Planet Narnia: Retrieving a Living Cosmology with C.S. Lewis' Chronicles

Discover the "Narnia Code" behind a beloved children's fantasy series and listen to the music of the spheres! At this April 25 workshop,we will learn about the "discarded image" of the medieval worldview that C.S. Lewis wove into his popular Chronicles of Narnia. According to Michael Ward, Anglican priest, scholar, and author of the upcoming book The Narnia Code, Lewis wrote the Chronicles to give his readers the chance to inhabit this livelier model of the universe--a world of angels, daemons, and middle spirits, a world lighted, warmed, and resonant with music. In this ancient worldview Earth was circled by seven planets, each reflecting a face of the Holy: Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. "When we surrendered these planetary archetypes to modern astronomy just because it's more 'true,'" says Dr. Michael Christensen, contributor to the upcoming C.S. Lewis Bible, "we lost something very precious." In an effort to restore this lost world, Lewis imbued each of the Chronicles of Narnia with the atmosphere of one of these planets. Join Christensen and fellow Narnian enthusiast Lisa Green, Assistant Rector of Christ Church in Short Hills, for a workshop at Christ Church, 66 Highland Ave. in Short Hills on Sunday, April 25, 2-5 p.m. to explore the planets and their deployment in the Chronicles. $30, $25 for members.