Creation's Paths

In this episode of Creations Paths, host Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing Druid, delves into the concepts of the queenship and motherhood of Mary. Charlie explores the significance of Mary in Christian tradition, explaining how she serves as a substitute and stand-in for humanity, emphasizing her role in salvation history and her embodiment of divine feminine power. From Mary's Fiat to her presence as the Queen of Heaven, this video examines her profound impact and importance. Charlie discusses the paradigm shifts in modern, post-modern, and metamodern perspectives on faith and how Mary's queenship counters patriarchal instincts. The episode also touches upon the personal devotional impacts of Mary and how she serves as a source of healing and balance in faith practice.

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For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Queenship of Mary

00:52 Understanding Modern, Post-Modern, and Metamodern Perspectives

02:09 Mary's Role in the Story of Salvation

04:44 The Importance of Mary's Queenship

09:17 Personal Reflections and Devotion to Mary

14:53 Concluding Thoughts and Call to Action

In this episode of Creations Paths, Charlie and Brian delve into the concept of unity and what it truly means. They explore the idea that real unity doesn't come from conformity, but from the diversity among people, especially within spiritual practices such as druidry and other pagan traditions. They discuss personal experiences and emphasize the importance of maintaining distinctiveness while finding common ground. The episode also challenges the authoritarian mindset often found in religious and ethical discussions, advocating for an open, respectful dialogue that values different perspectives.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: In this time of gathering,

coming together, there's a lot of talk of unity. We talked about it a bit on the last episode. I feel it's something we really need to dive into and really ask ourselves the question. What. Is unity? Today on Creations Paths.

Intro

hello everyone. My name is Charlie I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer. I guess I should also say practicing Druid. I never know how to do the intros for these things.

I'm joined as usual. By my husband, Brian.

[00:00:41] Brian - New: Hello.

[00:00:42] Charlie- New: Today we're going to be talking about unity about coming together. And what does this actually mean? I touched on it a bit in the last episode. I'm going to reiterate it here. Cause I don't think it can be said enough because I really do love the Hey Galean understanding of unity that: unity is impossible between people who are all the same. If something is all the same, it is. Conforming it is. Conformity. Not a unity. You can only unite disparate parts. Diversity is required for unity. If there's no diversity. There is no unity.

This is something that I feel like the church. I kind of understood a little bit back in the day. Where there was unity on the essentials of the creed and practice kind of differed a little bit from here there and yonder and. The things that weren't set in stone in the creeds there was leeway on. Of course that didn't last forever.

For those of us who are involved in druidry and other. Pagan and Cristo pagan endeavors. Diversity is the norm.

No two Druids probably practice the same. Even if we're in the same order. There are. Pagan Druids, Christopagan Druids, animistic, Druids, people like me, who. I don't see a distinction between animism and panentheism so I use those words interchangeably. I honestly don't really see a difference between them. Maybe that should be an episode in and of itself.

We have theistic non-theistic. True. It's we have secular Druids, which is actually a thing in Wales, which by the way, the, , Welsh put their national channel up on the internet for free, for anybody to watch. So if you want to actually watch. The national ish death fog. Fog in. Whales, you can do that. And it is an interesting thing to watch. But that is actually a secular order of Druids that are meeting their. That might sound weird to our ears. But this is the diversity that we have in the community.

No matter what your practice is. We all unite about something. Around something. And I'm going to use drudgery here is the main example for this. Cause I think it's easiest to see. In drudgery because we all connect over one central idea and that is the outlet.

We are gathered. Under the breadth of inspiration. That divine force that is moving through the cosmos. Bringing all things into being. The great song of the universe.

We all experience. The Alwyn differently. And we speak about it differently. It works within us and a great diversity of manners so that we make all. Types of art. And other creative. Activities from it. It inspires our lives are living. It inspires us. To be inspirations to others yet, we're all United in this one charge. We seek. The Awen.

That is special. Even if we see it differently, even if we have a different understanding of it or a different way of working with it. We have this thing in common. This one thing. In common. That unites us.

It doesn't matter. If you're. A member of the. Ancient. Order of Druids in America. Or the order of bards Ovates and Druids or any of the probably hundreds of druidic orders that exist throughout the world. We have this one thing in common.

In common. Let's say that again. In common. Not. In conformity.

[00:04:32] Brian - New: That's where we can talk. About. What unity is not. It is not homogeny. Homogeny is everything is blended together and becomes one. It becomes a thing. That isn't unity. That is. A one thing. In fact, a lot of its distinct parts. are lost. are no longer distinct.

Unity binds together. Those different things, but it still allows. Distinct voices distinct notes. Within it.

If you think back to Some of the stuff we were talking about yesterday. We touched on unity a little bit. There is. Peace. But those notes are still there. Being a chef, I go back to, Cooking. as a great example. Of what it is. In a dish, you have these different ingredients. That you're bringing together in unity. To create. a, dish. Each element. Still has its flavor that it contributes. Each element should be able to still stand on its own. Otherwise, it's homogeny.

[00:05:38] Charlie- New: As we were talking about the great song of the universe. Very few songs only have one instrument, no cords. There are songs that do. But they're rare. We generally have a melody and a harmony and a countermelody. Cords are the underpinning of most Western music is we think of the chords first and then the notes. Second.

That coming together. Different voices. Is what makes the music beautiful? It's what makes it haunting powerful. It's what. Gives meaning to the songs. That's what gives meaning to the song of life. I've never really understood this terror that some people have. When others don't share their particular religious beliefs.

Most of my work I do with Bridget. I also. Work a lot with Mary and Jesus, but mostly it's with Bridget.

I don't. Care. If anyone else. That I'm talking to dealing with whatever. It's talking about Brigid of Kildare. or the goddess Brigid. Or. If they even think of her at all, if she's just a character from Irish mythology or. I non entity to them. I don't care. Because I know what she is to me, and I know the work that I have to do, and it's not my job or anyone's job to. Convince other people. That they should. Work for work with, or. Have devotion to Bridget.

I've always felt that way about my Christian faith. As well. Jesus said that they'll see our light they'll. By our works they'll know us. The apostle said that by our love, they will know that we're of God.

I remember as a kid being taken out to go door to door. It felt weird to try to proselytize. Other people. Why. What is the point of that? Jesus said I have all of those that you gave me and I have not lost one of them. My sheep, hear my voice. Well, if Jesus is calling and people aren't hearing. There's nothing I can do or say that's gonna. be more profound than the divine being. Making a call you know what I'm saying? It never quite made sense to me. And I think it's because of this. Sense of inadequacy or fear of being wrong?

None of us wants to ever be wrong. About anything. It's not a good feeling when you get corrected. Some of us take correction better than others, but it's never a good feeling when you realize that you misspoke or you misunderstood something. You have just a moment of embarrassment, if not shamed, depending on how you've been raised. And so we don't want to ever feel like we are wro…

In this episode of Creations Paths, Charlie and Brian delve into the concept of unity and what it truly means. They explore the idea that real unity doesn't come from conformity, but from the diversity among people, especially within spiritual practices such as druidry and other pagan traditions. They discuss personal experiences and emphasize the importance of maintaining distinctiveness while finding common ground. The episode also challenges the authoritarian mindset often found in religious and ethical discussions, advocating for an open, respectful dialogue that values different perspectives.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Unity

00:42 Defining Unity

01:41 Diversity in Druidry

02:55 The Essence of Awen

04:35 Unity vs. Conformity

09:32 The Danger of Certainty

13:38 Gathering and Leadership

14:13 The Role of Leaders and Followers

14:32 Personal Journey with Scripture

15:10 Diversity in Religious Texts

15:37 Unity and Diversity in Beliefs

15:56 Authoritarianism in Religion

16:14 Debates and Differences in Worship

17:44 Relational Aspects of Faith

21:01 Community Standards and Unity

21:54 Teaching and Practicing Magic

25:15 The Importance of Questions and Growth

25:45 Conclusion and Call to Action

In this episode of 'Creation's Paths,' non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer Charlie and their husband Brian discuss the complexities surrounding competition and its effects on community and unity. Using examples from sports, art, and politics, they explore how competition can bring people together or foster division and strife. The conversation highlights the importance of evaluating the outcomes of competitive events and finding ways to build a healthier community through constructive competition. The episode also delves into cultural aspects, using both historical and modern contexts to illustrate these ideas.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

Charlie- New: [00:00:00] In this season of competition and games especially with the certain one that just happened over in France. There are a lot of ramifications for community and bringing people together. While good sportsmanship can bring people together. It can also tear people apart when factionalization and too much, shall we say team spirit gets brought in. So let's talk about competition, strife and community. On today's Creation's Paths.

Intro .

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I'm a non-binary scifi fantasy writer. I'm joined today by my wonderful husband, Brian.

Brian - New: Hello.

Charlie- New: I've been working a lot on a not so super secret [00:01:00] project. For https://wisdomscry.com, a whole bunch of stuff about Brigid is getting written up and copied in. I've also decided to grab a bunch of the prayers. From the Carmina Gadelica and put them in there. It's been quite a project. So I'm a little toasty.

Today, we're going to be talking about competition, strife and community. These really good together, especially when we're thinking about this season of Lúnasa. It is so traditional to have games. And back in the old times, they actually had like full on like chariot, races and stuff. And games, that happened during this time of year. It's my understanding that there are still places in Ireland, where they have fun fairs and competitions and stuff still to this day, which is awesome. But on a larger note.

Competition it's not a bad thing. I feel like we need to start there. Competition in and of itself is not a bad thing. It can. Lead. To all manner of bad things, it can [00:02:00] really get out of hand really easily. If not kept in check.

Brian - New: It is a tool. And like all tools. There is no moral attribution to it. It serves a function it is a social tool used for individuals to come together around what they're competing over. To test themselves to grow, to learn.

It's also one of the ways that children learn skills later in life. It is a tool. There is no moral attribution to it and of itself. But like you said, in today's society, a lot of the bad that comes into it is when people have those attachments.

Charlie- New: I want to disagree. Okay. But only slightly. do have a very moral listic view of competition, mainly because I feel that competition often comes into fields where it does not belong. That is a big problem. Now I don't have a problem with poets battling each other. [00:03:00] there's a long tradition of the filí doing their poetic battles against each other.

I have no problems with things like that. But when I see like an art show, how do you determine the best art?

Brian - New: Yeah. That's not the place for that kind of competition. An art show itself wouldn't be a competition. If you were to have a competitive art event like a person creating new culinary dish and then call that. a, competition. That's not using the tool. Appropriately. It's like trying to use a screwdriver as a, saw to cut a tree down. Like, you know, let's screwdriver we'll do it, but it's going to be terrible for everybody

Charlie- New: because the actual competition in a cooking competition is actually who made the favorite. D not the best. isn't the best dish.

Brian - New: The point of the competition is these individuals coming together in good spirit. Pushing themselves, pushing their boundaries. Testing and challenging [00:04:00] their proficiency in the thing and having fun doing it.

And so technically win or not is not the end game. That's not the end point. Yes, it's nice to be like, Hey, I won this award or whatever, back to the art example of the culinary example, those chefs that are doing that. You using the tool properly, grow and develop their craft so much more. A lot of people do from proper competitive events, but so much of it's done for the wrong reasons.

And I think that's where the problem comes in.

Charlie- New: Let's see, that's the problem in framing. They're not competitive events. And competitive racing is a competitive event. You are all doing the exact same thing. There is a measurable standard as to who wins. We can try to be as objective as we want to be about art music, food. Any of these kinds of things, movies, right.

We can try to be. As objective as we want to be, but there is no actual objective standard. True. [00:05:00] That can be applied there. It's always going to be a subjective standard. There are movies that I love that are arguably not great movies. I love the Godzilla movies, for example, and with a few rare exceptions that I would say our art, like our actual really good. Objectives really. Well shot. Masterpieces that have a lot of depth and meaning and things to say. Those are few and far between. And it wasn't likely Godzilla versus Kong, which is. A guy in an ape suit, fighting a guy in a lizard suit. And there's, it's just, it's silly. It's funny. It's fun. And if you don't groove on that kind of silliness. You're not going to enjoy that movie and you're going to rate it badly and it's not objectively worse. Of a film. Do you get what I'm saying? Yeah. I've seen a lot of movies that are technically proficient.

I'm not going to say the name of the filmmaker that I want to say, but there's a particular filmmaker that for anybody who [00:06:00] knows my film reviews will immediately. Know who I'm talking about. Who makes breathtakingly, stunningly beautiful movies. Almost every frame is a piece of art. They're gorgeous, gorgeous films that have no story, no characters. Just stuff happening. They're empty, vacant shells. That. Don't really do anything for me. But a lot of people like. This particular person. And like the movies that he makes. And this is where I think competition becomes problematic. Because. For example politics weren't in an election year in the United States.

Politics is not a competitive sport. No. It is supposed to be a debate over whether or not we want to do what this person is wanting or that person, or this party or that party, or what have you. We're supposed to be debating the merits of the positions put forward. But way too many people on every side.

And I do mean every side, because while we live in a two [00:07:00] party state, there are more than. Two factions.

They're playing for their team. They're not actually looking at any of the broader questions. They're not looking at. Any of the bigger things. This is where competition really becomes a problem. I don't care if my team wins in a situation like that. I care if. We make the country actually a better place. will, this actually make improvements who has the better plan for improvement. We see this a lot in church politics, especially, which is one of the things that. Frustrates me to no end with church politics. I don't care what your side is. We really shouldn't have sides. We're all in name, at least worshiping the same God, even though that…

In this episode of 'Creation's Paths,' non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer Charlie and their husband Brian discuss the complexities surrounding competition and its effects on community and unity. Using examples from sports, art, and politics, they explore how competition can bring people together or foster division and strife. The conversation highlights the importance of evaluating the outcomes of competitive events and finding ways to build a healthier community through constructive competition. The episode also delves into cultural aspects, using both historical and modern contexts to illustrate these ideas.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Competition and Community

00:45 Meet the Hosts: Charlie and Brian

01:16 The Role of Competition in Society

02:32 Healthy vs. Unhealthy Competition

04:44 Subjectivity in Competitive Fields

06:34 Politics and Competition

08:02 Factionalism in Sports and Beyond

11:07 Questioning the Concept of Local Teams

15:04 Personal Connections to Competition

16:12 Understanding Different Perspectives in Competition

16:29 The Concept of Zero-Sum Games

17:49 Real-World Examples of Zero-Sum Thinking

18:34 The Poison of Over-Competitiveness

19:55 Healthy Competition and Community Building

21:07 The Role of Science in Competitive Argumentation

23:18 Applying Competitive Principles to Politics and Policy

25:51 Reflecting on the Nature of Competition

28:38 Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions

Join us in this episode as Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian delve into the via Transformativa of the fourth path of creation spirituality. Explore the themes of change, transformation, and celebration during the full moon after Lúnasa. Learn about the importance of internal change, the influence of societal shifts, and the power of collective efforts in movements such as civil rights and climate activism. Discover how small victories and ongoing progress are essential in fostering lasting change. Don't miss out on this insightful discussion on recognizing and celebrating the harvest of change in our lives and society.

Transcript:

Charlie- New: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the full moon after Lúnasa. Today, as we do on the full moon, we're going to be talking about the via Transformativa of the fourth path creation spirituality. The path of change, transformation, and celebration. We're going to be talking about harvesting change.

Intro.

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I'm a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and I am joined today by my husband, Brian. It's the day we're going to be. Celebrating commemorating. I don't even really know what the word is for the. The lunar things that we do. I haven't found a word that feels right for it. If anybody has a suggestion, please let me know because celebrating isn't really the right word, commemorating really isn't the right [00:01:00] word honoring. Isn't really the right word. Practicing. Isn't really the right word. I've been struggling with this for a couple of years now.

As we were here on the full moon after Lúnasa. We're going to talk about harvesting change. Because this is the first of the harvest festivals that we celebrated. And. Change really is something that you have to go out and get.

I feel like the most natural place to start with. This is. Change. Happens. Change is possible. People do change. People can change. You cannot change other people.

Brian - New: You can encourage others to change. that is still their choice.

Charlie- New: Change has to come from within. get really frustrated with this argument of people. Don't change people. Can't change. have changed a lot. I remember former me. In fact, I don't have to remember for me, I've been [00:02:00] podcasting since 2005. I can go back and listen to former me. And oh, I, I have changed a lot. In a lot of ways. Many of my opinions are not the same. Many of my attitudes have. Adjusted. My voice is completely different. Which is really funny because I had a friend. Go back into the archive and was like, oh, you don't even sound like the same person. Like, no, no. Even this podcast, which is not that old. The oldest episodes. My voice is very different. That is still old version of me. But it doesn't sound like me at all. Because I have changed. I have changed mentally, spiritually.

Again, a lot of my opinions have changed. I have grown. And I'm not saying this, like to pat myself on the back, but to say, I know that change is possible. And it gets really frustrating. When I see people. [00:03:00] Pretending that change cannot happen.

On the larger scale. I have watched this country. Devolve. Throughout my life time. In ways that. Honestly are shocking to me. In the coursing of the public discourse, the. things that are acceptable. The manners of speaking that are acceptable in public, discourse. I have watched it getting. Rougher and rougher and rougher and less. Attached to. Facts I don't think it was ever attached to logic. I think that's a sweet lie. We tell ourselves as we used to be logical back in the day and, uh, no. At least we agreed on basic facts. While that's not a good change, it is still changed. In other things I've seen a huge amount of change, I've watched homophobia get better. Like it's going away. In. Places. I never expected to see it going away.

We have to start. With this basic [00:04:00] anti cynicism move. Of accepting that change can and does happen. Because if we don't have that as a basic. Baseline understanding. Nothing else that we say matters.

Brian - New: If you're looking at a full field and you go, there's nothing out there to harvest. There's nothing to talk about at that point.

Charlie- New: Yeah, it gets strange to me that. We. Blind ourselves. I feel like this is like the recurring theme of the podcast of how we blind ourselves to. What's actually going on around us, but. We do very much blind ourselves to what's actively going on around us. Just going back. All that long ago. I was pleasantly surprised when Barack Obama won. The white house, because as a child, The idea. That anyone named Barack Obama and much less anybody who looked like him. Could win. a, major political, anything. Was hard to imagine. Now. In our current race. I'm not thinking that same way [00:05:00] about. Kamala Harris, right? That is a huge change. Both. Culturally. That the idea that, well, I'm not foolish enough to believe that racism is gone because although it is not. But that it may have a baited enough that a non-white candidate. As a chance of winning. An election. It's supposed to change in society. And a change that happens internally. This is really what I think we need to focus on. In. This. Time. Change always starts with you. And I'm thinking to myself there as well. We have this idea.

That is perpetrated by the lie of great man history. That all you have to do is go out and give the perfect speech. Say the right thing. And everyone applauds. And suddenly realizes. Oh, we were wrong about [00:06:00] everything. And it's all better. And that is not how any of that works.

The speeches helped in the civil rights movement. To convince. Enough. And to bring enough people into the fold that Johnson. Wanting the. Legislation to pass that he was then able to twist the arms of, and could Joel. Uh, enough members of. Congress. To pass them for him to sign them. That was a group. F. You can't put all of the praise. For a change like that. On Dr. King or Byard Rustin or. President Johnson or any of the names that could come up in this discussion. It took. Thousands. If not millions of people. To bring that. Level of change into being. All of those changes started small. Whether that was African-Americans realizing that it was time to step up for their rights. It's important to phrase it that way, because. In our [00:07:00] weird way of thinking about the past for like, well, I guess they didn't realize they should have equal rights until they know everybody.

When somebody is treating you wrong, everybody. Has always known when they're tripping, treated wrong. Or bad. It's having that level of. I guess I can take action now. And either. Forget about the consequences. Or accepting of the consequences. Of those actions. But that's an internal change that has to happen. To be able to speak up. That starts with one person. And we honestly do not know who that person is. Where this chain reaction started?

It probably started. With a couple of people here and a couple of people there and then spread up to the point that it was big enough. That we got any of the names we know. None of the names we know we're probably the first. To have. The courage to speak up, to speak out. And to start organizing.

That little bit of [00:08:00] courage. To talk to the person next to you and say, look, this isn't right. This has to change. We can. Change it, if we work together, And have that other person. Have that change of heart to say. Yeah, maybe we can change it. That's how you start that chain reaction. That always starts within.

It always starts in the hearts of one person, a few people. And builds up to a critical mass. There wouldn't have been a Dr. King. If the church that he served, wasn't ready for a doctor king. It had to start locally.

I've seen it. I've been to members of churches where a preacher said something civil rights related and was immediately fired. I remember. Preacher when I was very …

Join us in this episode as Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian delve into the via Transformativa of the fourth path of creation spirituality. Explore the themes of change, transformation, and celebration during the full moon after Lúnasa. Learn about the importance of internal change, the influence of societal shifts, and the power of collective efforts in movements such as civil rights and climate activism. Discover how small victories and ongoing progress are essential in fostering lasting change. Don't miss out on this insightful discussion on recognizing and celebrating the harvest of change in our lives and society.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Full Moon After Lúnasa

01:12 The Concept of Harvesting Change

01:53 Personal Experiences with Change

03:04 Societal Changes and Challenges

05:33 The Role of Individuals in Driving Change

09:43 The Frustration of Slow Progress

12:26 Vision for a Future Without Prisons

14:21 The Unresolved Issues in Society

15:02 Understanding Incremental Change

15:47 The Four Paths of Change

17:47 The Impact of Media Representation

19:48 Addressing Systemic Problems

22:27 The Cycle of Change and Harvest

24:10 Celebrating Small Victories

27:46 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian as they delve into the profound topic of grace. From personal stories to deep philosophical reflections, they explore various interpretations and experiences of grace, including its often misappropriated use in Christian contexts. Discover how grace is woven into everyday life, nature, and creative inspiration and learn practical ways to recognize and cultivate it. This heartfelt discussion emphasizes the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in experiencing and appreciating the unmerited favors of life.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

For Educational Resource:

https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Grace is a topic that I don't hear as much discussion of these days. And when I do, it's usually about one particular song, you know, the one. Do I even have to say the name of it?Today we're going to talk about opening the treasury of divine grace and what grace is and why we need it.

Intro

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and I am joined today by my husband, Brian.

Hello. Okay. I need to know which song.

Amazing grace. Oh yeah. Okay.

So all those guests amazing grease you win. Actually Stormzy's was the first thing that jumped in my head. Blinded by your grace, by your grace from Stormzy. great song, great side. No amazing grace was grandpa's [00:01:00] favorite. Song. I've never really been a fan of it.

It's the first song I learned how to play on the organ, because my great-grandmother loved that song. When she found out that I was interested in learning how to play the organ, she opened up the sheet music. For it. And taught me to play it. It doesn't work anymore because it was an old. air powered. organ. That had a, electric compressor on it.

And unfortunately the bag that held the air. To go through the pipes is given it needs maintenance, but I still actually have that organ in the house right now,

it's in the office.

It is not playable. Unfortunately.

Grace is. An extremely misunderstood and misappropriated term. In most discussions, especially. Christian discussions. And I'm starting to feel like people are. Maybe wondering where we're going to get more into the paganism. Oh, trust me, starting next month, we're going to have a banger cause I really want to have a discussion of, should [00:02:00] we be saying paganism or paganery? I just had a lot to say this month because of the holidays and the things associated with it.

But grace is important. On either side of things. Grace is very misappropriated because of Augustine. And oh, we're going to be talking about that a little bit later this month. Augustine and in what I consider the great error of original sin.

Grace, according to this way of thinking. Is your ability to go, Hey, you're the most horrible thing ever. But I'm willing to look past that. And ewe.

I don't know how else to describe it. No, I would think that would actually fall under the definition of tolerance. Be bad and use a definition and a word tolerance is tolerating a thing. Ooh, bad definitions.

It's not even really tolerance because it has to start with this.

You are the worst thing ever, and I hate you for that. Yeah, but I'm not going to destroy [00:03:00] you, even though you deserve it. Original sin. Is a worldview that my brain really cannot get behind. In any way that is meaningful, powerful, or helpful in any way, shape or form? Yes. Very judgmental. Very wrathful.

So if we're. Not talking about. Grace from the perspective of original sin, where we're all horrible, horrible, bad people who need to just have God pretend that that's not the case for a minute so that we're not immediately smitten by a lightening.

what

Charlie- New: is grace ?

Where do you find it?

Grace to me is the answer to why is the universe not fair?

. The first instance of grace that I ever remember having explained to me was again from my great grandmother. I used to go over to her house a lot. We lived in a trailer behind her house. For a portion of my childhood and I would go up and she'd pull out the Bible and. I would play amazing grace on the [00:04:00] organ because she insisted that I play amazing grace on the organ.

Cause she taught me how to play it. And it was her favorite song. And then she would pick up the Bible and we would read something and then talk about it. And that was a lot of my. Childhood for a period there. One day. As you do as a child. I said something about man, that's just not fair.

Granny was very. Granny about it and was like, Be very, very happy that the world isn't fair. You don't want what you deserve. No one wants what they deserve. And when I heard that as a kid, My initial thought. Was. Oh, yeah, I, I don't want, cause I'm a bad person, blah, blah, blah, blah. But she went on to explain if the universe was fair. The moment you did a bad thing, something terrible would happen to you. Whether you knew it was a bad thing or not.

There's no learning. In that work. There's no [00:05:00] justice in that world. Just immediate retribution. There is no salvation in that world. You need grace, grace. Is. That easement. And that allowance that lets you have that space to grow, to develop and to change. That was interesting coming from her because she was very set in her way. She was in her nineties. It was hard for me to understand coming from her. Cause then, you know, you look how she treated other people and it didn't make sense to me. It did later. But I don't think that that's all the grace is.

See we often because of this framework of original sin. View grace in terms of punishment.

And that's not what grace is. When you go out and you look at. waterfall. You experienced divine grace. You've experienced natural grace. You experienced the grace of this gift? This unmerited gift. That is just presented to you. You look [00:06:00] outside and you see a rainbow.

And you receive this grace. See to me.

Grace and graciousness. Are tied together, not just linguistically. Because, yeah, I can make a very pedantic argument of, you know, these words. Uh, but that's not. Helpful in this case. Because while yes, the words may be related. The ideas often are not. But they should be. Grace.

Is simply as I learned as a child. un- merited. Favor. I love that phrase. On merited favor. I didn't have to wake up to beautiful weather. I didn't have to go to sleep last night in that beautiful, cool air. That was coming in from the freshly cleansed. Air from the rain that had happened earlier in the day.

I didn't deserve. Any of that. I don't even know what I could do. To deserve. Any of that,

where you would have [00:07:00] to get out there and move the little. You know, molecules around to create the ideal atmospheric conditions. That would be the effort that would be required. And that example, and it's why it's a gift because I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I didn't get up. I didn't start earlier in the day yesterday to push the wind and move the molecules.

Brian - New: So that last

night would be nice and cool. And not to have the thunderstorms.

That. Is to me the, the blessing of grace. We find grace in a lot of places that we don't. Often look for it. We're not open to it. We don't see it. Again, this is partially from those blinders, that original sin put on a lot of people that grew up in a Western. Country. And unfortunately in countries that have been infected by that. Mind virus. But grace is something that flows. Throughout nature. Throughout our lives. As a storyteller.

When that. [00:08:00] Inspiration hits for a new character, a new story. I knew something. That's grace. I didn'…

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian as they delve into the profound topic of grace. From personal stories to deep philosophical reflections, they explore various interpretations and experiences of grace, including its often misappropriated use in Christian contexts. Discover how grace is woven into everyday life, nature, and creative inspiration and learn practical ways to recognize and cultivate it. This heartfelt discussion emphasizes the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in experiencing and appreciating the unmerited favors of life.

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Grace

00:43 Personal Stories and Amazing Grace

01:36 Misunderstandings of Grace

03:19 Grace Beyond Original Sin

05:06 Experiencing Grace in Everyday Life

08:29 The Concept of Awen and Nwyfre

10:17 Practicing and Recognizing Grace

15:19 Personal Journey of Understanding Grace

15:53 Visualization Techniques for Spiritual Connection

16:41 Experiencing Grace in Everyday Moments

21:15 Recognizing Grace in Pain and Suffering

21:56 The Practice of Blessings and Gratitude

26:36 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi and fantasy writer, and their husband, Brian, as they explore the theological and symbolic meanings behind the Assumption of Mary. This discussion delves into the historical evidence for religious figures, the nature of faith, and the importance of religious stories beyond their factual accuracy. Through a lighthearted and pragmatic lens, the episode navigates complex religious topics, emphasizing the spiritual significance of Mary’s story and its relevance to modern lives. This thoughtful analysis aims to foster a deeper understanding of faith, divine union, and the enduring power of religious narratives.

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For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

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Transcript:

Charlie- New: [00:00:00] Today as the church celebrates and remembers. The assumption of Mary into heaven. We're going to ask the important question. . And this matters to me because.

Today I'm creations paths.

Intro Hello everybody. My name is Charlie. I'm a non binary scifi, fancy writer. And I am joined today by my husband, Brian.

Brian - New: Hulu.

Charlie- New: And yeah, that was kind of a flippant way to start, but, I think people. Often take religion and spirituality. Way too seriously. And it's important for us to. Allow for a little lightheartedness. And how do we approach these topics?

Brian - New: Also. It's important. For the pragmatic individuals From their perspective, they're going to wonder, like what. Does it even matter? [00:01:00] and . Maybe not even look into what it is to even find out if it matters or not. To them, they don't think it matters enough. So it's not a slave. It's not a bad question. As you know, We all have busy lives and. Many, many things that we can be spending our time on and. That's a good question.

Charlie- New: Well, that's Meister Eckhart said. What good is it to me today? If Jesus was born. 2000 years ago. If he is not born right here and right now in my heart,

I think that that's a really. Good invalid way to see all of this because. I think it's a mistake to try to historicize faith.

By that, I don't mean. That I don't believe in historical Jesus or anything like that. I think. You have to be rather foolish to not believe in a historical Jesus. There's enough evidence. That this person existed. We can argue over what his life meant. We can argue over what words he actually said, but the idea that there that's where he [00:02:00] is beyond debate. And also beyond my interest.

I mean to be quite Frank and I talk about this a lot. The power. That any of these stories have? Isn't the story? It's wonderful that there was a historical Jesus and there was probably a historical Mary. And whether or not. We think we know for sure that his mother was named Mary a. Something like 60% of the women in the, in Judea were named some version of Mary. Like it's an insanely high number. I think that might be too high. I don't know. It might be too low. We have a lot of graves and other legal documents from the time. There were a lot of Mary's Maria's Mariam nays. Merriam's. there were a lot of marries in the first century. So just out of. The odds of it. Probably. Just like, there was definitely a Jesus. Cause again, Fairly common name. Back then.

So the story of the assumption of [00:03:00] Mary, which. I think confuses some people because we talk about the Ascension of Christ and the assumption of Mary and we use the word assumption differently now is like, You're assuming something. But it literally means to take up.

So when you assume something, you take it up is. If it were true, whether it is or not. the reason. We talked about the assumption rather than the Ascension is a basic old theological argument of Jesus ascended into heaven, basically on his own power. And God sent the angels to take. Mary up to assume Mary into heaven. In much the same way that the chariot came down for a light.

There's actually I think a good argument over whether or not. Mary. Died in the story. Before this. Because the oldest version of this that we have is actually a third century story. Called the Dormition of Mary. It's a fancy way of saying when Mary fell asleep.

In this story. Something happened to me. The text [00:04:00] says she fell asleep, which was a euphemism for the dying. . They put her in the tomb. The angels go out throughout the world and bring all of the apostles back. To Jerusalem and they're all over the world. But they bring them all back. I get to fly angel airlines. So that they can be there. And. Lo and behold, what happens? Mary walks out of the tube. Says a brief sermon about. How good it is to be alive and that you should. I'll do a as her son commanded. And then the angels come and they carry her up into heaven. And then the angels returning carry all the apostles back to wherever they were before this happened.

Perfectly adorable. Third century century story.

Brian - New: Sorry. I keep laughing every time you see angel airlines, because it reminds me of a thing I once heard. Regarding angel airlines would be whisked away and. The, reply. was.

God gave you a gift of two working legs and feet. I'm not here to defame God's gift. Get to walk in.

Angel airlines. I'm like, yeah. They [00:05:00] told him to get to walking back. Got a feeling this took months. not like the Enterprise beaming you up and beaming you back down probably.

Charlie- New: So the thing about this is. We have a fixation. In our modern world. Over whether something historically happened. And I get that to a certain degree. It's nice to know. It's facts about certain things. And this one. Even if we could come up with something. That would be considered a fact.

It wouldn't matter. this is one of those things you have to take on faith, right? We can talk all day long about how I do believe that there is so much evidence for historical Jesus. And that there was not only a historical Jesus, but he was crucified.

That is beyond. Recognize . This happened. The Talmud says that the apostles stole his bot. The gospels say that he, Rick rose from the dead. Many of the earliest Roman writers. Say that he was believed to have [00:06:00] risen from the dead. But do not account for his bot. Which leads me to believe. There was not a tune in the first several centuries that people could point to and say, that's where he was.

I do find it odd that none of the Roman writers. Who were very vicious against Christianity. Point to things like, and that's the pile that his body was thrown onto. The dogs could eat it.

Brian - New: Yeah.

Because they did that. And other writings of other individuals.

Charlie- New: It's weird, but again, What historical proof could I give you? There is no such thing as historical evidence for a miracle. I can show you somebody who had. Just to go to Lourdes. For example, there are medical records of people that had. Physical disfigurements that based in the water. And those physical disfigurements healed.

We have before and after photos, we have letters from their doctors. You have to take it on faith. If you don't have faith already, You're going to [00:07:00] assume while the records are somehow. Biased there. Fabricated, you know what I'm saying? There is no such thing as evidence for a miracle. And I don't care. That to me, isn't the most important part of the story. Whether or not a literal woman named Mary. Literally. Was raised into heaven. To me is the weirdest thing to argue about. Especially close to 2000 years. After the events. . When I say the dormission of Mary is a cute little story. Mary moved to emphasis with John. This is something that's very well attested to. In…