Word and Journey

The Wheel weaves as the wheel will! Welcome back to our discussion of the Wheel of Time!

Originally, when the Wheel of Time show came to Amazon Prime, I started a series of discussion in which I had watched the show, Matt Rensi had watched the show and read the books, and Aaron Esparza had watched the show, read the books, and play the game. We started out to compare our experiences of the show. Along the way, a whole variety of life circumstances came up along the way, and one whole episode was lost, and this one was much delayed. 

Never fear, though - I have brought you the lost final episode of our discussion series on Wheel of Time season 1, just in time for us to launch into our commentary on season two!

Here, me and Matt talk about the aesthetics of the finale of Season 1(just in time for Season 3! We talk in depth on the character of Rand Al-Thor, and what his story says about heroism.

​​            What is the most heroic thing that Rand does? He is young and in love, well infatuated really, with Egwaine, one of the powerful five. But he also suspects there is mutual love between her and Perrin, another of the five. Rand is given to jealousy, to hot-headed impetuosity, and rash judgment. He's quicker to draw his sword than use his words, and when he speaks, it's with bedrock conviction.

         The way he is depicted in the show, he is a boring character for most of the season. He loves a girl, does what he's told, has nightmares about dark figures haunting him, and broods all day long. All his companions begin manifesting their magic abilities long before him, and he remains loyally ordinary...until the end when it is revealed that he's been channeling all along...he just hasn't realized it.

         At least he's cute.

         He's not particularly remarkable as a swordsman or a tracker or a healer or a wisdom. So what makes him a hero?

         Rand is an ordinary hero in the way he steadfastly journeys with his friends. He is a quiet and reliable friend, and persistently able to struggle through with those he loves. He comes to his final showdown being tired and haggard, having gone through loss and fear, and still found a reason to persist.

         His final confrontation with the Dark One is an internal one. The Dark One gets in his head and challenges his character. Is he the type of man who will take power for himself, to serve his own ends? Or is he the type of man who will resist power, struggle against desire, and consider the needs of others over his own?

         In a way, he is both. He does end up declining the Dark One's offer, and resisting temptation, and he is able to do this because he loves and knows Egwaine. He wins by being grounded enough in reality, and open enough to her reality, that he can differentiate between the two, even in the depths of his mind. In that realm, he is able to recognize the vast difference between his fantasy of Egwaine, and the reality of the actual Egwaine, and his victory stroke is to prefer the real over the imagined.

         In a sense, we could say his motives are still self-serving; he hopes to be with her...but we should moreso say his motives are driven by compassion. He wants her to be her, and to be with her as she is, not as he would shape her to be.

         Rand's heroism is one of presence, made up of compassion, of knowing and loving others as they are, and being willing to give entirely of one's self in order that they might live.

#wheeloftime #randalthor #robertjordan #story #fantasy #hero #heroism

Moses and Jake meet up for the finishing touches of The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. Here we consider the desire for a long and comfortable life and how that may be very dangerous to our spiritual health. We talk about courage, cowardice, and virtues that the demons cannot replicate. We recognize that the spiritual journey is just long and tiring and that we are vulnerable when fatigued. Finally, we come to the end of “The Patient’s” journey and consider the ideal end to the Christian journey.

THEN we get political…because Screwtape gets political. The epilogue puts Uncle Screwtape at a demon banquet, giving a toast, and roasting democracy while he’s at it. We acknowledge that no government is perfect, but some political structures may offer more tools to the dark spiritual forces than others. 

In all things, we conclude that the spiritual world is real, is vibrant, and has a direct impact on every aspect of our lives. If we are wise, we will keep this in mind.

Let us know your thoughts, and things you have learned about your own spiritual life! We’d love to hear from you, even if you disagree with us.

Word and Journey is a listener supported venture by Moses Bernabe. To support the podcast, please visit patreon.com/mosesbernabe. You can follow Moses on instagram at @mosesbernabe, and on Youtube by searching “Word and Journey.”

Jacob Schwartz can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz on instagram. 

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

#cslewis #christian #christianity #orthodox #orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #screwtapeletters #books #book #spirituality #spiritualwisdom #spiritualpractice #church #religion #faithpractice #othering #love #compassion #demons #howthedemonswork #temptations #relationships #perspectives #politics #culture #democracy #history #community #salvation #eschatology #mosesbernabe #wordandjourney

Here we almost finish The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Screwtape and Wormwood continue to hound the Christian on his spiritual journey. They try to get him to feel entitled to own things. They try to get him to lust after a new girlfriend, then to get bored with her. They poke at his craving for a tribe to call his own, then try to distract him with visions of “the historical Jesus.” They try to send him church shopping. They try to get him bored with “The same old thing,” and try to get him to make his religion political.

Meanwhile, Jake, Steph, and Moses reflect on how these tactics show up in our own lives and in the church cultures around us. Hopefully we come away a little wiser, but let the listener by the judge!

Let us know your thoughts, and things you have learned about your own spiritual life! We’d love to hear from you, even if you disagree with us.

Word and Journey is a listener supported venture by Moses Bernabe. To support the podcast, please visit patreon.com/mosesbernabe. You can follow Moses on instagram at @mosesbernabe, and on Youtube by searching “Word and Journey.”

Jacob Schwartz can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz on instagram. 

Stephanie Bennet and her professional editing services can be found at bennettsedits.com and @bennetts.edits on instagram. 

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

#cslewis #christian #christianity #orthodox #orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #screwtapeletters #books #book #spirituality #spiritualwisdom #spiritualpractice #church #religion #faithpractice #othering #love #compassion #demons #howthedemonswork #temptations #relationships #perspectives #mosesbernabe #wordandjourney

We’re back with more thoughts on The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis.

Moses and Stephanie pull out their writer and editor lenses to talk about the writing - and proper reading - of the text. We consider genre, subculture, the narrator’s voice, and share thoughts to consider when writing about the spiritual world in general. Above all, we remember that this book is speculative; we don’t actually know what it’s like to be a purely spiritual being.

Then we cover a few more letters. Screwtape advises Wormwood on how to take Humor, Love, Church Shopping, Gluttony, Sexuality, and False Humility and use them to corrupt our attention and take up our time, all to set us on the slow and gradual trajectory to spiritual destruction. Turns out the Road to Hell is not only lined with twisted virtues, but it is a subtle road upon which one can walk for quite a length before realizing it is too late to turn back!

Let us know your thoughts, and things you have learned about your own spiritual life! We’d love to hear from you, even if you disagree with us.

Word and Journey is a listener supported venture by Moses Bernabe. To support the podcast, please visit patreon.com/mosesbernabe. You can follow Moses on instagram at @mosesbernabe, and on Youtube by searching “Word and Journey.”

Stephanie Bennet and her professional editing services can be found at bennettsedits.com and @bennetts.edits on instagram. 

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

#cslewis #christian #christianity #orthodox #orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #screwtapeletters #books #book #spirituality #spiritualwisdom #spiritualpractice #church #religion #faithpractice #othering #love #compassion #demons #howthedemonswork #temptations #relationships #perspectives #mosesbernabe #wordandjourney

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel and excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” 

Moses, Jake, and Stephanie are back and reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Screwtape Letters is the correspondence by the demon Wormwood and his affectionate mentor, the demon Screwtape, and the letters are all about how to destroy a human from the soul outwards, and utterly prevent the soul of “The Patient” from being saved by God.

In volume 1, we read the first 10 letters, and comment on 6. We learn that words matter, but we need to be careful not to get preoccupied with wordiness. We learn that compassion matters, especially when we compare our actions with the intents of others. We learn that a spirituality based on moods is much more fragile than a faith built on consistent spiritual practices. We learn that an intellectual and abstract faith that scorns “The Other,” and never takes action is a sight that makes the demons rejoice.

Let us know your thoughts, and things you have learned about your own spiritual life! We’d love to hear from you, even if you disagree with us.

Word and Journey is a listener supported venture by Moses Bernabe. To support the podcast, please visit patreon.com/mosesbernabe. You can follow Moses on instagram at @mosesbernabe, and on Youtube by searching “Word and Journey.”

Jacob Schwartz can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz on instagram. 

Stephanie Bennet and her professional editing services can be found at bennettsedits.com and @bennetts.edits on instagram. 

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time!

#cslewis #christian #christianity #orthodox #orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #screwtapeletters #books #book #spirituality #spiritualwisdom #spiritualpractice #church #religion #faithpractice #othering #love #compassion #demons #howthedemonswork #temptations #relationships #perspectives #mosesbernabe #wordandjourney

And the saga of the Nazi hunters finally draws to its end!

What makes a hero? Can a person be considered heroic, even if they do the same horrendous things as the villain? 

We wonder if people can really change, or if they never out grow their past wrongs. And if ultimately we can define our enemies by their worst parts, what does that mean about how we see ourselves? 

Our heroes will stop at nothing to see Hitler dead. Is this focused passion, or insane obsession? Does this end justify any means to get there? Does the elimination of one super villain heal anyone left standing? 

The show ends with the fictitious trial of Adolph Hitler. In one sense, the whole episode could be seen as an attempt at trauma healing. It’s a reauthoring - the trial we never had, but badly needed. 

As the trial plays out, the question is posed - what really should we do with Hitler? Do we accord him the same human rights we claim for ourselves? Or deny him what he denied others? We quickly discover that our own souls are on trial as much as his and we will be judged by our capacity for mercy and forgiveness.. 

“We tell the stories of our past to change our futures.” 

This channel relies on the support of its listeners. Please join our community with a few dollars a month at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and by liking, rating, and reviewing the show!

Moses can be found at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and @mosesbernabe on Instagram, and on Facebook as Moses-Rhys.

Jake can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz

We’d love to hear from you!

#wordandjourney #stories #shows #media #bingewatching #historicaldrama #hunters #nazi #politics #justice #holocaust #jew #jewish #jewishculture #intrigue #action #drama 

Moses and Jake offer more commentary on the Amazon Prime show Hunters, Season II. This season comes with thick layers of intrigue, drama, lies, betrayals, and dark histories revealed. And as the global adventure continues, the personal lives of the characters just get more and more chaotic.

The show raises questions about identity, integrity, and explores what it means to be family. Much more difficult, we get to wonder - why should we forgive those who wrong us?

This channel relies on the support of its listeners. Please join our community with a few dollars a month at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and by liking, rating, and reviewing the show!

Moses can be found at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and @mosesbernabe on Instagram, and on Facebook as Moses-Rhys.

Jake can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz

We’d love to hear from you!

#wordandjourney #stories #shows #media #bingewatching #historicaldrama #hunters #nazi #politics #justice #holocaust #jew #jewish #jewishculture #intrigue #action #drama 

More Nazis, more intrigue, more explorations of human-nature-under-duress, more drama - yes, dear listener, it’s Word and Journey’s commentary on the hit Amazon Prime show Hunters, Season II!

Here we see our favorite heroes, anti-heroes, and outright villains continuing the quest to rid the world of Nazis, one gouged out eye at a time. The action rises when they figure out Hitler is alive and they know where to find him. Will they kill him? Only the full season will tell!

Moses and Jake offer commentary on the story and deeper meanings of the first 3 episodes. They tackle questions on the nature of justice, who owns truth, and whether or not revenge actually accomplishes anything, and why characters living double lives give us anxiety. We wonder if a victim has an added measure of authority simply for having survived something terrible. It’s a grisly view of humanity, but then again, so was the holocaust.

This channel relies on the support of its listeners. Please join our community with a few dollars a month at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and by liking, rating, and reviewing the show!

Moses can be found at patreon.com/mosesbernabe, and @mosesbernabe on Instagram, and on Facebook as Moses-Rhys.

Jake can be found at www.jacobrayschwartz.com and @jacobrayschwartz

We’d love to hear from you!

#wordandjourney #stories #shows #media #bingewatching #historicaldrama #hunters #nazi #politics #justice #holocaust #jew #jewish #jewishculture #intrigue #action #drama 

Who are we really? Are we an ethnicity? Are we the horrors

What is justice? What is vengeance? How much

Where is God in the evils of the world? Could it be He is

How does community help us to survive trauma?

The Amazon Prime show Hunters continues unpacking

This podcast is all about building a community of readers,

Moses Bernabe can be found on instagram @mosesbernabe.

For more information about Jake, contact him at www.jacobrayschwartz.com or @jacobrayschwartz

Thanks for listening!!

#hunters #tv #show #entertainment #media #jew #jews #holocaust

Moses and Jake continue their review of the hit Amazon Prime

            Why do we

            We need to

            We need to

            We need to

            Why did God

            Remembrance

            We could

            Compare and

What is the difference between vengeance and justice.

            Vengeance,

            Justice is

            We also see

This podcast is all about building a community of readers,

Moses Bernabe can be found on instagram @mosesbernabe.

For more information about Jake, contact him at www.jacobrayschwartz.com or @jacobrayschwartz

Thanks for listening!!

#hunters #tv #show #entertainment #media #jew #jews #holocaust