Today, I had the opportunity to have a great dialogue with my newest friend,
, a writer and former leader within the Satanic Temple. He is almost at 1000 subscribers!, so after you listen to this, go subscribe to Sacred Tension.Stephen shares insights into why he no longer identifies with Satanism, emphasizing the distinction between being an “ex-” versus “post-” something, which gives a nuanced understanding of his relationship with religion. I echo his struggle to engage with faith properly, being raised in a predominantly Christian cultural context.
Additionally, we touch on a number of other topics such as religious archetypes and symbols within imaginal reality, the role of monasticism in mental health, the challenges of navigating personal belief systems, the brutal aspects of male vulnerability, and embracing the contours of deviance as gay men.
Some of the pieces referenced in our chat include:
Suicide, Sangha, Satanism, & Sonnets