A lot of ink has been spilled over the Catholic and religious underpinnings of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Pretty much everyone knows this by now, but very few have probed the depths of how the liturgy and the Catholic Mass influenced the very foundation of Middle Earth. In this episode, Professor Ben Reinhard joins the show to explore Tolkien’s deep liturgical roots in his book, The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination.

We also discuss how to initiate a hobbit into true religion! You just need Elves and the oldest song-slinging being in Middle Earth (Tom).

The High Hallow: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/the-high-hallow-tolkiens-liturgical-imagination

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*This episode contains content that may not be suitable for children.

Essayist, poet, and playwright, Jane Scharl returns to the show to discuss her new play, The Death of Rabelais. This is the second in a loose trilogy featuring France’s infamous humanist and humorist, François Rabelais.

In this play, Rabelais finds himself lost in a snow storm on the Eve of Epiphany only to find that Death awaits him. We discuss the play and the different approaches artists and critics take when discerning the different levels of meaning in a work of literature.

Jane Scharl’s website: https://jcscharl.com/

Substack: J.C. Scharl

Wiseblood Books Link: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p169/The_Death_of_Rabelais%3A_A_Play%2C_Jane_Clark_Scharl.html

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It is spooky season when the veil between the material and spiritual worlds becomes thin. Halloween is right around the corner and monsters prowl about the edge of society often taking the forms of something either enticing or frightening. Church music plays backwards and carnivals arrive at 3:00 AM.

In this episode of IMBIF, I discuss Ray Bradbury’s classic horror story, Something Wicked This Way Comes, with Brad Birzer and Thomas Salerno. A dark carnival arrives at a small midwestern town and two teenage boys are faced with it’s terrors and temptations. We talk about Bradbury’s beliefs, the nature of the carnival, of fatherhood, and of friendship.

Is this a Christian book? What is Mr. Dark? Is he human or something else? What is it about Bradbury’s fiction that is so compelling even if we don’t share his worldview? All this and more in this exiting episode.

Brad Birzer can be found on Twitter.com at @bradleybirzer and his website is: https://spiritofcecilia.com/

Thomas Salerno can be found on Twitter.com at @Salerno_Thomas and his books can be found here: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/riddle-of-the-tongue-stones*************************************************************************************************************

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Last month, I was a guest on iSamwise’s YouTube channel and we discussed, you guessed it, Tim Powers! Check it out! iSamwise kindly shared his audio file with me so I could share it with all of you.

Link to iSamwise’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@iSamwise

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In this episode, I am joined by medieval scholar and author, Jason Baxter. Dr. Baxter is the Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College and the author of many books, including a new translation of Dante and The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis.

Dr. Baxter and I discussed The Medieval Mind, C. S. Lewis as medievalist, and why he had a medieval mind. We also talk about how Lewis’ thoughts could be applied to modern science.

Everyone needs to go out and read Lewis and then read Dr. Baxter’s The Medieval Mind.

For a list of his books, check out Jason Baxter’s website: https://www.jasonmbaxter.com/

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Two wonderful guests return to the show, the editor of Plough and Mere Orthodoxy, Susannah (Black) Roberts, and poet and playwright, Jane Scharl.

We discuss Rudolf Otto’s The Idea of the Holy and the “Numinous”, which is a term he coined in that book. The goal of this discussion is to talk about the concept of the Numinous and where it can be found in fantasy fiction. We specifically discuss the works of C. S. Lewis, Gene Wolfe, Tim Powers, Kenneth Grahame, Arthur Machen, and George MacDonald.

We also discuss mysticism in Christianity, holy fear, and much more.

If you want to know how an experience of the Numinous can unmake you, then check this episode out!

Susannah can be found on Twitter.com at @suzania and her work can be found at

https://www.plough.com/

https://mereorthodoxy.com/

Susannah Black Roberts (substack)

Jane can be found on Twitter.com at @JcScharl and she writes at J.C. Scharl (substack).

Jane’s poetry and plays can be found on her website,

https://jcscharl.com/

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Cinderella is one of the oldest folktales in the world. Academic librarian, Rosie Liljenquist (Rosy Rambles), joins the show to discuss this story. We compare the different versions told by Charles Perrault, The Brothers Grimm, and Giambattista Basile. We explore the religious symbolism of the Grimm’s version and I even try to rehabilitate the wicked step-sisters.

Enjoy!

Rosie’s work, including the essays mentioned during the show, can be found here:

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Author and cultural commentator, Leila Lawler, joins the show to discuss the book, St. Hildegard's Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul. We talk about St. Hildegard of Bingen, her views on medicine, healing and the cosmos, what she means by “hot, cold, moist, and dry,” and what modern people (New Agers, Feminists, etc.) get wrong about her.

Leila Lawler’s website is here: https://likemotherlikedaughter.org/

Follow Leila on Twitter.com @_Leila

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I Might Believe in Faeries is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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This video is about how ancient and medieval people viewed apes and monkeys.

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Science fiction author, Patrick Abbott, joins the show to discuss whether alien life forms are compatible with Christianity, the UFO phenomenon, cattle mutilations, and more!

The truth is (maybe) out there!

Follow Patrick Abbott on Twitter.com @PatrickKAbbott

Subscribe to his Substack:

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Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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Logo Art by Linnea Kisby

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