33 Comments
User's avatar
Michael Kroth's avatar

I just love these essays. I’m glad I found you bud.

The Culturist's avatar

Thank you Michael! šŸ™

The Ascent's avatar

Thank you!

Alencar Costa's avatar

Amazing.... Simple, but an astonishing insight...

The Ascent's avatar

Thank you!

Charlotte y's avatar

This is so cool!

The Ascent's avatar

No pun intended!

Artemus Gordon's avatar

Nicely written!

The Ascent's avatar

Thank you!

MVSA's avatar

I am sooo in love with The Culturist... love your work.

The Culturist's avatar

ā¤ļøā¤ļø

David Derr's avatar

This was a great read! Thank you! How does the Culturist fiffer from the Ascent?

The Ascent's avatar

We are more focused on Christian spirituality (within the broader Western tradition) and publish two spiritual articles per week focused on the soul's ascent to God.

If you check out our page, you'll get a feel for our focus. Thanks!

Rosa Maria's avatar

I never did see the points in common between either writer. Thank you both for the excellent article. A most welcome and successful collaboration.

Robin Landry's avatar

If the soul is made up of little šŸ”„ fires, then to be cold-blooded is to lack soul.

The sun is a great being who gives us life like a good father.

The cold makes perfect sense. Reptiles are cold blooded because they don’t have much soul essence. Probably why we call people cold-blooded. They lack soul essence.

Ashes&Trees's avatar

Thanks for writing…making me want to read the chronicles of Narnia again!

Ashes&Trees's avatar

I think the Magicians Nephew was the first book I read as a child, definitely the first fantasy book. I’d love to read it again as an adult!

shibumi's avatar

At a garage sale, I found a neat illustrated version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I finished it the other night. It's still a cool story, and not clunky like one would imagine reading as an adult. I LOVED the Chronicles of Narnia as a child. LOVED. THEM.

Steve Stewart's avatar

Thank you for this health food for my soul. Now to practice responding responsibly to these insights.

River's avatar

The Two Hands

A student asked the old teacher,

ā€œMaster, why does duality exist?ā€

The teacher raised his right hand and said,

ā€œThis is light.ā€

He raised his left hand and said,

ā€œThis is dark.ā€

Then he clapped once.

The sound echoed through the hall

and faded.

The student bowed.

ā€œBut Master,ā€ he said,

ā€œnow the sound is gone.ā€

The teacher smiled.

Susan Divers's avatar

This enlightened discussion of evil also ties directly to despair, the worst sin. as it refuses the gifts of grace, hope and growth and keeps the soul isolated in the cold.

shibumi's avatar

Great essay. For some reason, I love the fiction of Lewis, but not his non-fiction. For those who are interested in something from Lewis for adults, try "That Hideous Strength." It's an excellent read.

Lisa Brose's avatar

I am looking at holes differently now. Amazing!

AndrƩs de los Rƭos's avatar

So if evil is a hole, why the gardener does not fill it up again? Especially regarding disease and war. True question trying to understand omnipotence. The only idea that comes to my mind is that we may not understand that suffering is not necessarily bad. However, I would love to read your insights.

donachan's avatar

It is always hard to understand that suffering may have a purpose. It was a common reply in history but fell out of use when the idea of scientific progress moving in linear fashion to improve our lives came in fashion. Then people would reply, in the future this will not happen or will be cured. It was a denial of suffering having a moral purpose.

Rachael Lickley's avatar

I'm curious about a chicken and egg thing with this - who or how did we decide that the ground came before the hole? What if the hole is the absence of the ground? And heat the absence of cold? And how does that impact on the ability to make this analogy?