I thought I would wrap up this year with a few recommendations of some other Substack accounts I enjoy. So much of my attention these days is given to the planning and preparation of the podcast, that I don’t always have the time I would like to have to read all the great articles and posts out there that tempt my interest. These are just a few of the people I turn to when those spare moments of quiet finally do descend upon me.
You will notice the theme of religion and spirituality that runs through these recommendations. This is only natural for someone like myself who writes about questions of meaning. The symbolic life, as I note in my book, is concerned with the innate religious function of the human psyche. Though each of these writers approach the topic of religion from a different angle, they do so in a way that is accessible, relevant and, I believe, revitalizing — for both the individual and for the subject as a whole.
We are in need of people who can talk about the most essential things in ways that speak to the needs and sensibilities of this world and these times in which we live. These are three people, I think, who are doing just that.
The Notebooks of James Hazelwood
is an author, spiritual director, and podcaster (full disclosure: I was interviewed by James for his podcast, Everyday Spirituality, back in November, 2020). He is also a Bishop in the New England Synod of the Lutheran Church.Hazelwood writes a monthly newsletter on “the intersection of Christian Mysticism and Depth Psychology.” His writing is personal, human, and warm.
Recently, I read his post on the need for “Symbolic Intelligence,” a link to which I include below. This, of course, is a topic close to my own interests. I very much appreciated his take on what I think is an essential subject.
As he describes it:
“Symbolic intelligence is the ability or openness, to engage sacred texts, religious icons, or holy spaces with an attitude of wonder, curiosity, and willingness.”
Check out James Hazelwood’s article here:
The Cottage by Diana Butler Bass
If you are interested in understanding the religious dynamics and forces that shape the current cultural and political landscape, Diana Butler Bass’ work is essential reading. Bass is a prolific writer. Not only is she the author of 10 books, she writes multiple posts each week, as well as various extras — videos, lectures, and more.
Her writing is smart, well-informed, and insightful. I deeply appreciate her nuanced discussion of religion — a rarity these days — as well as her capacity to communicate the complexity of her material without getting complicated. At the same time, Bass’ writing is infused with heart and with vision. I always come away from her work with something valuable.
The post that I’m linking to below — ‘Bad History’ — is just one example of the breadth of understanding that Bass brings to her topic, providing crucial context for understanding this moment in American politics. As she writes:
“…bad history and bad politics go together, and the combination winds up being profoundly dangerous when God is in the mix.”
Be sure to check out The Cottage from
.The Pragmatic Mystic by Addison Hodges Hart
This next recommendation is for a relatively new publication here on Substack. This newsletter from
was started just a few weeks ago, but I am very excited about its arrival here. I have read several of Hart’s books and look forward to his bringing a similar kind of richness and depth to this platform.If his books are any indication — The Ox-Herder and the Good Shepherd, exploring the common contemplative vision at the heart of both Buddhism and Christianity, is one of my favorites — then the name of Hart’s newsletter, ‘The Pragmatic Mystic,’ is an appropriate one. His writing embraces and balances both the practical and contemplative.
The article I have linked to below is part one of a two-part “introduction” to this ongoing publication, for which he gives the following description:
“The focus won’t be on grand concepts, philosophical/religious systems, or what is meaninglessly theoretical (whatever has demonstrable meaning for our lives is welcome), but on what we seek practically to accomplish in our spirituality.”
Enjoy Addison Hodges Hart’s The Pragmatic Mystic here:
A New Year’s Wish from the Archives:
Finally, I thought this would be a good opportunity to revisit the New Year’s message that I recorded during the first season of Digital Jung back in 2020. Actually, this is the very first podcast episode I ever recorded, for a very short-lived, initial run of Digital Jung — a full seven years before the current iteration of the podcast took hold.
This short episode is a meditation on the New Year, using the image of the Roman god Janus for its inspiration.
As I say in the episode, there are a few things from this very early effort that embarrass me now when I listen to it, and the difference in sound quality between then and now is, to say the least, vast.
However, the overall message still, I think, holds together. So, here it is, with all its imperfections, together with my New Year’s wishes to one and all.
Enjoy:
Until next time.