Nicholas Kotar is an author, translator (Russian / English) and teacher who's writing is inspired by Russian fairy tales. Perhaps his best known work is the Raven Son series of epic fantasy based on the Russian fairy tale Prince Ivan and the Grey Wolf. He has been featured on podcasts such as Ancient Faith Radio and the Symbolic World and is a father, deacon, and home school teacher. 

Join Heers and Kotar for a winding conversation covering topics like the fool in culture, the narratives we inhabit and our culture undergoing change. This episode is one you don't want to miss as Kotar helps us understand the importance of narrative and balance in our lives.

Links:

• Nicholas Kotar Homepage
• In A Certain Kingdom Podcast by N. Kotar
• Laurus, E. Vodolazkin

For a deep dive into WAWTAR, register for our weekly "WAWTAR Podcourse" with John Heers. This semester's title is "Are you a Communist, a Capitalist, or a Christian?" Find out more about the course and how to join (it's never to late!) here.

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Like writing? Like this podcast? Find out how you can continue the discussion further by submitting a blog over at First Things Foundation here.

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here.

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Often times in the "Old World," where First Things Foundation sends its Field Directors, you will encounter magic. Be it voodoo, or Mayan rituals, or any of the myriad types they have a common flavor. As "New Worlders" it's easy for us to hear about this and scoff, yet, what happens when you come face to face with it? With something you don't understand or can't explain? And really, how is that any different from the technological marvels we are surrounded by? Come join John Heers and three former Field Directors for a round-table discussion about magic and science on this episode of WAWTAR.

For a deep dive into WAWTAR, register for our weekly "WAWTAR Podcourse" with John Heers. This semester's title is "Are you a Communist, a Capitalist, or a Christian?" Find out more about the course and how to join (it's never to late!) here.

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Like writing? Like this podcast? Find out how you can continue the discussion further by submitting a blog over at First Things Foundation here.

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here.

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

V. Rev. Igumen Silouan Justiniano is an iconographer and a Deputy Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite in New York. He has written for various publications around the world and is also an editor and contributor to the Orthodox Arts Journal. John and Fr. Silouan talk about icons, images, and art all from a really distinct perspective.

Links:

• Fr. Silouan's Website
• On the Gift of Art...But What Art?
• Episteme and Techne (Stanford)

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Toxic masculinity. What is it? How can we understand it and where does it come from? Is it a universal trait across the world and cultures? Perhaps most importantly for this podcast, how is viewed through that "Old World" lens? Join John Heers and the WAWTAR crew as we attempt to understand: toxic masculinity.

Links:

• Is Toxic Masculinity Islamic?
• Learning to Be a Man Without Masculinity
• CNN: Inside Africa - Tackling Toxic Masculinity
• Feminist Current Article on Toxic Masculinity and Patriarchy
• Mythopoetic Men's Movement

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

This week we are excited to bring on the show Fr. Peter Heers, Orthodox priest and author currently living in Greece. He also happens to be the brother of our host John Heers.

Fr. Peter brings a lot of "Old World" into this episode from talking about life in Greek villages to Orthodox Christianity and how it pertains to culture and life. We also dive into thoughts on self esteem, history, and, of course, COVID.

Links:

• Orthodox Ethos Website and Podcast
• The Ecclesiological Renovation of Vatican II
• Fr. Peter Heers Patreon
• Fr. Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works (link to Amazon)

For a deep dive into WAWTAR, register for our weekly "WAWTAR Podcourse" with John Heers. This semester's title is "Are you a Communist, a Capitalist, or a Christian?" Find out more about the course and how to join (it's never to late!) here.

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Like writing? Like this podcast? Find out how you can continue the discussion further by submitting a blog over at First Things Foundation here.

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here.

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

--

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

No but really, what's a human right? Have we always had them? Where and when did they appear on the scene? And how do they relate to what's going on all around the world?

Links:

• Human Nature: Indian Perspective Revisited
• Al Islam Org
• Daoism: Anthropology
• Fr. Silouan, art

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Teenage rebellion, the most angsty of times on our way to adulthood. And it happens to all of us...or does it? Come explore what adolescence and the road to adulthood looks like for us Enlightened folk and for those Old World cultures.

Links:

• Can teenage defiance be used for good? - New York Times
• The Myth of the Teen Brain - Scientific American
• Teenagers, Why do They Rebel - Web MD
• Yes Your Teen is Crazy - Michael J. Bradley

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Welcome to episode nine! In this episode Heers is joined by doctor, acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner James Mohebali. They talk nature, new vs old world medical practices and of course, COVID.

Links:

• Rasputin biography
• Rape of Man and Nature, Sherrard

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

In this episode we explore Truth. But that's a super heavy topic so we decided to come at it from a couple of different angles including juju from Africa, what it means to "take an oath," (do we even do that anymore?), and of course what the term "fake news" hints at. Welcome to episode 8!

Links:

• Format.com Pics of local juju doctors
• John Tillotson, Archbishop of Cantebury
• Oaths from an Islamic Perspective
• Journal of African Law, Jstor
• A Profane History of Early Modern Oaths, by John Spurr

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

In this episode Heers brings on his daughters to see what their understanding of history is, what the midnight removal of the Columbus statue indicates, and how our perception, really our understanding, of history fundamentally changed after the Enlightenment.

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;
"Dramatic_2" was served by the Freesound project and produced by www.digifishmusic.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band