Latter-day Contemplation

Christopher and Riley are always searching out new theories and hermeneutics through which to interpret ideas, scripture, literature, or human experience. Recently, they embarked on a concerted study of René Girard’s mimetic theory and let’s just say it has been fruitful and paradigm shifting. They would love for others to join them in a study of this brilliant, Christian anthropologist’s ideas. Girard provides the faithful student a path for understanding the Christian message that doesn’t dilute it as “just another myth”, or worse, a derivative of other myths with nothing unique to offer. They believe you’ll never see scripture, society, or human relationships the same.

In this shorter episode Christopher and Riley discuss the most frequent question we receive from those new to contemplative practice - Where do I begin? We offer some basic ideas, which can be implemented incrementally or all at once to put yourself on the path to becoming a contemplative. The core of contemplation is always stillness. To sit in silence, and preferably, solitude will do more to reveal the benefits of contemplation than anything else you will learn, and yet, there is much more to this lifestyle. We hope you enjoy the episode and will reach out to us with your feedback, ideas, and reports. We’ll follow up with some reports of our own in the next episode.

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.” D&C 89:17 Americans waste nearly 40% of all food, roughly 42 billion pounds per year, and even in this glut of supply we are undernourished nutritionally speaking, because of how our food is produced for appearance and taste. The same can be said for the media and other resources we consume; as long as it’s pleasing to the eye or ear or taste we neglect counting the cost as a substitute for better alternatives, which unavoidably leaves the lowest echelon of society victimized. In this episode Christopher and Riley delve into the practice of contemplative consumption. Most of us live in a society designed around efficient consumption, which carries a heavy unseen cost. Categorically, we consume resources, food, and media without much thought for how it’s produced, delivered, or the intention behind the consumption (profit, social engineering), because it is so efficiently delivered and available. The immediate by-product of cheap and efficient delivery is waste and lack of fulfillment on the part of the consumer, and, at worst, exploitation of the poor. They encourage us to count the cost of our choices and be less passive as agents of consumption. It serves both ourselves and the world when we take responsibility for the consequences of our choices. Christopher and Riley make the case for more mindful use of resources and the richer life that can result from a higher awareness of our impact on the world and its impact on us.

In this episode, Christopher and Riley talk about Heavenly Mother with Kathryn Knight Sonntag, author of a collection of poems on the Divine Feminine entitled, The Tree at the Center (Common Consent, 2019) and a second book on the Goddess, The Mother Tree: Discovering the Love and Wisdom of Our Divine Mother (Faith Matters, 2022).

For this episode Christopher and Riley were pleased to welcome artist, architect, husband, father, and scripture junkie, Bob Sonntag, to discuss the power of ritual in family and community spiritual practice, language, art, space, and song. Bob has spent considerable time studying ritual in sacred texts and his art reflects this focus on transformation through participatory remembrance. He has also integrated ritual into his family dynamics to connect individuals through generations. They discuss connecting with the “heavenly and timeless” eternal through participating in and contemplating cosmic ritual.

In Episode 74, Christopher and Riley revisit a topic they’ve previously spoken about on the podcast, but from a different perspective. Episode 5: On Peace deals with inner peace, while this one deals with interpersonal, relational, and world peace. They explore the LDS doctrinal case for renouncing war in Sec. 98 as a springboard to a larger discussion about practical application of peace, as exemplified by Jesus, the anti-nephi-lehis, St. Maximilian and others. They make a case for a non-violent reading of scripture, particularly the Book of Mormon and challenge the listener to take small proactive steps, in concert with others, forming a grassroots movement towards a peaceful world. The War Prayer, Mark Twain We are a Warlike People | Renounce War and Proclaim Peace First Presidency Statement on Basing of MX Missile (churchofjesuschrist.org) Record of Martyrdom of St. Maximilian, Pg. 244, Acts of The Christian Martyrs, Musurillo

In this episode of Latter-day Contemplation, Christopher and Riley are joined by a friend of the program and Carl Jung fan, Morgan Aldous, to discuss the concept of the Jungian Shadow. Morgan is a life coach who has spent considerable time in the study of psychology, philosophy, and religion as the means to personal transformation. This concept of The Shadow, which historically finds expression in scripture, mystical poetry and experience, visual & performance art, great literature, and formal psychological treatment methodology has application for those of us pursuing a spiritual path of personal development as well. In his first interaction with Father Adam and Mother Eve, Lucifer, the father of lies, inducts our primeval ancestors into the cult of binary thought; wherein, they are led to believe that the world is composed of diametrically opposing polarities, repelling each other at all times, totally incompatible with oneness and unity. This allegory could be interpreted to describe one of the challenges of mortality – overcoming the natural man instinct to misunderstand and misrepresent ourselves, compartmentalizing and ignoring our inner shadow, to the detriment of our spiritual development. Morgan can be reached at www.everyday7.com

In this episode, Christopher & Riley take up a discussion on emotions and emotional intelligence. They start from the premise that humans are (contrary to popular opinion) primarily emotional, not rational, beings. Taking this as a given, they search for meaning in the emotional journey, and recognizing our emotional drivers, suggest practices to help us respond appropriately to our emotional triggers. They meander into a discussion about sincerity in emotion (as opposed to manipulation) and imagine a God who only interacts with his children sincerely, as a means of supporting our holistic development into fully integrated emotional intelligences. Relating to the God, (modeled by Christ, but too often obfuscated by scripture) who mourns with us, helps us to identify philosophies, conceptions, projections, and interpolations of men wishing to compel, rather than invite us to “come and see” or in this case, come and feel.

In this episode Christopher and Riley welcome artist Greg Olsen. Greg is particularly well-known in LDS circles as a painter of Jesus. Our hosts had the opportunity to mine his experiences becoming a professional painter of religious iconography and images that convey the relatable nature of the Savior. Of course, he is much more than his public works and this conversation takes them through his contemplative practices, the nature of symbols, and simplifying our faith by practicing loving-kindness.

The Book of Exodus can be divided into three parts: First, we witness the power of the Lord as he extends his arm against Pharaoh, sending the ten plagues and finally parting the Sea of Reeds, which swallows up Pharoah and his army, letting Moses and the Israelites escape into the wilderness. In the second part, Moses will ascend Mount Sinai and receive the law (Torah). The final section of the book is devoted to the construction and description of the tabernacle, or the portable temple the Israelites will carry with them over the next 38 years they spend in the desert. A three-part division is also seen in the Sinai episode where the people are gathered at the bottom, the elders are partway up, and Moses is on top speaking with God. We see a similar tripartite division in the third section’s description of the tabernacle with its courtyard, Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Later mystics and teachers would use these three-fold divisions to describe the soul’s journey to God, labeling the stages with terms such as ‘purification,’ contemplation,’ and ‘union’.

Christopher is joined by guest co-host Shiloh Logan to talk about the history of “Satan” from the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible through today. This is not a theological discussion but a historical discussion of how the idea of Satan has evolved. Shiloh and Christopher use scholar Ryan Stokes to show how the idea of “the Satan” was understood before the Jewish captivity in Babylon, how that changed and was possibly influenced by Zoroastrianism, and how the Dead Sea Scrolls solidified the idea of “Satan” that made it into the New Testament. Christopher and Shiloh also use scholar Elaine Pagels, to expand on how our idea of “Satan” affects and influences our view of the other and justifies us in our view. They conclude with a discussion of “Satan” through a Jungian lens, and conclude that the first step in improving our views of the other and our society lies in integrating our own “shadow.”

Among the world’s many religions are shadow traditions that express the esoteric or mystical experience of divine union. In Christianity this is manifest in ecstatic, revelatory examples, such as within restorationist movements, in monastic cloisters, and through spontaneous re-emergence among individuals and small groups accessing truth through mystical experience. Parallel to the ascendance of the Islamic faith was a movement that drew from a deep and ancient well of mystical practices and understandings, called sufism. In this episode we welcome Sufi master, al-hajj Daud, also known as Dr. David Peck to discuss his fascinating discovery of sufism as an active and participating latter-day saint, how it has enhanced his faith, and what we can learn from his journey and discovery. His upcoming book and podcast, Of Saints and Sufis, will both challenge and intrigue those with the courage to continue the path of the seeker.