Heavy Things Lightly

Welcome back! John has been ruminating since his trip to Africa (Mozambique - where we might be working at some point in the future, stay tuned!). He was noticing trash. Or the lack of it. And it got him thinking about how we enlightened folk think about waste. Is it all bad?Interested in joining First Things Foundation, we are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comSound effects and additional music:Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.comSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of WAWTAR, John is joined by iconographer Aidan Hart. They talk about the role icons and secular art play in society alongside a more detailed discussion on why icons look the way they do. Aidan has been a professional icon painter and carver for over thirty years with works in over twenty countries of the world in a wide range of mediums. He has experience with panel and wall painting, mosaic, stone and wood carving, metalwork and church architecture. He has also published various books on the art of iconography and was at one time a hermit.Aidan's book: Icons in the Modern World (https://tinyurl.com/4dpr63zx)Orthodox Arts Festival: https://www.orthodoxartsfestival.com/On the Orthodox Arts Festival (from the website): "The Orthodox Arts Festival is an online event devoted to Orthodox Christian Artists that takes place every year. Our goal is straightforward. To provide possibilities for all active Orthodox Artists, as well as to share their combined creativity and inspiration with the rest of the world." "Our Inspirational sparks are as different as our places of origin, yet we are bonded by our shared love of Orthodoxy and the arts. Iconography, Fine Arts, Photography, Film, Church Music, and Literature are the fields represented during the Festival. All of the works are based on Orthodox Christian ideas, culture, and values."---Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where wSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

John has returned from a trip to Mozambique where slave castles and the old world mixed in his brain to produce this episode. It's a little about our culture (Chuck D and Public Enemy), it's a commentary on the Enlightenment and the cost of utopian dreams. And it's a reflection on all the "leftover" people when utopian dreams fall through.Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comSound effects and additional music:Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.comSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Jonathan Jackson joins the show to talk about art and Orthodoxy, how Orthodoxy has affected his view on art, and a discussion on what beauty might be. Jonathan is a five-time EMMY® Award-winning actor and Critics’ Choice Award nominee, who has starred in numerous TV and films including ABC/CMT’s hit drama “Nashville,” “General Hospital,” “Tuck Everlasting,” among othersHis band Enation has performed alongside artists across the musical spectrum, including post-punk legends Echo & The Bunnymen and he is also a published author. His current books include a work of Mystical Poetry entitled, “Book of Solace and Madness” and the non-fiction prose “The Mystery of Art”, which has been translated into multiple languages.Links:Jonathan's website: https://www.jonathanjackson.com/homeThe Mystery of Art: https://tinyurl.com/55dzb6azEnation: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnationMusic On the Orthodox Arts Festival (from the website): "The Orthodox Arts Festival is an online event devoted to Orthodox Christian Artists that takes place every year. Our goal is straightforward. To provide possibilities for all active Orthodox Artists, as well as to share their combined creativity and inspiration with the rest of the world." "Our Inspirational sparks are as different as our places of origin, yet we are bonded by our shared love of Orthodoxy and the arts. Iconography, Fine Arts, Photography, Film, Church Music, and Literature are the fields represented during the Festival. All of the works are based on Orthodox Christian ideas, culture, and values." ---Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we areSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

La Tanya Hall is a renown singer and musician who has played with some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including  Steely Dan, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin among many others. She has also appeared as a solo artist in her own right with the  American Composers Orchestra, The Denver Symphony, and the St. Louis  Symphony and at jazz clubs around the world. Her new record, Say Yes (Blue  Canoe Records), debuted in November of 2020. She is also a teacher, having created the first vocal jazz degree program at Oberlin Conservatory five  years ago and continues to teach there as an associate professor of jazz voice.In this episode John and La Tanya sit down to talk about the roots of Jazz, and by extension, almost all modern music not classical in nature. They discuss the soul and it's reaction to the beauty found in music. And along the way there is a Light-O-Meter test and a bunch of musical insight.Links:About La Tanya: www.latanyahall.comInterested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comSound effects and additional music:Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.comSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Fr. John Strickland is an Orthodox Priest, teacher, and podcast host of Paradise and Utopia on Ancient Faith Radio. He is also the author of several books including: The Making of Holy Russia, The Age of Division, and The Age of Paradise. He joins John Heers today discussing the historical roots of the secular dimension. What was the world view before it included a secular "space?" And how has the secular space changed from it's inception to now?Links:Paradise and Utopia podcast: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/paradiseutopiaThe Age of Paradise: https://tinyurl.com/5y74kb88The Age of Division: https://tinyurl.com/zx2asvvxThe Making of Holy Russia: https://tinyurl.com/7aemrh8rInterested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.It isn't too late to grab a last minute seat on our Keipi Journey to the Georgian Republic! Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti among others. You'll experience the Supra (learn more in the link below), traditional foods like Khachapuri, and fantastic wines. This isn't just a trip, it's cultural deep dive that will leave you wanting more. Click here to find out more and get in contact with us: https://first-things.org/georgian-journey.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Support the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome one and all yet again to "Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" This week is an Uncle Seth special where we attempt to close out some outstanding topics. Whether that happens or not is entirely unknown.  Teaching and parenting are on the table alongside the new never normal COVID-19 reality and God. It's Uncle Seth folks, everything is up for grabs. Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.We are going to Georgia this September and you should come! Keipi Journeys by FTF is an immersive 10 day trip across the Georgian Republic. Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti among others. You'll experience the Supra (learn more in the link below), traditional foods like Khachapuri, and fantastic wines. This isn't just a trip, it's cultural deep dive that will leave you wanting more. Click here to find out more and get in contact with us: https://first-things.org/georgian-journey.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes.---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comalso: BWV 633: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier byJames KibbieLicensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.Distributed by Support the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.We are going to Georgia this September and you should come! Keipi Journeys by FTF is an immersive 10 day trip across the Georgian Republic. Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti among others. You'll experience the Supra (learn more in the link below), traditional foods like Khachapuri, and fantastic wines. This isn't just a trip, it's cultural deep dive that will leave you wanting more. Click here to find out more and get in contact with us: https://first-things.org/georgian-journey.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes.---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comSound effects and additional music:Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.comSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Baseball is changing. In fact it has been changing for a while now. And the shift involves a move from "old timer wisdom" to KPIs, swing statistics, and algorithms that let a team win for less money. It might also be heralding a deeper problem in our society as a whole. Join Heers as we take a quick look at how greed and selfishness are changing the game.Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.We are going to Georgia this September and you should come! Keipi Journeys by FTF is an immersive 10 day trip across the Georgian Republic. Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti among others. You'll experience the Supra (learn more in the link below), traditional foods like Khachapuri, and fantastic wines. This isn't just a trip, it's cultural deep dive that will leave you wanting more. Click here to find out more and get in contact with us: https://first-things.org/georgian-journey.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.---CreditsMusic:Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.comSound effects and additional music:Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.comSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe

Kingsnorth is an English writer and thinker currently living in Ireland. Growing up he was actively involved in protests, at one point going so far to chain himself to a bridge. He has worked for Greenpeace, openDemocracy, and EarthAction, is an honorary member of the Lani tribe and was infamously named one of Britain's top 10 troublemakers. He is also a recent convert to Orthodoxy. Today John and Kingsnorth talk about the journey from protest to humbleness and seeing the divine around us.Links:The Cross and the Machine, First Things Article (https://www.firstthings.com/article/2021/06/the-cross-and-the-machine)The Abbey of Misrule (https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/welcome)Oswald Spengler - Decline of Western Civilization (https://www.amazon.com/Decline-West-Vol-Form-Actuality/dp/B08FP7SH1Y/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=spengler&qid=1626191843&s=books&sr=1-2)Light-O-Meter Test (https://first-things.org/lightometer)Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org.We are going to Georgia this September and you should come! Keipi Journeys by FTF is an immersive 10 day trip across the Georgian Republic. Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti among others. You'll experience the Supra (learn more in the link below), traditional foods like Khachapuri, and fantastic wines. This isn't just a trip, it's cultural deep dive that will leave you wanting more. Click here to find out more and get in contact with us: https://first-things.org/georgian-journey.Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things FoundatSupport the show2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org for more information.Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion."Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly. Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnheersftf.substack.com/subscribe