Heavy Things Lightly - podcast cover

Heavy Things Lightly

This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.

johnheersftf.substack.com
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Episodes

Conversations: Fr. Silouan Justiniano - The New World Isn't So Bad John | WAWTAR #155

Iconographer and Orthodox monk Fr. Silouan Justiniano rejoins WAWTAR to have a serious discussion about the New World. Is it really all that bad? Or are we to enamored with the past to see what we have now in the present? Fr. Silouan's work and more: https://hieromonksilouan.org/ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-thi...

Oct 20, 20231 hr 3 min

Conversations: David Patrick Harry @ChurchoftheEternalLogos | WAWTAR #154

Today John sits down with David Patrick Harry, founder of the @ChurchoftheEternalLogos channel to talk Orthodoxy, masculinity, truth, and technology. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep dives into...

Oct 12, 20231 hr 25 min

Bathing, Baptism, & Orthodoxy | WAWTAR #153

Our final entry into bathing of our 4 part series. Getting clean goes beyond the physical and today we look at baptism, maybe the most controversial act of "washing" today. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthl...

Oct 05, 202319 min

The Symbolic World of Water | WAWTAR #152

Part 3 of our deep dive (pun intended?) into water. Today Heers takes us around the mostly ancient world to examine all the ways water has been understood and where exactly it leaves us in regard to modern materialism. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers...

Oct 02, 202324 min

John Heers at Montanika | WAWTAR #151

From the Montanika conference earlier this year. John talks about how we should be living in this world. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep dives into the themes of the show. Check it out: https:...

Sep 14, 202350 min

Bathing as Ritual | WAWTAR #150

Part 2 of our bathing miniseries. Today John takes a historical look at getting clean, both culturally and ritually. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep dives into the themes of the show. Check it...

Sep 05, 202317 min

Bathing and Baptism | WAWTAR #149

Bathing. Washing. Immersing in water to become clean. What is bathing and by extension...baptism? Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep dives into the themes of the show. Check it out: https://tinyu...

Aug 30, 202317 min

Just...War. | WAWTAR #148

Our final installment on war. Is there really a thing as "Just War?" How can we understand modern war as it relates the "Just" theory? Finally, where does the ancient Orthodox East land when dealing with war? Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to suppor...

Aug 17, 202323 min

Conversations: Kilts Khalfan | WAWTAR #147

Kiltz sits down with us again to talk about what's happening in France (and around the world), the notion of race, homage, and so much more. Kilts is a Medieval thinker, poet, concept artist, and co-author of two books (and counting) published by the Dragon Common Room. Dragon Common Room: https://tinyurl.com/2r376syz Kilts' latest article "Normans in Paris": https://tinyurl.com/mjpj9fr8 & her telegram channel: https://t.me/sandwichpress Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You s...

Aug 09, 20231 hr 20 min

War as Martyrdom | WAWTAR #146

What happens when the gods go away and war becomes secular? We dive into this by taking a look at the Battle of Bull Run and what it heralded for the New World. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep...

Aug 03, 202317 min

War & Heaven | WAWTAR #145

Our continued exploration of war. Today we take a look at the ancient understanding that war and heaven were tied together. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Like the podcast? Join Inside Baseball with John Heers to support our work and gain access to monthly, live deep dives into the themes of the show. C...

Jul 27, 202318 min

Total War | WAWTAR #144

War. Probably as old as mankind itself. But was it always understood to be the same as our modern age? What of ancient, bloody war? And today's wars of drones and surgical strikes? To start the investigation we will try and understand what total war means in our more modern age. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-thin...

Jul 20, 202321 min

Usury at Last | WAWTAR #143

It's the final chapter on usury and it's...well, we will let modern advertising tell the story. (Hint: It's not great). But the story is far from over, who knows what future generations will choose? Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Become a Monthly Donor and join our monthly Q&A with John! - https://f...

Jul 13, 202324 min

Uncle Seth and A.I. | WAWTAR #142

Uncle Seth is back and A.I. is the battleground. Where does this technology lead and what does it ultimately mean for all of us? Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Become a Monthly Donor and join our monthly Q&A with John! - https://first-th...

Jul 05, 20231 hr 17 min

From Fearing to Embracing Usury | WAWTAR #141

Why was the Old World so fearful of usury? What did ancient scholars have to say about it? And how were all the warnings slowly ignored to land us in the land of usury today? Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org Become a Monthly Donor and join our...

Jun 27, 202317 min

Usury & the Old World | WAWTAR #140

Usury. An empire building tool? A necessary evil? A path to build wealth? John walks us through the beginnings of usury in the Old World and in later episodes how we arrived at modern usury (like pre-approved credit cards aimed at unemployed teenagers with unreasonable interest rates). Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/op...

Jun 22, 202324 min

Conversations: Graham Pardun | WAWTAR #139

Orthodox poet, author, and essayist Graham Pardun joins John to talk about modern Orthodoxy, enlightenment, and the value of choosing the right words, in the right order. He has gained recent notoriety for his self-published collection of essays titled, The Sunlilies. Graham's Substack: https://sabbathempire.substack.com/ Order Graham's books: https://treedweller.net/books For a more academic, written dive into WAWTAR themes, head over to the Heavy Things Done Lightly Substack: https://johnheers...

Jun 14, 20231 hr 8 min

Magic Never Really Left... | WAWTAR #138

As we wrap up this White JuJu series, John looks at the future. Is magic, spiritualism, religion, or "how we make meaning in the post-modern world" really gone? And what happens when the irrational world view gets its revenge? Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! For a more academic, written dive into WAWTAR themes, head over to the Heavy Things Done Lightly Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider...

Jun 06, 202313 min

How the West Rid Itself of Magic | WAWTAR #137

White JuJu. Public Schooling. And this week the rise of the mechanistic mind. The expulsion of magic from society. Join John as we take a look at the beginning of how the West today started to expel "magic" and "religion" from society. Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danie...

May 31, 202318 min

Conversations: Fr. Peter Heers | WAWTAR #136

John is joined by his brother Fr. Peter Heers to talk life, Orthodoxy in America, and his current state of affairs in an almost perfect rendition of heavy things done lightly. Take a moment to visit the Orthodox Ethos here: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/ Big shout out to Greg Gilbertson and crew for the great music! Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or em...

May 24, 20231 hr 29 min

Quantifying Religion | WAWTAR #135

Last week was Juju, both here in the Americas and overseas, and the Old World mindset that accompanied it. And like magic, religion would be "explained" to us by those uncomfortable with mystery. Join us as we peel back history to reveal the roots of Babylon (maybe) and future America's DNA in the guise of the 5x winner of best named things, the New York State Buffalo Normal School. AKA the first public school. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field...

May 16, 202315 min

White People JuJu | WAWTAR #134

Magic. Juju. Voodoo. It's Old World and for us new worlders, incomprehensible, nonsensical, and quite often frightening. Using magic as our springboard, we are going to explore how we went from a time of mystery to quantity. From magic to data and beyond. Links: Documentary on Appalachia Magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwaUcSRsQPQ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunitie...

May 09, 202319 min

Paul Kingsnorth: The End of Anthropology | WAWTAR #133

John is delighted to welcome back Paul Kingsnorth for a fascinating look at some of the narratives the modern world is wrestling with. Evolution, transhumanism, and more. Discover Paul's work: Substack: https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/ Website: https://www.paulkingsnorth.net/ Youtube: @Peekay72 Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Field Worker in Georgia! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Dan...

Mar 30, 202359 min

Ben Stamper - Filmmaking & The Making of the Soul | Immersion Series #7 | WAWTAR #132

Ben Stamper is a director, cinematographer, editor and production designer whose body of work includes acclaimed short films like "The Deep Place," "Jonah," and "Stay With." In his own words, his work looks to "[...] capture intimate and moving portraits of everyday humans doing the extraordinary." Discover Bens work here: https://benstamperpictures.com/ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? You should consider becoming a Vanguard Field Worker for Mozambique! Check out our Join FTF pa...

Mar 23, 20231 hr 6 min

Austin Klise - Re-immersion | WAWTAR #131

Austin Klise, former Field Worker for FTF, entrepreneur, businessman, and all round great guy talks about the transition back to America, the perception of money, and a little on foreign NGOs. Does the deep immersive experience interest you? We want you to join us in Georgia and Guatemala! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org To support this podcast and the work of First Things Foundation, please cons...

Mar 15, 202350 min

Esther Lightcap Meek - The Act of Knowing | WAWTAR #130

Esther Lightcap Meek is a professor emeritus at Geneva College and author of multiple books examining our understanding of knowledge. More specifically she aims to illumine how we know what we know. She talks with John today about the erosion of embodied learning in the modern world and how we can work back towards reality as it is. Books by the author: Longing to Know - https://tinyurl.com/4h7a9pjp A Little Manual for Knowing - https://tinyurl.com/4cf7p7rj Does the deep immersive experience int...

Mar 07, 202346 min

Texas Slim - Back to the Roots of Health | WAWTAR #129

Texas Slim joins WAWTAR to talk about food intelligence and the state of American health (spoiler alert: it's not great). What happened to our healthy foods? How can we get back to quality, high-energy proteins that aren't full of filler? And what does this look like for our communities and neighbors? Texas Slim is the founder of the Beef Initiative and you can discover more here: https://beefinitiative.com/ He also maintains a lively Substack page: https://texasslim.substack.com/ Does the deep ...

Feb 21, 20231 hr 5 min

Joshua Gibbs - What is the Enlightenment? | WAWTAR #128

Today John sits down with Joshua Gibbs, writer, philosopher and educator. Joshua's books, including "How to Be Unlucky" have received national acclaim and his forthcoming book "Love What Lasts" is due to release this year. Josh and John take a deep look into the enlightenment and what exactly that has led to in our modern world. Josh's website to find out more about him and his books: https://www.gibbsclassical.com/ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? We want you to join us in Georg...

Feb 16, 20231 hr 8 min

Rogan, Walsh, & Mismarriage | WAWTAR #127

John's head popped off, but he managed to get it placed back on long enough to deliver his thoughts on a discussion between Matt Walsh and Joe Rogan (the very discussion that caused the head popping). What is marriage? What is it for? And where do we all get it so wrong? Does the deep immersive experience interest you? We want you to join us in Georgia and Guatemala! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.o...

Feb 01, 202346 min

Reisha Perlmutter - The Deep End of Art | Immersion Series #6 | WAWTAR #126

Reisha Perlmutter is a painter (and we would say philosopher of sorts) whose paintings have captured the fascination and acclaim of both critics and lovers of art in general. Her "classical" training has complemented her drive to answer life's most profound questions to produce incredible pieces of art and John sits down to discover just what that all means. Discover all of Reisha's work and more here: https://www.reishaperlmutter.com/ Does the deep immersive experience interest you? We want you...

Jan 24, 202358 min
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