Kyriacos C. Markides


Kyriacos C. Markides is a professor of sociology at the University of Maine who has written several books on Christian mysticism.

Work

In his early books he explored first a circle of healers on Cyprus surrounding "Daskalos", who combined some Christian beliefs with shamanistic practices, and latterly mystical Christianity through his association with a charismatic elder, Father Maximos, a former monk from Mount Athos, and a close disciple when on Athos of the great 20th century Greek Saint Paisios. Markides essentially returned to his Orthodox Christian roots of childhood, centering his latter books around conversations with Fr Maximos when he got posted to Cyprus to be an Abbott, and then later to be Bishop and Metropolitan. Markides visited him there many times, and also returns to Mt Athos, the great monastic centre of North Greece where 2.5 thousand monks reside. Markides has also given lectures and workshops around the United States, Canada and other countries as well as appearing on US television and being interviewed by radio stations, newspapers and magazines. There is a fairly wide-ranging interview in two parts with Kevin Allen of Ancient Faith Radio available online as an audio download or transcript. Dr. Markides also spoke for the San Antonio, Texas-based South Texas Geriatric Education Center in 2000.
In his earlier books Markides seems content to see any psychic phenomenon as of interest and value in itself and is also quick to draw parallels between different religions or to gesture towards "the perennial philosophy". However, he has gradually moved away from these assumptions. Speaking to Kevin Allen he avers "... it was a revelation to me that there might be something over and beyond the physical material universe. So, that was the starting point. Then, of course, I realized that there are grey areas and there are problematic kinds of phenomena are good, necessarily." It is not clear where Markides stands on some of these issues now.
In addition Markides has written a book about the political sociology of the Cyprus problem.

Personal life

Markides lives in the Stillwater neighborhood of Old Town, Maine, with his wife, Emily, whom he describes in his books an eco-feminist and peace activist.

Books