Michael Harding

Here's a strange way to enter into your own bliss. The key to happiness may not be the constant affirmation of positivity and success, but rather the dive into the ocean of vulnerability where we all struggle and just about survive. if we stop clinging to success we discover that what we feared all along is the beginning of a different kind of liberation.Anyway. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to explain anything. I'm just sharing my own story in this meditation. Hope you can just enjoy it. 

Have you ever noticed how often we are told by the world around us to just "be yourself"? We hear it in pop songs, we see it on social media, and we read it in self-help books. The ultimate goal of modern life, we are told, is authenticity. And the way you find that authenticity is by looking deep inside yourself, discovering your unique, unrepeatable core, and expressing it to the world—no matter what anyone else thinks. In this modern view, you are the architect of your own identity. You build yourself from the inside out.But let’s be honest: that is an incredibly heavy burden to carry. It leaves us constantly anxious, wondering, "Am I being real enough? Am I living my truth?"

That's all I can call it. A big dive into one of the keys that will bring you happiness. No more words. This is where you begin. Hope you enjoy. Have a fun weekend. And get up early!!

I love the Orthodox Christian Tradition because there are so many individuals who were exceptional teachers, philosophers, and psychologists. And maybe there was none as amazing as a guy who lived in the 10th century by the name of Symeon, and nicknamed the Theologian. Actually it wasn't a nickname really. And he left some really amazing ideas about how to meditate, how to pray, how to experience the ecstasy of inner light. I also love Electric Picnic. Was there a few times in the long ago, and did a gig one time with the great Steve Wickham and a Brazilian therapist in the Literature Tent. But that's history. Today's podcast is a meditation on the Picnic, on the Ecstasy and on the other stuff; the ecstasies of Symeon, who didn't use chemicals at all to induce the flood of joy and light that were the markings of his life. Enjoy the podcast, and enjoy the picnic if you're going.AND THE USUAL REMINDER. IF YOU'RE ENJOYING THE PODCASTING, PLEASE GO TO PATREON AND SUBSCRIBE SO THAT I CAN CONTINUE OUR WORK. THANK YOU.

I was in Boyle during the week. and I went into the old Abbey and it felt amazing; still and quiet and serene. I was thinking of the monks that once lived there, and may have thought that their way of life would never end. The abbey was linked to the monastery of Saint Bernard of Clairveaux in France, a man who was well acquainted with Irish monks in the 12th century. it struck me that everything is passing, nothing is permanent. Even the solid stone of a cloister, and the certain confidence of monks who believe that their world will endure; it all comes falling down. Everything changes. Nothing remains the same. I think this is true of the time we live in now. Everything is changing. And you might ask, what will survive, if everything passes. And the answer is love. so in this podcast I'm exploring that word love, in the light of Saint Bernard. Hope you enjoy.

“Welcome, everyone, to today’s episode! Grab a warm drink, lean back, and just let yourself listen. Today, we are diving into a story that is florid, wonderful, and absolutely breathtaking: the Dormition and Assumption of Mary into Heaven.In our modern world, it feels like metaphor is dying. We live in a highly rational age where we often dismiss God because we have coined a rigid, clinical concept of the divine—and then simply debunked our own definition. But Christianity tells us that God is not a forensic formula. God is relationship. God is Trinity. And the key to that relationship is pure, unadulterated love.In the old days, people didn’t check these florid stories against scientific spreadsheets. Nobody even understood that forensic realm! Instead, they understood stories and metaphors as keys for penetrating the deepest layers of our psyche. They knew that a mythic, beautiful narrative could carry a truth far heavier than any literal fact.That is why the stories of Mary endure. When we look at her falling asleep and being assumed into heaven, we aren’t here to dissect it, to analyze it, or to rationalize it away. We are here to let this florid, magnificent story shine a brilliant light straight into our hearts. It illuminates the dark corners of our modern minds. It expands our lungs and allows us to breathe with a profound, radiant sense of love, hope, and absolute joy.I had so much fun putting this episode together, and I hope you feel that warmth vibrating through every word. Forget the rules of the logical world for the next thirty minutes. Just lean back, open your heart, and be joyful. Let’s dive in!”