Autumn. Winter. Spring. The death of stars. Frodo going to Mordor and Jesus going to the cross. There is a universal pattern we see, in all of these things: that of going down to go up. When we join in with this pattern—in the darker moments or seasons of our lives—we commune with the universal. This episode is an exploration of that pattern, and how it might transform our lives.

We typically think of power as strength, might, the ability to defeat or influence an opponent. Yet the prophets and mystics, and particularly Christ, spoke of a new way, a radically different conception of power that was based not in its use but in its restraint. Remarkably, we see this same understanding in the philosophy of karate, which has as its goal a greater harmony and peace. In this episode, we explore the connections between the way of Christ and the practice of karate, and how both reveal to us a new, fresh conception of power that might just transform the world.

Talk to anyone these days, and they have an opinion on vaccines—usually a strong one. We read articles on why these people are wrong or just don’t get it, why this perspective is correct according to the data, and so on. But what if we step back, and take a look at what these tensions themselves might tell us about our world today? What beneficial roles might apparent “dysfunctions” be fulfilling? In this episode, we explore the vaccine debate as a window into the depths.

All across the world, the traumas of history are rearing their heads, manifesting in shootings, inter-nation conflict, and hypernationalism. In this episode, we explore the the Past, integrated versus unintegrated; the meaning of the word “Sankofa”; and how we might do the difficult work of healing our collective Past, thereby liberating the river of our collective Future.

For many of us, we are still struggling to grieve and understand the horrific shootings in Atlanta last month. In this episode, we explore the reality of emotional numbness after events like these; how Atlanta reveals a deep, old split between body and spirit; the responsibility of the Church and a critical moment for its future; and the possibilities for restoration found in the sensual, erotic reunion between flesh and soul.

This is a special contemplation edition of the KimCast, intended as a space to really feel the depths of sorrow and grief that many of us are feeling related to the acts of violence in recent weeks, and the year of pandemic.

Recently, the Japanese government approved permits for private contractors to dig up soil from sites known to contain the bones of soldiers and civilians who died in the Battle of Okinawa, during WWII, to be used as landfill for the construction of a new US Military base in northern Okinawa. In this episode, we explore this moment here on the island, the relationship between sorrow and joy, and the indestructible presence of joy and freedom in the human spirit.

In this episode, we move from the symbol of the Yin-Yang, to the relationship between trauma and polarization, to the metaphor of cancer—and its allopathic treatment—all the way to the Japanese word genki 元気, touching on the Genesis 1 story along the way, and ending with an attempted reclamation of the word “nationalism.”

What is the function of shame? What role did it play in human evolution? How does it interface with the Divine? In this episode, we explore this often-hidden emotion, its neurological circuitry, and its relationship with the miraculous.

This is part 2 of “On Fire,” and it’s all in the title! An exploration of Fire on earth, Yin and Yang, oxygen and COVID-19, the story of Moses and divine fire.