“I realized that this was true for both China and Japan: every one of those who had been brought to ruin or lost their lands had been punished by Heaven for neglecting the proprieties between sovereign and subject, the bond of affection between parent, child, and brother, and for wallowing in greed and extravagance. All the more wondrous, then, tha…

It was not long then until there was the spirit coming, by God’s power, the holy breath, going under the hard stone to the corpse! Light was at that moment opened up, for the good of the sons of men. The many bolts of Hell were unlocked. The road from this world up to heaven was built. Brilliantly radiating, in such a way that the guards, tough sol…

Many and powerful are the agents who would bar the door to the key to the universe, many who would throw a veil over him. Moses, you recall, was hard to see. David, perhaps more so. None of this has been easy. And yet there lies between us and Jesus two-thousand years of war, famine, disease, and death. Jesus is God. He is the turning point of hist…

Those who do not want to live under God’s government will not be forced to. That would erase the principle of love upon which the cosmos is founded — no one will be sent away from the presence of God who wants to stay. So God’s people have prayed for millennia that there will be no such people. But we know it happens, and that there are too many to…

David was a stone in the path upon which the Paradise King trod. This King is the earth shaker. He is the cloud rider. He is the guardian of widows and orphans, and a servant-king who withholds nothing from his people. His face is young, yet old beyond the reckoning of this or any age, for he hails from eternity past. It is a beautiful face, full o…

After his death, the people waited for a prophet like Moses to appear because Moses had told them to watch. “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.” Moses had said, “To him, you will listen.” And so, the invitation is in front of you too, to hear him. “Come,” Jesus says, “and follow me. Come and …

The gods came down. Slinking, slithering, prowling, whispering, they sought out earthly kings. And so, Pharaoh Merneptah heard a voice in the dark and the voice said his name. He woke, and there was Ptah with a plan. The old kings of Uruk also were tutored. Ayala had the fish creature, Adapa, for an advisor. Alaglar had Uanduga from the sea. In his…

... we must start in the most difficult place: in the beginning. We have to start where the story is not broken or befouled, when wild waves cooled sun-soaked shores and the choruses of birds carried over ebony cliffs, who knows how far. It was a wild world, all welter and waste. Unrestrained rivers carved crooked lines across sprawling green plain…

Almost everyone can agree that one of the big differences between us and our ancestors of five hundred years ago is that they lived in an “enchanted” world, and we do not; at the very least, we live in a much less “enchanted” world. We might think of this as our having “lost” a number of beliefs and the practices which they made possible. But more,…

This is the profound morality of fairy-tales; which, so far from being lawless, go to the root of all law. Instead of finding (like common books of ethics) a rationalistic basis for each Commandment, they find the great mystical basis for all Commandments. We are in this fairyland on sufferance; it is not for us to quarrel with the conditions under…

The Way of combat strategy can be likened to the craft of carpentry. Comparing samurai with carpenters is related to the subject of “houses.” We speak of noble houses, warrior houses and the “Four Houses.” We also talk of the collapse or continuation of a house. In the arts we refer to a school or tradition as a house. It is because the label “hous…

“Never fail to have this attitude of mind, go forward without hurry, learn the essence of things through frequent experiences, taking advantage of every occasion. Fight against all kinds of people and be aware of their mind. Follow a road that is a thousand leagues long one step at a time. Be without haste and be convinced that all these practices …

I got lost in the tall grass of my thoughts after promising at the front end of the podcast that I wasn't going to do it! So, I discuss confidence versus overconfidence, finding your passion, and being a life-long student. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcast…

The Child that was ere worlds begun (… We need but walk a little way, We need but see a latch undone …) The Child that played with moon and sun Is playing with a little hay. - G.K. Chesterton, Aleteia --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh…

“Any passion can become an addiction; but then how to distinguish between the two? The central question is: who’s in charge, the individual or their behavior? It’s possible to rule a passion, but an obsessive passion that a person is unable to rule is an addiction…If in doubt, ask yourself one simple question: given the harm you’re doing to yoursel…

“the spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and many-headed in its incarnations that there seems nothing more to do than personally refuse to worship any of the hydras' heads.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley…

Myths, Lewis told Tolkien, were "lies and therefore worthless, even though breathed through silver." "No," Tolkien replied. "They are not lies." Far from being lies, they were the best way sometimes the only way of conveying truths that would otherwise remain inexpressible. We have come from God, Tolkien argued, and inevitably the myths woven by us…

“After all, I believe that legends and myths are largely made of 'truth', and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode; and long ago certain truths and modes of this kind were discovered and must always reappear.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p…

In this episode, I read three early Anglo-Saxon texts: The Lorica of Loding, Precepts, and Vainglory. Each poem offers encouragement and hope to those who are in need of protection, wisdom, and guidance in spiritual and earthly matters. They also offer us another way to see the world, which to modern eyes, may seem strange and even fantastical. Lin…

Hope is not a wish. It is not optimism or naivety. It is an assertion. It is telling the world, “No, this is not the way things will be; things will be better.” For both Marcel and Tolkien, it is only with hope that we banish despair. You do not haggle with or beg the darkness. Like a blazing torch, you must shine hope brightly and fiercely. - Jonn…

“Obviously there is no need of fighting to overcome this single tyrant, for he is automatically defeated if the country refuses consent to its own enslavement: it is not necessary to deprive him of anything, but simply to give him nothing; there is no need that the country make an effort to do anything for itself provided it does nothing against it…

“…physical attacks lead to a corresponding increase of trust in political leaders and submission to them. This effect is likely the same whether the attack be a surprise, known to political leaders yet allowed to happen, or directly orchestrated by these same leaders who stand to benefit from the increased trust and submission…False flag operations…

In the relentless battle-space of spiritual warfare, where the fires of sin and temptation constantly threaten to burn down our faith and lives, Christians are called by God to stand as warriors of faith. We take to heart the words of Psalm 119:11, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Like King David, who face…

We are raised and educated to believe that failure should be avoided at any cost. The harsh truth is that we cannot be successful in everything we do, but we can strive for excellence as long as we embrace the lessons of failure. Failure is a part of life and can’t be avoided, so how can we learn from failure and use it to succeed? --- Send in a vo…

That wise man sang, the word-ready warrior, and he retold this legend: “He who elevates himself in this perilous moment through his overmastering pride, heaving up his lofty spirit, he must be humbled after his passing journey, crushed down low, dwelling fixed in torments, encompassed with serpents. That happened many years ago in God’s realm that …

“Brotherhood has nothing to do with feelings; it has to do with how you define your relationship to others. It has to do with the rather profound decision to put the welfare of the group above your personal welfare. In such a system, feelings are meaningless. In such a system, who you are entirely depends on your willingness to surrender who you ar…

“For most of human history, freedom had to be at least suffered for, if not died for, and that raised its value to something almost sacred. In modern democracies, however, an ethos of public sacrifice is rarely needed because freedom and survival are more or less guaranteed. That is a great blessing, but allows people to believe that any sacrifice …

“The most alarming rhetoric comes out of the dispute between liberals and conservatives, and it’s a dangerous waste of time because they’re both right. ... If you want to make a society work, then you don’t keep underscoring the places where you’re different—you underscore your shared humanity,” ― Sebastian Junger, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belongin…

“What would you risk dying for—and for whom—is perhaps the most profound question a person can ask themselves. The vast majority of people in modern society are able to pass their whole lives without ever having to answer that question, which is both an enormous blessing and a significant loss.” ― Sebastian Junger, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belongin…

It’s natural to have regrets, but this does not mean that you should live in a state of regret. Many people say that you shouldn’t regret anything, but I think what they mean is that they don’t regret how things have turned out even if they had to go through some difficulty and hardship to get there. So we do not regret the outcomes. We do not regr…

Integrity means always staying true to your values, even when faced with temptation or adversity. It means never compromising your principles for personal gain. It’s about walking the path of righteousness, no matter how challenging it may be. In a world where the temptations to serve our egos often overshadows our focus on personal honor, it takes…

There is no reason why someone is chosen to be a scapegoat beyond the immediate imperative to restore order. Once the mimetic process pushes a society to the height of the disturbance, the mechanism of bloody pacification begins to work. In the first step, a person is identified as guilty of causing chaos, and all are sure of his guilt. He, then, m…

When we step onto the mats, we become part of something greater than ourselves. We become part of a lineage, a brotherhood, a sisterhood, a family that stretches back through time. In this family, respect is not an option; it’s a non-negotiable requirement. It’s a virtue that must be embraced and upheld by each and every member, regardless of their…

First, stop trying to be the person you think other people want you to be. Second, stop listening to people who aren't where you want to be. These are symptoms of the hurt child's mind. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-rile…

“Every event has two handles - one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can't.” - Epictetus, Enchiridion, 43 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/support

The Holy Spirit is no tame pet to be leashed and controlled. Oh no, he is more like a raging wildfire, consuming everything in his path. The Holy Spirit is the sledgehammer that knocks holes in the fortress of our hearts and brings us crashing down to the reality of God's grace. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/d…

“When microdosing, I notice a lot of differences in my energy level, motivation and focus, but most importantly, I really feel it brings more color to my life. I think more creatively and easily make connections. This leads me to experiment more, in different areas of my life. For instance, when I was doing music photography, I would be more open t…

In this topsy-turvy world, where truth is often obscured by a haze of deceit and propaganda, only the Holy Spirit can navigate us through a treacherous landscape of news and social media, separating fact from fiction for us, and exposing the charlatans and demagogues who seek to manipulate our minds. And so, holding up the Word of God like a neon s…

“The State takes the place of God… the socialist dictatorships are religions and State slavery is a form of worship.” - Carl Jung, The Undiscovered Self --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/support…

So off rode Sir Geraint, keeping at some distance behind the lady, the knight, and the dwarf. At last, after passing through many woods, he lost sight of them as they disappeared beyond the top of a hill. Sir Geraint rode up, and saw below him, in a valley, the one street of a little town. On one side was a fortress, so new that the stone of which …

Ask a narcissist if they are dependable and they will say, I'm the most responsible person you know, you can always count on me. And they can be. But when the rubber meets the road (an old saying about being put to the test), narcissists seem to wiggle out of accountability. Why? Narcissists will gladly be responsible for the things they deem worth…

Public education is designed to create obedient citizens who follow orders without questioning authority. John Taylor Gatto, in his book "Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling," argues that public education is not designed to teach children to think critically, but rather to be obedient and follow orders. He states, "School…

“Neither necessity nor desire, but the love of power, is the demon of mankind. You may give men everything possible health, food, shelter, enjoyment but they are and remain unhappy . . . for the demon waits and waits; and must be satisfied. Let everything else be taken away from men, and let this demon be satisfied, and then they will nearly be hap…

The opposite to courage is not cowardice: that, rather, is the lack of courage. To say a person is a coward has no more meaning than to say he is lazy: it simply tells us that some vital potentiality is unrealized or blocked. The opposite to courage, as one endeavors to understand the problem in our particular age, is automaton conformity. Rollo Ma…

Trauma can be a difficult obstacle to overcome, but in this episode, we will explore the insights from Theodore Roosevelt's book, The Strenuous Life, published in 1899, that can help us in our trauma... --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/…

In the same way, our own wounds are not a cause for shame, but for God’s glory. They are not a hindrance to God’s mission, but a means of fulfilling it. We are all wounded in some way, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We have all experienced pain, loss, and suffering. We have all been betrayed, abandoned, or rejected. We have all si…

Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways. - Sigmund Freud --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donavon-riley/support

The warrior ethos has been a defining feature of human society since the dawn of civilization. The idea of a warrior, one who is willing to sacrifice their own safety for the protection of their community, has been a source of inspiration for countless generations. The warrior ethos provides a sense of purpose and meaning to those who follow it, as…

Similarly, the Nashville School Shooting was a paradoxical moment for the Christian community. Audrey Hale, a self-proclaimed atheist, targeted and murdered six Christians at her former school because, unlike her, they refused to deny their humanity and faith. In the face of such tragedy, it can be difficult to find comfort and hope. But the only h…

“Adventure shatters the oppressive, insistent reality as if it were a piece of glass. It is the unforeseen, the unthought-of, the new. Each adventure is a new birth of the world, a unique process. How can it fail to be interesting?” José Ortega y Gasset, Meditations on Quixote --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/don…