Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
When you first encounter the liturgical year, it can be completely overwhelming. There is a saint's feast day every day! What season are we in again? Is it Eastertide? Ordinary Time? Who can keep track?
Here to help us make sense of all this - and inspire us to live a rooted, embodied, seasonal, in-tune, life - is Kristin Haakenson, the writer and artist behind the sacred-seasonal liturgical living missive Hearthstone Fables. Kristin is a beautiful writer, rooted in story and history, and she beautifully weaves the rhythms of the agrarian year with the rhythms of the Church. She makes connections we may never have thought of (stay tuned for the discussion on the nativities of Christ and St. John the Baptist!) and brings a genuine joy to the liturgical year that makes the discovery of feast days and ancient traditions seem not overwhelming, but exciting, - delightful! A treasure trove to be explored.
On the podcast, Kristin discusses how to feel rooted, both in place and in faith, in a modern age opposed to both. Also discussions on how to find community, make the liturgical year a living reality, and how to celebrate with presence and tradition no matter whether you’re in an urban or agricultural setting.
An inspiring and convicting conversation to ground us in story, celebration, tradition, and art.
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Tuesday Apr 16, 2024
Tuesday Apr 16, 2024
Love her, hate her, you can't ignore her: Taylor Swift is a global phenomena. Today on the podcast, Katie is joined by Rachel Sherlock to discuss the power of girlhood, joy, dressing up, collective experience, and what the Eras Tour and Taylor Swift as an artist can offer a culture starved for meaning, unity, and good old fashioned fun. Plus - their favorite Swift songs, how they became fans, what era they are, and so many good deep dives for true Swift fans. If you're a Swiftie, this is a real treat, and if you're not, tune in and understand what all the fuss is about! (and get excited for her new album - dropping at the end of this week!)
*special shout-out to my husband Chris for his great piano covers of Taylor’s songs, “Wildest Dreams” and “You are in Love” on this episode!
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Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
S7:9 EP101: Dr. Larry Chapp on Dorothy Day and Re-Weirding Christianity
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Today on the podcast Dr. Larry Chapp - former professor and current popular blogger, writer, theologian and founder of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm - joins us to talk all about Dorothy Day. We discuss her radical politics, her orthodox faith, and what she has to offer a world so at odds with itself. Dorothy Day saw her politics, and her love for the poor, as completely inseparable from her Christian faith - it informed everything she did and everything she stood for. We speak about how to return to a truly 'lived' Christianity, even when it makes us a bit 'weird.' What is the role of money? How much should we even have materially speaking? Is there a deep tension with serving the poor and also being a responsible parent? All this plus a practical discussion on how we can help others and follow Christ's foundational commandment to always care for those in need.
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Dr. Chapp's blog - https://gaudiumetspes22.com/
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm - https://dorothydaycwfarm.org/
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
S7:8 EP100: 3-2-1 Blast off! A Musical Tour of the Planets
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Happy 100 episodes! To celebrate, we're launching off into space - exploring that 'Love which moves the sun and other stars' - guided by Gustav Holst's epic 7 part orchestral suite 'The Planets.' We'll visit each planet and hear its accompanying musical movement while also learning some fascinating facts (how old are you in Mercury years? Did you know the sun rises twice on Venus in a day? etc). This is a chance to wonder and stand in awe of the world (and other worlds), reminding us of the vast mystery we are all a part of. We'll also hear a beautiful Les Miserables-inspired violin medley at the very end (courtesy of Lindsey Stirling - who has an asteroid named for her if you were wondering). Happy stargazing!
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Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
S7:7 E99: Persephone and the Promise of Spring
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Happy first day of Spring! Happy feast of St. Joseph! Today we'll hear the magical, sad, beautiful story of Persephone and how she became the wife of Hades, God of the Underworld. Persephone's yearly return to the Earth promises not only a good harvest and a blooming spring but the ultimate hope of resurrection and immortality. This episode is also filled with beautiful immersive music and you'll hear why Katie thinks classical music (and art generally) should always be open for reinterpretation and creative engagement.
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Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
S7:6 EP98: The Land of Magic
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Happy St. Patrick's Day week! Today on the podcast we'll be exploring a medley of stories, with audio taken from the many episodes I've done in the past on Celtic legends and folklore, including the story of Oisin and Niamh and the land of Tir na Nog, the land of Eternal Youth, and Oisin's famed debate with St. Patrick. We'll learn about the abandoned Irish island of Blasket and get lost in some eerie beautiful Selkie stories. We will also explore the famous and outstandingly beautiful Book of Kells - what was once described as 'the work of angels, not of man.' We'll hear about one of Ireland's patron saints' St. Columbia and how he rebuked the Loch Ness Monster and at the end of the episode we'll enjoy some Yeats poetry readings.
If you'd like to really get in the Irish spirit, I hope you'll consider joining me and Christy Isinger in Ireland this coming October!
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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"The Road to Lisdoonvarna and Scollay's" - Pinniped - Free Music Archive
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
S7:5 EP97: Reading for Reading's Sake
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Why do we read? Is it for edification, intellectual stimulation, or even just 'to be a smart person?' How many of our reasons are linked to a real joy in reading - like when we were kids - the kind of reading that you had you flipping the pages at night, lying out on a blanket all afternoon, the kind that had you lost stories and falling in love with characters that became completely real to you? Today I'm sharing some practical tips about how to fall in love with reading again and how important reading is - for our kids, for our family, even for our physical and mental health. Three cheers for books!
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The Kesh Jig/The Monaghan/Morrison's Jig (Medley)
"A Fine Imitation" by Amber Brock
"The Secret Book of Flora Lea" by Patti Callahan Henry
Kristin Hannah books ("The Nightingale" "The Great Alone" etc.)
“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”
― Nora Ephron
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
S7:4 EP96: The Nordic Theory of Love: In Conversation with Anu Partanen
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
The Nordic Theory of Love asserts that unhealthy dependencies inhibit our ability to truly love one another - that true love thrives under circumstances that establish independence and equality. Understanding this theory is key to understanding the economic and social policies in Nordic countries, policies that continuously have them topping out the rankings in the World Happiness Report. Nordic societies put in place social safety nets - including universal access to family leave, childcare, healthcare, and education - in order to free individuals from cycles of dependency and live more authentically. Or at least that is the theory. Does it work?
Finnish journalist and author Anu Partanen is here to explain how all these policies play out in Nordic societies and why she thinks they actually could work, especially at the state level, in the USA. I ask her all the questions I've always wanted to know about Nordic countries - How do businesses keep running if everyone is continuously taking off for maternity leave? What about those infamous wait times when you go the doctor? Is this really just a culture obsessed with conformity?
I hope this conversation gives you a lot to think about and I would love to hear your thoughts!
Guest: Anu Partanen, author of the Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life
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Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
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Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Here during Valentine's Day Week, we're celebrating one of life's biggest joys: Friendship, a love that is often much devalued in our modern society. While friendship might be unnecessary in the most basic biological sense (we need parents, we need spouses, in ways that we don’t need friends), it is precisely that lack of obligation that has the potential to elevate friendship to an extraordinarily high, even near divine, place in our lives. We're going to celebrate with audio clips giving us a chance to meditate on great friendships like Anne Shirley and Diana Barry, Elphaba and Glinda, C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, Jesus and His disciples. After the main episode stay tuned for a bonus chat with Christy Isinger, all about the amazing friendships you develop when traveling on a pilgrimage - if you've been thinking about signing up for our Ireland 2024 trip, now is the time! Stay tuned for more details.
All the Pilgrimage Details here!
https://www.bornofwonder.com/come-to-ireland-with-me
Video chat with Christy Isinger and More Pilgrimage Info
https://bornofwonder.substack.com/p/ireland-chat-with-christy-isinger
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”
-C.S. Lewis
“No longer will I call you servants… Indeed, I have called you friends"
John 15:15
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
https://www.anneofgreengables.com/
"Friendship is Unnecessary" Substack Essay
"For Good" from Wicked
Song Recommendation: "Down by the Water" by Abigail Lappell
Find me at www.bornofwonder.com
Subscribe on Substack: https://bornofwonder.substack.com/