I want to start a rumor about a place in Minnesota where the people know salvation not by confession or creed but by tomatoes and dirt and the light of the sun and the rhythms of the moon. I want to tell you a story about a village where people of all ages live in relationship with each other, and with the earth and with the river and with the trees. But before you can understand the story of this Village, first I need to tell you about the Gospel of Everything.

https://minnesotaecovillage.org

Deck the halls and make the yuletide gay, my friends! It's time once again for a special holiday edition of the show. A Very Existential Christmas weaves together poems, prayers, and stories in a unique exploration of Christmas without God. 

We begin by deconstructing the myth of Santa Claus before a brief commercial break and then come back for a poem, a short sermon I preached one advent Sunday back when I was still a Christian, another poem/prayer, and then a bit of theology about expectation and incarnation in the shadow of God's absence. 

If you are a long-time listener you may recognize this episode from last year -- it's about 75% the same as Episode 10 ("Advent/Absence") but I've redone the audio and added a bunch of new stuff and generally made it a lot better just for you. 

So pour yourself a warm beverage and curl up by the fire -- or put this in your earholes while you're driving around doing Christmas shit or going to your relatives house or staying at home being depressed -- and enjoy a Very Existential Christmas. 

(Christmas spirit not required.) 

In this episode I talk with Jarrod K. Anderson about nature, death, and the universe. Jarrod is a storyteller, poet, and creator of the wildly popular nature podcast The Cryptonaturalist.

I found Jarrod through his online poems and his book Field Guide to the Haunted Forest (which is worth purchasing for the title alone.) The language he uses to make meaning in a meaningless universe resonates deeply with me. I consider him a kindred soul.

In this winding conversation we talk about creativity, being raised agnostic, approaching the Bible through the lenses of literature / trauma,  human brains, contemplating death, the afterlife and eternity, human tribalism, the mysteries of interstellar consciousness, the biological function of cleverness, learning to live with depression, finding community outside religion, and learning to be quiet with the trees.

Jarod on Twitter: @JarodAnderson + @CryptoNature
Jarod on Instagram: @Cryptonaturalist
Jarod's Website: jarodkanderson.com
Jarod's Podcast: The Cryptonaturalist
Jarod's Book: Field Guide to the Haunted Forest

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