The Laughing Mystics: Jungian Psychology, Christian Spirituality, and Laughter

(74) 14th Sunday

Where am I young and innocent in a good way?

We talk about the baggage and burdens that we lug around all the time and the importance of play.

Zechariah's story

More about yokes

More about James Finley

Song from Rent about baggage

Sunday Readings

Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/⁠⁠⁠

Need more poetry in your life? ⁠⁠⁠Visit Marci's blog ⁠⁠⁠and/or ...

(73) 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When have I been rewarded for doing the right thing, when I didn’t expect a reward?

What is the rock and hard place that I’m in (or have been in?)

In the Bible there are seven stories of barren women: three of the four matriarchs, Sarah (Genesis 11:30), Rebekah (25:21), and Rachel (29:31); Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2); the anonymous wife of Manoah, mother of Samson (...

(72) 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

"What is something in my life that was concealed, then later revealed?"

"How have I been tested by God?"

"How have I been betrayed?"

Spiritual bypassing is a term coined by John Welwood. “Although most of us were sincerely trying to work on ourselves, I noticed a widespread tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds,...

(71) How have your experience and beliefs about God changed?

We share the mic with Chelley Gardner-Smith. Thank you Chelly!

Saint Simeon Stylites (circa 390–459 AD), the famous Syrian Christian ascetic who lived for 37 years atop a pillar. 

He pioneered a unique form of asceticism known as the stylites (from the Greek word stylos, meaning "pillar"). To escape the massive crowds of pilgrims and followers ...

(70) What has feed me? Where has manna come from when i didn't expect it?

The historical ritual or concept of "eating God"—known anthropologically and psychologically as theophagy—isa widespread cross-cultural archetype.

Torah as Bread: In rabbinic literature, the Torah is explicitly called the true bread of life. The physical act of eating bread is mirrored by the spiritual act of consuming, digesting...

(69) Our Question: How do I experience the reality of "The Trinity" in my daily life?

The Greek word translated believe is pisteuō (πιστεύω). And it carries a much richer meaning than simple mental agreement.  It means to trust, rely upon, entrust oneself to, and align one’s life with someone.

And from Marcus Borg - Thus in John, this verse is not about believing a set of statements about Jesus no...

(68) Pentecost – Our question: When have I had a "fiery" experience of God?  

Marci is in a singing mood.

Laura offers a quote from Marcus Borg: Before Christianity became the civil religion of Rome in 337 CE, to name Jesus as Lord was to challenge the empire. It was a revolutionary statement. The “proclamation of Jesus as Son of God, Lord, and Savior directly countered Roman Imperial theology…. Jesus was Lor...

(67) Ascension Sunday. Our Question: How do I experience God?

Join us today for our lengthy discussion of the story of the Ascension. What do you make of it?

We struggle with the second reading and the Gospel.

After our recording Laura found this great quote from Richard Rohr re: the "Great Commision" at the end of Matthew's gospel. In our discussion Marci got us there anyway but it would have been nice to have had this then!

" If I ...

(66) The 6th Sunday of Easter. Our question: What has been a miracle in my life? 

Laura shares some insights from her recent trip to Turkey - the "second Holy Land."

We talk about charismatic leaders and our openness to religious ecstacy. We offer several quotes by Rumi and St. Julian of Norwich, and explore the tradition of the mystics -- intimacy with the divine.

Marci Madary offered this quote from MLK Jr.
"All I'm sayi...

5th Sunday easter - We begin with a poem by Lynn Unger.

Our question: What is a memory I have of visiting a spiritual dwelling?  Do I have a memoryof visiting one from another spiritual tradition?

We read of complaints to early church leaders and imagineour “complaints” today.

We talk about the paradox of stones, and note that it is one of the archetypes of the Self.

If we were going to create a new lectionary, what...

(64) Good Shephard Sunday. Our Question: When have I been shepherded or been the shepherd?

We explore the difference between "neurotic" suffering and "transformative" suffering.

Quoted in this episode - from ⁠Alfred North Whitehead⁠'s Religion in the Making.

"A system of dogmas may be the ark within which the Church floats safely down the flood tide of history. But the Church will perish unless it opens its window and lets out the d...

Our Question: When have I "seen God"?

We talk of Peter's public speaking style and Stephen Colbert's talks with God.

We wonder about modern spiritual metaphors and talk about the famous NASA photo "Earthrise."

We imagine how the early church experienced blood and lambs and sacrifice - symbols that are different for us now.

We recall memories of moments of revelations and clarity and how these often vanish.

The Sunday Readings

Thank yo...

This week we go back to the basics with our question: What am I being saved from?

We mention the Corporal acts of mercy

We talk about the powerful beginnings of the early church and reflect on the Quaker tradition.

"Quaker” was originally an insulting nickname given toFriends in the 1650s, based on a widespread belief in England, where Quakerism began, that in their worship, when under the influence of the Holy Spirit (or perha...

An Easter episode full of sound-booth surprises. Our question: How do I experience resurrection in my life?

Marci references a ⁠famous video regarding perception. ⁠

We appreciate this quote from Thomas Merton, spoken at another difficult time in history. “We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time.”

We discuss an old Chinese story: "Good Luck Bad Luck." ⁠

Marci ...

Our challenging question: How have I betrayed the Divine?

Marci offers a pun - joke.

We explore a story from ⁠Africa from Michael Meade ⁠about "moving toward the roaring."

Laura shares her process for working with dreams and how this influences her reading of scripture. ⁠Here is the process Laura's group uses.⁠

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We also talk about narrative structure and Campbell's Monomyth. ⁠

We circle around the many betrayals in the Passion narrative...

Our question: When or how have I come back from "death?"

We talk about the power of imagination as a necessary part of change.

We recall what Fr. Richard Rohr said about Paul's use of the word "flesh" and "spirit."

"Paul made a most unfortunate choice of the word sarx, translated “flesh,” as the very enemy of pneuma, Spirit (for example, Galatians 5:16-24). Now we would probably translate sarx as “ego” or &ldqu...

A deep dive into some familiar readings. And many questions. Our first question (based on the readings) : What ritual(s) in my life have brought me sight or a pouring out of the "Spirit of the Lord."

We talk about the innocent "youngest one," here as David and also within ourselves as our⁠ "inferior function."⁠

We ask: where am I asleep in my life? What darkness in myself might I be asleep to? Do I believe when I hear the voice of th...

Hold on to your hats as we dip into familiar "waters" and discover big surprises. We start with the questions: What is the Living Water? What is it in my life?

Laura mentions the fairy tale, ⁠The Water of Life.⁠ We also talk about how fairy tales provide a "folk" commentary on Christianity, kind of like a midrash. ⁠Others are exploring this idea too. ⁠

⁠We talk about atonement theory and find helpful quotes from Joseph Campbell and F...