Casual Temple

TRANSCRIPT

(Transcript is auto-generated; errors are unintentional.)

00:00:04 Merrily

Welcome to the Casual Temple Podcast, and you're listening to episode #18, and I'm your host, Merrily Duffy. Here at the Casual Temple, we explore our profound connection to the world of spirit and how that empowers us to know our true selves, enjoying our mystical and magical content. Please hit the like and follow.

00:00:20 Merrily

On your favorite podcast platform, and so pleased to have you join us today with a really profound and fun conversation with our guest Jason Schweitzer. In this episode, Jason unfolds the chapters of his illuminating life journey within Christianity, offering US insights into moments that have shaped his spiritual path.

00:00:38 Merrily

A conversation begins with Jason's story of suffering from nerve pain, a journey that led him to seek solace and healing through his faith. The discussion turns towards fairy tales and how those works are wonderful guides and provide deep emotional healing. We also tackle the complexities of forgiveness and the profound impact it had on Jason's spiritual growth. Stay tuned for this enlightening.

00:01:01 Merrily

Welcome to the cathedral temple this week, we welcome Jason Schweitzer.

00:01:06 Merrily

Who is the host of the Almond Tree Podcast, which is a space top for people? A wide spectrum of beliefs, interests, opinions and stories with a goal of presenting an open space for dialogue and understanding.

00:01:17 Merrily

Thank you for coming on the casual temple, Jason.

00:01:20 Jason

You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

00:01:22 Jason

Thanks for reaching out.

00:01:23 Merrily

Yeah. Thank you.

00:01:24 Jason

It's good to be here.

00:01:26 Merrily

Yes, good to have you.

00:01:29 Merrily

We're going to start sort of.

00:01:30 Merrily

At the beginning, generally I.

00:01:32 Merrily

Asked folks if they've ever had either a spiritual experience.

00:01:37 Merrily

Suits or something along those lines that shaped who you are today, so we'll kind.

00:01:42 Merrily

Of start there and.

00:01:44

See what you have.

00:01:45 Jason

Yeah, that's a big question. Yeah. That's what I heard you say. You sent me that one, and I was thinking about it. I was. There's probably a lot of stuff I could.

00:01:54 Jason

List off of. I mean, I've never been.

00:01:57 Jason

One that's had.

00:01:59 Jason

A lot of, I guess, quote UN quote mystical or spiritual experiences like repeatedly, but there's, you know, significant moments to remember throughout life and everything.

00:02:11 Jason

Yeah, I'm not.

00:02:14 Jason

I mean, I could name off a lot of, probably I've had sweet stuff that's happened. That's just been weird. I've had other stuff that's happened that's been more, I guess, directional, like kind of like a, you know, I guess, like at the crossroads kind of turning points in the life. And those seem to be more power, more powerful but less.

00:02:32 Jason

I guess less interesting or less mystical like they could always.

00:02:34 Jason

Just be like something small, you know.

00:02:38 Jason

Like just?

00:02:40 Jason

The moments in life where I find true change or true.

00:02:44 Jason

Turning could just be like.

00:02:46 Jason

As simple as like walking past a tree and you just like notice this tree you haven't seen before and you're just like.

00:02:52 Jason

So it's just things like that will happen.

00:02:56 Jason

See, as far as uh.

00:02:58 Jason

Well, as far as I guess.

00:03:00 Jason

I mean.

00:03:02 Jason

Well, basically I don't. I don't think questions kind of maybe what brought me back towards Christianity. I grew up Christian my whole life. I grew up in a charismatic circles. So that's where you get a lot of the more like mystical stuff that you grew up in, kind of the healing movement type, churches and all that.

00:03:21 Jason

And so then you.

00:03:22 Jason

Know like.

00:03:25 Jason

It was in my teenage years, you know, like a lot of people, you get bitter at the church because you just kind of see it as judgmental place and all this stuff. And so then I just kind of let that fester kind of become increasingly resentful.

00:03:38 Jason

Then just kind of, you know, went off it wasn't really didn't think much about any anything theological, philosophical, nothing, nothing like that other than Calvin Hobbs. How was your Calvin Hobbs? So that's yeah, that kept me grounded. But uh. Yeah. And then I.

00:03:58 Jason

Let's see how to say this. There was a pain I had in. I think it was related. Now this that actually this past year I found out. I think it was related to tobacco, but I didn't know that at the time.

00:04:10 Jason

But I had for like 9 years. I had this really awful pain. It was, I think it was my.

00:04:17 Jason

Something nerve starts with a T, but it basically just caused this incredible pain on the right side.

00:04:23 Jason

Of my face. So I basically kind of improved, I guess, selfish reasons kind of came back towards God through that trying to just seek healing.

00:04:33 Jason

God healed.

00:04:35 Jason

You know, you could say it's pointed in through all the things that happened at the time. There were times when I didn't smoke and I still had the.

00:04:41 Jason

Pain and then coming.

00:04:42 Jason

Back towards.

00:04:45 Jason

Just seeking God and my mother gave me a book that was on healing and it had like healing scriptures from the Bible that.

00:04:53 Jason

Which specifically about healing that you could meditate on.

00:04:56 Jason

So I would just.

00:04:57 Jason

Read that walk with my dogs.

00:05:00 Jason

Every day. Eventually the pain got worse and worse and worse. When I started, you know, believing the answer of course. And then until I got to the point where I just.

00:05:09 Jason

And I was just broken and uh, the pain was so severe, like I was contemplating suicide a lot.

00:05:17 Jason

You know, you think about suicide when you're depressed and stuff, but this was more and then the aspect of just like, I feel like I'm tortured every single night and I can't escape it.

00:05:27 Jason

And so.

00:05:28 Jason

It kind of all of that combined like 9 years of it seeking doctors, finding the answers, finally, finally got the point where I was just, like, just broken and I it it used to come.

00:05:39 Jason

For hours at a time, then go away. But there was one day it just lasted like all day, and I just remember being broken. And I was like, God, I don't know where you are. Like you, you know, you just not even here. This. I don't know what to do.

00:05:49 Jason

And then I.

00:05:50 Jason

Just read this one scripture, just kind of flipped flipped. Open the book and it was just one scripture in Isaiah and that was just kind of this breath just like.

00:05:59 Jason

Like say, like there you are and then I.

00:06:01 Jason

Then I was just like.

00:06:03 Jason

But I have to have this pain every day. You know, as long as you'll just give me.

00:06:09 Jason

Little moments like that I'll be fine. And then slowly after that, it just started to go away.

00:06:15 Jason

It didn't come back, so that was one thing I guess. I don't know if I'd call that like.

00:06:21 Jason

Yeah, it was. The whole thing was spiritual at the time. Yeah. And so that led me back there. I also had warts. My body that was just like, I got killed to that too. Like, I mean, it was those were shredding in it. Yeah, I had. I saw, like, pictures of that where they were spread all over my neck. And every time I would shave, it would like nick them and.

00:06:39 Jason

Then they spread them more and it's just.

00:06:41 Jason

Yeah, and.

00:06:42 Jason

So those like like I said, so those things I guess were kind of big and profound and maybe turning points, I think they were just kind of got me looking somewhere else, but they're not.

00:06:53 Jason

A lot of times I really.

00:06:55 Jason

Sometimes don't even like mentioning them. I think maybe maybe. I don't really know why the reason. Maybe it's because of the churches like love and where there's such an emphasis on healing.

00:07:06 Jason

That seems overemphasized sometimes, which is not. It's not a light thing. I don't ever want to belittle it, but I think the thing that still stands out to me.

00:07:14 Jason

The most meaningful was I, like I said, through the years of just kind of.

00:07:22 Jason

I guess falling into bitterness.

00:07:26 Jason

I had a neighbor and he he would just, you know, just I live around the country. I had a house by myself and my dogs. And so I'd be at work and he'd just. I found this out through other neighbors said he would come.

00:07:37 Jason

Over my house.

00:07:37 Jason

And just let himself in drink my beers do.

00:07:40 Jason

Whatever it was.

00:07:41 Jason

Really, really kind of creepy, whatever. But then I was still.

00:07:45 Jason

Kind of. Just like whatever he.

00:07:47 Jason

I mean, I bothered me, but then he ended up stealing. He ended up.

00:07:52 Jason

Well, he came over to my house one time. My dad was there and I my dad had left some tools there. I thought the tool, one of the tools was his. So I went to return it to him and then he took it, went and pawned it, found out it was my dad's. I want to get back. And he like said I don't have it anymore. So I.

00:08:09 Jason

I I took that as a reason to hate him and I basically was like, you know, it's OK if you steal from me, but if you still from my dad, that's that's unforgivable in my head. And I remember just being so, so spiteful. Like, just just. I remember it made me physically want to bomb. Like I just could feel something inside.

00:08:31 Jason

And just hated him. And I remember thinking.

00:08:33 Jason

You know, I I just, I don't even want this meeting to die on the slight chance that he might have a good afterlife. Like I only want him to die if I.

00:08:40 Jason

Know he's going to hell and just.

00:08:43 Jason

Having that level of hatred for someone.

00:08:49 Jason

I don't even know how to describe it and then I would the thought would follow.

00:08:52 Jason

Like I know I need to forgive him.

00:08:55 Jason

And I didn't know how, so I just started saying it that moment in my life just felt like you can either forgive the man or you can just step over the Cliff. You know, you can go. You can just fall into this blackness. And that's still how I see it in my head. Like a weird vision or something like just walking all the way to the edge of the Cliff. And just here is.

00:09:14 Jason

Path of bitterness and resentment. And it's just a black hole. You'll never come out of.

00:09:19 Jason

And or you can turn around and then I just slowly just started saying, like I forgive him and I still couldn't even look at the guy I would.

00:09:26 Jason

Look every time.

00:09:26 Jason

I see him. I just want to puke. And then and now. I mean now, just.

00:09:28

Right.

00:09:31 Jason

Like I honestly said I would. I would die and go to hell.

00:09:34 Jason

For the guy, I just.

00:09:36 Jason

Like just threw that.

00:09:38 Jason

Slow process of just choosing to forgive and love somebody. It's like just.

00:09:42 Jason

You know your enemy ends up becoming one of the closest people to you, so that I think was probably the.

00:09:49 Jason

Maybe one of the most meaningful.

00:09:54 Jason

Experiences or turn turning points of my life, I think, was that yeah, so.

00:10:00 Jason

I don't know. Those are big ones and there's a lot of other little stuff where it's like, you know, I maybe saw something here there. That's the story with maggots. And I don't have to go into where it's. Yeah, that was. Yeah. I mean.

00:10:10 Jason

I can't put.

00:10:10 Jason

Those yeah, it.

00:10:11 Jason

Was gross but but that I think.

00:10:12 Merrily

OK, I feel like I want to hear it and I don't want to hear at the same time. So I probably want to, I probably want to hear it.

00:10:19 Jason

You can probably explain it to me better than I've explained it. I still don't know what.

00:10:23 Jason

The heck was going on? Ohh no.

00:10:26

I mean, I can go into that if you.

00:10:28 Jason

Want or if you.

00:10:28 Jason

Want to stick some scripts up to you? Yeah. OK. Well, I bought so. OK, yeah. I haven't told this story that often. I told it to few people and my parents know bad. I bought my house during the for, like, when all this foreclosures were happening around the country. Like, I think about it 2000 year, 2010.

00:10:29 Merrily

Sure. No, no, no, no, no, no.

00:10:33 Merrily

You're not the maggots.

00:10:47 Jason

So at my house, I.

00:10:50 Jason

I would go like I don't know what it was. I would take out the trash and it didn't matter if I ate had any meat in there. It didn't even matter if, like.

00:10:59 Jason

There was trash in the trash can there would. I would just open the lid out to the trash can outside and maggots would just be crawling out of it like you would just have hundreds of maggots of it. And then by the time the week would end, we would open it and there just be like I'm.

00:11:12 Jason

And thousands of maggots in there. And so that was just happening all the time. And I just remember thinking, my head guy, I don't know why like what to do about this. There's, like, flies and maggots. And I just remember thinking, like, I just.

00:11:25 Jason

Feel awful for those like garbage men having to deal with this and.

00:11:30 Jason

So that just kept happening. I don't even know what ended it like I just remember.

00:11:37 Jason

Like that that was going on for a while and then?

00:11:41 Jason

I mean, I don't even think it was like, I don't remember having, like, spiritual shift or anything, but the whole thing just seems like just weird to me now, so I left for work.

00:11:53 Jason

I came home. I had two dogs and then the back. My. So you walk in my front door and then you go through my living room. Was all wood floors and there's a step up to the kitchen. All wood floors. And then I had a dog door out the back.

00:12:03 Jason

I remember just getting home from work. I opened the front door, I walk in and I'm walking towards the back door to just bought my back porch and I like to get to the kitchen and I notice the ground is white and I'm like, what the heck's going on? And then I look and it's my entire almost my entire kitchen floor, probably 3/4 of it.

00:12:22 Jason

Like literally 3/4 of that, at least 2/3 of it was just covered in maggots, and I remember thinking in my head I just tried to just like in your head, you're just.

00:12:31 Jason

You try to like make sense of it and I'm like, OK, my dogs must have drug in a deer or something. Like, what the Hell's going that like there's no deer here. Even if there was like.

00:12:40 Jason

How would they get it through the dog door and back out? And so I just remember just like just be I I hate Megan. Anyway, I just would have been so blessed out and just kind of defeated and I walked back in my living room and in each corner of the living room was like another pool, probably like.

00:12:42 Merrily

Right.

00:12:48 Merrily

Oh God, yeah.

00:12:56 Jason

Probably like 2 foot by two foot in each corner just of like just maggots in the corners of the room and so I just got out like cleaning supplies was just spraying them down, but I think it might have decks or something and they just die and then I'd.

00:13:10 Jason

Sweep them up with.

00:13:11 Jason

Them never. And then after that, I never had magnets.

00:13:14 Jason

In my trash again it was just.

00:13:16 Merrily

Interesting. That's so weird.

00:13:17

I have no idea.

00:13:19 Jason

And yeah, I have no idea what it was. It was. It's still extremely strange to me. I'm just like it doesn't. It doesn't make sense at all.

00:13:30 Jason

But the house the waiting with the house too. The house. When I first bought it was I had two friends. Two friends stayed there with me. I think they might have been the first night I stayed there. But I know all three of us had nightmares when we first stayed there, and even when I sold the House after owning it for 10 years, there were.

00:13:47 Jason

Two back rooms that I just I.

00:13:50 Jason

Because there was a four bedroom, 2 bathroom house like a big house for me, just out in the country. But those two backrooms just where.

00:13:56 Jason

I I would. I hate there was just an awful feeling. And I'm like here, my sisters would. Yeah. My sisters would come over and stay there and they said they did not like those rooms either. Once I tried to sleep in one of the rooms, I was like, I'm gonna sleep in here until it just feels better. I think I lasted.

00:14:12 Jason

Maybe a week.

00:14:13 Jason

And then I was like, screw it, I'm just.

00:14:14 Jason

Going to close the door and just leave it so.

00:14:17 Jason

So I don't know anyone in that house. But the Maggie thing was, that's probably the only that's.

00:14:21 Jason

The only I think.

00:14:23 Jason

Maybe not the only, but the at least the main one I remember of, like a spiritual experience that just seemed to like manifest in a natural like actually being.

00:14:33 Jason

Physical I'm I'm.

00:14:36

Ohh gosh.

00:14:36 Jason

I don't. I don't know what maggots mean.

00:14:38 Merrily

I don't know either, but like oh, So what did you use to clean? OK, I know this is technical, but like, what did you use to clean them again?

00:14:45 Jason

I think it was probably Windex or something. I don't know where they had. I don't know. I just had some spray and I just was spraying it on them and then they were dying. And so I.

00:14:48 Merrily

It's everything.

00:14:52 Jason

Just was sweeping them up because, yeah.

00:14:57 Merrily

Well, I'm glad they left after that because I don't know if they kept coming back like, Oh my gosh.

00:15:03 Jason

Yeah, that was the weird part because it was just they were never in my trash again. No. No. Yeah, I don't know what, that's what makes me think it had to have been spiritual cause. I mean, I don't even know how.

00:15:12 Merrily

Oh, so sure.

00:15:13 Jason

To explain, explain them being in my house.

00:15:16 Jason

Logic. This doesn't really make sense.

00:15:19 Jason

Yeah. When I'm only gone for.

00:15:22 Jason

8 hours tops.

00:15:23 Merrily

Yeah, like that that many. Did you notice any sort of now this? I'm going to ask you probably already thought about this, but did you notice any? Were you?

00:15:35 Merrily

Having some sort of like spiritual quandary at the time, like oh, maybe. Oh, I'm cleaning up my my mental space or anything? No, nothing like that.

00:15:48 Jason

No. So the only thing I'll.

00:15:50 Jason

Just be. I'll be honest. I'm here.

00:15:51 Jason

I don't care.

00:15:53 Jason

So the only thing I can think of, I don't necessarily think it's connected.

00:15:57 Jason

Could be, but I used to be just really, you know, like I would basically say, addicted ***********. I'm into that. And so I started. I stopped looking at that and really broke free and that didn't really have to desire to. So that's for some reason I associate, I think those two might have been around the same time.

00:16:04 Merrily

All right, yeah.

00:16:17 Jason

But it would be.

00:16:19 Jason

It would be kind of weird if they were connected because I mean the maggots were like, I mean, I was there. Ever since I moved in the House, almost like it was there before I I moved in. But like, I didn't bring it in with me or something. But I'm. I'm.

00:16:27 Merrily

Right.

00:16:31 Jason

Not sure if that was if those two were connected, but I mean I guess that could be.

00:16:37 Jason

Something I was trying to clean.

00:16:39 Jason

Up my axe be a better person.

00:16:40 Merrily

Yeah. Do you live in that house still or have you?

00:16:45 Merrily

Moved on from it.

00:16:46 Jason

No, no, I miss it really bad. I moved after my after my dog died. Well, I had two dogs. One of them moved across the street to the neighbors house. She was an old lady. And then.

00:16:58 Jason

Then my other dog passed away and I stuck around for like a year and I was just like, it's too big house too. Only I'm just going to sell it. And then so I sold it and then the market went through the roof. So now right now I'm. I'm at. Well, the past two years.

00:17:13 Jason

Uh, whenever the market started to go through, it was past year and a half. I've been at my parents. I just a few months ago bought motorhome so I.

00:17:23 Jason

Been waiting to get on the road, but stuff keeps coming up. I don't know. Yeah.

00:17:29 Merrily

Oh, cool. That sounds exciting though.

00:17:33 Merrily

So with so on your sort of path, have you had any support or spiritual guidance people along the way that helped you out or books that you enjoyed?

00:17:48 Jason

Oh yeah. So let's see people, let's remember this question. Basically, I think everybody, everybody in my life has just been a blessing, like even growing up Christian. Like I said, you know.

00:17:59 Jason

Uh. Sometimes you butthead. Sometimes you run into, I guess, just judgments and things that like that. But then looking back it, just like everybody think had the best intentions, was always looking out for me, trying to give me help. So.

00:18:12 Jason

My parents, there's also some of my parents friends.

00:18:18 Jason

Terry and Terry, they're they're like basically like second parents to me growing up, one of probably the biggest.

00:18:26 Jason

I would say spiritual influences and.

00:18:30 Jason

I guess.

00:18:32 Jason

Guides would have been my dog. She just.

00:18:36 Jason

I'm still just blown away.

00:18:38 Jason

By everything you just learned through those creatures, it's just absolutely amazing that.

00:18:44 Jason

The amount of love and dedication and just forgiveness that you just learned from them, it's just.

00:18:50 Jason

Yeah, it still blows my mind. So that was probably the biggest one with my dog.

00:18:56 Jason

As far as books go, like Calvin Hobbs, and that's all I that's all I had growing up. I didn't think I could. I didn't think I had any reading comprehension, so I just wouldn't read. I wouldn't waste my time. So every once in a while I would maybe like once every few years I've read a little bit of the proverbs or please ask using something. Just whatever was drawn to in the Bible.

00:19:00 Merrily

That's right.

00:19:18 Jason

And always with Calvin Hobbs growing up then since.

00:19:22 Jason

Once I made that gift like to try.

00:19:24 Jason

To, you know, find healing. After I finished that healing book. I just that's when I realized I could. So during that process should maybe go back to that. I would walk and read with my dogs and I started reading to myself out loud. And then I through that I realized, hey, I can actually remember things. I think I just need.

00:19:43 Jason

I don't know if it's walking. It's definitely reading to myself. Out loud helps, and so then I started reading the Bible after that just over and over. Except.

00:19:51 Jason

Like it's just it's.

00:19:52 Jason

It's not. It's fun. And then after that, the probably the only other author that's really, really, I would say influenced me and I would been really drawn to as George.

00:20:04 Jason

Donald, he's actually a a. He writes a lot of fairy tales. His what? He's kind of known for fantasy and fairy tales stuff.

00:20:11 Merrily

Oh cool.

00:20:13 Jason

Yeah, he influence. I know he influenced CS Lewis. I think he influenced talking a little bit as well.

00:20:22 Jason

This stuff is really rich.

00:20:26 Merrily

Does he write his because I love fairy tale like I when I was a kid it was one of the main things I read them over and over again.

00:20:34 Jason

I used to check it out.

00:20:35 Merrily

Yeah. Now I'm excited because definitely up my alley.

00:20:37 Jason

Yeah, it's very good.

00:20:39 Jason

I have friend so after.

00:20:43 Jason

My dog passed away. I just, you know, deal with just grief. Slowly. I don't know. It's like losing my best friend. But then so I I think I was still kind of dealing with that, but then I had a friend recommend.

00:20:56 Jason

George MacDonald to meet and I just want to use bookstore. The only one that had was his book called Fantasties with like the pH. Like, like phantasms. So I guess to.

00:21:07 Jason

Play on that.

00:21:09 Jason

And it said a fairy romance. And so I was like, like thinking in my head. This is for girls. Like I probably won't be that into it. I bought it in that book, just made me cry. Like almost the whole way through. It was all I know to say.

00:21:16

Right.

00:21:20 Jason

Was just feeling it.

00:21:22 Jason

Is just. It's basically just about the character just wandering through Fairland and every chapter is different.

00:21:30 Jason

That's my favorite book of his he's got a book called Louis That's just that. Booked a trip. I don't know how to describe it. It is just like fantastic. It's probably set in Ferryland. Lilith is just, I guess you would say, set in the spirit world. And so it's just like a lot of times like.

00:21:48 Jason

Two things can be the same thing in the book, and so it's just you're.

00:21:51 Jason

Reading it and.

00:21:53 Jason

I remember the first time I read it, probably 2/3 of the book. I'm like, I'm not sure what's going on and then it all just starts to come together and you're like, oh, that's this. It's also.

00:22:01 Jason

So that looks.

00:22:03 Jason

Really profound. I don't know. Ask it. It's really profound and he's got a bunch of short stories that are just really, really good. I think the Golden Key.

00:22:14 Jason

Is one of my favorite stories of his it's short, it's easy, really easy to read.

00:22:20 Jason

And it's just I think it's.

00:22:22 Jason

I mean, of course it's about a lot of things, but it's just a little short fairy tale. That's just really, really good. But yeah, he's got so many, it's.

00:22:31 Jason

A lot of some of them I still don't understand too.

00:22:33 Jason

I'm just like they're they're.

00:22:37 Jason

Like there's one about a a, a girl female werewolf. It's called the Gray wolf. And it's really cool story, but.

00:22:44 Jason

At at the end.

00:22:45 Jason

Of it too, I'm just like.

00:22:47 Jason

You're just left with, like, weird, like feelings. I guess I'm like, I don't know what to make. I'm not sure how to make sense of this story, what's going on, but it's really still. It's intriguing. And you're just like.

00:22:56 Jason

It's it's a good.

00:22:58 Jason

Read that one's that one's.

00:22:59 Jason

Probably shorter than the building key and that's.

00:23:01 Jason

Really good too.

00:23:02 Merrily

Oh wow. Yeah, very.

00:23:04 Merrily

Excited to like? Check those out. Yeah, it's definitely what I like. How you described it. Even though you were, like, trying to describe it. It's how I feel like fairy tales are because they hit those.

00:23:13 Merrily

Like archetypal symbols that you can't really articulate very much.

00:23:19 Jason

Yeah, yeah.

00:23:20 Merrily

But you know it right, like in your body.

00:23:21 Merrily

You're like I know.

00:23:22 Jason

Yeah, that's how his books are. Two weeks I've had. I mean, I have other friends that are into him now and we've.

00:23:28 Jason

A few times tried to be like man, this story is.

00:23:30 Jason

So great we should.

00:23:31 Jason

Do a podcast on it and do a commentary and then as soon as you get into it, you just.

00:23:34 Jason

Feel like you're.

00:23:34 Jason

Killing it, you're like, why?

00:23:36 Jason

Am I like I'm just destroying this? Yeah. And you're like this dude. Like you said, it's just the the way the image is working. Fairy tales. It just like, hits your emotions or something. It doesn't really hit your. It doesn't really hit your intellect.

00:23:37 Merrily

So much talking.

00:23:49 Jason

Whenever you try to do that, you just dissect.

00:23:50 Jason

It and kill it. It's just, yeah.

00:23:54 Merrily

So I definitely read.

00:23:58 Merrily

Because I because I liked spiritual so much. I I read like critical analysis around it. And there's I think it's like brutal. Bruno Bettelheim has a book where he kind of like goes into the different themes of the different fairy tale. And it's great, but it kind of it does kind of.

00:24:12 Merrily

Kill it a.

00:24:12 Merrily

Little for a lot of fairy tales.

00:24:15 Merrily

Follow the same structure and you're like.

00:24:19 Jason

Yeah, that's true. But they, but those are helpful to you though, because I mean most.

00:24:24 Jason

I've heard.

00:24:25 Jason

It mentioned a few times I've tried to get my friends through it, but I haven't read it yet. It's like a metaphysics of fairyland by Robert Kirk. What is that?

00:24:33 Merrily

Oh, I love that one.

00:24:35 Jason

The secret common the secret Commonwealth of elves, fonts and fairies, that one that was that was a really good book too, that one. It was hard for me to read. I had to read it really slow. But it's very.

00:24:47 Jason

Very, I would say intellectual and uh, just super interesting though. That's really, really interesting. But I think it was written in like the 1800s or you know it.

00:24:55 Jason

Might have been before.

00:24:56 Jason

That I don't know, George MacDonald, George McDonald's. I think he lived in 1800, but I think Robert Kirk was might have been.

00:25:03 Jason

Before that because.

00:25:04 Jason

I ordered one version and it's like in this old English.

00:25:07 Jason

It's almost like you just. I'm like reading it now. You just can't even make sense of it, really.

00:25:12 Jason

Cause it's.

00:25:12 Jason

Just but so I had to order a different kind, but like a different translation. So I think it might even be the 1600s.

00:25:16 Merrily

Right.

00:25:19 Jason

Or something I.

00:25:19 Jason

Can't remember, but Robert Kirk, even the guy who?

00:25:24 Jason

Had all these ideas and wrote.

00:25:26 Jason

It this is a.

00:25:27 Jason

Cool story behind him to where he, I guess, died on a fairy hill and then appeared to his friend later he said I'm not dead. I'm trapped in Fairyland and not your. Yeah. And that your nephews like christening, if you will take the dagger, you'll see me up here. And if you were quick to grab the dagger and throw it over my head.

00:25:45 Jason

I'll be restored to life. If not, I'll be lost and failing forever. And and apparently he appeared and the guy didn't grab the dagger of do any of that. And so he just got lost to fairy land.

00:25:57 Jason

That sucked.

00:25:58 Merrily

There's a lot of pressure to put on your friend. I'm sorry. You're like you got to pay attention. You got to have a.

00:26:02 Merrily

Dagger ready over the head.

00:26:07 Jason

Such a cool story though, like that's perfect, but yeah.

00:26:11 Merrily

Oh wow. Yeah, thank you.

00:26:12 Merrily

For that I.

00:26:12 Jason

Do you know the do you care about us? Do you have a favorite like?

00:26:16 Jason

Fairy tale or?

00:26:17 Merrily

UM. Oh gosh, I have so many I didn't hold on just a moment. My cat is like in the box.

00:26:33 Merrily

So I think of.

00:26:38 Merrily

What? Hold on. She's still going. They do. I don't know if you were. I've had dogs growing up with dogs and they're amazing. And the cats do this thing. At least my cats. They will just paw at the box for, I don't know, 5 minutes. You're not hitting the sand. Like what?

00:26:40

That's it.

00:26:53 Merrily

Are you doing?

00:26:55 Jason

I can't hear anything, so yeah.

00:26:56 Merrily

OK, good. I'll have to cut that part out.

00:27:00 Merrily

But that's OK.

00:27:02 Merrily

So your question, my favorite fairy tale.

00:27:05 Merrily

One of my.

00:27:06 Merrily

I love so many, but when I.

00:27:08 Merrily

Think about a lot.

00:27:10 Merrily

And it's kind of for weird reasons, but it's called the armless maiden. It's from.

00:27:15 Merrily

I I don't know if it's a Grimm's fairy tale.

00:27:17 Merrily

But it's like in a similar.

00:27:20 Merrily

Thing, but it's just kind of about.

00:27:23 Merrily

A girl who grows and it's kind of dark. Of course, like these fairy tales get. But it's a like a a gal that grows.

00:27:29 Merrily

Up in a Kingdom and her dad is the king, and he's like abusing her. And you know, she's trying to, like, speak up for herself. But the, you know, the people around, like the king, the, you know, the queen and all the.

00:27:44 Merrily

Subjects. They're just like whatever, lady, you're not the king, so.

00:27:48 Merrily

Whatever. And at some point, for whatever reason, her aren't. You know, they cut her arms off like you know how these fairy tails get, like, your arms. Are your arms off and somehow.

00:27:59 Merrily

You're living in.

00:28:00 Merrily

The 16th century or whatever. But then, you know, she goes on her own adventures. And you know what I love about fairy tales?

00:28:08 Merrily

Is like yeah.

00:28:10 Merrily

This dark place right where everyone's against you. You feel so alone. You have no arms, right? She eventually gets like silver arms or something, you know?

00:28:19 Merrily

How they gift you with like wonderful gifts in the stories. But she basically is like she learns to be, you know, she learns to speak up and she, you know, she learns the power of like the people around her, like finding good people. Right. Like it's not. You're unfortunately you were born in a bad situation.

00:28:22

Yeah, yeah.

00:28:40 Merrily

Right, but that it doesn't mean that everybody is horrific.

00:28:44 Merrily

You can like.

00:28:45 Merrily

Find other people in communities. You can, you know, grow or be gifted, beautiful silver arms.

00:28:52 Merrily

You know that that those all those things like logically it doesn't make sense, right? You told the story, but like, there's something about just sort of the that imagery and you know persecution and, you know, especially for young people or even, you know, young women in certain circumstances, you feel like, you know.

00:28:59 Jason

Yeah, yeah.

00:29:13 Merrily

You know, have your employees, but how important it is to, you know find that.

00:29:19 Merrily

Yeah. So there's just one I always I always think about probably like once a week for whatever reason it like pops.

00:29:24 Merrily

Up the head of that's a good story.

00:29:27 Jason

That's really cool. Did you grow up with that story like you heard a lot growing up? Oh, yeah.

00:29:30 Merrily

Well, I had my grandmother had given us.

00:29:35 Merrily

These like collections, they're really cool like these back-to-back collections of like fairy tales that, you know, my dad's, you know, when they were children they.

00:29:45 Merrily

Had and I would just read them over and over and over and over again. And I can't remember if it was.

00:29:49 Merrily

Like like more extended grimms fairy tales or what? But it was just like a whole bunch of them and they.

00:29:55 Merrily

Were weird like that.

00:29:58 Merrily

Yeah. So I like when they're weird.

00:29:59 Jason

Yeah. Grim stadiums get dark.

00:30:01 Merrily

Oh my gosh, so weird.

00:30:07 Merrily

Yeah. So that's what I think about a.

00:30:08 Merrily

Lot thank you for asking.

00:30:10 Merrily

You're welcome. Yeah. Ohh.

00:30:13 Jason

That's fine. I'm gonna remember that.

00:30:16 Merrily

And so I know I, you know, I know you mentioned one of the podcasts that you did recently. It was talking about or kind of recently it was talking about the green night.

00:30:25 Merrily

So is that something that you find is?

00:30:28 Merrily

And inspirational for you as well.

00:30:31 Jason

Yeah, yeah, the the movie. I haven't read all the story. I've read a little bit of the story.

00:30:39 Jason

And sometimes.

00:30:41 Jason

The version I have is like written in.

00:30:45 Jason

Poetic, poetic form, and I it's just hard for me to read. I have to read into my mindset to to, I guess, dive into that. But the the movie is phenomenal. It kind of reminds me a little bit of that book. Fantasy is a little bit to some degree.

00:30:59 Jason

These I guess maybe kind of with the overall theme of like like you said, the character and fantasies is just kind of wandering through fairyland and the, you know, going in the green knight. He seems a little aimless, like he's, you know, he.

00:31:14 Jason

Doesn't the whole story of the green Night movie, I think.

00:31:18 Jason

It just.

00:31:20 Jason

Was one of those, you know, just kind of seeped into my subconscious before I really realized, you know, that it was actually influencing me.

00:31:28 Jason

But it's, uh.

00:31:30 Jason

Yeah, because it just seems kind of like he doesn't really have, he's unsure of his identity, which is kind of like being headless, you know? So it's this weird thing, like headlessness going.

00:31:40 Jason

On through the.

00:31:41 Jason

Whole movie, which I thought was.

00:31:44 Jason

Which is like, like I said, I watched the movie probably like three times and then and then, you know, after it's in there then you start to think about it more and like ohh that's what's kind of going on here. It's just.

00:31:54 Jason

But yeah, the the movie is phenomenal though it's. I don't know why it's. I wish it was more popular. It's just it's so strange and it's just it is like the whole thing's.

00:32:02 Jason

Just like a fairy.

00:32:03 Jason

Tale it's it's absolutely amazing. I think my favorite scene was when he meets the Lady Winifred that.

00:32:03 Merrily

Yeah, I agree.

00:32:09 Merrily

In that weird.

00:32:11 Merrily

Yeah, I've seen that. Yeah. Yeah.

00:32:13 Jason

And then she's missing her head, too, and just kind of like going to the spring and and she. But I love that question. She asked. He, he says, are you real or are you spirit? And she just looks at him. She's.

00:32:23 Jason

Like what? What's the difference?

00:32:25 Merrily

That's true.

00:32:25 Jason

Chinese it was just it was so good.

00:32:28 Jason

That sounds great.

00:32:29 Merrily

That film is great, I agree. I think that's probably my favorite part. It definitely gets it's a little more. What's the word? He kind of is heroic in that part, right. And the other, the rest.

00:32:38 Merrily

Of it, you're kind of.

00:32:39 Merrily

Like you're in there.

00:32:41 Jason

Yeah. Well, the the part. I'm loving that scene too. It just man it. Just it struck me to my core cause like he is. He's he becomes heroic in that part. But like for she asked him to get the head and then he says and then he says if I get your head what will you give me.

00:32:51 Merrily

That's true.

00:32:54 Jason

In return and she just looks.

00:32:56 Jason

And she's like, why would?

00:32:57 Jason

You ask me that why?

00:32:58 Jason

Would you ever ask me that? And I was just like, yeah.

00:33:01 Merrily

You're sleeping in my house. Come on. Yeah.

00:33:06 Merrily

Oh my gosh. Yeah, that was really good. Yeah. That was a cool discussion with your friends. I saw that. So it was pretty cool.

00:33:10 Jason

That's that's.

00:33:13 Jason

OK, well I don't even remember what he said. It's just I don't. I got to a point where I just stopped listening back to my own conversations, my own podcast. So I'm like, I'm so when people are, when people are will tell me they're like, hey, listen.

00:33:22 Merrily

Oh gosh, yeah.

00:33:26 Jason

To this one I'm.

00:33:26 Jason

Like I don't know what.

00:33:28 Merrily

I say yeah.

00:33:32 Merrily

Oh, goodness. Well, yeah, thank you for sharing that. So what would you say?

00:33:38 Merrily

You know, because.

00:33:39 Merrily

You're still. You're a Christian. So what would you say is, like, a universal truth about Christianity that you?

00:33:46 Merrily

You think it's important for people to know just in general? Yeah. Yeah. That's a small question. Yeah.

00:33:50 Jason

That's the big questions.

00:33:55 Jason

I would say forgiveness is for me like once I started I mentioned this before to other people I know like once I think started basing.

00:34:04 Jason

I guess kind of framing my theology around the aspect of forgiveness, things started to make sense to me.

00:34:10 Jason

And a lot of times I've where have receipts. I guess pushback from that where I when I bring that up is a lot of people I think take forgiveness as meaning as almost like a kind of bit, a bit novelistic, like nothing matters. Like if you you just like let everything go just any you know.

00:34:27 Jason

Well, had you know, like if somebody or somebody, you can't just forgive them. And I'm like, well, embedded in forgiveness is like, the idea that, you know, you missed.

00:34:36 Jason

The mark somewhere.

00:34:37 Jason

That there is a transgression, and so it's like.

00:34:40 Jason

And it's almost.

00:34:41 Jason

Weirdly like, it seems to me the.

00:34:44 Jason

Weirdly enough, the weighty or the judgment, like the more pure or profound the forgiveness, and then that kind of just deep, deep deepens your love or something like that. So.

00:34:56 Jason

I that to me is.

00:34:58 Jason

I think.

00:35:02 Jason

What? You know what kind of reframed my whole theology. It reframed my whole thinking. And I know. So I maybe should also say, like, I there's a lot of things, I think where I would.

00:35:11 Jason

Still call myself a Christian, but I know there's a lot of things I think and believe that I I probably believe differently than most Christians do. I'd probably say they're I've still affirm.

00:35:23 Jason

Thinking that Christians would want me to affirm just in the back of my mind, I'm like, I know I believe this probably differently than than they do or want me to. And so even the idea of.

00:35:33 Jason

Of Jesus Christ being God, asking that question, like in what way is he? God? Like maybe a lot of people might say the miracles or this or that, and I would just say I think he's he's God's forgiveness. Like he's just he's a person who embodied forgiveness.

00:35:48 Jason

Pushed it to its absolute limit where it's just like, forgive them or they don't know what they do like we're all.

00:35:55 Jason

All of humanity is at some level childlike, and if you can find the childlikeness and all humanity again, then you can forgive people. And that doesn't really dismiss the horrors you do in life but it.

00:36:10 Jason

It uh it like just renews and restores things and then.

00:36:15 Jason

And even the, I mean, there's just all sorts of stuff throughout the scriptures that I think just continue to hint at that. Like even when Christ is raised from the dead, he says receive the Holy Spirit and then he breathes on him. And then immediately after that, he says whoever you forgive, I forgive. I'm like, it's just it almost seems like there's a deep connection between the Holy Spirit and.

00:36:36 Jason

Forgiveness. Ohh.

00:36:39 Jason

And so that's like, that's probably the.

00:36:40 Jason

Most profound and powerful force that I can imagine in in our reality because I really think that does restore and give life back to the dead. Because like I said, when I was following just this bitter, resentful heart, it just destroys relationships. And the only way to.

00:36:58 Jason

To get those back as if if I either repent, which is basically just like I mean that basically just means turning, I'll turn around and ask their forgiveness or or you can forgive someone else where they've wronged you and then that restores relationships and gives life back to both parties and.

00:37:15 Jason

In my Christian theology, now I.

00:37:18 Jason

Basically I describe myself as a Christian universalist, but it I just think. I just think everything's going to ultimately be reconciled, and if there is a hell, I can't see it.

00:37:29 Jason

Being anything.

00:37:30 Jason

I mean, I would believe I do believe there's a hell, but I'm, you know, I mean, it's just, you know, people believe it's a physical place. I'm like.

00:37:37 Jason

Was physical, psychological, whatever. I think all the fire is redemptive because I think the fire of love and the fires of hell are just like all one thing and it's all.

00:37:47 Jason

It's drawing everything back into a oneness, into a unity, and I think through that act of.

00:37:54 Jason

Repenting and forgiving. So when you forgive you turn one way you forgive somebody and then you repent. You turn the other way and it's just totally are looking at each others faces again and I really think that's how you that's how we see the face of God. And it says that in the scriptures too like you can't.

00:38:09 Jason

That no one will see the face of God and live.

00:38:12 Jason

But then there's other aspects where there's this great story in the Bible, so it's do you care if I want attention?

00:38:19 Merrily

Oh yeah.

00:38:19 Jason

You probably heard it. OK, OK, so I I don't know. I just. I love this part. So there's Jacob and Esau. Their brothers. No Old Testament. And then, you know, they Jacob does all this bad stuff that you saw. Well, I it's debatable with, but he steals his birthright, steals his inheritance. And so he saw wants to kill him. So Jacob runs away, then he's like years later he's coming back.

00:38:39 Jason

To his the land of his father, and he hears Esau. His brother's gonna come and meet him with the big army.

00:38:46 Jason

And so that's when he has that dream. He he dreams at the night, like by this river. And he's wrestling. It says he's wrestling with it. A man. I'm pretty sure it says a man, but then it's kind of weird because I think it says after that it's an Angel. And so you're like, is this man or an Angel? But he's basically in a dream wrestling with this man and he.

00:39:03 Jason

And that's when he gets the name. Israel. The Angel changes his name from Jacob to Israel, which means I think one who wrestles with God. And he asks Angel, he says, well, tell me your name and and the Angel says, well, why would you ask about my name? And then he says, I think he wakes up and he says, I have seen God face to face. And my life is.

00:39:21 Jason

Served and it says something like you've wrestled with God and man and your life is preserved. So then after that he goes to meet his brother and then his brother comes to him and.

00:39:31 Jason

Just forgives him and he just greets Jacob and Esau comes and greets him and says he runs to him and they fall on each other's necks and they're weeping and Jacob says to his brother, I've seen your face.

00:39:42 Jason

Like I've seen God's face.

00:39:44 Jason

So I really think.

00:39:46 Jason

Through that act of.

00:39:49 Jason

Repenting and forgiving and restoring those relationships when we all come back together and find that unity again and see each other face to face.

00:39:59 Jason

And we're looking at each other face to face that that's the same as looking like that's that finally same face with God.

00:40:04 Jason

That's the image of God is in man, so I don't know how you can actually see God without that. If God's image is in every person where you have to find.

00:40:16 Jason

I don't know. So that's kind of what my deal so but that.

00:40:21 Jason

I don't I. So that's that's why I think everything will be reconciled because I don't think there can.

00:40:26 Jason

Be I don't think I can ultimately be one, or you can actually see God's face without reconciling every man to every man, but just excruciating for us. It's not fun, not fun to forgive or. Yeah, it's it's not fun to to.

00:40:41 Jason

Is when you really, really hurt somebody. It's not really fun to to just deal with that either. It's.

00:40:45 Jason

Just easier to.

00:40:46 Jason

Run away. Yeah, so.

00:40:49 Merrily

Oh, it's beautiful though. I mean, yeah, making me think about because even like, when you you first started talking describing it, you know, you would say, oh, you know, forgiveness and then somebody, whoever you're talking with was. But you know, like what about and you're like, right there, it's pretty hard, you know.

00:41:06 Jason

Yeah, yeah, it is hard. Yeah, cause I mean, Even so, here's, like, I'll just, I mean money stop processes in my head like even.

00:41:12 Jason

Thinking about like.

00:41:14 Jason

Hitler or something? It's like, what would it? What would that take? Like, if it so you would imagine.

00:41:20 Jason

Through he's if he's, you know, done all those horrible things to people, it's like if he is resisting any sort of reconciliation with the people, he's wrong. It's like to me.

00:41:28 Jason

That would be.

00:41:28 Jason

The torments of hell like you're resisting. God is wanting you to be reconciled to the people you've hurt and to resist that it's just going to continually just torment the person. But then it's like even if you give a person like Hitler full awareness of everything, he's.

00:41:41 Jason

And and how he's hurt people. It's like that is that would just be absolutely excruciating. And then telling then it's hard for the other people that he hurt. Like, if you're a person and say he murdered your whole family like.

00:41:56 Jason

And then how do you forgive if somebody like that?

00:42:00 Jason

And if they're truly, truly have a full awareness and come to the end of themselves and are actually seeking your true forgiveness, it's like you.

00:42:08 Jason

If that relationship could be restored, that's what I mean. I think it would just deepen the love.

00:42:16 Jason

And through that like just.

00:42:20 Jason

Love would continue to grow and I think that's one of the fundamental things within Christianity. I just don't know that it's ever really.

00:42:27 Jason

I don't know. That's talked about a lot, but because there's another verse that says, you know, like, you know what it says, Christ, you just came into the world to save sinners, of whom I'm chief. It's like if you actually take that seriously and you're the chief of all sinners, then you won't. You forgive. It's like you can.

00:42:43 Jason

And I could paint it and I could paint a scenario where. I mean, if I if I grew up.

00:42:50 Jason

Like in in Hitler's household, if I was born in the same house, had the same circumstances, I would be Hitler like and then it's like like I could.

00:42:57 Jason

You know it's.

00:42:59 Jason

And it's, but it's not dismissible. It's like everything. Everything that.

00:43:02 Jason

Happened. You know that was.

00:43:03 Jason

Wrong. So that's what I mean, it's.

00:43:05 Jason

Just the greater.

00:43:08 Jason

I don't know, but that process of just I guess what I mean running those things in my head, those weird, you know, thought experiments or whatever, I'm just like that I think would just be excruciating.

00:43:20 Jason

Process of like reconciliation between parties on both parts.

00:43:25 Jason

Which would feel like help, though these usually not describe, but I've used this example before when I was a kid. So I have three sisters and don't have any brothers, but sometimes we.

00:43:33 Jason

Like and sometimes my mom would make us hug and just hug and hug and hug. And you just have to sit there and hug the person you hate. And it's just like, ah, why do I have to, like, love? This person sucks.

00:43:48 Jason

And so so it's excruciating. Like it was excruciating as a child. But I can only imagine that on, like, every, like, existential.

00:43:55 Jason

Level just like.

00:43:56 Jason

Yeah, I don't know.

00:43:56 Merrily

Right.

00:44:00 Merrily

Yeah. And it's like your sister, right?

00:44:01 Merrily

Yeah, I mean.

00:44:03 Merrily

Trust me, like siblings can really push your buttons for, you know, whatever they can do. They're magical like that. But yeah, like extending that beyond your family. You know, you're like.

00:44:11 Jason

Yeah, yeah.

00:44:13 Merrily

Oh God.

00:44:15 Jason

Yeah, yeah.

00:44:16 Merrily

So hard.

00:44:18 Jason

But it's weird.

00:44:18 Jason

I mean, it's weird how much it grows. Like I said with my neighbor earlier the the amount.

00:44:24 Jason

Of of hatred I had for him just the.

00:44:27 Jason

That just we weirdly transformed into this love I I have for him now that where I literally would, I would take his place if I thought there.

00:44:36 Jason

You know, place he was going to be tormented like hell or something. Like I would just be like I'll take his place. I don't care. Like he.

00:44:44 Jason

Like I truly, truly loves the guy. Uh, it's it's weird how?

00:44:48 Jason

That happens I mean.

00:44:51 Jason

Yeah, but it's, you know, it's not always a fun process, but do you have any siblings? You said you had some brothers, sisters.

00:44:57 Merrily

Yes, I have a sister. I have well 12333 other siblings, two sisters and a brother.

00:45:06 Merrily

I'm the oldest, so like.

00:45:09 Jason

OK, cool.

00:45:10 Merrily

Yeah, the always babysitter is kind of.

00:45:12 Merrily

How it was.

00:45:15 Jason

Sounds tough.

00:45:16 Merrily

Oh yeah? Well, I mean, that's well not having. Yeah, exactly. I'm not having kids, though, because I was, like, already babysat all the children. I don't need to have my own. Yeah, I already did it. Not not into it. Yeah. Well, yeah, it was beautiful explanations. I think he kind of rounded it back to.

00:45:18 Jason

You're the you're the trendsetter.

00:45:26 Jason

We've done that.

00:45:35 Merrily

Sort of was it?

00:45:36 Merrily

Esau wrestling. God or no? Sorry Jacob.

00:45:40 Merrily

God and then sort of like you wrestling your neighbor essentially, right, like wrestling to love him.

00:45:46 Jason

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:45:48 Merrily

Yeah, very cool.

00:45:48 Jason

And wrestling to see to see him as a person again. Just hate somebody. Yeah. And to see the image of God in.

00:45:55 Jason

Him and it's, yeah.

00:45:58 Merrily

It was very hard.

00:46:00 Jason

Which actually kind of relates to some questions I want to ask.

00:46:02 Jason

You, but we can make points for that tomorrow.

00:46:06 Merrily

Yeah. How are you doing? That's fine.

00:46:08 Jason

All right. I mean, it has to do with Metatron.

00:46:09 Jason

But we'll just, we'll just so.

00:46:10 Merrily

Oh yeah, yeah.

00:46:12 Merrily

We'll talk about that tomorrow. I I love.

00:46:14 Merrily

I love Megatron.

00:46:18 Merrily

Can can you tell me why did you even want to start the Almond Tree podcast? Like what?

00:46:26 Jason

Yeah. What I don't I.

00:46:30 Jason

Don't know exactly. Well, there's different reasons why I call it almond tree when I when my dog died. Like, right after that, I was just kept. I went on an extended fast and then I kept seeing like I I guess I would call them visions now. They weren't really like visions, but it was just.

00:46:47 Jason

Synchronicities or something like just in my imagination. I just kept thinking about the almond tree almond tree. Then I'd like, like, turn on the TV and there'd be.

00:46:56 Jason

Uh. Sermon or something? In the past, we'd be talking about an almond tree, and that was just weird that kept happening.

00:47:03 Jason

And so it just kind of really became this weird symbol. And then so I just kind of started using it.

00:47:08 Jason

Just here and there because I didn't even know.

00:47:10 Jason

What it was.

00:47:12 Jason

What all it applies to?

00:47:15 Jason

So when I started the podcast I was just like, I'll call it the Almond Tree podcast. The reason I started I think.

00:47:20 Jason

The first one I did was.

00:47:23 Jason

There was a friend of mine and I haven't.

00:47:24 Jason

Actually haven't talked to him.

00:47:26 Jason

Few years now.

00:47:27 Jason

Someone like that close, but he went.

00:47:31 Jason

There was, I think I.

00:47:32 Jason

Think was Jordan, the country of Jordan. He went there.

00:47:36 Jason

I think he's, I mean, he lives there now, but then he had come back after a year. And so I was just going to. I was like, Claude, just hear his listening to his story. And then I had my phone there and I was like, just record this so I can, you know, and then so we recorded him talking. And so then I just thought, well, I could. I could just use this to just get people stories.

00:47:58 Jason

Space to let people talk, share their ideas. So I'm always interested in hearing people stories of where they come from and discussing like ideas and theology. And so it's just kind of weirdly I.

00:48:00 Merrily

OK.

00:48:10 Jason

It never really added.

00:48:12 Jason

A goal and it kind of transformed overtime. At first it was a lot more I guess you would say Christian because a lot of people around me that I knew like you said you're reaching out before you started this, you know you mentioned you're reaching out to people you know so.

00:48:25 Jason

It's just different people from.

00:48:27 Jason

I guess different churches.

00:48:29 Jason

Around where I was, I was at the time I think I was in a.

00:48:32 Jason

Just a Bible study. It was kind of like a men's group that a church had started that was attending. So like some people from there. And then over time it.

00:48:40 Jason

Just you know.

00:48:43 Jason

Then it became.

00:48:45 Jason

You know me and a lot of it was me and my friend. Mitch and Craig were just they would just call and ask me these crazy, crazy questions of just like.

00:48:55 Jason

My and my Mitch described it best. He just said, you know, we get on these conversations and I just fall into an existential tailspin. That's what he said.

00:49:02 Jason

And I was like.

00:49:03 Jason

That's basically what it feels like.

00:49:05 Merrily

Oh man.

00:49:05 Jason

Like all my all my foundational beliefs and Christianity are just like plummeting. Like where?

00:49:11

Where are we?

00:49:12 Jason

Now, like all these are these things you think are true, and it's just.

00:49:15 Jason

So it just kind of became this weird place to explore different ideas and just fun. And then.

00:49:22 Jason

Yeah, just, I don't know, just kind of interviewing. I think the main part though, the main thing that I was kind of using it for and still like to use it for and probably what I enjoy about it most is just hearing different people stories and meeting new peoples like what we're doing now like like getting to interview you and talk to you and.

00:49:42 Jason

Where you're from, I think that's the best stuff, sure.

00:49:46 Merrily

I agree.

00:49:47 Jason

But if you look at my pockets, it's all over.

00:49:49 Jason

The place it's just.

00:49:51 Jason

You have those interviews and then you.

00:49:52 Jason

Have other ones where it's just like we're talking.

00:49:54 Jason

About God knows what.

00:49:57 Merrily

Those are fun too for sure though.

00:50:00

Yeah, yeah.

00:50:02 Merrily

Would you say that with the people that you've talked with, do you tend to see I?

00:50:08 Merrily

Saw a theme.

00:50:10 Merrily

But it's sort of like you, you talk to a lot of people is.

00:50:12 Merrily

There something that you notice?

00:50:14 Merrily

That is.

00:50:16 Merrily

It could be profound, but something where you're like, oh, there's like a theme. Like, I'm noticing when I'm having these conversations with people.

00:50:24 Merrily

Is there something like that that you've kind of?

00:50:26 Merrily

Noticed in the conversations.

00:50:31 Jason

Theme, yeah.

00:50:35 Jason

I'm not really sure my my maybe my friends might be able to answer that better than I could. Actually they they they've told me that it it kind of has a like a vibe.

00:50:43 Jason

To it maybe.

00:50:45 Jason

Any podcast or channel or space or whatever it is they.

00:50:48 Merrily

MM.

00:50:50 Jason

I guess I mean, I guess the theme would probably be.

00:50:58 Jason

Theology or philosophy? A lot of it. I don't know that we get into a lot of psychology, but that also that leads.

00:51:04 Jason

Into here and there, I think those are.

00:51:08 Jason

Those are probably half, half the time. It's maybe that. And then the other half the time, I guess the the theme would just be listening to people's stories and stuff like that. But I guess a lot of it is probably based more around like spirituality and stuff because it doesn't necessarily have to be, it really doesn't even have to be about God too.

00:51:25 Jason

Like I would love to talk to more.

00:51:27 Jason

Atheist or.

00:51:30 Jason

Or I mean? Or I mean?

00:51:31 Jason

Doesn't even have to be about like the God of the Bible. Even like, just whatever God people are worshipping that book to just talk about that and dig into that.

00:51:41 Jason

But I haven't.

00:51:43 Jason

Yeah. So, I mean, it doesn't have to be about that. It usually it seems like it.

00:51:48 Jason

Kind of.

00:51:50 Jason

Always kind of around some sort of spiritual thing though, right? Something to do like that? Yeah. Or different sometimes symbolism too. Like, I know I've done a.

00:51:58 Jason

Few we talked about.

00:52:02 Jason

Like just the I guess the system not symbolisms the right word, but just like different like the masculine and feminine stuff like that one time we had a weird conversation about mirrors. I remember that was really fun, but I don't remember what we said, but I just remember it.

00:52:18 Jason

Was kind of fun, but.

00:52:21 Merrily

Gotta find the mirrors, mirrors, conversation.

00:52:21 Jason

Yeah, this is called.

00:52:24 Jason

Yeah, they're cool because in fantasies, it's weird. You're reading the fantasies book and then right in the middle of it, right in the middle, it's like.

00:52:31 Jason

The character of the book decides to read another book, and so you have like a little miniature story in there. So it's another little fairy tale, right in the center of of this other one. And it's about a magic mirror. But there's a a line somewhere in there that says all mirrors are magic mirrors. And I'm just like, that's such a good line. You know? So then we had this big discussion about magic mirrors and just what mirrors, actually.

00:52:51 Jason

Are and everything?

00:52:54 Merrily

I'm going to have to.

00:52:55 Merrily

Think about that.

00:52:57 Jason

That's what I mean. You gotta have these liberals talk to certain friends of mine.

00:53:01 Jason

And I'm like.

00:53:03 Merrily

Where did we end up? Yeah.

00:53:07 Merrily

I know that you. So I was looking and you made a book called the Almond Tree. Can you tell it is it? Did that come before or after or around the same time that you did the pot?

00:53:17 Jason

That was.

00:53:19 Jason

Yeah. So I started the podcast 2019 and then yeah, it was just kind of.

00:53:25 Jason

Gathering different people's stories, the the book was after that I wasn't even planning on doing it. It basically, I had never.

00:53:35 Jason

I did art in like high school or whatever.

00:53:39 Jason

Because I wasn't in band or you.

00:53:41 Jason

Know or in.

00:53:42 Jason

Sports for I don't know what the options were, I can't remember, but so I did art class, but I never really was super into it. And then I.

00:53:52 Jason

That year when I started doing so, I started doing paintings and my cousin.

00:53:57 Jason

Showed me how a little bit to kind of got me into it. So I was basically.

00:54:02 Jason

Just I'm messing around and I just thought well driving draw different Bible stories. Some of them just were interesting ones, some of them.

00:54:11 Jason

I just we're ones that I have no idea what they mean. They're just crazy stories. They had you one picture because there's a story and judges were.

00:54:18 Jason

The guy like cuts his concubine into 12 pieces and mails her body. Parts are all in.

00:54:26 Jason

So like this?

00:54:29 Jason

Weird. Really like.

00:54:30 Jason

Kind of cartoon comic. I don't know what you describe them as. They're kind of cartoonish looking. They're not that realistic, but they're all watercolor paintings. And so I was just kind of doing that. And it was really kind of like helping me with symbolism because some of them, I remember doing some.

00:54:45 Jason

Paintings and they were almost like.

00:54:49 Jason

I think three of them were based around colors because I was. I was like for a short while just kind of seeing in colors. And so I think it helps with all of that and kind of helped me.

00:55:02 Jason

To just.

00:55:03 Jason

I guess maybe think about.

00:55:05 Jason

That stuff in a different way, the different symbolism of it. And so then after a while, I had.

00:55:10 Jason

I think maybe.

00:55:11 Jason

I can't remember how maybe 60 something paintings and people were like, oh, you should do a book. You should do a book and then after a while I was like, I guess I actually have enough to come in and do a little book. So I just did that. And then.

00:55:23 Jason

Yeah, it's weird because sometimes when I do stuff like that, like.

00:55:26 Jason

It just I do it, I finish it and then.

00:55:28 Jason

I'm almost.

00:55:29 Jason

Like, not ashamed of it. But I don't know if it's I'm shy or something, but it's just like, alright, I'm.

00:55:34 Jason

Done. I don't.

00:55:35 Jason

Really talk about it anymore. And so it just kind of it's just sat there and I haven't, I don't really.

00:55:42 Jason

Promote it. I was shocked when you mentioned it. Like I saw them. The question I was like, how did she find this thing? And actually?

00:55:47 Jason

Last year too, I wrote.

00:55:50 Jason

So there's another book out there.

00:55:54 Jason

And this one I wrote. I guess it's a short novel. It's like 200 something pages. I wrote it like kind of over the years just.

00:56:04 Jason

I don't know if you'd call it fantasy story probably, but I just wrote it kind of. Some of it's almost like a journal, and then I went back and kind of changed it into a third person and stuff.

00:56:17 Jason

And so that I I pieced that together last year, staying up till 4:00 in the morning and.

00:56:22 Jason

Night, just like trying.

00:56:24 Jason

To grind it out, grind it out.

00:56:25 Jason

And piece that.

00:56:26 Jason

To put it together and order and everything.

00:56:30 Jason

And so that one's more recent the art one. I think I did. I can't remember what year, but it was fun. I. But the weird thing too is like, I mean, once I was done, the paintings put them in the book once. I basically published it on Amazon. So I just did through the Amazon self-publishing.

00:56:48 Jason

And then I I just was like, I'm going to set all the price, all the profits to 0 because I just don't want to deal with taxes because I'm like I'm. I'm not going to make enough out of.

00:56:56 Jason

This to like do.

00:56:56 Jason

Anything I don't want to bother with it.

00:57:00 Jason

But once I publish like I have.

00:57:02 Jason

I think I've painted like once. Since then it just really went away like I had this desire for an entire year to just paint, eat and then I just kind of. Yeah, I've even sat down and tried and it just like doesn't year is just terrible or it just doesn't have no inspiration.

00:57:07 Merrily

Right.

00:57:17 Jason

I don't know.

00:57:17 Merrily

Yeah. Ohh interesting. Yeah. I think a lot of project and I'm kind of the same way. There's projects that I do and I'm like, OK, I did it.

00:57:26 Merrily

Don't want to think about it again? Thanks.

00:57:27 Jason

Yeah. Yeah. And it's nice to get something done, though. I think one of the things I appreciate I appreciated about it most was like even if.

00:57:32 Merrily

Oh yeah.

00:57:39 Jason

Like I never promote the book or anything. There was one guy I know who said that the fact that I actually did the book and sat down, organized and published it and inspired him him to do his own book. So he did like, a, a devotional for, like, one day of the year or something. And now he's published a book. So just.

00:57:58 Jason

Even that, like, even if the that's one thing that kind of encourages me, like, even if the whole thing is just crap, at least maybe it'll inspire someone to do something better. You.

00:58:07

Know so yeah.

00:58:09 Merrily

It's a big it's a big deal. Like putting on. Yeah. Like you said, it's like putting that all together and like having it for somebody to look at, like, that's a big deal. Like, that's really cool.

00:58:18 Jason

Yeah. And I think for a lot of people, I think that a lot of people would like to do stuff like that. They just think it's it's just overwhelming because they think, like, where do I start? How would.

00:58:27 Jason

I ever finish this.

00:58:29 Jason

It's like you.

00:58:29 Jason

Just start somewhere and then it'll it'll eventually come together. Yeah, it'll come together. I think. Usually quicker than you than you than you think so.

00:58:32

One step.

00:58:42 Jason

It doesn't feel like it though, but yeah, but then looking back, you're.

00:58:46 Jason

Like man, how did I do?

00:58:48 Jason

All that in like 2 years or something.

00:58:50 Merrily

Yeah. Ohh gosh, when I'm trying to inspire me cause like I have to like how these like random writings like I'm like you know like put that together like goodness, you know.

00:59:02 Jason

Yeah. Yeah. When? So when I was doing the the more novel, the novel, when I did it's it was like that. I mean, I remember writing. I would just write on my phone just in the notes. I'd talk, talk to text or something and then and then I'd have to transfer it to my computer and put in Word or whatever. But so it's like a long process. But I remember thinking like.

00:59:21 Jason

I don't know what any of this is or how it's gonna like it, just how it's gonna connect at all. It just felt like it was just all over the place and then events.

00:59:31 Jason

Eventually, like just putting in an order, it just eventually started to come together, and then I think that was one of the hardest parts is.

00:59:38 Jason

Putting it in order.

00:59:40 Jason

But once once I got it like on my computer, I could just kind of read through it and be like, OK, this applies here sometimes too. It was just weird. You know, I'd write something and.

00:59:49 Jason

Then I'd have to figure out what.

00:59:51 Jason

Like I'd almost right and think, oh, it's it's this character. And then like, later, I'm like, oh, it's actually this other character that that would you.

00:59:59 Jason

Know that that I.

01:00:00

Don't know it's.

01:00:01 Jason

Just so it was real weird learning experience through all that.

01:00:04 Jason

Fun doing it.

01:00:06 Jason

It is overwhelming though.

01:00:08 Jason

Just get into your.

01:00:08 Jason

Writing, start laying them out and then those they'll come together.

01:00:13 Jason

It will work well.

01:00:16 Merrily

All right, thank you. Pep talk, I will.

01:00:18 Jason

Yeah, yeah, just give it time. I. Yeah, that's how mine was. I was, like, thinking in my head, you know, I have this beginning, and I think I have this ending, but everything in the middle is just.

01:00:29 Jason

Just a huge part of me.

01:00:31 Jason

God knows what it still feels like that I even when I read through it like because I I had to read through it like four times. All the freaking spelling errors I would get. And I'm like, I'm like, where did the plot go? Like how this starts here.

01:00:43 Jason

And I'm just like with and.

01:00:45 Merrily

So over there, yeah.

01:00:45 Jason

Then somehow it just emerges back into the plot and like.

01:00:50

I don't know.

01:00:51 Jason

But yeah, all the middle of it was just.

01:00:52 Jason

Like you're I don't know.

01:00:56 Jason

You can do it do it.

01:00:57 Merrily

Yeah. Alright. Well, OK, thank you. I yes. I'll get on my schedule back on my schedule.

01:01:06 Merrily

Well, cool. Do you have any other projects or things that you're working on?

01:01:12 Merrily

In addition to your two books, yeah.

01:01:16 Jason

Those are done.

01:01:17 Jason

So we got to forget about those now.

01:01:17

Right.

01:01:18 Jason

They're they're in the past.

01:01:21 Jason

Yeah. The only thing I have going on right now, so well I.

01:01:28 Jason

I mean I basically I tried to make some changes. I bought the motorhome and I don't know what I'm going to do in the future really. I'm not working on any art anything right now. I mean riding. Really. I haven't even been riding. But the one thing.

01:01:42 Jason

That I've been, I guess putting more time into as I started writing music again. So I have also have a band. I also have a band, the folk music and so.

01:01:54 Jason

Yeah, when I have been writing, it's mostly been like putting stuff I.

01:02:00 Jason

Just getting it out in in.

01:02:02 Jason

Forms of songs now so.

01:02:05 Jason

I've been doing that, so I I'd love recording music. That's probably probably my favorite part of it.

01:02:12 Jason

But we really gotta get some shows, you know, that's.

01:02:14 Jason

Part 2 so.

01:02:17 Merrily

Are you a?

01:02:17

But that.

01:02:18 Merrily

Singer. Or do you play an instrument or?

01:02:20 Jason

I I sing and I'm not the only singer. So my friend Abram, we've we've played and we've got a long history kind of ups and downs, Inns and outs. But there's been years where we didn't talk before too. But I've known him since high school and we basically played music together in high school we started.

01:02:39 Jason

The punk band I think I don't want you to say it as nice. And now in a folk group together, but he's sayings he sings really, really well.

01:02:49 Jason

My younger sister is both singing play.

01:02:53 Jason

And we released an album last year where so. OK, so, so me and Evan played a long time ago. Then we started a folk band called Bear Hound, and we played it was me, Abram and our friend.

01:03:07 Jason

Trent, we played for a few years and that died. We didn't do anything for like 10 years. I don't think Abram really played music. I hardly played music at all.

01:03:15 Jason

And then my youngest sister, Natalie, she writes really great stuff. She's got an amazing voice and she wanted to do music, so she kind of.

01:03:23 Jason

Brought the band back together, I guess, and that needed him playing again. And so we recorded an album and she's got songs on there. So she sings. Abrams got songs where he sings and I've got songs where I've written and sang to and then.

01:03:39 Jason

And so now then, she moved after record the album, she moved out to to Bend. OR so she's out. Your neck of the.

01:03:45 Jason

Woods sort of sort.

01:03:46 Merrily

Yeah, sorry I can't.

01:03:46 Jason

Of like 7 hours from you. It's. Yeah. It's like you get out there and it's like the cities are like 7 hour drive. What the heck? Yeah, in the East Coast. It's.

01:03:56 Jason

Yeah, it's.

01:03:56 Merrily

And one in.

01:03:57 Jason

Different, but yeah, but yeah, so I don't. So after she moved, it's. I'd still love to.

01:04:03 Jason

For her to.

01:04:04 Jason

Be more involved, but yeah, so there's on the album we released, it's kind of fun.

01:04:08 Jason

Because there's like a different.

01:04:11 Jason

You know, different voice for almost, you know, it breaks it up. Uh. But I. Yeah. Also the instrument I play I play banjo mostly and then a little bit of how Monica.

01:04:22 Jason

And sometimes I love I enjoy playing bass, but I don't play it that often. And Natalie, my youngest sister, she played bass on the album so.

01:04:30 Jason

My other sister, Melissa, she's amazing. She's played violin since she was.

01:04:34 Jason

Like 4, she seems really well too so.

01:04:35

Wow, that's.

01:04:38 Merrily

School Musical family sounds like that's cool.

01:04:41 Jason

Yeah, yeah, it's it's fun getting that opportunity to play music with them too. I.

01:04:46 Jason

Just it's nice being able to connect like that. So that's I guess the only thing where.

01:04:54 Jason

My attention is going, I guess or where.

01:04:58 Jason

But as of right now, we don't really have anything coming up unless we start recording again we.

01:05:03 Merrily

Right.

01:05:07 Jason

I need to I need to get.

01:05:08 Jason

In gear, get focused on something right?

01:05:13 Merrily

We'll have to have our focuses.

01:05:13 Jason

Yeah, the Abram Abram.

01:05:16 Jason

And Abram's got some great songs though like I I would just love to promote the band just for for him and.

01:05:23 Jason

And my I mean, and my sister Natalie too. She's an amazing writer, but Abraham's just. He's so freaking talented and he.

01:05:29 Jason

It's just that he poured his heart and soul into those songs like he's he's been through a ton. Like there's one song album and I'm like he played it when he first played it for us. I was like, that is the saddest song I've ever heard in my entire life. Because the first first verse is about him losing his daughter because he had him and his wife had, like, a series of miscarriages.

01:05:49 Jason

But the first one was the worst. It was still birth, basically. So the first verse of the song is about that the second version song is about him losing his dad. And I'm just like.

01:05:52 Merrily

Oh gosh.

01:06:00 Jason

Yeah, it's. But I like. But it's so good.

01:06:04 Jason

But it's so sad. So he just. Yeah, he I can't say enough good stuff about him. He's still hounded. So.

01:06:11 Merrily

That's so cool.

01:06:14 Merrily

Well, is there anywhere that folks can find you and your band or your? I mean, almond tree, I know is on YouTube. It's there like where where people go.

01:06:25 Jason

Yeah, yeah, they can. On YouTube. Yeah. Leave comments if you find me on there. It's always.

01:06:33 Jason

If you want to get engaged, I'll respond if I can. I think comments are great. That's why I like.

01:06:38 Jason

YouTube. Well, I think you leave comments on Spotify too. I'm not sure, but.

01:06:42 Jason

Comments are great cause you just you get to see people get involved and I've met a lot of.

01:06:48 Jason

People just.

01:06:49 Jason

Through that, through their. Yeah. So that's always fun. That's. I guess if you like these conversations look there. If my band we.

01:06:57 Jason

Have our musics on Spotify. It's called bear hounds. All one word. Bear like the animal's not name.

01:07:05 Jason

Fairham onward and then the new albums called. If I'm honest, even fake. So that's. And there's also on Instagram too.

01:07:15 Jason

Yeah. And I think there is a YouTube. Yeah, there is a YouTube, but it's it doesn't have a whole lot of traction on there yet, but.

01:07:24 Jason

So those I think that's basically it.

01:07:27 Jason

I don't know.

01:07:30 Merrily

I know all the things where where everything's at. Are you on? Are you on bear? Hound is on.

01:07:38 Merrily

Is it on Instagram? Are you on Instagram or are you just mainly?

01:07:41 Jason

Yeah, I'm on Instagram too, so yeah, you can find me on Instagram if you want. It's just Jason's Masons and right now the little icons just on my muddy feet tonight. So it doesn't. Yeah. And yeah, that's my personal one. And you can reach out to me on there if anybody's welcome.

01:07:41 Merrily

On kind of your.

01:08:00 Jason

So Jason's Masons, so it's like my name, plural, and Masons with an S was because.

01:08:07 Jason

A long time ago as well, when I had my house, I was making hot sauces with like some stuff, so Mason jars, so that's why I did that. But I haven't done it all but so that's why it's what Mason's just explanation for that and bear hound is on on Instagram as well, so you can like follow us on there.

01:08:22 Merrily

Got you.

01:08:28 Jason

Yeah, I'm trying to post on there, but.

01:08:31 Jason

None of us really know how to do.

01:08:33 Jason

Social media very.

01:08:33 Merrily

I know.

01:08:33 Jason

Well, so I'm like I get on there. I'm like, am I supposed to make this a story or real or a post? I'm like, I don't know which one is better to do and so on.

01:08:45 Merrily

Yeah, I don't know. I just do them and then somebody tells me I did it right.

01:08:50 Merrily

Or wrong, figure it out from there.

01:08:55 Merrily

Well, thank you so much.

01:08:55 Jason

Yeah. And then I was posting on there and then someone was like you need to start getting hashtags. And I'm like, I don't even.

01:09:01 Merrily

Ohh like what are you talking about?

01:09:02 Jason

Know what? What the hashtag.

01:09:04 Jason

Yeah. And so I just googled like folk band hashtags and then.

01:09:07 Jason

I copied and pasted them.

01:09:09 Merrily

Nice. Oh, my gosh. I'll just say this. So if you use ChatGPT. Oh my gosh. Like I use it for, like, give me some hashtags like, yeah, like, give me some hashtags around this. Yeah, it's great.

01:09:19 Jason

Really nice. I've heard. That's amazing. This I haven't. I haven't tried using it at all yet. I heard it's amazing. And I heard it's.

01:09:26 Jason

Also creepy.

01:09:27 Jason

Sometimes, just because it's so.

01:09:28 Merrily

It's very creepy. Why? It's kind of creepy, but.

01:09:29 Jason

It's so good. Is it?

01:09:33 Merrily

I mean, I don't have to write like I use it to write, not that we're going to get too technical, but I use it to write like a lot of my posts because I'm like and not like I work a full time job.

01:09:43 Merrily

And I'm like I.

01:09:44 Merrily

Cannot think because I need it to do this and that and then it just doesn't like great.

01:09:49 Jason

That's great. Yeah, you should have it. See if you can put.

01:09:52 Jason

Your writing in order.

01:09:53 Jason

For your books and organize this.

01:09:53 Merrily

Ohh yeah, I bet it'll be like. Yeah, here. Here you go, dummy. Like like.

01:10:00

Oh yeah.

01:10:02 Jason

Very nicely. Good.

01:10:03 Merrily

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's pretty cool. Well, well, thanks to Jason, is there sort of like the final thing I generally ask is like, are there, is there some words of wisdom that you would like to?

01:10:15 Merrily

Share and leave us with today.

01:10:19 Jason

Yeah, I like to address this question too. It's really, really good. There's a.

01:10:27 Jason

Let's see. I don't know. I could my favorite scripture verse it's it's compliances and it's all this approved by wisdom. I said I'll be wise but it was far from me.

01:10:37 Jason

UM.

01:10:38 Jason

Just kind of that idea of like, that's that's virtual wisdom has for.

01:10:41 Jason

When you actually get wise, you realize how little you know. Yeah. So I and I love that. Coming from like supposedly, you know, in the Bible stories, he was the wisest man. That's what he's known for. Solomon wrote that book he's like.

01:10:56 Jason

God said you'll be the wisest man, wiser than anybody, that's.

01:11:00 Jason

That there's ever been. And then that's what he has to say about wisdom.

01:11:03 Jason

It's like it's far from.

01:11:04 Jason

Me. So I've always loved that there's a quote in one of George McDonald's stories that I really love. It's the loftiest hope, is the surest of being fulfilled.

01:11:16 Jason

Really like that quote that's helped me a lot. Yeah. It's just really comforting. Yeah. So that's that's probably.

01:11:17 Merrily

Oh, that's great.

01:11:26 Jason

Play with it, I guess. I mean, I'm sure there's a bunch.

01:11:28 Jason

Of other ones.

01:11:29 Merrily

Oh, I'm sure.

01:11:29 Jason

There's there's some. There's some great quotes. There's a.

01:11:33 Jason

I don't know. There's one from the. What's that one? There's one Hebrew one from my system. Say hello and it says.

01:11:41 Jason

If I'm.

01:11:43 Jason

If I'm not for me, who will be for me and if I'm?

01:11:45 Jason

Only for me. What am I? And if not now, then when I love?

01:11:49 Jason

That quote and so.

01:11:50 Merrily

Oh man, that's so many good layers on that.

01:11:53 Merrily

That's great. Like gotta love me. It's not all about me. Yeah.

01:12:00 Merrily

Ohh that's super good.

01:12:03

I love it.

01:12:03 Jason

That's really good.

01:12:05 Jason

Yeah, that's a great question. I love that you asked that too.

01:12:07 Merrily

Oh yeah, I like gosh, I don't know. I maybe sure you asked me. Where's where's this? Oh, goodness. Now I'm in in the in the reverse position. Let's think.

01:12:08 Jason

Yeah. Have you been asked that question?

01:12:14 Jason

Can I ask you that?

01:12:15 Jason

Now what?

01:12:16 Jason

Got now, yeah.

01:12:23 Jason

On the hot seat.

01:12:24 Merrily

The hot seat.

01:12:25 Jason

Where you got got to do it tomorrow.

01:12:27 Merrily

I know, I know. Yeah, I'll.

01:12:29 Merrily

Be on on the almond tree tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to that. We'll talk about Metatron. Will be cool.

01:12:38 Merrily

Oh, now I'm thinking about it. So not to get into.

01:12:41 Merrily

Like all of.

01:12:43 Merrily

The angelic connections or whatever, but sort of my meditations with on with like with angels and sort of the messages they send.

01:12:53 Merrily

Mainly I've asked like what is? What is my or what is the purpose? Like what is the? Why are we?

01:13:00 Merrily

Here, what are we doing?

01:13:03 Merrily

And the one and the four letters KNOWNOKNOW just. No. And then I'm like.

01:13:11 Merrily

OK, it's just no.

01:13:13 Merrily

So I I know that it's not like a complete like words of wisdom and super inspiring, but for me it's like.

01:13:19 Merrily

You know it, it kind of takes a lot of the emotion out of.

01:13:24 Merrily

Certain things that happen in life, right? Maybe I'm just here to know, like the mistakes I made. They're just for me to know the beautiful things I've done is for me to know, and it doesn't.

01:13:35 Merrily

Really, does it matter for anybody else? I don't know. It's just for me to know. And so, yeah. So that's kind of like simple 4 letters NOW. And so I think about that quite often. So yeah.

01:13:40 Jason

That's really cool.

01:13:50 Jason

That's really cool.

01:13:52 Jason

Yeah, thanks for sharing that now, yeah.

01:13:53 Merrily

Yeah. Thank you for answering.

01:13:57 Merrily

Well, thank you so much Jason. I'm super looking forward to being on our.

01:14:01 Merrily

Entry tomorrow and thanks.

01:14:03 Jason

Yeah, you're welcome. You're welcome exam.

01:14:08 Merrily

I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Jason Schweitzer on the show today. Do check out the episode of his podcast The Almond Tree, where I was his guest. Jason is a thoughtful and warm host. You won't want to miss it. For more information on Jason, the Almond Tree Podcast and his band Bear Hound, do check out the show notes. Please remember to like, follow and subscribe on YouTube.

01:14:27 Merrily

Your favorite podcast platform? It really helps us grow. Thank you for listening and being an important part of the casual temple.

#CasualTemplePodcast #JasonSchweizerJourney #FaithHealing #ForgivenessJourney #SpiritualInsights #FairyTalesMagic #GreenKnightStory #EmbodimentOfForgiveness #TheAlmondTreePodcast #MirrorsMagic #AlmondTreeStories #FantasyBookAdventure #BearhoundBand #WordsOfWisdomJasoncircles

EPISODE 18 - JASON SCHWEIZER

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