S10 E14: On Duality & Union with Arthur Aghajanian

Arthur Aghajanian is a Christian contemplative, essayist, and educator. His work explores visual culture through a spiritual lens. His essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including Ekstasis, Radix, Saint Austin Review, The Curator, and many others. He holds an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design.

In this episode, I talk with Arthur about his spiritual background, the nature of non-dualistic thinking and the concept of art set free from the ego.

If you’ve followed the podcast this season, you’ll recall that woven throughout our conversations has been the underlying theme of restoration for the heart of the artist. As we approach the final episodes of this discussion, I wanted to revisit our theme in a more direct way. So I asked Arthur to speak into each thread of restoration, wounded healers, existing in the splice and re-storying the narratives we believe.

Your support of the podcast enables us to continue producing these vital conversations on art, faith and culture. Please consider joining today and lend your support to this work.

Music Provided by: Some Were At Sea

S10 E13: Learning To Be with Juanita Rasmus

Juanita Campbell Rasmus is a speaker, writer, spiritual director, and contemplative teacher. She is the co-pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston which she founded with her husband, Rudy in 1992.

In this episode, Juanita shares with me how a major depressive episode became the catalyst for personal renewal. Following our season ten theme of restoration for the heart of the artist, Juanita’s story and her accompanying book Learning To Be: Finding Your Center After The Bottom Falls Out offers a glimpse of hope for the artist to find renewal no matter how dark the night.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Juanita on the key spiritual practices that helped her return to her center and discover new ways of being.

S10 E04: The Art of Receiving with Strahan

Strahan is a writer, award-winning folk musician and spiritual director from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He founded Commoners Communion in 2017 to explore what it means to become a deeply prayerful people in our times. Since then, he has written three prayer books offering poetic prayers, contemplations and reflections to help readers deepen their communion with God.

Today, Strahan runs spiritual retreats, Online Prayer Schools and is currently working on his first non-fiction book titled, 'Beholding: Deepening Our Experience in God' which invites the reader to give up consumer Christianity for a more beautiful life of seeing and being seen by God. (‘Beholding’ releases early 2023 with David C Cook publishing.)

In this episode, Stephen talks with Strahan about contemplative practice, abiding in the space between and finding opportunities for beauty throughout prolonged seasons of suffering.

*Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional conversation with Strahan on the relationship between the contemplative and the charismatic.