On Navigating this Substack
The work of Jan Willem Kaiser was my preparation, A Course in Miracles was the destination.
Welcome.
This publication reflects a spiritual inquiry that has been unfolding for more than six decades.
My central question throughout that time has been simple: how can we liberate the teaching of Jesus from the layers of doctrine, institution, and tradition that have accumulated around it?
Along the way I encountered a number of guides and companions in thought. The work of the Dutch author J. W. Kaiser was foundational from me in beginning to clear the picture from the cobwebs. Kaiser approached the Gospel not as an object of theological study, but as a direct guide to spiritual experience. He was central to my spiritual quest from age fourteen to forty.
Many years ago I translated several of Kaiser’s books into English and published them in print. Those editions have long been difficult to obtain, and most of Kaiser’s work has never been widely available in English. This Substack has gradually become a place where I can revisit that material, translate additional texts, and provide commentary that reflects the perspective I have developed since first encountering his work.
In 1991 I encountered A Course in Miracles, which opened an entirely new phase of exploration and practice. That discovery reshaped my understanding of many of the themes I had already been studying, while at the same time confirming certain intuitions that had drawn me to Kaiser in the first place.
The publication therefore contains several kinds of material:
• reflections on my own spiritual path
• translations of essays and chapters by J. W. Kaiser
• commentary on Kaiser’s writings
• occasional explorations of related themes
Most posts are public. Some of the translation and commentary material is placed behind the paywall so that it can function as a focused study environment for readers who want to engage with Kaiser’s work more in-depth.
The Kaiser Study Index
Because Kaiser’s books are composed largely of independent essays, and/or lectures, I have organized them here in a way that makes them easier to navigate. For each book I have created an index post that lists all chapters and links both to the translations and to my accompanying commentary. There is already a searchable index for his vocabulary based on the book The Mysteries of Jesus in our Lives, and once I finish up the work of translating the essays and lectures, I will start in earnest with a separate studygroup on his book Experience of the Gospel.
My own posts on this site are not behind a paywall. They are in part comments to Kaiser’s individual essays, and in that case, they will be indexed with each book. The remainder are wider explorations about whatever topics seem interesting to me, and my focus is generally ACIM, but I may reference or quote Kaiser, whenever his work can usefully support a piece.
Here are the index pages that function as the main entry points for the Kaiser material. You can directly click through to each book.
JWK Book Index Pages in Chronological Order.
• Ascent to Life (1960) — (ATL)
• The Mysteries of Jesus in our Lives, 2nd Edition 1965:—-:(MJL)
Each index page contains:
links to the translated chapters
links to my commentary on those chapters
In the case of MJL, there is are also links to all the glossary entries for the book.
This structure allows readers either to follow the books sequentially or to explore individual essays independently.
Where to Begin
If you are new to this publication, you may wish to begin with one of the following:
Over time I expect this archive to grow into a small but coherent library of material related to the spiritual teaching of Jesus and the thinkers who have helped illuminate it. At the time of this writing, I expect that all of his books of essays/lectures will be accessible this way by mid 2026. After that time, I will focus on developing a parallel study environment for his book Experiencing the Gospel, which is his translation, commentary and a glossary on the Gospel according to Mark.
If this exploration resonates with you, you are very welcome here, and I look forward to your feedback.