Podcasts about High Middle Ages

Composing songs of courtly love and war in the High Middle Ages, the troubadours were the poet-musicians of western and southern Europe – especially southern France. But were they really the lovesick wandering minstrels popular culture would have us believe? Or was there more to their artistry? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Linda Paterson answers your top questions on the troubadours and their enduring poetic and musical legacy. (Ad) Linda Paterson is the author of The Troubadours (Reaktion Books, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-troubadours%2Flinda-m-paterson%2F9781789149197. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For much of Christian history, the Church had little involvement in marriage, which was primarily a contract between families. It wasn’t until the fourth century that church weddings emerged, and even then, they were mostly reserved for the elite. Fast forward to the High Middle Ages, and marriage became a sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, the church has been seen as inseparable with matrimony. What changed over the centuries? To explore this dynamic is today’s guest, historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of “Lower Than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity.” We explore how Christianity’s views on sex, marriage, and gender evolved over time; that early Christian marriage was not a universal sacrament but a social institution governed by authority figures. He highlights how for much of history, the Church was more concerned with celibacy than marital sexuality. The Reformation reshaped these ideas, introducing new roles for women in religious life, from pastor’s wives to Quaker preachers. We uncover how Christianity’s past can inform its present and future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Church sees the world as God's good and harmonious Creation, a primordial peace. In his acclaimed book Before Church and State, Andrew Willard Jones revealed that society in the High Middle Ages was a striving toward liberation by grace, which led to subsidiarity. In The Church Against the State, he argues that this uniquely Christian political form is still with us, present in our love, our courage, and in all that is noble within us, brought to new life through the Church. In this podcast, Marc Barnes interviews Andrew Willard Jones on his new book The Church Against the State.

Send us a textI know. Just what everyone needed, an episode about an election. To take a break from reading and watching election postmortems, I decided to return to one of my favorite teaching texts, the monk Jocelin of Brakelond's Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. This is more of a personal memoir of what Jocelin saw and experienced as a monk than it is the standard monastic chronicle. It contains the fullest account of the process by which English monasteries in the High Middle Ages elected an abbot, and I thought that would be a fun and a far less stressful subject than our recent election—at least for our listeners if not for the monks of Bury St. Edmunds in 1182. My co-host for this episode is my partner for life and inspiration for all things medieval, my wife Ellen.  This episode is especially for those of our listening audience who regard the U.S. election results with fear and trembling and a sickness unto death.Quotations are from Jocelin of Brakelond, Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, trans. Diane Greenway and Jane Sayers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.This episodes includes a musical interlude: Orbita Solaris (Short Version) Gregorian Chant Chant group Psallentes, directed by Hendrik Vanden Abeele, singing from a 12th century antiphoner, prepared for the Mariakerk in Utrecht. Semi-live recording by Jo Cops at Heverlee, Belgium, May 2009. Singers are: Conor Biggs, Pieter Coene, Lieven Deroo, Paul Schils, Philippe Souvagie and Hendrik Vanden. Abeele.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo-yb-UDBHAListen on Podurama https://podurama.com Intro and exit music are by Alexander NakaradaIf you have questions, feel free to contact me at richard.abels54@gmail.com

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of Satanism, its history and different manifestations in the contemporary world. From the ancient history of the devil to the modern Satanic temple, the story of satanism is an intriguing one that touches on everything from religion, occultism, socialism and feminism.Thank you to Dr. Per Faxneld for appearing in the episode. Check out his publications for more occultism and esotericism!Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recomended Reading:Barber, Malcolm, The Cathars: Dualist heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle Ages, Second edition (Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson, 2013).Broedel, Hans Peter (2003). "The Malleus Maleficarum and the construction of witchcraft: Theology and popular belief". Manchester University Press.Faxneld, Per (2017). "Satanic Feminism: Lucifer as the Liberator of Woman in Nineteenth-Century Culture". OUP USA.Faxneld, Per & Johan Nilsson (2023). "Satanism: A Reader". OUP USA.Massignon, Louis (1979). "The Passion of Hallaj: Mystic and Martyr of Islam". Vol. 1-4. Translated by Herbert Mason. Princeton University Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This pirate lived in the 13th century and was connected to some major events in British and French history. During his lifetime he was so notorious that people would tell kids that if they were bad Eustice the Monk would come to take them away. Research: "Battle of Sandwich." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2024. libraries.state.ma.us/login?eburl=https%3A%2F%2Flibrary.eb.com&ebtarget=%2Flevels%2Freferencecenter%2Farticle%2FBattle-of-Sandwich%2F641336&ebboatid=9265899. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024. Burgess, Glyn. “Two Medieval Outlaws: Eustice the Monk and Fouke Fitz Waryn.” D.S. Brewer. St. Edmundsbury Press. 1997. Cannon, Henry Lewin. “The Battle of Sandwich and Eustace the Monk.” The English Historical Review , Oct., 1912, Vol. 27, No. 108 (Oct., 1912). Via JSOTR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/550984 Carpenter, D.A. “Eustice the Monk.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 9/23/2004. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/37400 Isaac, Steven. “The Battle of Sandwich.” Medieval Warfare , SEP / OCT 2017, Vol. 7. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/48578184 Kelly, Thomas E., Stephen Knight and Thomas H. Ohlgren. “Eustache the Monk: Introduction.” from: Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales TEAMS Middle English Texts Series.  https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/eustache-the-monk-introduction Lehr, Peter. “Eustace the Monk: Banditry, Piracy and the Limits of State Authority in the High Middle Ages.” Historical Sociology. Vol. 34, Issue 3. September 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/johs.12347 McGlynn, Sean. “Scourge of the Seas.” Medieval Warfare , 2012, Vol. 2, No. 6. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/48578143 Wright, Thomas. “Essays on subjects connected with the literature, popular superstitions, and history of England in the Middle Ages.” London : J.R. Smith. 1846. https://archive.org/details/essaysonsubjects02wrig/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We enter this episode with an heir and a spare. We end with neither and the end of France's ruling house since the High Middle Ages. Western Civ 2.0 Free TrialWebsite

David Butterfield is a renowned classicist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. His work centres on the critical study and teaching of classical texts. How did the Renaissance revival of Greek language study transform Western Europe's intellectual landscape and shape our modern understanding of the Classics?   In this talk, delivered on the island of Samos in Greece in August 2023 as part of Ralston College's Master's in the Humanities program, Dr. David Butterfield—Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge—charts how Western Europe came to appreciate the language and culture of ancient Greece as an integral part of its own civilizational inheritance. Dr. Butterfield explains that large-scale technological and cultural changes in late antiquity led to a gradual loss of Greek language proficiency—and a waning interest in the pagan world—among Western European intellectuals during the Early Middle Ages. While the Scholasticism of the High Middle Ages was invigorated by the rediscovery of the Greek philosophical tradition, this encounter was mediated almost entirely through Latin translations. It was only in the Renaissance—when a renewed appreciation of the Hellenic world on its own terms led to a revitalization of Greek language study—that our contemporary conception of Classics was fully established.    —   00:00 Introduction: A Journey through Classical Literature with Dr. Butterfield 04:05 Preservation and Valuation of Greek Culture 06:55 The Evolution of Writing Systems 14:50 Greek Influence on Roman Culture 20:25 The Rise of Christianity and Advances in Book Technology 27:40 Preservation and Transmission of Classical Texts in the Middle Ages 32:50 Arabic Scholars: Preserving Greek Knowledge and Shaping Western Thought 36:00 The Renaissance and Rediscovery of Greek Texts 43:10 Conclusion: The Printing Press and the Spread of Classical Knowledge   —   Authors, Ideas, and Works Mentioned in this Episode:    Homer Magna Graecia  Pythagoras Odyssey Cato the Elder  Third Macedonian War Great Library of Alexandria Great Library of Pergamum Horace, Epistles   Emperor Augustus  Codex Sinaiticus Constantine  Neoplatonism  Plato Charlemagne  Carolingian Renaissance Virgil Ovid Abbasid Caliphate  Avveroës  Avicenna  Thomas Aquinas Petrarch Ottoman Conquest Epicurus  Lucretius  Aristotle  Gutenberg    —   Additional Resources  Dr Stephen Blackwood    Ralston College (including newsletter)   Support a New Beginning    Ralston College Humanities MA   Antigone - Explore Ancient Greece and Rome with Modern Insights Join the conversation and stay updated on our latest content by subscribing to the Ralston College YouTube channel.  

This lecture was given on May 13th, 2024, at Oxford University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events About the Speaker: Professor Marianne Schlosser works as a professor of spiritual theology at the University of Vienna. She was a member of the International Theological Commission from 2014-2019, and in 2018 received the Ratzinger prize in recognition of her work. Her main fields of research are theology, patrology, and the spirituality of the High Middle Ages, with particular emphasis on mendicant orders, the Eucharist, and the discovery of classical texts with a Christian ethos.

Los siglos IX y X son en Europa el tiempo de las llamadas Segundas Invasiones: un continente asediado por la llegada de nuevos actores. Habitualmente nos centramos en las acciones piráticas que emprendieron los nórdicos, como invasores de Gran Bretaña y las tierras carolingias, pero también como fundadores del Ducado de Normandía, la Rus’ de Kiev o el Danelaw. Sin embargo, los vikingos no constituyeron el único factor desestabilizador en una política europea ya caótica por sí sola ante el auge de nuevas dinastías y la caída de viejas familias. Así, desde el Este de Europa llegó un nuevo pueblo que no se hacía del todo extraño para la población local: era el inicio de la conquista húngara de las tierras de Panonia y la Cuenca de los Cárpatos. Los húngaros, un pueblo que en los tiempos de su llegada, debido a sus formas de combatir, recordaban al terror sembrado por los hunos de Atila y, más recientemente, a los ávaros que décadas atrás habían sido derrotados definitivamente por Carlomagno. Tras una larga migración desde los Urales hasta los Cárpatos, asentados en la llanura panónica en los prolegómenos del siglo IX, iniciaron una etapa en la que se dedicarían a vender sus servicios como mercenarios o entrarían motu proprio en las tierras de Europa para saquearlas; en, aproximadamente medio siglo, serían unas 70 las incursiones registradas que lanzaron, una cifra impresionante que explicaría los daños que llegaron a infligir. Aunque las crónicas quisieron dar de ellos la visión de seres demoníacos invencibles, la realidad fue diferente: a lo largo de sus correrías no todo fueron victorias y, con el paso del tiempo y tras la Batalla de Lechfeld, comenzarían a dejar de lado sus formas tradicionales para terminar integrándose en Europa como un reino cristiano más. Si te gusta el contenido puedes dejar un me gusta y un comentario, así ayudáis al crecimiento del programa. También nos podéis apoyar a través de la pestaña «Apoyar» con una suscripción mensual o través de Bizum. ¡Muchísimas gracias! BIZUM: +34 614 23 58 90 Síguenos en: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElScriptorium TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elscriptorium Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scriptoriumpodcast Telegram: https://t.me/ElScriptorium Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elscriptorium/ Contacto: scriptoriumpodcast@protonmail.com Bibliografía: - Molnár, M. (2001). A Concise History of Hungary. Cambridge Universiry Press. Cambridge University Press. - Engel, P. (2001). The Realm of St. Stephen. A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526. I.B.Tauris Publishers. - Cartledge, B. (2011). The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary. Oxford, Oxford University Press. - Bachrach, D. (2016). Warfare in Medieval Europe c.400-c.1453. London, Routledge. - Bachrach, D. (2014). Warfare in Tenth-Century Germany. Woodbridge, Boydell Press. - Bowlus, C.H. (2006). The Battle of Lechfeld and its Aftemath, August 955: The End of the Age of Migrations in the Latin West. London, Routledge. - Curta, F. (2019). Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300). Brill's Companions to European History. - Róna-Tas, A. (1999). Hungarians and Europe in the Early Middle Ages: An Introduction to Early Hungarian History. Central European University Press. - Berend N, Urbańczyk P y Wiszewski P. (2014). Central Europe in the High Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. - Bowlus, C. (1995). Franks, Moravians, and Magyars : the struggle for the Middle Danube, 788-907. University of Pennsylvania Press. - Bowlus, C. (2008). «The early hungarians as mercenaries 860–955». En France, J. (ed.) Mercenaries and Paid Men: The Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages. Brill's History of Warfare. - Widukind. (2014; edición de Bernard S. Bachrach y David S. Bachrach). Deeds of the Saxons. CUA Press. - Simón de Kezá (1999; edición de János M. Bak, Urszula Borkowska, Giles Constable, Gábor Klaniczay). Central European University Press. - Anales de Fulda (1992; edición de Timonthy Reuter). Macnhester Medieval Sources Series. Música: - "Danza Inglesa Siglo XIII" - Artefactum - "Skipping Down the Steps Medieval Ballad Hurdy Gurdy" - Andrey Vinogradov - "Danzas Tradicionales" - Emilio Villalba (Bajo licencia CC BY) - "Sackpipelät. Tradicional Suecia" - Emilio Villalba (Bajo licencia CC BY) - "Medieval Fire" - Ivan Tregub - "Lord, I Cry Unto Thee" - A._Arhangelskiy (Dr. Emiliyan Stankov) - "Lord, Have Mercy" - Anónimo (Dr. Emiliyan Stankov) - "Eric the Brave" - Petite Viking - "Sackpipelät. Tradicional Suecia" - Emilio Villalba (Bajo licencia CC BY) - "Rurik" - Ivan Tregub - "The crusader's return" - Zero Project - "The crusade" - Midoriiro - "Slavonic Spirit" - Ivan Tregub - "Kyrie" - Piotr Pawlowski - "Benedictus" - Zero Project - Saltarello I Siglo XIV" - Artefactum Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Have you ever wished someone could explain in simple terms what is wrong with the modern world? Why do we seem so hopelessly divided. Author, journalist and teacher Dan LeRoy joins Brian McCall to discuss the history of Western thought. How did the great thinkers of the Western world lay the foundation for the great intellectual achievements of the High Middle Ages? How did we fall from such heights? LeRoy tells an engaging and accessible story of this rise and fall. You can obtain a copy of his recent book, get a discount, and support Catholic Family News by purchasing his book using this link. https://sophiainstitute.com/product/why-we-think-what-we-think/ref/63/ More generally, purchases from Sophia Institute Press support the work of CFN. Visit our affiliate site here: https://sophiainstitute.com/ref/63/ Tracks for the JourneyEnhance well-being through Christian spirituality, positive psychology, and justice ethicsListen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Happy Valentine's Day! In this episode, we delve into medieval love spells, contraception, and the challenges women faced in matters of love and pregnancy. From mysterious plants and potions to debates among theologians on abortion ethics, explore the intersection of magic, societal views, and women's health in the Middle Ages. Join our discord community! Check out our Tumblr for even more! Support us on patreon! Check out our merch! The Beastiary Challenge! (

Nathan Busenitz • Selected Scriptures • Lesson 8 covers the early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages in church history (501-1200 AD). Lesson PowerPoints and summary available online at the forerunners of the faith website. Please note, due to technical difficulties, this recording skips brief portions of audio. • Steadfast

Nathan Busenitz • Selected Scriptures • Lesson 8 covers the early Middle Ages and High Middle Ages in church history (501-1200 AD). Lesson PowerPoints and summary available online at the forerunners of the faith website. Please note, due to technical difficulties, this recording skips brief portions of audio.

“Feudalism” was once accepted by academic and popular historians alike as a defining, if not the defining, feature of medieval society. For military historians, the High Middle Ages, the period from around 1050 to 1300, was once the Age of the Feudal Knight. This is no longer the case. If academic historians use it at all in their writings or classrooms, it is usually to dismiss it. For most medieval historians, feudalism has joined Viking horned helmets and “the right of the first night” in the ranks of myths about the Middle Ages. Richard, however, isn't most historians. In this episode, Richard and Ellen talk about the meanings of "feudalism" and why Richard is reluctant to throw it upon the cart of dead historical constructs.Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com

Our journey today will be a pilgrimage with a trailblazing woman saint, whom Pope Benedict XVI named a Doctor of the Church. She was a musician and composer, a theologian and mystic, an herbalist and healer, and a preacher and reformer in the High Middle Ages. Joining Angela Sealana is her guest, Jeanne O'Connell with St. Hildegard's Cathedral of the Woods. On today's journey, you will Meet St. Hildegard von Bingen and hear about her life Discover how her insights can help us find wholeness and healing in our lives as we reclaim our relationship to the rest of Creation Click here to visit the official webpage for this episode.  Official website of St. Hildegard's Cathedral of the Woods Jewel for the Journey: “With nature's help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining.” – St. Hildegard von Bingen We are so grateful to this month's sponsor, Deanna Villarreal, who made this podcast episode possible. Learn more at PilgrimCenterOfHope.org/Journeys Help us spread hope! PilgrimCenterOfHope.org/Donate

Coming this week on the History of the Papacy! Click here to listen to the full episode: You can learn more about the History of Papacy and subscribe at all these great places: https://atozhistorypage.start.pagehttps://www.historyofthepapacypodcast.com email: steve@atozhistorypage.comhttps://www.patreon.com/historyofthepapacy Connect on Social Media:https://www.youtube.com/@atozhistoryhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/atozhistorypagehttps://facebook.com/atozhistorypagehttps://twitter.com/atozhistorypagehttps://www.instagram.com/atozhistorypage/ Get Your History of the Papacy Podcast Products Here: https://www.atozhistorypage.com/products Help out the show by ordering these books from Amazon! https://amzn.com/w/1MUPNYEU65NTF Music Provided by:"Danse Macabre" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Virtutes Instrumenti" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Virtutes Vocis" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"String Impromptu Number 1" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Image Credits:By Ariely - Own work, CC BY 3.0, ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4533576By Pam Brophy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9124089This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4899207/advertisement

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Thursday after Holy Trinity unless otherwise indicated. In the U.S, the solemnity is transferred to the Sunday after the Holy Trinity Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White The gift of all gifts Standing at the crowded table in the dim candle light of the Upper Room during the Last Supper, Jesus Christ did not hand out Bibles to the Twelve Apostles and solemnly tell them, “Take this, all of you, and read it. This is my book, written for you.” Jesus gives us Himself, not a book. On today's Feast, we commemorate God's greatest gift to mankind, the person of Jesus Christ. God gives us His Son, and then Christ gives us Himself, body and blood, soul and divinity, under the accidents of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist.  Gift, gift-giver, and receiver meld into one in this sacrament of sacraments. In the era of the early Church, it was customary for an excess of bread to be consecrated at Mass so that the Eucharist could be carried to the sick who had been unable to attend the Holy Sacrifice. This practice led to the adoption of the pyx as the first sacred vessel for reservation of the Eucharist. Some modern churches pay homage to these Eucharistic origins by hanging an oversized pyx on their wall to use as a tabernacle, imitating the early Church custom. Permanent reservation of the Eucharist led, over the centuries, to enthroning the Lord amidst the greatest splendor in churches. By the early medieval period, the time had long passed when the Eucharist was reserved merely to be brought to the sick. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, street processions, chants, confraternities, songs, flowers, and all the splendid trappings of a feast day covered this dogma in glory by the High Middle Ages, and continue to wrap it in honor today. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the most necessary sacrament was Baptism but that the most excellent was the Holy Eucharist. This most excellent sacrament has been, for some, too excellent. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus tells His disciples that they must eat His body and drink His blood, many are incredulous and walk away. But Jesus does not compromise or say He was misunderstood. He lets them keep on walking. This initially hard teaching for the few was destined, over time, to be lovingly welcomed by the many. The Old Covenant of the Old Testament was gory. In a kind of primitive liturgy, Moses had goats and sheep slaughtered on an altar and their blood gathered into buckets. He then splashed this blood over the people, sealing their acceptance of the written law. Flying droplets of animal blood splattered against people's skin to remind them of their promise to God. No such bloody drama breaks out at Sunday Mass. We each bless our head and torso with holy water and receive a pure white host on the tongue. The New Covenant is based not on the blood of goats, bull calves, or on the ashes of a heifer. It is rooted in the generosity of the Son of God, who “offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit.” Christ's Covenant with his people is established verbally and liturgically at the Last Supper and physically on the cross the following day. The consecration of the Sacred Species at Mass continues Christ's physical presence among us, while adoration of the Blessed Sacrament suspends the consecration of the Mass, stretching it out into hours, days, months, and years. We naturally desire to leave a part of ourselves to our loved ones. We send photos, solemnly pass on a cherished memento, or give a baby a family name. Soldiers used to carry a locket holding a few strands of their wife's or girlfriend's hair. We need to be close, physically close, to those we love in concrete, tangible ways. Jesus desired the same, and, not being constrained by the limitations of human nature, He did the same, and more. He has left us Himself! That dogma processing down the street is a person! And that dogma behind the golden doors of the parish's tabernacle is the same person! So bend that body low and set that heart on fire, for the Saving Victim opens wide the gate of heaven to all below. We stand as close to Christ in the Holy Eucharist as the Apostles ever did on Mount Tabor. Lord of the Eucharist, we venerate You with heads bowed, as the old form of worship gives way to the new. With faith providing for what fails the senses, we honor the Begetter and the Begotten, loving back at what loved us first, apprentices in the school of love.

The month of June, Julia Marie brings you the final interviews in her series with esteemed consciousness researcher Betty J. Kovacs, PhD. The discussion centers around the five waves of remembering Betty details in her scholarly work about the return of Christ Consciousness. The book is a destined to be classic and is titled Merchants of Light-The Consciousness that is Changing the World.In this episode, we concentrate on what, in Betty's estimation, is the most powerful of the 5 waves, the High Middle Ages. The emphasis was on the Divine Feminine, and society and societal norms reflected that focus. In this episode, learn how the Divine Feminine represents our higher consciousness.We look at the true meaning of the Grail Quest. Learn about the power of the heart: it is the portal to our Great Self.See cathedrals in a different light: as temples of the soul.The labyrinth as symbol of our individual journey to higher consciousness.RESOURCES: Merchants of Light is available on Amazon and Betty's website: The Kamlak Center.Thank you for listening to Evolving Humans! For consultations or classes, please visit my website: www.JuliaMarie.usYou can leave your questions, comments and suggestions via Voicemail at https://www.EvolvingHumansPodcast.com.Who knows, perhaps your question or comment will be featured on a future episode! I can't wait for your questions or hear your feedback.

May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious c. 1015–1085 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White A pope dies on the run The last words spoken by Pope Saint Gregory VII were “I have loved justice and hated iniquity, that is why I die in exile.” His enemies would have claimed that they loved justice equally as much but understood it differently, which is why the pope had to die on the run. No one really wins epic battles for power, though one side may prevail in the short run. Everyone loses something in a fight: some their dignity, others their property, their position, or maybe their teeth. There is no such thing as a win-win outcome. Pope Gregory VII was a scrappy fighter who boxed his powerful opponents for years. Yet he didn't fight for his own honor, wealth, or position, but because he believed that “the blessed Peter is father of all Christians, their chief shepherd under Christ, (and) that the holy Roman Church is the mother and mistress of all the churches.” He battled for the right of the Bishop of Rome to govern the Church's internal life free of interference from worldly powers. Pope Gregory's victories and losses colored all of medieval history and established key precedents for the perennial tensions between Church and State which continue until today. Gregory VII was baptized as Hildebrand in the Tuscany region of Italy. He received an excellent education from Roman tutors, including one who later became Pope Gregory VI.  Most of his adult life was dedicated to serving various popes in important diplomatic and administrative roles. He was one of the most essential papal advisers of his era, even helping to craft the Church law limiting papal conclaves to cardinals alone. While still a deacon, Cardinal Hildebrand was chosen Pope in 1073 by popular acclamation. He refused to be seated on the papal throne as the result of such an outlaw election and went into hiding. Not until a proper vote of the cardinals took place did Hildebrand accept his election as canonically legitimate. He was shortly thereafter ordained a priest and bishop and then crowned Pope Gregory VII on the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, June 29, 1073. When Pope Gregory VII first sat on the throne of Saint Peter and gazed out at the universal church, he did not peer through rose-colored glasses. Long firsthand experience of the world made him no novice, so he set about with great determination to implement needed reforms. His twelve-year papacy would be one of the most consequential in history. Gregory first sought to carve out a space for the papacy to operate free from German meddling in its internal affairs. It was common at the time for princes, kings, and other powerful laymen to appoint clerics to their positions and to “invest,” or clothe, new bishops at their Ordination Masses with the symbols of office, such as their pastoral staff, miter, and ring. Gregory decreed an end to this practice, not least because of the confusion it engendered about who was the source of the bishop's authority. But the “lay investiture” battle would continue for centuries, leading to recriminations on all sides, including Gregory's dramatic excommunication of Emperor Henry IV and Henry's deposition—and driving into exile—of the pope. Incredibly, as late as 1903, the Holy Roman Emperor still directly intervened in a papal conclave, exercising his ancient right of veto to block a cardinal from being elected pope. Pope Gregory VII pulled every lever at his disposal to make priestly celibacy compulsory, sought to heal the Schism of 1054 with the Orthodox, railed against simony (the purchasing of church offices), and encouraged the recovery of the holy sites in Jerusalem, a harbinger of the Crusades which commenced soon after his death. Gregory also memorialized in the clearest of terms the Church's theology of the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, a statement of faith that presaged the deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament so characteristic of the High Middle Ages. Long before the popes were known as “Vicar of Christ,” they were called “Vicar of Peter.” Pope Gregory VII was a model medieval pope above personal reproach, ambitious only for the health and freedom of the Church. He represented both Christ and Saint Peter well. Pope Saint Gregory VII, may your earthly example and heavenly intercession sustain and inspire the leaders of the Church to act impetuously, to fight ceaselessly, and to forgive generously when confronted by forces inimical to the well-being of the Church.

In this episode, Grettelyn speaks with Joseph Pearce about his upcoming talk at the 42nd Annual Chesterton Conference. Links: https://jpearce.co/ https://chesterton.org/uncommonsense https://chesterton.org/conference

Tonight we cover the “High Middle Ages” (1034-1303 AD) and we'll tackle the Crusades, the rise of key monastic movements, and more. As we go, we'll continue to grapple with the tension between the power and influence of the church during the middle ages as contrasted with the biblical vision of the Kingdom of God given to us by Jesus.

In this episode, Ryan takes us time-travelling back to the High Middle Ages in the Maldives to explore the mysteries of religion. Join us on a journey through history as we meet travellers, explorers, and archaeologists to uncover the enigmatic religion that was once followed on these islands. From thrilling adventures to fascinating discoveries, we'll take you on a thrill-ride through the past to unravel the secrets of a lost religion. So hop on board, buckle up, and say your prayers!   Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:08 Orientation of The Maldives 10:53 History of the Maldives 25:55 Religion in the Maldives 28:57 Al-Adrisi 33:54 Ibn Batutta 39:39 Francois Pyrard of Lavel 46:10 Moresby, Christopher & Young 50:00 HCP Bell 53:30 John Stanley Gardiner 54:58 HCP Bell Returns to the Maldives 57:34 Thor Heyerdhal & Erik Mikkleson 01:00:04 Wrap up & Derzolation 01:01:50 Outro   Thanks: Maldives National Anthem Instrumental (https://tinyurl.com/4h8a5xs5) Simpsons - Monorail Song (tinyurl.com/yxjm9x9f)   Contact: https://linktr.ee/hhepodcast http://hhepodcast.com

Have you ever wondered about the origin of Romance? Maybe your mind turns to Austen and Bronte? Really it's lineage is far longer, spreading back to the High Middle Ages and stories of King Arthur and Sir Gawain. In this episode, Ursula White, a second year English Student at Somerville College, discusses the varied and fascinating world of Medieval Romance with Professor Laura Ashe, a renowned scholar of Medieval literature, history and culture, and frequent guest on the BBC Podcast in Our Time.

February 3: Saint Ansgar, Bishop 801–865 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Scandinavia, Denmark, and Sweden He sowed the frozen turf of the North, though little bloomed Today's saint walked the forests of Northern Europe during that stretch of history later known, prejudicially, as the “Dark Ages.” He lived three hundred years after the fall of Rome and yet three hundred years before the soaring gothic spires of the High Middle Ages pierced the blue sky. “Ansgar” is a grunt or a mere sound to modern ears. It seems fit for a remote, cold, and brutal age. It is difficult to imagine a child running into the warm embrace of a sunny Ansgar. But the real Saint Ansgar broke bread with Northern Vikings and rough warriors of the forest with names just like his own: Horik, Drogo, Gudmund, and Vedast. Ansgar was one of them, with one big difference—he was a Catholic. The one thing, a very big thing, that links such long-ago saints, priests, and bishops to us moderns is the Catholic faith. We share the exact same faith as Saint Ansgar! If Saint Ansgar were to step out of the pages of a book today, in his bear fur pelt and deerskin boots, and walk through the doors of a twenty-first-century Catholic church, he would be at home. His eyes would search for the burning flame of the sanctuary lamp, and upon spotting it, he would know. He would bend his knee before a tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament, just as he did thousands of times in the past. He would walk past statues of Mary and the saints and know their stories. He would hear the same Gospel, make the same sign of the cross, and feel the same drops of blessed water on his forehead. Nothing would be unusual. Our faith unites what time and culture divide. The Church is the world's only multicultural, transnational, timeless family. There is nothing else like Her. Saint Ansgar left his native region in Northern France, after receiving a good Christian education, to become an apostle monk to Northern Germany. He was named by the Pope as Archbishop of Hamburg and, from that post, organized the first systematic evangelization of Scandinavia. These regions were far, far away from the more developed civilizations of Italy, Spain, and France. Yet Saint Ansgar and his helpers traveled that far, and risked that much, to plant the Catholic faith in the frozen ground of what is today Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Yet nearly all the seeds of faith that Saint Ansgar planted were to die in the ground shortly after his own death. Sadly, his missionary efforts produced no long-lasting fruit. The age of the Vikings dawned, and it would be two centuries before Christianity would again flourish and spread across the northern arc of Europe. Yet even that second evangelization would come to a bitter end! In the sixteenth century, Scandinavia abandoned Catholicism for its shadow under the influence of Father Luther and his followers. What a lesson to be learned! As Saint Paul wrote, one plants, one waters, and God gives the growth: “The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each” (1 Co 3:8). Saint Ansgar carried out God's will. He labored for the Lord and for the faith. What happened after that was up to God in His providence. Carrying out God's will should be enough for us, as it was for our saint today. We must plant and till, even though harvest time may never come. Saint Ansgar, you persevered in difficult times to bring the faith to a pagan land. You saw success and then failure, glory and then disappointment. Your work did not outlast you but pleased God nonetheless. May we see our work as our duty, even when the fruit of our labor is harvested by someone else, or not at all.

In this interview, Robert Antonin, Associate Professor of History at Ostrava University in Czech Republic, discusses his research into the importance of rulership rituals in the High Middle Ages, Bohemia.  He shows how the visualization of rulership through the public display of ritual built the legitimacy of the ruler, and how the public acceptance of this legitimacy enhanced social cohesion and stability.  While Robert's research period is the high medieval, he suggests a similar process happens in today's modern democracies.This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Medieval Studies.

Our first episode to cover the chapters themselves for the following section of 7 paragraphs—  “The characteristic features of Indian culture...”to...“I have heard very early recollections from the lips of veracious men and women.” Topics of podcast include the guru-disciple relationship, Indian spiritual heritage, yogis, ancient civilization, past lives and adolescent memories. Paramahansa Yogananda brings in very weighty words about his own Christlike guru as well as being able to remember his past, discern his present and glimpse the future. Literary gold-dust! We apologise for the extra-long episode but the profound content needed that much attention. 0:00 Homework recap; 3:10 Chapter expectations and title; 9:23 Guru-disciple relationship; 49:36 Ancient civilizations; 58:26 Christlike Sri Yukteswar; 1:12:30 Guruji's previous incarnation rumours; 1:21:54 Past lives and baby Yogananda. Material referenced in this podcast:   Book—The Guru-Disciple Relationship (How-to-live Series), by Mrinalini Mata;  Book— Swami Sriyukteshvar Giri Maharaj A Biography by Swami Satyananda Giri;Talk— Loyalty: The Highest Spiritual Law, Brother Anandamoy https://bookstore.yogananda-srf.org/product/loyalty/ ;Book— Wilhelm der B*stard. Ein Leben im hohen Mittelalter (William the B*stard. A Life in the High Middle Ages), by Hildburg Streiber. Wilhelm der Eroberer and Wilhelm der König. Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the following 19 paragraphs from:  “I was born on January 5, 1893, in Gorakhpur...”to...“...man arrives penniless in this world, and departs without a single rupee.” #autobiographyofayogi #autobiographylinebyline #paramahansayogananda Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute Self-Realization Fellowship #SRF

St. Francis of Assisi by G. K. Chesterton audiobook. For Chesterton, Francis of Assisi is a great paradoxical figure, a man who loved women but vowed himself to chastity; an artist who loved the pleasures of the natural world as few have loved them, but vowed himself to the most austere poverty, stripping himself naked in the public square so all could see that he had renounced his worldly goods; a clown who stood on his head in order to see the world aright. Chesterton gives us Francis in his world-the riotously colorful world of the High Middle Ages, a world with more pageantry and romance than we have seen before or since. Here is the Francis who tried to end the Crusades by talking to the Saracens, and who interceded with the emperor on behalf of the birds. Here is the Francis who inspired a revolution in art that began with Giotto and a revolution in poetry that began with Dante. Here is the Francis who prayed and danced with pagan abandon, who talked to animals, who invented the creche. I read this book as a young man and not only did it introduce me to the amazing world of Chesterton, but it was a revelation of how an entire culture could be captured in a slim volume. 

December 29: Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr c. 1119–1170 Optional Memorial; Liturgical color: Red Patron Saint of the clergy Murder in the Cathedral! Four knights hustled down the nave of England's Canterbury Cathedral, weighed down with tackle, and found the church's strong man. Eyes narrowed. Teeth clenched. Hard words were spit back and forth. Tempers. A tussle. Then the four knights brutishly struck down Thomas Becket, his blood defiling the sanctuary. People quickly flooded the Cathedral, but no one touched the dead body, none even dared go near it. The news blew like an ill wind through all of Europe. The December spilling of an Archbishop's blood in his own Metropolitan Cathedral, a sin joining martyrdom with sacrilege, was perhaps the most stunning deed of the High Middle Ages. Our saint referred to himself as “Thomas of London” and said his enemies alone styled him “Becket.” He was not of noble blood and rose in the Church primarily through the patronage of an admiring Archbishop, who dispatched Thomas to Rome several times on sensitive Church-Sate missions. Thomas was appointed Chancellor by English King Henry II, cementing their warm, personal bond. Perhaps hoping friendship had softened Thomas' resistance to the royal will, the King proposed his friend as Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the English Church. The decision was ratified by the Pope, so Thomas, who had remained a Deacon until that point, was quickly ordained a priest and then consecrated a bishop. But his appointment to high ecclesial office poisoned Thomas' friendship with Henry II, led to years of exile, and ultimately drove those four determined knights through the doors of Canterbury Cathedral. Thomas Becket was a complex man in whose soul formidable virtues swirled as one with powerful vices. He was volatile, easily provoked, and vain. He relished the magnificence of his high status and travelled with a personal retinue of two hundred servants, knights, musicians, and falconers. He fought for England on the battlefield, engaging in hand-to-hand combat while vested in chain mail. But Thomas also fasted, endured severe penances, prayed devoutly, was generous with the poor, and lived a life of purity. Being ordained a bishop helped to cool his temper, abate his pride, and refine his coarser traits. England's two strongest men were destined to clash over their exclusive loyalties to Holy Church and Holy Realm. In 1164 King Henry II demanded significant concessions from England's bishops: the abolishing of ecclesiastical courts, no appeals to Rome without the King's approval, and no excommunication of landholders without the Crown's consent. The King also imposed higher taxes on the Church and curtailed priest's rights. Thomas was aghast at the demands of his former friend and resisted the Crown's demands at every step. The wick was now lit, and the flame slowly burned its way toward the explosive murder in the Cathedral. In reaction to the King's overreach, Thomas fled to France, met with the Pope, resigned, fretted, was reinstated, and waited. The struggle between State power and Church freedom dragged on for six years as various complex intrigues played themselves out. Thomas finally returned to England on December 1, 1170, to an admixture of hostility and joy. He would not live to the end of the month, and he knew it. In a fit of incandescent rage, King Henry II asked to be rid of Thomas, vague words taken to their most violent extreme by the four killers. When they rushed into the sanctuary, the knights shouted, “Where is Thomas the traitor?” Thomas replied, “Here I am, no traitor, but Archbishop and priest of God.” Thomas' brains were soon washed over the floor. King Henry II did public penance, the Knights sought forgiveness from the Pope himself, and Becket was rapidly canonized. Saint Thomas Becket's ornate tomb became a place of pilgrimage for centuries, until it was desecrated by a later King Henry, the eighth of that name, in 1538, when royal spasms once again brought violent blows down on the Church. Saint Thomas Becket, your last few heroic minutes on earth made you a saint. Help all bishops, priests, and deacons to emulate your manly virtues in standing strong for the Church in season and out of season, whatever the cost, their whole life long.

Following Dividuum (2015), Gerald Raunig presents the second volume of “Machinic Capitalism and Molecular Revolution.” Dissemblage unfolds a wild abundance of material of unruliness, from the multilingual translation machines of Al-Andalus to the queer mysticism of the High Middle Ages, from the small voices of the falsetto in 20th century jazz and soul to today's disjointures and subjunctures against the smooth city in machinic capitalism.In this volume Gerald Raunig not only develops a conceptual ecology of concepts of joining and jointing, but also undertakes an experiment in theoretical form. Semi-fictional interweaves with meticulously researched historical sources, mystical writings with letters from friends, philosophical fragments with poetic ritornellos. More than a narrative about dissemblages from social surrounds, thing-worlds, and ghost-worlds, the book itself is a dividual multiplicity in form and content, out of joint, in the joints, dissemblage.'Dissemblage': https://autonomedia.org/product/dissemblage-machinic-capitalism-and-molecular-revolutiongerald-raunig/Here is a link to the audio we mention at the end: https://transversal.at/ungefuege43-enSupport the podcast:Linktree: https://linktr.ee/acidhorizonAcid Horizon on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidhorizonpodcastMerch: http://www.crit-drip.comOrder 'The Philosopher's Tarot': https://repeaterbooks.com/product/the-philosophers-tarot/Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/169wvvhiHappy Hour at Hippel's (Adam's blog): https://happyhourathippels.wordpress.com​Revolting Bodies (Will's Blog): https://revoltingbodies.com​Split Infinities (Craig's Substack): https://splitinfinities.substack.com/​Music: https://sereptie.bandcamp.com/ and https://thecominginsurrection.bandcamp.com/Support the show

Reconquest Episode 354: Religious Life Viewed from Three Angles Episode 354 debuts on December 14 at 8:00 PM Eastern. Rebroadcasts will take place according to the Crusade Channel programming schedule (note: all times listed are Central time). The topic is Religious Life Viewed from Three Angles A Short Meditation on the Religious as a ‘Living Sacrifice' — by Brother Andre Marie, M.I.C.M. at catholicism.org Recovering a Bright Medieval Vision for the Future — by Brother Andre Marie, M.I.C.M. at catholicism.org Dr. Andrew Jones: ‘The Liturgical Cosmos: The Worldview of the High Middle Ages' — at catholicism.org A Liturgical Cosmos -- by Dr. Andrew Willard Jones — by Dr. Andrew Willard Jones at newpolity.com Agnus Dei (c. 1635–1640), 38 cm × 62 cm. Oil on canvas. Museo Del Prado, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons   “Reconquest” is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center. Each weekly, one-hour episode of Reconquest will debut RIGHT HERE on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM Eastern (7:00 PM Central). It will then be rebroadcast according to the Crusade Channel programming schedule (note: all times listed are Central time). Our Readers And Listeners Keep Us In Print & On The Air! Click here to subscribe to The CRUSADE Channel's Founders Pass Member Service & Gain 24/7 Access to Our Premium, New Talk Radio Service. www.crusadechannel.com/go What Is The Crusade Channel? The CRUSADE Channel, The Last LIVE! Radio Station Standing begins our LIVE programming day with our all original CRUSADE Channel News hosted by award winning,  25 year news veteran Janet Huxley. Followed by LIVE! From London, “The Early Show with Fiorella Nash & Friends. With the morning drive time beginning we bring out the heavy artillery The Mike Church Show! The longest running, continual, long form radio talk show in the world at the tender age of 30 years young! Our broadcast day progresses into lunch, hang out with The Barrett Brief Show hosted by Rick Barrett “giving you the news of the day and the narrative that will follow”. Then Kennedy Hall and The Kennedy Profession drives your afternoon by “applying Natural Law to an unnatural world”!    The CRUSADE Channel also features Reconquest with Brother André Marie, The Fiorella Files Book Review Show, The Frontlines With Joe & Joe and your favorite radio classics like Suspense! and CBS Radio Mystery Theater. We've interviewed hundreds of guests, seen Brother Andre Marie notch his 200th broadcast of Reconquest; The Mike Church Show over 1500 episodes; launched an original LIVE! News Service; written and produced 4 Feature Length original dramas including The Last Confession of Sherlock Holmes and set sail on the coolest radio product ever, the 5 Minute Mysteries series! Combined with our best in the business LIVE! Coverage of every major political/cultural event of the last 6 years including Brexit, Trump's Election, Administration events, shampeachment, the CoronaDoom™, the 2020 Election and resulting Biden Regime's Coup d;'tat, January 6th Psy-op and now the attempt to make Russia and Vladimir Putin out as the new Hitler and his Germany. "When News Breaks Out, We Break In!" because we truly are:   The Last, Live, Radio Station, Standing.

Wisdom Wednesday-There Are Human Monsters Being Made That Would Make Aldious Huxley Blush with Brother Andre Marie SPECIAL GUEST Brother Andre Marie  Host of ReConquest aired only on The Crusade Channel Follow Brother on GAB and Twitter - @Brother_Andre Would such a baby have a soul? It would have a soul b/c that is inherent to life. Using intellect and will it is a human soul. What you will have however is a child born that is already abused. There is so much bonding b/w a woman and child that happens when the baby is in the mothers womb, you just can't simulate that. The movie Black Robe -  Isaac Jogues  North American Martyr Experience  HEADLINE: Saint Nicasius and Saint Eutropia (407) by The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary  HEADLINE: Dr. Andrew Jones: ‘The Liturgical Cosmos: The Worldview of the High Middle Ages' by Brother Andre Marie  ReConquest Episode 354: Religious Life Viewed from Three Angles Our Readers And Listeners Keep Us In Print & On The Air! Click here to subscribe to The CRUSADE Channel's Founders Pass Member Service & Gain 24/7 Access to Our Premium, New Talk Radio Service. www.crusadechannel.com/go What Is The Crusade Channel? The CRUSADE Channel, The Last LIVE! Radio Station Standing begins our LIVE programming day with our all original CRUSADE Channel News hosted by award winning,  25 year news veteran Janet Huxley. Followed by LIVE! From London, “The Early Show with Fiorella Nash & Friends. With the morning drive time beginning we bring out the heavy artillery The Mike Church Show! The longest running, continual, long form radio talk show in the world at the tender age of 30 years young! Our broadcast day progresses into lunch, hang out with The Barrett Brief Show hosted by Rick Barrett “giving you the news of the day and the narrative that will follow”. Then Kennedy Hall and The Kennedy Profession drives your afternoon by “applying Natural Law to an unnatural world”!    The CRUSADE Channel also features Reconquest with Brother André Marie, The Fiorella Files Book Review Show, The Frontlines With Joe & Joe and your favorite radio classics like Suspense! and CBS Radio Mystery Theater. We've interviewed hundreds of guests, seen Brother Andre Marie notch his 200th broadcast of Reconquest; The Mike Church Show over 1500 episodes; launched an original LIVE! News Service; written and produced 4 Feature Length original dramas including The Last Confession of Sherlock Holmes and set sail on the coolest radio product ever, the 5 Minute Mysteries series! Combined with our best in the business LIVE! Coverage of every major political/cultural event of the last 6 years including Brexit, Trump's Election, Administration events, shampeachment, the CoronaDoom™, the 2020 Election and resulting Biden Regime's Coup d;'tat, January 6th Psy-op and now the attempt to make Russia and Vladimir Putin out as the new Hitler and his Germany. "When News Breaks Out, We Break In!" because we truly are:   The Last, Live, Radio Station, Standing.

November 25: Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyrc. Late third–early fourth centuriesOptional Memorial; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of philosophers, apologists, and all who work with wheelsAn obscure Egyptian wins the double crown of virgin-martyrThe armies of Alexander the Great swept south and east from Greece three hundred and thirty years before the infant Jesus ever gently swayed in His Mother's arms. After Alexander conquered Egypt, he founded a new coastal city and crowned it after himself. Alexandria, Constantinople, Caesarea, Antioch, and numerous other foundations gratified the colossal egos of the mighty men who laid deep foundations and raised high walls to commemorate themselves and their patrons. How different from the Christian era and its venerable custom of naming places in honor of the Lord, Mary, and the Saints—San Francisco, Christchurch, El Salvador, Sao Paolo, Asunción, and on and on. Today's saint—Catherine of Alexandria—appropriates Alexander's name for Christianity, something beyond the imagining of that Greek pagan of old.Saint Catherine of Alexandria was a virgin-martyr from the waning years of the persecuted Church in the early fourth century. Reliable documentation about her life may still lie undiscovered in a dusty codex whose heft is sagging a shelf in a neglected monastic library. Until such authentic corroboration of her life is brought to light, however, the total absence of verifiable facts make Catherine an enigmatic figure. Precisely due to this dearth of biographical information, Catherine's feast day was removed from the Church's universal calendar by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1969.In 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land to properly commence the third millennium. Among the holy sites he visited was Mount Sinai, Egypt, on whose summit Moses received from God the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Orthodox Monastery on Mount Sinai is named in honor of Saint Catherine, after a legend which holds that her relics were borne there by angels upon her martyrdom. The Orthodox Abbot of the monastery sadly refused to pray with the Pope during his pastoral visit to St. Catherine's. Among the unstated reasons for this rebuff may have been the Church's decision to liturgically suppress Saint Catherine's feast day in 1969. So, in 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II restored Catherine's feast day, perhaps as a generous ecumenical gesture to the family of Orthodox Churches.Devotion to Saint Catherine began in the late first millennium among the Orthodox. Her cult migrated to the West with the crusading knights when they returned from the Holy Land in the twelfth century. Devotion to Saint Catherine exploded in popularity throughout the High Middle Ages until she was one of the most commonly invoked saints in all of Europe. Even a college at England's Cambridge University was established in Catherine's honor in 1473. It is said that Catherine was a beautiful young woman from a noble Alexandrian family who had a miraculous conversion to Christianity, compelling her to make a vow of virginity. Her erudition and persuasive gifts convinced fifty of the Emperor's most able philosophers of the truth of Christianity. Catherine then had further successful forays in converting the Emperor's own household and soldiers. When she rejected the Emperor's romantic entreaties, he sentenced her to be shred to pieces on a spiked wheel. But Catherine's bindings were miraculously loosened and she survived the ordeal, only to then suffer beheading, thus earning the double crown of both virgin and martyr.In the summer of 1425, a young French girl named Joan, standing in her parent's garden, gazed into the mist closely enveloping her and saw something. It was Saint Michael the Archangel and two women wearing rich crowns. One of these women was Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Catherine spoke sweetly and softly to young Joan, saying that she would be Joan's counsel, guide, and protector. She even promised to one day lead Joan to paradise. Years later, when Joan acquitted herself well under questioning by theologians, just as Catherine had done when questioned by philosophers, the townspeople said that Joan of Arc was none other than Saint Catherine of Alexandria come down to earth again.Saint Catherine of Alexandria, your intelligence and devotion led you to be outspoken for Christ. Intercede on behalf of all Christians, making them fearless in their advocacy for, and defense of, the truths of our faith, even to the point of death.

Read Me to Sleep, Ricky host Rick Whitaker reads new translations of songs composed 800 years ago. Troubadours were well-known secular entertainers whose songs explored love and politics, mostly love, and mostly "distant love." Troubadours were active during the High Middle Ages, 1100-1350.The  word troubadour arose from the Occitan language. Occitania was never a country or single political entity, but more of a cultural group united by the use of the Occitan language and geography. The region considered Occitania contained parts of present-day southern France, Monaco, and small pieces of Spain and Italy.  Occitan is a Romance language deriving from Latin and is similar in various ways to French, Italian, and Spanish.Troubadours were generally supported by a wealthy patron for a period of time before traveling to a new court.  In the rigid social structure of the Middle Ages, troubadours occupied an ambiguous place.  Many of the early troubadours came from the nobility, either the high nobility or the class of knights, but throughout the era, troubadours from lower social classes also emerged.  Troubadours were employed to entertain at court, and often enjoyed many of the pleasures and privileges enjoyed by the wealthiest members of society.  It is as a result of this patronage that many important examples of their songs and poetry survive.  Troubadours would create songbooks known as chansoniers for their patrons, and the preservation of these books in libraries of castles allows them to now grace some of the top international research libraries.The recording is by Studio der frühen Musik led by the singer Thomas Binkley in 1970. The translations are adapted by Rick Whitaker. Support the show

Luke and Eleanor dive deeper into the Holy Roman Empire, tracking its history through the High Middle Ages with the Hohenstaufens, the Luxembourgs, an Interregnum, some stuff about the Crusades, whatever the hell a Landfrieden is, and more! check it out and enjoy! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode we discuss the famous medieval "heretics" known as the Cathars, and the Albigensian crusade which tried to wipe them out.Sources/Suggested Reading:Barber, Malcolm, The Cathars: Dualist heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle Ages, Second edition (Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson, 2013).Sennis, Antonio (ed.), Cathars in Question (York: York Medieval Press, 2016).Moore, R. I., The War on Heresy (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012). Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you for listening to Will Wright Catholic. Please share it by clicking the blue button below!The Nature of Human BeingsLet's start with… well… everything! Reality exists: both natural and supernatural. The natural realm is everything that we can detect, observe, or measure. This part of the created order includes atoms, molecules, and matter, in general, but it also includes unseen forces like gravity, electromagnetism, and the like. All of this exists in space and time, in a closed system where matter is neither created nor destroyed. But is there more? The “more” would be above nature or “supernatural.” The supernatural is all that exists apart from the material and natural realm. Angels, demons, and the Creator Himself all exist apart from the visible observable universe. Truly, God deserves His own category as the only Necessary Being whereas everything else is contingent on Him.We speak of the things of our material universe as Nature. Here on Earth, nature includes the elements: earth, fire, water, wind, and life. However, there is another usage of the term “nature” which is more important to our conversation today. The nature of a thing is the basic or inherent features of that thing. So, when we speak of human nature, we are not necessarily referring to the things which can be observed in human behavior or external characteristics shared by homo sapiens. Human nature is the basic or inherent features of being human. What is written into the very heart of man? What pertains to the nature of the human person from the beginning, now, and forever? This is what we mean by human nature.All Human Beings Have the Same NatureAll human beings have the same nature. If they did not, then they would not be human. Again, the vital distinction is in the difference between observable behaviors on the one hand and those intrinsic and essential aspects on the other. The former is merely behavior and the latter is the necessary realities of being human. We are human beings, after all, not “human doings.” So, if someone has a mental disorder that causes them to act in a way that is opposed to human nature, they are nonetheless still human. This distinction is important because we hear people speak of such and such phenomena “existing in nature” and drawing the conclusion that the observed phenomena must be “natural.” Quickly falling apart upon examination, this line of thinking leads to great confusion about human nature. A coworker recently brought up an example of this with the phenomenon of geophagy. In certain instances, pregnant women will begin to experience an inordinate desire to consume dirt and clay. The ingestion of this non-food item is compulsive and might derive from a deficiency in iron. At any rate, it is not “normal” or “well-ordered” to eat dirt and clay. Yet, geophagy “exists in nature.” So, is it part of human nature to eat dirt and clay? No. Something is seriously off in this phenomenon. Just because some human beings do certain things or even desire certain things, this does not make it part of human nature.What We Ought to BeBecause all human beings have the same nature, endowed by the Creator, there are certain standards consistent across the entire human race. When we say what a human being essentially is, there is an implication of what human beings ought to be.From before recorded History, human beings have been self-reflective - incidentally, self-reflection and powers of abstraction is an intrinsic part of human nature. In this self-reflection, human beings have interrogated the known and the unknown, within and without themselves. The fundamental questions resound through the ages: who are we? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Why is there life at all? Who am I? What is a human being? What does it mean to be a human being? Is there something after death? Do I have a soul? And so on…These questions are universal: in every time and in every place, human beings have voraciously questioned everything. Many of these questions require philosophical investigation and others require scientific examination. But philosophy and science can only get us so far in inquiry. From the beginning, human beings have also relied on the queen of the sciences: theology. Admittedly, theology was not called the “queen of the sciences” until the High Middle Ages. Schools of higher learning used the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric and the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy to investigate the universe - both seen and unseen, within and without. Nevertheless, theology as the study of God and the divine in general could be called religion.What is Religion?Before we can define what religion actually is, we need to understand what we, as human beings, are capable of. Man is made in the image and likeness of God. Being made in the image and likeness of God is to possess a rational soul. Human beings have the ability to know things (intellect) and the ability to choose freely the good (will). Endowed with freedom, man seeks the good and is capable of understanding the ordering of reality, established by the Creator. Given possession of a rational soul, man ardently seeks after reality. The disposition of the soul towards the good, true, and beautiful, in practice, is religion. The word religion has derived diverse meanings over the last few millennia. Cicero seeks religion as deriving from the verb relegere which means “to treat carefully.” On the other hand, the fourth century Christian apologist Lactantius says:“We are tied to God and bound to him [religati] by the bond of piety, and it is from this, and not, as Cicero holds, from careful consideration [relegendo], that religion has received its name (Divine Institutes, IV, xxviii).”Speaking in a Neoplatonic mode, the great St. Augustine in City of God gives a sense of recovering God: “having lost God through neglect [negligentes], we recover Him [religentes] and are drawn to Him.” However, he later leaves behind this idea in favor of Lactantius' view, saying, “Religion binds us [religat] to the one Almighty God.”St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa, does not make a decision between the three views but sees them as all valuable: careful consideration, recovering God, and binding oneself. In a general sense, religion is the free choice to subject oneself to God. We are binding ourselves to God and Him to us in the practice of true religion. Are Human Beings Religious? Certainly, some human beings are religious, but would it be proper to say that all human beings are religious? Controversy is perpetual surrounding this question, especially in the modern world. How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh. I'm spiritual, but not religious.” Or perhaps you have heard the usually evangelical Christian idea that religion is opposed to the true practice of faith in Jesus Christ which is a relationship. However, I hope to show by the end of this short article that all human beings are truly religious, at the deepest metaphysical level. The first example of being spiritual and not religious is something that I will get to in a moment. But, let us begin with the second notion of relationship versus religion. If religion is about voluntary subjugation to God and binding ourselves to Him and Him to us, then I would suggest that religion, properly understood, is entirely about relationships. Right relationship with God bears fruit in the right relationship with our neighbor. The practice of true religion is all about relationships. Often, when people levy this rejoinder, it is from a misconception or false view of what religion ought to be.Spiritual, But Not Religious?Now to the notion of spiritual, but not religious. At the core of our being, as human persons, we are religious. This is the fundamental fact of our nature. It is right to say that we are spiritual, but it would be equally correct to say that we are corporeal. We are body and soul. If we were bodies without souls, we would be zombies. And if we were souls without bodies, we would be ghosts. So, our bodily-ness and spiritual-ness are part and parcel of our humanity. Yes, we are spiritual. But how then could we not also be religious? The human heart is made to worship. The notion of worship comes from the Middle English word worthschipe. Literally, it is an amalgamation of the word worth meaning “worthy” or “honorable” and the suffix -ship which means a denotation of a property or state of being. To worship something is to show with the depths of our being, body and soul, what we put worth in. What is worthy to us? This is what we worship. Centering and prioritizing our lives conveys what we worship and bears fruit in our actions.Oxford University professor Roger Trigg said in 2011 that, “We tend to see purpose in the world. We see agency. We think that something is there even if you can't see it… All this tends to build up to a religious way of thinking… If you've got something so deep-rooted in human nature, thwarting it is in some sense not enabling humans to fulfill their basic interests. There is quite a drive to think that religion is private. It isn't just a quirky interest of a few, it's basic human nature.”Professor Trigg hits the nail on the head. Religious thinking is basic human nature. All human beings have a hardwired religious drive. Now, an atheist might say that this is a bio-evolutionary oddity which motivated us in the past but is antiquated. They might say, like Marx, that religion is the opiate of the masses. I would say that the atheist and the marxist are in denial about their own nature and are dismissing as a nuisance the idea that perhaps God is in control. Because what is marxism or atheism if not a deep desire for control over the uncontrollable, for knowledge over the unknowable? Everyone puts worth in something. If they are not worshiping God - who alone is worthy - then that religious drive, essential to human nature, will be directed to something else. The rub is that the new object of worship will always be infinitely less than the Almighty. And so, aiming far below the Way, the Truth, and the Life, man falls prey to his base desires and can never find happiness. The conception of “spiritual, but not religious” does not conform to reality and will always result in the worship of creation rather than the Creator. Our soul, at the deepest level, desires to bind itself to the higher things. If we aim at God, then He will bind us to Himself. If we aim at lesser things, then we will be bound to them, to our detriment and perhaps even our damnation.Human Nature Cannot Be RepressedAny attempt to repress, control, or snuff out human nature in the realm of religion has miserably failed and has always been accompanied by widespread human suffering. In the 20th Century alone, we can look to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Nazi regime in Germany, the later Soviet policies in Russia, the Cultural Revolution in China, and other instantiations of godless Communism and Socialism. Human nature is hardwired into our being at the deepest levels. The human heart will always seek out God and will only be satisfied in Him. As St. Augustine said in the opening of his Confessions, “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in Thee.” Our restless hearts are religious. They want to worship. Who or what are they worshiping? Even for the believer, the exercise is worthwhile: what is the object of our worship, our desire, and our ultimate affection? If the answer is God, then we must beg the Lord for the grace to grow in this. If the answer is anything else, the pruning shears need to spring into action. Thank you for reading Will Wright Catholic. If you've enjoyed it, please share it by clicking the blue button below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willwrightcatholic.substack.com

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)Thursday after Holy Trinity unless otherwise indicated.In the U.S, the solemnity is transferred to the Sunday after the Holy TrinitySolemnity; Liturgical Color: WhiteThe gift of all giftsStanding at the crowded table in the dim candle light of the Upper Room during the Last Supper, Jesus Christ did not hand out Bibles to the Twelve Apostles and solemnly tell them, “Take this, all of you, and read it. This is my book, written for you.” Jesus gives us Himself, not a book. On today's Feast, we commemorate God's greatest gift to mankind, the person of Jesus Christ. God gives us His Son, and then Christ gives us Himself, body and blood, soul and divinity, under the accidents of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist. Gift, gift-giver, and receiver meld into one in this sacrament of sacraments.In the era of the early Church, it was customary for an excess of bread to be consecrated at Mass so that the Eucharist could be carried to the sick who had been unable to attend the Holy Sacrifice. This practice led to the adoption of the pyx as the first sacred vessel for reservation of the Eucharist. Some modern churches pay homage to these Eucharistic origins by hanging an oversized pyx on their wall to use as a tabernacle, imitating the early Church custom. Permanent reservation of the Eucharist led, over the centuries, to enthroning the Lord amidst the greatest splendor in churches. By the early medieval period, the time had long passed when the Eucharist was reserved merely to be brought to the sick. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, street processions, chants, confraternities, songs, flowers, and all the splendid trappings of a feast day covered this dogma in glory by the High Middle Ages, and continue to wrap it in honor today.Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the most necessary sacrament was Baptism but that the most excellent was the Holy Eucharist. This most excellent sacrament has been, for some, too excellent. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus tells His disciples that they must eat His body and drink His blood, many are incredulous and walk away. But Jesus does not compromise or say He was misunderstood. He lets them keep on walking. This initially hard teaching for the few was destined, over time, to be lovingly welcomed by the many.The Old Covenant of the Old Testament was gory. In a kind of primitive liturgy, Moses had goats and sheep slaughtered on an altar and their blood gathered into buckets. He then splashed this blood over the people, sealing their acceptance of the written law. Flying droplets of animal blood splattered against people's skin to remind them of their promise to God. No such bloody drama breaks out at Sunday Mass. We each bless our head and torso with holy water and receive a pure white host on the tongue. The New Covenant is based not on the blood of goats, bull calves, or on the ashes of a heifer. It is rooted in the generosity of the Son of God, who “offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit.” Christ's Covenant with his people is established verbally and liturgically at the Last Supper and physically on the cross the following day. The consecration of the Sacred Species at Mass continues Christ's physical presence among us, while adoration of the Blessed Sacrament suspends the consecration of the Mass, stretching it out into hours, days, months, and years.We naturally desire to leave a part of ourselves to our loved ones. We send photos, solemnly pass on a cherished memento, or give a baby a family name. Soldiers used to carry a locket holding a few strands of their wife's or girlfriend's hair. We need to be close, physically close, to those we love in concrete, tangible ways. Jesus desired the same, and, not being constrained by the limitations of human nature, He did the same, and more. He has left us Himself! That dogma processing down the street is a person! And that dogma behind the golden doors of the parish's tabernacle is the same person! So bend that body low and set that heart on fire, for the Saving Victim opens wide the gate of heaven to all below. We stand as close to Christ in the Holy Eucharist as the Apostles ever did on Mount Tabor.Lord of the Eucharist, we venerate You with heads bowed, as the old form of worship gives way to the new. With faith providing for what fails the senses, we honor the Begetter and the Begotten, loving back at what loved us first, apprentices in the school of love.

Two of Plato's students were notable astronomers. We looked at one of them, Eudoxus, in the last two episodes. In this episode we turn to Plato's other student, Aristotle. Aristotle embellished Eudoxus's model of planetary motion, but also developed a comprehensive physics and cosmology that ultimately became the standard model of the universe during the High Middle Ages.

Surprise!! Ben and Eliza are BACK and ready to dive into the High Middle Ages with Hugh, the first king of the Capetian Dynasty. Named for his simple white hood (capet) and known for his demure personality, he's not exactly the glorious conqueror you'd pick to be the founder of Europe's greatest dynasty. However, as we discover this episode, Hugh Capet may be more than meets the eye...Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact details and more! You can also support the show on:Ko-Fi, where you can buy us a coffee and contribute a small amount to the show.Patreon, where you can join the official Angry Mob and get access to bonus content.And as ever, don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!

May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religiousc. 1015–1085Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhiteA pope dies on the runThe last words spoken by Pope Saint Gregory VII were “I have loved justice and hated iniquity, that is why I die in exile.” His enemies would have claimed that they loved justice equally as much but understood it differently, which is why the pope had to die on the run. No one really wins epic battles for power, though one side may prevail in the short run. Everyone loses something in a fight: some their dignity, others their property, their position, or maybe their teeth. There is no such thing as a win-win outcome. Pope Gregory VII was a scrappy fighter who boxed his powerful opponents for years. Yet he didn't fight for his own honor, wealth, or position, but because he believed that “the blessed Peter is father of all Christians, their chief shepherd under Christ, (and) that the holy Roman Church is the mother and mistress of all the churches.” He battled for the right of the Bishop of Rome to govern the Church's internal life free of interference from worldly powers. Pope Gregory's victories and losses colored all of medieval history and established key precedents for the perennial tensions between Church and State which continue until today.Gregory VII was baptized as Hildebrand in the Tuscany region of Italy. He received an excellent education from Roman tutors, including one who later became Pope Gregory VI. Most of his adult life was dedicated to serving various popes in important diplomatic and administrative roles. He was one of the most essential papal advisers of his era, even helping to craft the Church law limiting papal conclaves to cardinals alone. While still a deacon, Cardinal Hildebrand was chosen Pope in 1073 by popular acclamation. He refused to be seated on the papal throne as the result of such an outlaw election and went into hiding. Not until a proper vote of the cardinals took place did Hildebrand accept his election as canonically legitimate. He was shortly thereafter ordained a priest and bishop and then crowned Pope Gregory VII on the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, June 29, 1073.When Pope Gregory VII first sat on the throne of Saint Peter and gazed out at the universal church, he did not peer through rose-colored glasses. Long firsthand experience of the world made him no novice, so he set about with great determination to implement needed reforms. His twelve-year papacy would be one of the most consequential in history. Gregory first sought to carve out a space for the papacy to operate free from German meddling in its internal affairs. It was common at the time for princes, kings, and other powerful laymen to appoint clerics to their positions and to “invest,” or clothe, new bishops at their Ordination Masses with the symbols of office, such as their pastoral staff, miter, and ring. Gregory decreed an end to this practice, not least because of the confusion it engendered about who was the source of the bishop's authority. But the “lay investiture” battle would continue for centuries, leading to recriminations on all sides, including Gregory's dramatic excommunication of Emperor Henry IV and Henry's deposition—and driving into exile—of the pope. Incredibly, as late as 1903, the Holy Roman Emperor still directly intervened in a papal conclave, exercising his ancient right of veto to block a cardinal from being elected pope.Pope Gregory VII pulled every lever at his disposal to make priestly celibacy compulsory, sought to heal the Schism of 1054 with the Orthodox, railed against simony (the purchasing of church offices), and encouraged the recovery of the holy sites in Jerusalem, a harbinger of the Crusades which commenced soon after his death. Gregory also memorialized in the clearest of terms the Church's theology of the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, a statement of faith that presaged the deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament so characteristic of the High Middle Ages. Long before the popes were known as “Vicar of Christ,” they were called “Vicar of Peter.” Pope Gregory VII was a model medieval pope above personal reproach, ambitious only for the health and freedom of the Church. He represented both Christ and Saint Peter well.Pope Saint Gregory VII, may your earthly example and heavenly intercession sustain and inspire the leaders of the Church to act impetuously, to fight ceaselessly, and to forgive generously when confronted by forces inimical to the well-being of the Church.

Saladin's taking of Jerusalem, three months after the fighting forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were wiped out in the Battle of Hattin, precipitated the Third Crusade.  Eyewitness accounts are rare for the Early and High Middle Ages.  The siege of Jerusalem in 1187 is exceptional in having three.  Two of these were by men with inside knowledge of the surrender negotiations, Saldadin's personal secretary Imad al-Din al-Isfahani, and Ernoul, the squire of Balian of Ibelin, the commander of Jerusalem's defense. The surrender and the events leading up to it are also the subject of a Hollywood movie "The Kingdom of Heaven."  In this episode Ellen and I discuss how the two primary sources and the movie present the surrender--and why. Please join us.

In this ghoulish episode we'll be looking at magic and sorcery in literary transmission while Eirik wrestles with his own personal demons. Focusing on the legend-steeped early modern grimoire tradition in Norway, we start our Faustian adventure with the question of runic magic and its developments towards the peak of runic literacy in the High Middle Ages. Before we go on to discuss the influence of continental sorcery, and ultimately the appearance of grimoires on the Scandinavian occult horizon. Buy my book "Love Spells and Erotic Sorcery in Norwegian Folk Magic" at https://brutenorse.bigcartel.com/ For all things Brute Norse, see: https://linktr.ee/brutenorse Featuring musical arrangements by Helge Taksdal. Musical contribution by Darya & Månskensorkestern: https://daryamnskensorkestern.bandcamp.com/ Some relevant works: - Bang, Anton Christian (1902). Norske Hexeformularer og magiske opskrifter. Brøggers Bogtrykkeri: Kristiania. - Flowers, Stephen. 1989. The Galdrabók: An Icelandic Grimoire. Samuel Weiser: York Beach - Henriksen, Oskar Tobias Rudquist. (2011) "Vil du jeg skal vise dig Fanden?" Presten som magiker i det postreformatoriske Norge. Universitetet i Bergen.' - Johnson, Thomas K. (2019). Svartkonstböcker: a compendium of the Swedish black art book tradition. Revelore Press: Seattle - Karlsson, Thomas (2009). Götisk kabbala och runisk alkemi. Stockholms universitet, Religionhistoriska avdelingen: Stockholm - Mathias Viðar Sæmundsson (1996). Galdur á brennuöld. Storð: Reykjavík - Spurkland, Terje (2005). Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions. Translation: Betsy van der Hoek. Boydell Press: Woobridge - Storesund, Eirik (2018). Clubbing Solomon's Seal: the occult roots of the ægishjálmur. https://www.brutenorse.com/blog/2018/5/14/the-gishjalmur

Come join us as we explore cannabis and hemp usage throughout the middle ages (and earlier) with special guest and marijuana expert, Alaina! Hemp has been grown and ingested worldwide for thousands of years. Don't let preconceived notions of this plant fool you!

Emma Weinheimer and Dr. Joshua Hochschild return for another season of the Great Eight. They talk with Dr. Susann Samples, Professor of World Languages at Mount St. Mary's University.  Dr. Samples entered the world of King Arthur through her study of German, particularly the High Middle Ages. She compares the German and British traditions and brings to life the Arthurian ideal of fellowship and virtue. 

Just like at the end of the Viking Age and at the start of the High Middle Ages, we've now covered enough of the Medieval period to warrant an "everything else we haven't mentioned yet" style episode! Lots of things come up in the research that don't fit neatly into the chronological narrative, but they are still worth knowing, so we decided to talk about them in a dedicated episode. Listen and enjoy some trivia, facts and stories about life in Medieval Sweden, as we discuss everything from medicine and skeletons to Hnefatafl and Tug of War! Includes minor spoilers about our next special episode and keep listening for some rubbish whistling after the outro music...

Saint Ansgar, Bishop801–865February 3—Optional MemorialLiturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of Scandinavia, Denmark, and SwedenHe sowed the frozen turf of the north, though nothing bloomedToday's saint walked the forests of Northern Europe during that stretch of history later known, prejudicially, as the “Dark Ages.” He lived three hundred years after the fall of Rome and yet three hundred years before the soaring gothic spires of the High Middle Ages pierced the blue sky. “Ansgar” is a grunt or a mere sound to modern ears. It seems fit for a remote, cold, and brutal age. It is difficult to imagine a child running into the warm embrace of a sunny Ansgar. But the real Saint Ansgar broke bread with Northern Vikings and rough warriors of the forest with names just like his own: Horik, Drogo, Gudmund, and Vedast. Ansgar was one of them, with one big difference—he was a Catholic.The one thing, a very big thing, that links such long-ago saints, priests, and bishops to us moderns is the Catholic faith. We share the exact same faith as Saint Ansgar! If Saint Ansgar were to step out of the pages of a book today, in his bear fur covering and deerskin boots, and walk through the front doors of a twenty-first-century Catholic church, he would be at home. His eyes would search for the burning flame of the sanctuary lamp, and upon spotting it, he would know. He would bend his knee before a tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament, just as he did thousands of times in the past. He would walk past statues of Mary and the saints and know their stories. He would hear the same Gospel, make the same sign of the cross, and feel the same drops of blessed water on his forehead. Nothing would be unusual. Our faith unites what time and culture divide. The Church is the world's only multicultural, transnational, timeless family. There is nothing else like Her. Saint Ansgar left his native region in Northern France, after receiving a good Christian education, to become an apostle monk to Northern Germany. He was named by the Pope as Archbishop of Hamburg and, from that post, organized the first systematic evangelization of Scandinavia. These regions were far, far away from the more developed civilizations of Italy, Spain, and France. Yet Saint Ansgar and his helpers traveled that far, and risked that much, to plant the Catholic faith in the frozen ground of what is today Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Yet nearly all the seeds of faith that Saint Ansgar planted were to die in the ground shortly after his own death. Sadly, his missionary efforts produced no long-lasting fruit. The age of the Vikings dawned, and it would be two centuries before Christianity would again flourish and spread across the northern arc of Europe. Yet even that second evangelization would come to a bitter end! In the sixteenth century, Scandinavia abandoned Catholicism for its shadow under the influence of Fr. Luther and his followers.What a lesson to be learned! As Saint Paul wrote, one plants, one waters, and God gives the growth: “He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). Saint Ansgar carried out God's will. He labored for the Lord and for the faith. What happened after that was up to God in His providence. Carrying out God's will should be enough for us, as it was for our saint today. We must plant and till, even though harvest time may never come.Saint Ansgar, you persevered in difficult times to bring the faith to a pagan land. You saw success and then failure, glory and then disappointment. Your work did not outlast you, but pleased God nonetheless. May we see our work as our duty, and our vocation as God's will, even when the fruit of our labor is harvested by someone else, or not at all.

Welcome to Episode 36 of C3: Crystals, Cauldrons,  & Cocktails!In this episode,  we talk about Necromancy!Come grab a drink and enjoy our discussions about Necromancy history, how to be wary, and careful when incorporating this in your practices! But come on now, this is a cool topic!We also experience some... Technical difficulties so please bear with us!  River & Wren's Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Middle_Ages https://cosmolearning.org/topics/europe-1300-1453-late-middle-ages/#:~:text=The%20Late%20Middle%20Ages%20is,Early%20Modern%20era%20(Renaissance). https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/democratic-citizenship/a-short-guide-to-modern-necromancy https://www.ranker.com/list/necromancy-facts/jen-jeffers https://medium.com/words-of-tomorrow/intro-to-modern-necromancy www.learnreligions.com https://occult-world.com/necromancy/ Read More: https://www.grunge.com/251326/the-crazy-history-of-necromancy-explained/?utm_campaign=clipIntro and Outro Audio:podcast intro & outro music:Góða Nótt by Alexander NakaradaLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/4754-g-a-n-ttLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-liceSound from Zapsplat.com – Witches Cauldrons bubbling  

After a brief discussion of windmills in England, we pick up where we left off last time and continue our discussion of the legal system in the High Middle Ages in Sweden. Today we take a closer look at the practical aspects of legal practice, such as how courts worked and what punishments there were as society gradually moves away from Viking justice. We'll also meet Sweden's very first written down legal text, and its great list of Kings. Finally, someone will be stealing watermelons, even though they don't exist in Sweden yet. But Chris likes the idea.... 

As Sweden progresses through the High Middle Ages, Christianity is becoming an increasingly important part of everyone's lives, from the kings down to the peasants. The church is taking control over some parts of local administration, education, taxation and large public building works such as Sweden's first abbeys. We can't understand life in Sweden at this point, and going forward, if we don't understand how religion played its role in the running of the country.