Spirit Punch

Life Death and Boats

Season Finale: On this episode we talk about the value of life through a buddhist tale about crime and punishment at sea. What do you do when the ocean deities invade your dreams? Just how many years is an eon? How fast can I type? For answers to these and more, click play, To book pastoral care (1-on-1 with me): https://spiritpunch.setmore.com [https://spiritpunch.setmore.com] Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiritpunchpodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/spiritpunchpodcast/] Email us at podcast@spiritpunch.org or the care team at care@spiritpunch.org References: "The Skill in Means (Upayakausalya) Sutra.." The Free Library. 1998 American Oriental Society 10 Dec. 2025 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Skill+in+Means+(Upayakausalya)+Sutra.-a020914060 [https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Skill+in+Means+(Upayakausalya)+Sutra.-a020914060] Dr. Martin Luther King on "Thingification": https://youtu.be/2xsbt3a7K-8?si=3EAkfMPQcfcUnlSp [https://youtu.be/2xsbt3a7K-8?si=3EAkfMPQcfcUnlSp] Copyright Ryan McCray Ely 2025, all rights reserved.

Interview: Some Idiot With A Wrench

Ryan sits down with @someidiotwithawrench Dalton Dreihaus. Dalton's viral content on trans inclusion, anti-bigotry, feeding children, non-toxic masculinity and nursing big v8 classics back to health has reached millions of viewers. We get real about leaving the military, religion, combating fascism and loving the powerful women in our lives. Ya'll gonna love this. Oh and there's some adult language, so be advised. SPIRIT PUNCH IS NOW OFFERING PASTORAL CARE! Sign up here: https://spiritpunch.setmore.com/ [https://spiritpunch.setmore.com/] Follow someidiotwithawrench: https://www.instagram.com/someidiotwithawrench?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== [https://www.instagram.com/someidiotwithawrench?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Music by @Baleboygeechie Additional music and sound by Panda-Beats and Sound Reality Show art by Barbara Zocal da Silva

A Fascist Disease

The word "fascism" has made a come back in the worst way possible to describe the American political reality. But surely fascism can't happen to us right? Join Ryan as he digs into the history of fascism here and abroad to answer that question. Watch "A Night at the Garden" here https://youtu.be/NC1MNGFHR58?si=WxjLs6gONIhG0W5G  [https://youtu.be/NC1MNGFHR58?si=WxjLs6gONIhG0W5G ] Here are the sources directly discussed in this podcast: Andrew G. Palella. “The Black Legion: J. Edgar Hoover and Fascism in the Depression Era.” Journal for the Study of Radicalism, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 81–106. Galbraith, Alex. “‘I Condemn It in the Strongest Terms’: MAGA Congressman Responds after Swastika Flag Seen in Office.” Salon.Com, 16 Oct. 2025, https://www.salon.com/2025/10/15/i-condemn-it-in-the-strongest-terms-maga-congressman-responds-after-swastika-flag-seen-in-office/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ogshare&utm_content=og [https://www.salon.com/2025/10/15/i-condemn-it-in-the-strongest-terms-maga-congressman-responds-after-swastika-flag-seen-in-office/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ogshare&utm_content=og]. “‘I Love Hitler’: Leaked Messages Expose Young Republicans’ Racist Chat.” POLITICO, 14 Oct. 2025, https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146 [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146]. Peter H. Amann. “The Black Legion as An American Hybrid.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 490–524. “Platner Reshuffles Campaign and Sends out NDAs as He Struggles to Get Ahead of Controversies.” POLITICO, 23 Oct. 2025, https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/23/graham-platner-maine-campaign-shakeup-ndas-controversies-00620849 [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/23/graham-platner-maine-campaign-shakeup-ndas-controversies-00620849]. Robert O. Paxton. The Anatomy of Fascism. Penguin, 2005. You Know About the KKK, but What About the Black Legion? https://jacobin.com/2024/10/black-legion-white-supremacist-violence [https://jacobin.com/2024/10/black-legion-white-supremacist-violence]. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Ogum: King of Heart

Ogum! The warrior who became a deity. What can this eternal African spirit of iron and war teach us about feeling our feels and working through accountability? Let's journey together. Full text of Lucille Clifton's poem "won't you celebrate with me" here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50974/wont-you-celebrate-with-me [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50974/wont-you-celebrate-with-me]

The People United: a D.C. Resistance Diary

When President Donald Trump surged federal agents, military personnel and deputized police into Washington DC, home of 750,000 people, he must have forgotten that DC has no tolerance for fools or bullies. Join Ryan along side tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets on the September 6th 2025 to free the city from occupation. "Learning from the 60s" by Audre Lorde https://old.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1982-audre-lorde-learning-60s/ [https://old.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1982-audre-lorde-learning-60s/] *Mea Culpa: In the episode Ryan refers to the speech as "Lessons from the 60s" and that ain't it. I guess we're all learning.