It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been experiencing something. Depending on who I talk to, it’s described as a psychotic episode, mystical insight, burnout, or psychedelic cynicism.
Writing has helped previously, but more recently it’s been conversations. It’s interesting to see how my words reflect more about the reader or listener than they do about me or the subject I’m writing about.
I wanted to share this conversation with y’all, from our favorite Christian chaos magician, Gordon White, discussing with Dougald Hine, the thought-work of Catholic priest, Ivan Illich. It’s a great chat, but for the busy amongst us, I added a timestamp to the juiciest bits near the end (1:06:00 on)…
I really appreciate the fracturing between symbol vs. real in the eucharist. It’s interesting to consider that debate as ground zero for modernity. It’s a split that results in the psychosis of adventism and other US protestantisms.
What Christianity has to offer, per the discussion of the witch as a new kind of priest/pastor, is it’s syncretic potential— Ayahuasceros’ last line of defense against dark, jungle spirits being prayers to Jesus Christ— Maria Sabina using psilocybin mushrooms to hear healing directions from St. Peter— The church blesses all— The joy of transubstantiation is the world is in the process of becoming God— Yet, as Hine mentions later, “Modernity is a zombified Christendom.”
The metaphor of zombie is so apt. My most constant campaign within protestantism is to re-evaluate our relationship to the dead. All our ceremonies are in relation to the dead whether we acknowledge it or not.
I can imagine a churchmember saying, “Christ can resurrect the dead, but he won’t turn bread into his body as you eat it. That would be… vulgar.” Nevermind that the first centuries of Christianity were ritual ceremonies in catacombs and honoring holy cadavers.
This isn’t hippie, new age shit. That the symbolic is the real. That the living and the dead are all in the process of becoming holy.
This is our heritage.
Thanks for reading.