[2] Cooper was born in California, where she graduated from Pomona College with an undergraduate degree in International Law and subsequently earned a Doctorate in Psychology in Berlin, before moving to Culbone where she practised and taught Yoga and Meditation for West Somerset Community Education, whilst working as a freelance psychologist, and a licensed Lay Reader in the diocese of Bath and Wells.[3]
After Cooper's death, the of Ascended Master Teachings led by appointed her to the position of an Ascended Master, which according to the principles of theosophy is a spiritually enlightened being.[4]
Although the position of Ascended Master may have been an appointment bestowed upon her rather than one she considered appropriate, Cooper nonetheless purportedly espoused ideas commensurate with theosophical thought.[5]
Cooper was married to the potter Waistel Cooper and is buried in the churchyard of Culbone Church.[6]
Selected Writings[]
- Culbone: A Spiritual History, Taunton: Georjan Studio. 1st Edition. 1977.
- The Door Within: Some Meditations on Illness, Pain, Ageing and Death, Regency Press 1979.
- The Ancient Teaching of Yoga and the Spiritual Evolution of Man, London: Research Publishing Company. First Edition. 24 May 1979.
- Corner-Stones of the Spiritual World, Culbone: Joan Cooper, 1981.
- Guided Meditation and the Teaching of Jesus, Salisbury: Element Books. (Reissue Edition) 30 November 1982.
References[]
- ^ Cooper, J. D., Guided Meditation and the Teaching of Jesus. Salisbury: Element Books. (Reissue Edition) 30 November 1982.
- ^ "Waistel Cooper". The Independent. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Colin James Hamer, Biography of Joan D'Arcy Cooper. 1999. Online Publication Archived 18 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ King, G. R., Unveiled Mysteries (Saint Germain Series. Vol 1.) Chicagoo: Saint Germain Press. 4th Edition. 1 March 1989.
- ^ Licensed Lay Reader, [ Review of Guided Meditation and the Teaching of Jesus by Joan Cooper. 20 June 2013. https://layreadersbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/guided-meditation-and-the-teaching-of-jesus-joan-cooper/]. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Malcolm Welshman (4 November 2011). "A tiny church called Culbone, near Porlock". somerset-life.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
See also[]
- 1927 births
- 1982 deaths
- American women psychologists
- American psychologists
- Anglican lay readers
- Pomona College alumni
- American expatriates in Germany
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- 20th-century American women
- 20th-century American people