Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian as they delve into the profound topic of grace. From personal stories to deep philosophical reflections, they explore various interpretations and experiences of grace, including its often misappropriated use in Christian contexts. Discover how grace is woven into everyday life, nature, and creative inspiration and learn practical ways to recognize and cultivate it. This heartfelt discussion emphasizes the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in experiencing and appreciating the unmerited favors of life.
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[00:00:00] Grace is a topic that I don't hear as much discussion of these days. And when I do, it's usually about one particular song, you know, the one. Do I even have to say the name of it?Today we're going to talk about opening the treasury of divine grace and what grace is and why we need it.
Intro
Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and I am joined today by my husband, Brian.
Hello. Okay. I need to know which song.
Amazing grace. Oh yeah. Okay.
So all those guests amazing grease you win. Actually Stormzy's was the first thing that jumped in my head. Blinded by your grace, by your grace from Stormzy. great song, great side. No amazing grace was grandpa's [00:01:00] favorite. Song. I've never really been a fan of it.
It's the first song I learned how to play on the organ, because my great-grandmother loved that song. When she found out that I was interested in learning how to play the organ, she opened up the sheet music. For it. And taught me to play it. It doesn't work anymore because it was an old. air powered. organ. That had a, electric compressor on it.
And unfortunately the bag that held the air. To go through the pipes is given it needs maintenance, but I still actually have that organ in the house right now,
it's in the office.
It is not playable. Unfortunately.
Grace is. An extremely misunderstood and misappropriated term. In most discussions, especially. Christian discussions. And I'm starting to feel like people are. Maybe wondering where we're going to get more into the paganism. Oh, trust me, starting next month, we're going to have a banger cause I really want to have a discussion of, should [00:02:00] we be saying paganism or paganery? I just had a lot to say this month because of the holidays and the things associated with it.
But grace is important. On either side of things. Grace is very misappropriated because of Augustine. And oh, we're going to be talking about that a little bit later this month. Augustine and in what I consider the great error of original sin.
Grace, according to this way of thinking. Is your ability to go, Hey, you're the most horrible thing ever. But I'm willing to look past that. And ewe.
I don't know how else to describe it. No, I would think that would actually fall under the definition of tolerance. Be bad and use a definition and a word tolerance is tolerating a thing. Ooh, bad definitions.
It's not even really tolerance because it has to start with this.
You are the worst thing ever, and I hate you for that. Yeah, but I'm not going to destroy [00:03:00] you, even though you deserve it. Original sin. Is a worldview that my brain really cannot get behind. In any way that is meaningful, powerful, or helpful in any way, shape or form? Yes. Very judgmental. Very wrathful.
So if we're. Not talking about. Grace from the perspective of original sin, where we're all horrible, horrible, bad people who need to just have God pretend that that's not the case for a minute so that we're not immediately smitten by a lightening.
what
Charlie- New: is grace ?
Where do you find it?
Grace to me is the answer to why is the universe not fair?
. The first instance of grace that I ever remember having explained to me was again from my great grandmother. I used to go over to her house a lot. We lived in a trailer behind her house. For a portion of my childhood and I would go up and she'd pull out the Bible and. I would play amazing grace on the [00:04:00] organ because she insisted that I play amazing grace on the organ.
Cause she taught me how to play it. And it was her favorite song. And then she would pick up the Bible and we would read something and then talk about it. And that was a lot of my. Childhood for a period there. One day. As you do as a child. I said something about man, that's just not fair.
Granny was very. Granny about it and was like, Be very, very happy that the world isn't fair. You don't want what you deserve. No one wants what they deserve. And when I heard that as a kid, My initial thought. Was. Oh, yeah, I, I don't want, cause I'm a bad person, blah, blah, blah, blah. But she went on to explain if the universe was fair. The moment you did a bad thing, something terrible would happen to you. Whether you knew it was a bad thing or not.
There's no learning. In that work. There's no [00:05:00] justice in that world. Just immediate retribution. There is no salvation in that world. You need grace, grace. Is. That easement. And that allowance that lets you have that space to grow, to develop and to change. That was interesting coming from her because she was very set in her way. She was in her nineties. It was hard for me to understand coming from her. Cause then, you know, you look how she treated other people and it didn't make sense to me. It did later. But I don't think that that's all the grace is.
See we often because of this framework of original sin. View grace in terms of punishment.
And that's not what grace is. When you go out and you look at. waterfall. You experienced divine grace. You've experienced natural grace. You experienced the grace of this gift? This unmerited gift. That is just presented to you. You look [00:06:00] outside and you see a rainbow.
And you receive this grace. See to me.
Grace and graciousness. Are tied together, not just linguistically. Because, yeah, I can make a very pedantic argument of, you know, these words. Uh, but that's not. Helpful in this case. Because while yes, the words may be related. The ideas often are not. But they should be. Grace.
Is simply as I learned as a child. un- merited. Favor. I love that phrase. On merited favor. I didn't have to wake up to beautiful weather. I didn't have to go to sleep last night in that beautiful, cool air. That was coming in from the freshly cleansed. Air from the rain that had happened earlier in the day.
I didn't deserve. Any of that. I don't even know what I could do. To deserve. Any of that,
where you would have [00:07:00] to get out there and move the little. You know, molecules around to create the ideal atmospheric conditions. That would be the effort that would be required. And that example, and it's why it's a gift because I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I didn't get up. I didn't start earlier in the day yesterday to push the wind and move the molecules.
Brian - New: So that last
night would be nice and cool. And not to have the thunderstorms.
That. Is to me the, the blessing of grace. We find grace in a lot of places that we don't. Often look for it. We're not open to it. We don't see it. Again, this is partially from those blinders, that original sin put on a lot of people that grew up in a Western. Country. And unfortunately in countries that have been infected by that. Mind virus. But grace is something that flows. Throughout nature. Throughout our lives. As a storyteller.
When that. [00:08:00] Inspiration hits for a new character, a new story. I knew something. That's grace. I didn't. Earn that idea. Yeah, I may have put the work into this, learn my craft to do whatever research I needed to do on the project. But. Trust me, I've been a writer for long enough when the words just flow. I didn't earn that. That's a grace that just happens and it's wonderful and it's beautiful. And I love it.
Grace to me. Is something that we draw from Awen. From the, that divine inspiration. That great breadth of creation that flows through everything. It's. Like taking a bucket. Out of that great current evolvement. And. Just to use the traditional druidic words. There's a difference between Awen and Nwyfre. Nwyfre is the energy of life.
It's life force. I often [00:09:00] tell people when introducing them to the idea, if you've watched star wars, you understand the basic concept of Nwyfre. Nwyfre is the force. It surrounds us at penetrates. It's it binds the universe together. Nwyfre. Awen. Is a little bit more. Detached from that it's a little bit. Broader than that. Awen. Is that creativity that is flowing through everything. That inspiration. That divine breath. The word literally means heaven or sky. It's everywhere at all times, but every now and then the Awen hits you. And you Awenydd you act in Awen as all went through Awen with Awen. You become a Awenydd. You are. Imbued with it, filled with it. To the point where you and it are indistinguishable from one another. And that's, that is a special kind of grace. When that hits you when that comes in.
And I think the [00:10:00] one thing that we need to learn more than anything else is how to open that treasury. how do we get access? To that grace. Not just to the Awen, but to that Nwyfre. How do we get access to that energy that grace in our lives?
One, as we've said on previous episodes, I think prayer and devotion is a place where we can open those gates.
It goes all the way back to do on to others that you would have them do unto you. It starts with that practice of gratitude. So that you can gain an appreciation of grace. A lot of it is giving grace where and when you can. Just in that act, you get to experience the one side of it. And participated in the joy that that can bring. But it also sets up that, stirs the flow. Three. Bri physics in a way you've got a bunch of potential energy. You need to turn into kinetic energy. A force needs to act upon it. So you [00:11:00] can control your actions.
You can be that forced to start that flow. And the easiest way to start that flow is, to participate in grace. And give unmerited gifts where, and when you can.
This goes back to our episode on the law of the returning tide. If you were giving grace out into the world, Then there is. A higher potential that grace will come back. In the returning tide. But if you're sending it out, there is a greater chance that it will come back to you.
Biggest thing here is practice mindfulness. Yes. A moment of mindfulness meditation is. So helpful and longer mindfulness meditations. If you have time for it. But punctuating your day. Because I think we are surrounded. By so much, grace. And we don't see it. We ignore it. And so the, we feel that we're living without it. That wonderful, refreshing. Water. That wonderful warming hug that you got from your coffee this morning, or at least I got from my coffee this morning. Right. That's [00:12:00] grace.
That is a form of grace. Starting there learning to see it there. Helps you to see it. And find ways to attract and tap into it in other places, but you always have to start in the little things. Yeah.
That's why I mentioned the practice of gratitude. It's that mindfulness, Being thankful and remembering to say, thank you. And every time. , even the smallest bit of grace. As Charlie pointed out when you have your coffee in the morning, and it gives you that little energetic boost that you needed to get your day going. Just being thankful for that little caffeinated jolt. It got you moving. And just recognizing the little things when somebody holds the door for your, or. Let you go first, saying thankful, thank you to them. It's always nice, but also recognizing that was an unmerited gift. It was grace that they. Gave to you. You didn't do anything to deserve to be in front of them. Cause it's not actually how things [00:13:00] work.
I think one of the places that we encounter this word is in the Thanksgiving, we say before meals, right? You get to say grace. And I don't think many of us do say grace. I'm not saying that as a, you should give safe for a prayer every time you eat or before you eat or after you eat, depending on the tradition that you're coming from or whatever.
But I don't think we actually say grace. I know in my family, I was taught. To not just be thankful to God for the food that was on the plate, but to be thankful for the farmer. The grew the food for the people who. Carried the food. Around to get it to the store where I we were able to get it, the person who prepared and cooked the food, if we are eating. Plants to be thankful for the plant that provided the food.
If we're eating an animal to be thankful to the animal whose life. I was given up for this food. To say grace to have that attitude of just thank you. Because. It really feels weird to try to explain this. If [00:14:00] you've not experienced it yourself. Grace is. Unfortunately one of those things that, you know, it, when you see it. But it's really hard to put into words.
Grace is everything from finding that extra dollar in your pocket, when you didn't know that you had it there and you needed it at the moment or finding that. Dollar on the street or whatever. Right. That is a little bit of grace. But also just. A friend comes over. And just brings cookies. . She knows what kind of cookies you like and just. Knows that you like them and had some time and was thinking about you. And so she made them. And brought them out for that. That is grace. But also. Having somebody to take care of you when you're sick. And be mindful of the pain that you're experiencing. That's a form of grace. That's a grace. We can extend to others. And it's a grace. We often get from others, but it's really hard to see in the midst of suffering. Suffering really does [00:15:00] blind us to grace.
All those acts of separation. Blinds the individual from grace, thinking back to my own youth. We said grace, at every meal, it was required. But it was just required. There was a detachment from the meaning behind it, from the significance of what the actual act was. So it just became this thing we did. Later on when I was on my own. It was my choice, whether I did a thing or not, I dropped it because it was just this festival thing.
I didn't. See the significance because I was separated from that. And later on when realizing what it actually is . Being thankful for the gift. That was the unmerited
Brian - New: gift that
Cow. Gave its life and. I didn't earn it. Wasn't my life that I could claim. But I still enjoyed the burger or still enjoyed the steak, having that connection. Really helps.
I'm a really big fan of visualizations. I think our imagination. Is such an important tool in spirituality [00:16:00] to be able to help us to understand things. So if you're capable of visualizations, because some people, you know, it's a real struggle. And so we'll talk about that more in a second. But if you are capable of visualization and you're having a hard time connecting to this idea of grace, find something you really, really love. I kind of fruit. A candy bar. beverage. Preferably, not an alcoholic one, just because we don't want a dollar census. We're actually trying to heighten our senses here. Though. I won't tell if you don't. As you're sitting there with it. Start. Peeling apart, the layers of. What grace are you receiving from us?
Because let's take an orange. Orange is a very good. And often used example of this for both mindfulness and for grace. The moment you get in proximity to a good orange. You smell it. You see it? It's beautiful. It's like a little sun. Sitting right in front of you or held in your hand. [00:17:00] It's beautiful to look at. Is this Juul? But you smell it. You instantly have that aroma. That luscious citrus smell. It just greets you.
That's grace. And so imagine. Like you wouldn't occur to. See that aroma. Just imagine it wafting around like luminous smoke in the air. And going into your nostrils and into your soul. Just that wonderful grace, just wafting. And we haven't done anything to the orange yet. This is just from the orange existing. Maybe it's your favorite beverage and the smell coming off of it.
Cause I can't think of a food that I liked that doesn't start with greeting me with a wonderful scent. And, Very enticing site. And then you open it. And that smell probably got stronger.
Now you can see the component parts. That thing that you're really there for. It becomes more inviting, more open to you. As you put it in your mouth, Just let it rest there for a minute. [00:18:00] And imagine if it's something like a chocolate that's melting in your mouth. I imagine like this luminous grace. Melting off of it as it's coming into your mouth.
If it's something juicy, like an orange. Imagine. That juiciness. Is this kind of luminous. Liquid just flowing into you. This grace just flowing into you. And just sit with these images as you're taking it in, watching it become part of you watching it. Give of itself. And you'll start understanding. And connecting. To that grace.
Once you start understanding that in your food and in your beverages, . Always a great place to start with a lot of spiritual practices. Because. It is so intimate that food and beverage is becoming a part of you. And in most of our spiritual work, that is the end result we are striving for.
How is it? How does it feel? You're either drinking something hot or something cold. Or you're eating something hot or something cold. How does it [00:19:00] feel? Is it. I go in as they're swallowing it. Do you feel it moving in? There's nothing better than on a hot day, having an ice cold lemonade. Feeling that coolness. Just go down inside and fill you up. It's such a wonderful experience. And it is an experience of simple natural grace. And once you've learned how to see it in those. Let's start looking at for it elsewhere. When a loved one touches your hand. Or it gives you a hug. Can you not feel the grace. Emanating from them. In that moment. When you go outside in the sun. Caresses your face on a cold day. Or a gentle breeze blows the heat away on a hot day. Or a gentle Mr. Rain cools you off on a hot day, do you not feel the grace in that moment? Do you not recognize the grace in that moment? You get to the place and you park your car. And [00:20:00] you look in somebody's left time on the meter.
Little bit of grace. In your day. Once you start looking for it. You'll start seeing it all over the place. I think this is why. Brian was talking about gratitude. Grace. Is often what we're thankful for. We just don't recognize it as what it is. And we feel like we're living in this cold, hard world. That's so vicious and mean and cruel.
It's tiny, but somebody gives you a like on social media. That's a. That's a little bit of grace. Somebody shares a smile, some insurance, a smile. Your favorite song comes on. That is. An intimate sharing of grace. The grace that that song was created. And shared with the world, looking at a painting. That grace comes in. You see harvesting grace. Opening the treasury of divine grace. Is less about it being walled off from us. And more about us. [00:21:00] Neglecting to see it.
And know before you get confused. I'm not saying everything is always wonderful. Or everything is always good. I'm not one of those people. , if you don't see that everything is great, you're cursing yourself. There's lots of suffering out there. Yes. A lot of pain. There's not assuming. But. In a way that pain and suffering. Is when you get into the deeper meditations of. It is in a way at grace. Because when that pain isn't there. You're able to appreciate it. I had injured. My thighs really badly about six months ago, still struggling with healing from that. But in yes, it's pain and suffering. It's bad. But the grace was recognizing and seeing. All those wonderful opportunities when. The thigh muscles work correctly when I don't hurt when they don't, aren't trying to tear. and. Bring suffering, that's a grace. It's just we don't often notice.
Many many years ago. I took up a [00:22:00] brachot practice. I tried to say a hundred blessings a day. The number 100 is figurative. Unless it really matters to you. Don't count. Like you don't have to count. The point is to constantly be saying blessings. Always find the blessing, find the grace.
A lot of my friends mock me for this. ' cause when my legs are really hurting. I will. Often say a very simple blessing. Blessed are you Lord our God. For giving me the grace to remember that I am alive. Or sometimes I will just think the pain. For reminding me that I am still alive.
Even just being thankful that other parts are working wonderfully.
I tried to look into the darkness and find the light. That's the. Like to me. As somebody with chronic pain, This is one of the ways that I tend to cope with chronic pain. I agree with Kierkegaard and several others who said that, depression is the proof of the immortal soul because it can devour and devour and devour it. There's always more there to be [00:23:00] devoured.
Yeah. Back to the leg injury. I was ungrateful. At first, because it's easy to give into the pain and the suffering being upset and stressed. My shoulder. And back started failing. I quickly became grateful for working hands for working feet for working brain. I suddenly realized, wait, I better start appreciating everything cause I'll still start to fall apart.
I feel like I have to say this isn't that whole Just to be happy with what you got. I know. Boomer. Thought process. It's not what I'm talking about at all. I am. I'm more grateful for the parts of me that are working.
It's. Recognizing those unmerited gifts.
Also just re contesting our lives, grace, in so many ways. Is finding that light, even in the darkest places. And if you can find that light.
When I learned my brachot practice. The example that was given is if somebody comes to you and tells you. [00:24:00] Your best friend has died. Then say to them, blessed are you Lord our God who. Granted me the gift of hearing. That's hard. It is that's hard. It's that reminder that we need some times that not everything is awful.
No, everything's not awesome. 100% of the time, all the time. But neither is everything. 100% awful. There's usually at least something, some bright point, some good thing. Either in your life or in someone else's life, because I think we get. Often, very solipsisticly obsessed with our own experiences or very hyper-focused Liam. Trapped in the experiences of others.
Yes. I look at the world and I see this great suffering that's happening around the world. And I feel selfish. Thinking or doing anything? But trying to help. Alleviate that pain and suffering.
But I am a human being that [00:25:00] lives in central United States. And it's all the way over there. And I am not in a position of power. In my culture or my government. So it really is like a little bit I can do. I can state my opinions. I can write letters like, and reach out to. My Congressman who doesn't care, my senators who don't care. Oh, In fact are very pro suffering in the world.
I can at least take what little action I can. But I can't spend all day, every day. Blinded. By that pain and suffering. 'cause that. wears us down. You see the point and purpose of learning to see grace? His grace is what fills up that tank. This is what the modern gratitude movement gets wrong. Gratitude does not fill up the tank. Gratitude helps point you towards grace and grace is what point fills up that tank. If you do not have, or you are not seeing those parts of your life that are giving [00:26:00] you grace. You are going to burn out. And have a really hard time building yourself back up.
And that's why we need. To open. Our eyes. Which is how we open the treasury of divine grace. This is also why we're remembering it. You know, being mindful of it now during this festival, Vanessa. Yeah. And this time of harvesting. As it is. It's a, it's another thing that is harvested. Uh, Yeah, it's a gleaning.
It's something that's just everywhere. We just need to go and pick it up. Yup. And fill our buckets and. Be recharged and rejuvenated.
I hope. This meant something to you. I hope if you heard the clicky Hockeys of our little doggy, who has been very much running around us. That's what the clicking is also in case you're wondering.
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That's where my personal journal is. I'm building it in obsidian, [00:28:00] which I absolutely love. And periodically click publish. I have a threshold on this project of when I want to hit publish. And I don't know if by the time this. Subs, it comes out. If I will. Hit the publish button or not, but suffice it to say a whole bunch of. Essays on Bridgid are about to show up over there. So keep your eyes out for that. we might actually do a special episode about it when. It, does it go. Up.
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That's you giving us grace. And we are extremely grateful for it. So until next time.
May blessings in light. Fill your life. Amen. Amen. [00:29:00]
Revealing the Hidden Treasury of Divine Grace