writing religious truama, horror flicks, and exvangelical deconstruction w/ Hannah Whitten

Jewish Mysticism and Sapphic Slowburn with Maddie Martinez

Get mystical with one of the smartest dark fantasy authors working today - not to mention the author of one of my favorite sapphic slowburns. Maddie Martinez is the USA Today bestselling author of The Maiden and Her Monster and the forthcoming gothic novel The Haunting of Lady Death. She has a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in international peace and conflict resolution, and I am lucky enough to call her my friend. If you’re interested in Jewish mysticism and the myth of the Golem, the interplay between religion and nationalism, weaving fantasy worlds from historical sources, and mapping the razor-thin line between magic and mysticism, this episode is for you. IN THIS EPISODE - Hear the myth of the Golem, as recounted in the 19th century folktale The Golem of Prague - Explore ways Maddie drew from historical sources to build a fantasy world that is in conversation with our world. - Dive down rabbit holes about court astrology, British folk magic, and pre-kabbalistic mystic writings. -Unpack the ways religion has been used to justify state-sanctioned violence and nationalism – both historically and in the modern day. CONNECT WITH MADDIE maddiemartinez.com [http://maddiemartinez.com] IG: maddiesmartinez [https://www.instagram.com/maddiesmartinez/] READ THE MADIEN AND HER MONSTER Audio, ebook, hardcover, and paperback [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250367754/themaidenandhermonster/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23838709328&gbraid=0AAAAArEhehehb9_d7N0fOUbYjYmLln4GH&gclid=CjwKCAjwn4vQBhBsEiwAq3hhN6574ZlRJpN8EKWsv2QA8a9kfppklqBacWhaGp0vRCIkOCKu4z0BMRoC6nAQAvD_BwE] GET METAPHYSICAL Join the community at saint.substack.com [http://saint.substack.com] to get new episodes right in your inbox, and join the paid tier for twice monthly long form essays about art, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as Metaphysical Girl After Dark episodes, where we go darker and deeper with the subject matter. BOOK A TAROT READING I’ve spent a dozen years reading tarot for the betterment of others, with a focus on helping artists, spiritual seekers, and those in transition uncover their inner wisdom. To schedule a private reading with me, follow the booking link at https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/ [https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saint.substack.com/subscribe [https://saint.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

erotic mystical art, queer sex with God, and punk rock with Rachel Parsons

Come get obsessed with one of my favorite people! Rachel Parsons is a queer interreligious spiritual director, author of smutty gay poems about God, and fellow survivor of Southern evangelicalism. She is a grade A certified body witch babe — and my own spiritual director. If you love medieval erotic mystics and Sufjan Stevens, find the Divine in punk rock, or want to learn more about building an individual, authentic spiritual life on your own terms, this episode is for you. IN THIS EPISODE Explore eroticism as a doorway for encountering God, particularly within the embodied queer experience. Unpack why religion is so kinky and why kink is so religious Learn how spiritual direction helps those in spiritual trauma recovery find their own path forward. Get the tea on the diabolically folksy mandolin-and-misogyny church Rachel and I attended, found each other in, and survived. Receive a whole bunch of erotic mystical poetry recommendations – plus a live reading of one of Rachel’s own poems. CONNECT WITH RACHEL Fratres Dei Spiritual Direction: https://www.fratresdei.com/spiritual-direction [https://www.fratresdei.com/spiritual-direction] Theodora Thomas Poetry: https://www.instagram.com/theodorathomaspoetry/ [https://www.instagram.com/theodorathomaspoetry/] POETRY AND SONG RECS St Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle John Donne’s “Batter My Heart Three Person’d God” “All Around Me” by Flyleaf “Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera St John of the Cross’s Dark Night of the Soul “Saturn” by Sufjan Stevens The poetry of Hafiz It Begins In a Garden by Notbecauseofvictories  Sierra Simone’s Priest Series GET METAPHYSICAL Join the community on substack at saint.substack.com [http://saint.substack.com] to get new episodes in your inbox. Join the paid tier for twice-monthly long form essays about art, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as Metaphysical Girl After Dark episodes, where we go darker, deeper, and more intimate with the subject matter. BOOK A TAROT READING I’ve spent the last dozen years interpreting the tarot for the betterment of myself and other people, with a focus on helping artists, spiritual seekers, and those in transition uncover their inner wisdom. Schedule a private reading or tarot lesson with me: https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/ [https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saint.substack.com/subscribe [https://saint.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Narcissus in Latex: the erotic spectacle of fashion and psychoanalysis

Happy Valentine's Day, freaks and lovers. I’ve got a sweet treat for you: an audio essay on desirous gazes, the theatre of kink, and the wild vulnerability of wanting, all seen through the lens of FIT’s recent Fashion and Psychoanalysis exhibit. IN THIS EPISODE: - Trouble the Freudian gender binary of man as fetishist and woman as narcissist - Explore the queer gaze, and new models for loving and lusting after each other - Hear a few confessions about my own fetishes, from sunglasses to leather gloves - Explore kink as an outlet for violent urges more commonly repressed and or channeled into war and conflict - Consider the ways in which surrendering to being looked at and looking at others with shameless admiration might be an erotic practice for personal transformation and deeper connection LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL Join the community on saint.substack.com [http://saint.substack.com] to get new episodes in your inbox, and join the paid tier for essays about art, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as Metaphysical Girl After Dark episodes, where we get darker, deeper, and more intimate. Follow Metaphysical Girl on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/metaphysicalgirlpod [https://www.instagram.com/metaphysicalgirlpod].  BOOK A TAROT READING I've spent a dozen years helping artists, spiritual seekers, and those in transition uncover their inner wisdom through tarot. To schedule a private reading with me, follow the booking link here. [https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/] MUSIC CREDIT Hot Stone Meditation by Yuri Megis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saint.substack.com/subscribe [https://saint.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

writing religious truama, horror flicks, and exvangelical deconstruction w/ Hannah Whitten

New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten joined me on the pod to talk about deconstructing evangelical Christianity, learning to love horror, writing religious trauma narratives and yes, enjoying a Switchfoot banger from time to time! What a treat to dig into all the exvangelical Christian feelings with one of the smartest working writers in the game, and my dear friend. IN THIS EPISODE: - Learn about Hannah's background in the Nazarene church, and her deconstruction journey towards a service-led spirituality of "knowing that we don't know". - Flash back to the evangelical cultural landscape of the early aughts, and the underpinning moral frameworks that continue to shape the ex-vangelical mind. - Explore Hannah’s experience of writing religious trauma narratives in The Nightshade Crown trilogy and Wilderwood Duology. - Hear about Hannah and Saint’s favorite horror movies, and the power of horror to explore mental illness, motherhood, and generational trauma. - Dig into Hannah and Saint’s writing process for outlining trilogies, discovery writing towards theme, and choosing to write “passive” heroines with intentionality. CONNECT WITH HANNAH Website: https://hannahfwhitten.com [https://hannahfwhitten.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites [https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites] PREORDER RELIQUARY Signed Copies at Parnassus Books  [https://parnassusbooks.net/reliquary#:~:text=Parnassus%20Books%20is%20thrilled%20to,more%20details%20about%20the%20book!] HORROR MOVIES MENTIONED The Wicker Man (1973) Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched As Above So Below The Ritual The Ring The Babadook Hereditary  Speak No Evil (2004 James Macavoy film) Fire Walk With Me LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL Join the community on saint.substack.com [http://saint.substack.com] to get new episodes in your inbox, and join the paid tier for essays about art, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as Metaphysical Girl After Dark episodes, where we get darker, deeper, and more intimate. Follow Metaphysical Girl on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/metaphysicalgirlpod [https://www.instagram.com/metaphysicalgirlpod].  BOOK A TAROT READING I've spent a dozen years helping artists, spiritual seekers, and those in transition uncover their inner wisdom through tarot. To schedule a private reading with me, follow the booking link here. [https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/] MUSIC CREDIT Hot Stone Meditation by Yuri Megis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saint.substack.com/subscribe [https://saint.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Thank You, Daddy Saturn

Have you noticed the way everyone's late twenties feel so chaotic, defined by plot twists that shift the course of their life? That’s your Saturn return, baby! A landmark astrological transit kicked off by Saturn, planet of duty and discipline, moving back through the place in the sky it was when you were born. There’s a lot of fear-mongering around Saturn, but as someone who has just emerged on the other side of her Saturn return, I’m here to hold your hand and tell you exactly what to expect from yours. On February 13th, Saturn will move into Aires, kicking off a Saturn return for many people born between 1996 and 1999. Zillenial cusp babies and elder Zoomers, let’s lock in and learn these lessons! IN THIS EPISODE - Explore the archetypes of Saturn as Teacher, Timekeeper, Punisher, and Purifier - Discover exactly what part of your life your Saturn return will transform based on your birth chart - Learn freaky little strategies for leaning into your Saturn return instead of fighting it (what you cannot change, romanticize, right?) - Get the gossip on exactly how my Saturn return in Pisces kicked my ass, and why I’m incredibly grateful and better because of it. - Use tarot to embody Saturnian energy in your life and work alongside, not against, Saturn ASTROLOGER SHOUTOUTS Janelle Belgrave of So Above Astrology: https://www.soabove.com/ [https://www.soabove.com/] Ursula of Ursula Rising: https://ursularising.com/ [https://ursularising.com/] BOOK RECS Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil by Liz Greene: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saturn-liz-greene/1102784747 [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saturn-liz-greene/1102784747] LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL Join the community at saint.substack.com [http://saint.substack.com] to get new episodes right in your inbox, and join the paid tier for essays about art, sexuality, and spirituality, as well as Metaphysical Girl After Dark episodes, where we get darker, deeper, and more intimate. BOOK A TAROT READING I’ve spent the last dozen years interpreting the tarot for the betterment of myself and other people, with a focus on helping artists, spiritual seekers, and those in transition uncover their inner wisdom. To schedule a private reading with me, follow the booking link here. [https://stgibson.com/metaphysical-girl/] MUSIC CREDIT Hot Stone Meditation by Yuri Megis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saint.substack.com/subscribe [https://saint.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]