fairytale

This episode is a meditation on gratitude. The much acclaimed Star Wars: Rogue One offers us an opportunity to reflect upon all the thankless people in our lives, people who have sacrificed to make you, you! What impact will your sacrifices make, upon generations to come?

Blurb: The four cardinal virtues (Prudence, Temperence, Fortitude and Justice) are as important as they are forgotten. Follow St Thomas Aquinas and Aragorn as they offer examples of each virtue from The Lord of the Rings.

Excerpt from episode: "An example of Aragorn’s prudence takes place shortly after Gandalf the grey is apparently slain by the Balrog inside the mines of Moria. Naturally, the fellowship are in grief and shock, unable to think rationally. After Gandalf’s fall, they are immediately ambushed by orcs and are in immediate peril. Checking his own emotions, Aragorn realises that he must now take on the role of leader and to lead the fellowship onwards. While the pastoral thing to do would be to give the fellowship time to grieve and process the loss of their mentor, the prudent thing to do would be to get up and flee the orcs while they still could. Here is the relevant scene that captures this in the movie adaptation."

All soundtracks from this episode are covers from the OST of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (composed by Howard Shore)
 

Tangled presents us a chance to explore St John Paul II's Theology of the Body! Explore his profound teaching on love, lust and eros alongside Rapunzel, Mother Gothel & Flynn. Let's follow the light!

Excerpt from episode: "I love the fact that the floating lanterns are released every year on Rapunzel's birthday, because the church actually recognises that baptism is our true birthday, for on that day we are born into the kingdom of God. So there’s a big baptism detail already.  Then there’s the thousands of light floating off and illuminating the night! Recall that baptisms traditionally take place at the Easter vigil, a ceremony which begins in pure darkness, until the first light is lit by the priest – the pascal candle, from which other candles are lit one by one, slowly spreading until the entire church is filled with light. This is totally like the lantern scene – which are lit by the king and queen first, which becomes the cue for others to light theirs and release into the night. Like the candles at the vigil, these lanterns are ultimately a sign of hope, hope that one day their lost princess would return home. In the same way, the Easter vigil candles symbolises the hope won by Christ on the cross, that we too, if we follow the light, may one day come home ... "

Soundtrack credits: artistic covers from the Tangled OST (Alan Menken): I see the Light (SamYungOfficial), Kingdom Dance Tavern version (Colm R. McGuinness). 

We can only access our inner worlds symbolically, and our myths and fairytales have always helped us do this. Explore how Atreyu's journey mirrors Bastian's real-world experiences, revealing how the real hero's journey lies within.

Soundtrack credits: tracks are borrowed from the OST of The Neverending Story (by Klaus Doldinger)

The affluent ewe, Mrs. Foomsberry, has turned Lamb's Day, the fairy tale forest's celebration of Christ's birth, into an expensive, exclusive networking event.  When her obnoxious attitude gets out of hand, Mara, a sister ewe, throws down the gauntlet in the church parking lot. She's going to have her own Lamb's Day party and invite the entire community to celebrate in spirit and in truth--even though she's flat broke! Is she going to pull this off? You'll have to listen to find out. 

Written by Trenton James Stephenson, who also voices Mrs. Foomsberry.

Do you sometimes feel invisible and insignificant? Join Sr Angela Uybaretta MGL as she narrates her original story "Glow". Follow this slow and dim star as she travels across the galaxy, to find the One True Light! 

"... Quietly tucked away in the heavenly sky called Stardom, lived a simple, cheerful, preciously ordinary star named Glow. She was born the tiniest star and with a hole in her heart. This birth mark was like no other for each star gave off light from their hearts. Unlike other stars who were fast and bright, Glow was slow-moving, and her light was faint and duller. Without the right amount of brightness, how could a slow dim star proclaim the work of God’s hands ... ?"

Among many things, The Last Samurai exhibits the beauty of a disciplined life and spirit. Follow the traumatised Captain Algren as he is recieved into the Samurai village and undergoes spiritual awakening.

Practical Pilgrim Exercise

• Video - Atomic Habits Summary (by James Clear)

We are all orphans in the spiritual life, and Annie offers us an image of our yearning. Journey with Annie and Mr Warbucks, as paediatric occupational therapist Karen Luzan spotlights the Catholic vocation of family!  

Learn how love leads Dante through the depths of Hell, up mount Purgatory and into the highest Heavens! Discover why The Divine Comedy is one of the most theologically significant Catholic works of all time, and one of it's greatest love stories.

Excerpt from episode: "Dear friends, how many stories do you know dare to traverse the pits of hell while also ascending to the highest heavens? In the 1200s, an exiled Italian poet wrote a very profound love story, one that is now known as The Divine Comedy. This part fiction, part autobiographical tale of a man who journeys through the many rings of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, and into the highest spheres of heaven ... is one of the most theologically and visually engaging works ever produced. In terms of its masterpiece-ness, T.S. Eliot famously wrote, "the literary world is divided between Shakespeare and Dante, there is no third." Since Dante, countless stories and movies and art and video games and romances have been inspired by his imagery – so much so dear listener, that I guarantee you’ve come across Dante even if you think you haven’t … especially in the way you visually think of hell and heaven..."

Sountrack credits
The main theme used this episode is Chaveliers de Sangrael (Hans Zimmer), with covers by Matthew Ward and the  Vienna Symphony Orchestra 

St John of the Cross' 'Dark Night of the Soul' is as much bewildering as it is misunderstood. Drawing from my own testimony, I share an original story, "The Fallen Knight" to explain the key features of the Dark Night, and why it is an indispensable gift for our spiritual growth.

Further recommended reading:
 
The Impact of God (Fr Iain Matthew): An excellent general introduction to St John of the Cross's spirituality, and his concept of Night
Dark Nights of the Soul (Thomas Moore): A brilliant read from an author who is both theologian and psychologist. De-mystifies The Dark Night, and presents it as gift.

Kate and Cassie read Lauren Groff's The Vaster Wilds, Daniel Mason's North Woods and Anna Kate Blair's The Modern with writer Maggie Mackellar (Graft) and the Art Show's Rosa Ellen. Survival, hunger, lush landscapes, ambition, art, history . . . with a surprising side of beetles, apples, wedding dresses and frozen fish.

A healthy masculine journey progesses through the stages of Warrior, King and Sage ... or so our great myths tell us! Yet, all three expressions are in crisis in the West, and the consequences are far reaching. Join Daniel-san and Mr Miyagi, re-learning the key stages of masculine initiation. 

Recommended reading on Masculine Spirituality 

Healing the Masculine Soul – Gordon Dalbey
Wild at Heart – John Eldredge
Adam’s Return – Richard Rohr

With all of the misinformation and laws taking rights away from trans youth and their parents who want to support them through a tricky childhood, it’s time to hear from someone who lived it. Transgender actress and activist Nicole Maines first rose to prominence as a teenager fighting for her civil rights. Not long after winning a groundbreaking legal challenge, she found herself cast as the first transgender superhero in television history playing Dreamer on The CW’s Supergirl. She is thriving, in love, having a blast in her career and now basically living the life of her dreams. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing growing up trans. And the fight is definitely not over.

Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal.

As always, stay in the love.

This episode was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Links of Interest:

Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family 

The Trans List Trailer (Facebook)

The Trans List: In Conversation (YouTube)

Doe v. Clenchy aka Doe v. Regional School Unit 26 

Gavin Grimm (Washington Post)

Television’s First Transgender Superhero Will Arrive on ‘Supergirl’ (New York Times, 2018)

Gay Berlin by Robert Beachy

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Episodes Mentioned and Further Listening:

Reclaiming the Trans Narrative w/ Chase Strangio & Miss Peppermint 

Pushing Back Against Anti-Trans Media & Policies w/ Chase Strangio

Ending Violence Toward Trans People w/ Dr. Karen Franklin

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sandie Bailey, Alex Alcheh, Lauren Hohman, Tyler Klang & Gabrielle Collins

Producer & Editor: Brooke Peterson-Bell

Associate Producer: Akiya McKnight

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More Aslan wisdom! Spiritual maturity is as much about remembering as it is about growing. Allow this famous passage from the Silver Chair, to shed light on the forgotten significance of remembrance throughout the bible.  

Excerpt from episode: "Today I feel drawn to only hone in on one feature, remembering, and the importance of remembering in the spiritual life. By remembering here I do not merely refer to the recollection of information, but rather, to make present a promise of God, or an act of God. You’ll recall that Aslan tells Jill to remember the four signs he gives her, and gets her to repeat them over and over until they’ve become part of her, precisely because, when she is leaves her literal mountain top experience and goes down to Narnia, she will become clouded by the world. The precise words Aslan uses are “say the signs to yourself when you wake in the morning, and when you lie down at night and when you wake in the middle of the night”. Keen biblical readers will recall this is very much what God commanded the Israelites to do regarding the great Shema instructions... "

This most classic of fairytales is not only profoundly Christian in it's story and symbols, it offers us a reflection on jealousy, and a way out of it. 

Excerpt from episode: ... "Snow White represents a type of Eve, who is lowly and yet incredibly beautiful in the eyes of God – woman as depicted in Genesis is the pinnacle of God’s creation, and its crowning beauty. Amen! Like Eve, Snow White is the mother of all living things (which is what the name Eve means), and has a close connection with all the animals in her kingdom. Satan, however, is jealous of all this privilege, and so sets out to destroy Eve and her offspring once and for all. But he doesn’t really succeed. In the tale, this is like the queen, whose plans with the hunter and poison apple don’t really succeed in destroying Snow White. But the queen does drive her out of her original home, as Satan did with Eve where she and Adam were exiled and had to fend, toil and work off the land. This is where the symbols of the dwarves come in. These little men work in the mines, toiling and hacking away at the land through the sweat of their brow. Significantly dwarves are also small and humble and honest, living close to the earth, a detail we’ll touch on later ... "

A new 'Chinese philosophy and holiness' episode! Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon offers not only a expose of Confucian and Taoist philosophies, it also offers Christians reflection on the balance between order and chaos in our lives. Both are vital dimensions of a flourishing spirituality, but are they both welcome? 

Excerpt from episode:"Dear friends, this is the fourth episode on the Myth Pilgrim that follows the theme of Chinese philosophy and holiness. Today, I present before you Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, a cultural icon not only in Asia, but also in the West. Winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2001, this great myth of Taiwanese cinema cannot easily be classified or categorised. The title Crouching Tiger, is a Chinese idiom that means there is much more than meets the eye. While heralded for bringing wuxia martial arts into western consciousness, the film is also a sweeping love story, socio-political commentary and an exploration of Chinese philosophy. Particularly this episode, I will explore the relationship between order and chaos, presenting in the second half of this episode why both order and chaos have their place in the Christian life. To do this with crouching Tiger, I will first be exploring the innate tension between Taoism and Confucianism, the two philosophies that have most shaped Chinese culture."

It's a half-filled house this week, as Jacob, Roocifer, Jarin, and Visor play The Wolf Among Us. Is this game a furry's utopia? We take a LIVE call from a past audience member! Jacob uses decimal point scoring to make life easier for everyone. Investigate this crime of a podcast by listening in!

https://linktr.ee/thefirsthourpodcast

Comedic crudeness aside, why do the Shrek movies have such heart? Learn how the Scottish ogre can help us navigate an era of cancel culture, hyper-romanticism and decline in platonic friendships. 

Excerpt from episode: ... "This is where Donkey’s character is so profound. If there was one word I could use to describe Donkey’s virtue it would be the word ‘inoffendable’ if that’s even a word. It means that he is able to withstand the barrage of Shrek’s ugliness and rudeness and have these insults roll off like water off a duck’s back, not taking it personally and remaining strong in his character. Donkey had the same heart that allowed Christ to see past the exteriors of the leper, the bleeding woman, the criminal outcast, traitorous apostles and even a violent demoniacs. 

As the famous Shrek analogy goes, we are like onions, we all have layers. This means that all of us are complex and mysterious … even to ourselves. The fact of our onion-ness flies in the face of cancel culture and the toxic character assassinations on social media, that loves to create ogres out of people and rally the masses to get out their pitchforks and rocks. This is so immature, and sad, for even the very worst of us are still layered like an onion, complex and mysterious. How can we not be? If we truly are made in the image and likeness of God, and God himself is part mystery, then each person too, will always be part mystery... "

For 37 years, the Legend of Zelda franchise has allowed millions to 'live out' a mythical story. Why is this series so universally popular? What desires is it tapping into? Learn the ways Link and Princess Zelda can unveil the call of the spiritual journey!
 
For those of you who are interested, I have transcribed my academic paper on "A Pastoral Response to Video Game Addiction in Teenagers" here. 

Why did so many ancient civilisations offer sacrifice? How did Jesus' sacrifice overthrow the the Jewish Temple? Discover the parallels between Katniss Everdeen overthrowing the Hunger Games, and the mission of Christ! 

Excerpt from episode: "... And so, for 73 years, countless young tributes were sacrificed for this false sense of order. Then, comes Katniss Everdeen, who through love of her sister and friends, breaks the whole system and exposes the inhumane sham of the sacrificial ritual. When Katniss refused to play by the game-makers rules, and threatened to leave the Hunger Games without a winner, the effect upon the Capitol was the equivalent to Jesus cleansing the temple… and the ripple effect of the scandal was about the same too. As you remember, the Capitol’s response was swift - Snow pretty much sentences his game maker to death, peacekeepers turn into stormtroopers, hospitals are firebombed and district 12 is obliterated. Why such a harsh reaction though? Why such a drastic, over the top response? 

We know today that the single event that most enraged the Jewish authorities to want to kill Jesus wasn’t his healing on the sabbath, his forgiveness of sins, or his eating with tax collectors. It was Jesus’ storming of the Temple that enraged the authorities most … for this was a direct defiance upon the sacrificial ritual of the Jews..."

Soundtrack used this episode were taken from The Hunger Games OST (James Newton Howard) & Beautiful Israel & Music (John Farr)