Messianic Folklore

KOINE CHANTS: XAIRETE!

They say that joy is an act of resistance. Although it's often cheaply said, I think it’s true. I think it's also an act of creative energy: a way of forming another world around its tenacious possibility. It becomes, in embryonic form, a reality held in the joy itself. It is an act of participation in what the early messianics called καινὴ κτίσις—new creation. Since the times are wearying, I’ll do what I rarely do when passing on these chants. I’ll hazard a little reflection: though, to be clear, the archaic words of this chant do not belong to me any more than to you or to anyone else who might care to dance to them. Rejoice in the Lord always I say it again Rejoice Xairete en kyrio pantote Palin ero Xairete Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε πάλιν ἐρῶ χαίρετε (Phil 4.4) The Κυρίῳ (lord) in these words is a figure who holds a position of extremities: both ironic and serious. This figure is precisely the opposite of any Caesar in a grand white-pillared palace (and the Caesars were well-known as lord and saviour and son of god, and so on, before any messiah showed up). This Κυρίῳ was a peasant, murdered by the colonising powers that be; lived homeless among outcasts and died young. If you would like a social/economic/political location in mind to go with this chant, then you can know that the Κυρίῳ here speaks of the impoverished life, subjected to violent rule. I’ll hazard another reflection. Although not above throwing some tables where bullish economic systems were concerned, this peasant Κυρίῳ never raised a hand to harm anyone, nor any armies to conquer anyone. Sometimes, I confess, I wish it were otherwise, but this Κυρίῳ refused all business with violence. In seriousness, and not irony, he wished well to those who killed him. Even to enemies, then, the counter-chant is addressed: Grace to you And peace Xaris umin Kai eirene Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη (Rev 1.4) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Allness

Episode Three of the Messianic Folklore Podcast: a meditation on Everything. Please do join my crowd funder [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidbenjaminblower/replace-my-robot] to replace my poor old computer so I can keep making these podcasts. To join my course on Paul’s letter to the Romans [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/p/creature-politics], sign up as a paid subscriber here on Substack [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/], or on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/davidbenjaminblower], where, in either case, you will find all manner of other behind-the-scenes treasures. Show Notes: —On the Greek word ‘pas’ —William Blake’s and Julien of Norwich on Allness —Messianism and ecology —Modernity and All Things —Everything is the subject of love —St Isaac of Nineveh My thanks to Epiphany [https://epiphanymusic.org.uk/] for live musical accompaniment. Feel free to * Share this podcasts with someone who might like it. * Send your thoughts in a comment or an email. * Leave a handsome review on itunes. Grace & Peace Kith & Kin This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Heaven & Nature Sing

Here is an old thing from times gone by.  In the late noughties I was gigging my way around Birmingham’s small venues and the whole thing was very dissatisfying. These little shows felt like the first stop on a pre-marked road toward the capitalist myth of musical success. This was the myth of ‘making it.’ Everywhere we played, it felt like there was an unspoken agreement between us and the audience. They were there because we wanted to ‘make it.’ This poisoned any possibility of a shared event, a connection, a common spiritual experience or any of the higher things that art might reach for. We didn't want to ‘make it.’ We wanted encounter.  So we took a different approach. We formed a band called the Army of the Broken Hearted. We would play public spaces for no money. We were a junk instrument band with songs so crude that no one could ruin them, and so anyone could join in. We were carbon neutral. We were spiritualised and politicised. We had some good ideas and some bad ones. We were trying to interrupt the deadlock of public space which felt numb, controlled by its consumer capitalist messaging. We wanted to re-enchant public space and make it a space of happenings and meetings.  This is the backstory to this recording. Sometimes when you try to break out of the norm, you find yourself doing something delightfully obvious and ordinary. Here we were, a decade and a half back, playing Christmas carols in the alleyway next to the Patrick Kavanagh pub. Extraordinarily, they, who still fill Moseley with the sound of drunken merriment, complained that we were too loud. The recording is scrappy and pitchy and full of sincere Christmas spirit. Let heaven and nature sing Fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding Joy I'll be signing off to re-gather until January, when there will be a new series of writings and a new series of online gatherings and podcasts. Love and Mirth to you all DBB This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

MFP3: Medicine for Bad Power

Episode Three of the Messianic Folklore Podcast: a meditation on wilderness as medicine for power gone bad. This will the last podcast episode of 2023. I'll be spending December feasting and resting and gathering the embers. Thank you for listening and being part of the start of this little aural book of hours. Show Notes: —Daniel 3: the sentence of the watchers —A gentle sentence for a tyrant —The common desire to re-wild —Unmaking as the youth initiation that never happened —Good medicine for bad power This podcast runs on listener support. You can help by joining on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/davidbenjaminblower], or becoming a paid subscriber on Substack [http://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/], where, in either case, you will find all manner of behind-the-scenes treasure. As always, please feel free to: * Share this with someone who might like it. * Send your thoughts in a comment or an email. * Leave a handsome review on itunes. Grace & Peace Kith & Kin This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

MFP2: Deep Time Messianism

Episode Two of the Messianic Folklore Podcast: a meditation on messianism as folk culture. Show Notes: —A poem —Utopian thinking vs. power —Isaiah 40 —Folk Culture: re-embedding the human story —Waiting as revolutionary patience —Finger in the wind This podcast runs on listener support. You can help by joining on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/davidbenjaminblower], or becoming a paid subscriber on Substack [http://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/], where, in either case, you will find all manner of behind-the-scenes treasure. As ever, please feel free to: * Share this with someone who might like it. * Send your thoughts in a comment or an email. * Leave a handsome review on itunes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe [https://davidbenjaminblower.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]