We are a team of poets and artists who write and publish original stories anchored in traditional Christian symbolism.
101 Icons of the King
​Who elects a King? Is it God or the Barons? Who elects a President? Is it the billionaire class, the tech oligarchs, the “donor class”? Is there a difference between any of them and the Barons; between a King and a President? If one looks at the rhetoric of the past and present, there doesn’t seem to be a difference. But there is another similarity between the power struggles of the past and present that might be overlooked: the power of the people to assent to their new rulers or reject them. This is a constant that all would-be rulers know about and use to support their cause of self-promotion. Join the ladies of the Mosaic Ark as we discuss how image and rhetoric can turn a commoner to a King, and a King to an “also ran.”
100 Trumping the Mosaic
​On July 13th, 2024, former President Donald J. Trump was shot while speaking at a rally for his re-election campaign in Butler County, Pennsylvania. To protect him from getting shot again, the Secret Service agents quickly tackled him to the ground. He was down for what seemed like minutes as the crowd waited anxiously to see if he was alright. Though bleeding, he was alive—the would-be assassin failed. Trump rose to his feet, blood on his face and fist defiantly in the air, and shouted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” A photographer who was present for the rally had jumped towards the stage in this moment to take pictures, and captured perhaps one of the most iconic pictures of the century. That picture flew through the Internet, across the country and the world, and into the eyes and minds of billions within minutes. What did all of those people see? What did you see? Join the ladies of the Mosaic Ark as we discuss this rare moment where the electronic mosaic was activated world-wide.
99 The Mosaic Page
​Did you hear about those weird secret symbols embedded into the layout of the 19th-century Bomberg Talmud? Or similar layouts, symbols and coded messages found throughout a medieval Christian book called the Glossa Ordinaria? Oh come now, everyone has read Dan Brown. Those monks and rabbis were up to something. There must be a conspiracy “they” don’t want us to know about. Well, no, not really. It was just the medium used to convey the messages of those times, similar to the typical layout of almost all newspapers of today. But why were they so similar? And how does the medium of print and the form of their layouts convey (or amplify) their message? On this week’s Mosaic Ark, the ladies continued to discuss Marshall McLuhan’s The Mechanical Bride, and wondered how the medium of newsprint is affecting society, and whether the medium of the Internet was amplifying this affect. Join us!
98 Marshall McLuhan's Mechanical Bride
​In 1951, media guru and secret medievalist Marshall McLuhan published his first book, The Mechanical Bride. His purpose was to encourage his readers to contemplate the way that advertising and technology shape society, both for the advertisers and for their targets – the buying public. The ladies of the Mosaic Ark have been contemplating McLuhan’s writings for several years now and it has shaped the way we see the world and the way we write our own fictional stories. Join us as we discuss McLuhan’s early inspirations and his spookily prophetic observations.
97 Fallen Pride
​This month the ladies of the Mosaic Ark talked about the sin of pride in its various forms. As Providence would have it, our last stream on this topic occurred one day after the first US presidential debate, where two men sought to convince a nation to give one of them power. Was that debate informative or merely a display of pride? This question got us thinking of two other persons who also sought out power – Prometheus and Satan. In this week’s conclusion of our own “pride month”, we discussed the character traits of Prometheus (from the Greek myths), and Satan, from an Old English poem that contains a speculative meditation on the fall of Adam and Eve (the Genesis of Junius 11). Join us as we attempt to unravel the characteristics of pride and how we can identify it in ourselves and others.
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96 Proud to Be an American
What does it mean to be proud to be an American? For that matter, what does it mean to be proud to be a German, or an Englishman? Is it pride in the homeland’s culture, language, history? And what of the bad things about its history, do those things negate pride in the nation as a whole? Also, what (and who) makes a nation? This week the ladies of the Mosaic Ark continued to discuss pride, particularly American pride and what that means in the continually expanding ethnic and social demographic of the United States. Bonus: Musical interludes!
95 Reigning in Hell
“Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” These are the words of a proud being. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan is cast out of Heaven, and in his pride boasts that he shall be a king in Hell. The question for the modern reader might well be this: what did Satan do differently than other rebellious people? If Paradise Lost were a modern movie, would Satan be the anti-hero that everyone loves to watch? And if he were a British Colonial in early America, would he be a revolutionary that everyone wants to honor? And if he were a Renaissance-era King, would he be a hero obliterating the Pope’s authority? In our ongoing discussions about the sin of pride, the Ladies of the Mosaic Ark are discovering the many layers of pride in an ever-descending trip back in time. Join us as we peel back each layer to discover the origins of our society’s current difficulty defining virtue and vice.
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94 Queen of Sins
Pride. It is said that this was the sin that caused Lucifer to be cast down from Heaven, and the same temptation that he offered to Eve in his attempts to destroy her and Adam’s relationship with The Almighty – “Ye shall be like God.” But how does one explain to the people of a rapidly de-Christianizing society that pride is a sin, the most deadly of seven deadly sins, and something that should be rejected? The ladies of the Mosaic Ark discussed this challenge and why it is so difficult. We also discussed pride as the sin which all other sins feed into. As the secular society indulges in a month-long celebration of “Pride,” join us in this first discussion where we begin to break it down.
93 Was Prima Nocta Real? And Other Stupid Questions
The Professor asked KC if she could come up with some really stupid questions about the Middle Ages. “Can I? And how!” she said. “Did people bathe more than once a year? Did sanitation exist? Did anyone live past the age of 30? What about witchcraft? Were women thought to be witches because they were folk healers? How many witches were burned at the stake? For those women not burned at the stake, how many were forced into marriage arrangements?” During this week’s Mosaic Ark, we discussed these questions and many more concerning life in the Middle Ages (and yes, including the question “Was Prima Nocta real?”) We also concluded that most people have the wrong idea about the time period they were taught to call “The Dark Ages,” and that those who spread those ideas have a lot to answer for (looking at you Mel Gibson!)
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92 Hope for Pagan America
Is there hope for pagan America? What’s that? You didn’t know America was a pagan country?! If you’re like most people, you probably fall into one of two camps: you either think that America is a Christian country or that it is a secular country that practices a kind of religious pluralism, but both of those camps are wrong. John Daniel Davidson joined the ladies of the Mosaic Ark to discuss his new book, Pagan America. In his book, Davidson shows how some of the more disturbing trends in current American public life have direct correlations to the practices of pagan societies of the past, and that the rituals practiced then are also being practiced today, albeit under different names and (at least publicly) for different reasons. We discussed why this is happening, whether there is hope for Christians to live freely in a pagan America, and also whether there is hope for a true Christian America in the future.
91 Mass Encampment
When we think of encampments, we may have militaristic visions of Crusader Kings like Baldwin IV and his thousands marching under banners and flags; we might see the Mongol empire marching behind the great Genghis Khan or perhaps Napoleon on his march through Europe. Conversely, we might see peaceful medieval tournaments with their tents and banners, religious pilgrimages or even their more modern equivalent—music festivals! Two weeks ago, there was an encampment at the University of Chicago, around which much discussion has revolved on and off campus. What kind of encampment was it: peaceful or militaristic? Was it just a peaceful demonstration involving students exercising free speech, or was it an event purposefully planned to disrupt, polarize, and provoke a physical police response? The ladies of the Mosaic Ark continue last week’s discussion about the UChicago encampment and wonder if the general public could see the parallels from history. We invite you to listen and tell us what you see.
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90 Flagging the UChicago Campus Encampment
“I heard my momma cry / I heard her pray the night Chicago died / Brother, what a night it really was / Brother, what a fight it really was / Glory be!”
This song about fights between gangs and cops in 1920s Chicago was all the rage back in the 1970s. There’s a lot of appeal to nostalgia in it. But were people nostalgic for violence, or were they longing to be in a dramatic moment—a moment that matters? Last week, the University of Chicago hosted an encampment of protestors who gathered in support of the Palestinians of Gaza and made demands that the University divest from Israel. But the encampment also attracted protestors of issues unrelated to that war, and eventually attracted counter-protestors. The mini “community” that sprang up in the encampment was forcibly (and thankfully, peacefully) dismantled one week later and neither they, nor the counter protestors, nor any police were hurt. Chicago didn’t die! As the ladies of the Mosaic Ark discussed these events, we kept returning to the same question: what attracts people to these types of events? Are they simply dedicated to their cause, or do they also long for something more—a connection with others, a feeling of collective purpose? Join us as we discuss.
89 Media Medievalism
Once upon a time in the Middle Ages, in a geographic area comprised of a patchwork collection of hundreds of separate Duchies ruled over by hundreds of Dukes, a loyalty was misplaced. Doesn’t sound like a very inspiring fairy tale, does it? But you must admit that it does sound similar to the current landscape of social media. There are hundreds of different platforms within larger platforms for social, news and entertainment media, each with their own “Duke” (or Duchess) demanding trust and loyalty of their followers. Which one do you trust? Are you loyal to any of them? The ladies of the Mosaic Ark discussed how the misplaced trust of the eleventh century’s Hugh IV of Lusignan provided the perfect example of how trust and loyalty have always been a hotly contested issue even as it has always been demanded by people of power and influence. Please enjoy watching our lively discussion, or I’m afraid that Baldric shall have to be very severely beaten!
—Streamed May 1, 2024 (UATV; YouTube)
Agreement between Count William V of Aquitaine and Hugh IV of Lusignan: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/agreement.asp
88 Arch Popery
“A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Alexander Pope wrote these words in 1711 at the tender age of 22, and thereby created one of the understatements of the millennium. At least that is what the Dragon Common Room discovered as it began writing its first epic poem, Centrism Games. Join the Ladies of the Mosaic Ark as we discuss our admiration for Pope’s skill in writing satire in iambic pentameter, how it inspired us to write Centrism Games in the same style, and how that style of writing had an almost magical ability to assist us in the focus and direction of the story we wrote.
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87 Truth, Beauty, and Gen Z
“What is truth?” This question asked of Christ by Pilate 1,991 years ago seems to also be the question of this age. Five generations after women were granted the right to vote, every artistic endeavor (most notably in architecture) has changed for the worse and every institution has been morally compromised, nowhere more starkly than in relationships between men and women. The very foundations of our society both literally and figuratively have been degraded. But are women to blame? Are men to blame? There is confusion among the youngest adults of this fifth generation, and those not despairing are looking for answers in the past. Evita Duffy-Alfonso joins the ladies of the Mosaic Ark to discuss the challenges faced by Gen Z, and the hope that she sees in them.
86 Afterparty of the Eclipse
“It’s the end of the world as we know it…and I feel fine.” Props to Michael Stipe. Eclipse 2024 happened, the world did not end, and everyone is feeling fine. This is good news! But why might some people have thought that something big was going to happen? Why were some people looking for significance in an entirely predictable event? Have there been significant events in history that occurred during other astronomical displays? Or are people simply trying to place themselves into the ongoing story of creation; are they trying to feel some of that significance? The ladies of the Mosaic Arc discuss eclipses, comets, the doomsdays that weren’t, and KC’s need for additional reading about the people of the middle ages!
85 Candace, the Rabbi, and the Blood Libel of AD 1144
Did you hear the news? Christians of the Middle Ages hated the Jews, frequently accused them of murders they didn’t commit, and forced them to live in constant fear! Or at least, if you listened to Rabbi Michael Barclay schooling Candace Owens before she was subsequently “let go” by the Daily Wire, you would think exactly that. But in all of the rancor, and (if rumors are to be believed) damage control now being done by the Daily Wire over these allegations, did you ever stop to think if they were true? Was it a fact that Medieval Europe was a hotbed of Christian hatred against Jewish communities? Listen in as Professor of Medieval History, Rachel Fulton Brown lays down the facts for KC (who is definitely not a professor of any kind!).
84 Macris the Autarch
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women? With all due respect to the mighty Conan, the women of the Mosaic Ark believe it is discussing the idea of God as a Tabletop RPG designer with the mighty Alexander Macris, who writes in Substack under the title Contemplations on the Tree of Woe. In tonight’s stream, we discussed his lifelong obsession with RPGs, the RPG he designed and successfully launched on Kickstarter, and some of the contemplations he has had about the nature of God and His relationship to mankind. Oh, and we also briefly discussed the fact that Orcs are real, because of course we did! Join us for a magical evening—with chocolate!
83 The Sacredest Place
January 6, 2021—The feast of the Epiphany in the Western Christian calendar, but was it also an epiphany for the country? That was the day that Jacob Angeli Chansley, also known as Q-Shaman, entered the Senate Chamber and invoked God in a prayer for America. Moments before, a member of the Capitol’s security who had escorted him there, told him that this place was “the sacredest space.” Sacred to whom (or what?) That was the question the ladies of the Mosaic Ark discussed in tonight’s livestream. We reviewed the public buildings, monuments and the architecture of Washington D.C. for clues, and the character of the men that built them. We discussed the power of symbolism and the recognition it ignites in the human imagination, and wondered if the prayers of Jacob Angeli (multiple angels) in that “sacredest place” began a monumental shift in the world as we know it.
82 Dune Ark
In many ways, Dune 2 is an old-fashioned sword-and-sandals epic in the mold of Ben Hur. It has sweeping desert landscapes, costumed figures wearing robes flowing in the breeze, gladiatorial fights, and Greek-tragedy levels of dramatic exposition. In that sense, it is a real popcorn movie. But what if we told you that it was also a religious experience? This is what the Ladies of the Mosaic Ark concluded from their viewing and discussion of the second of Director Denis Villeneuve’s films interpreting Frank Herbert’s classic novel. Images and sound were the driving force of this film’s power, and both were infused with religious influences. We believe that this is what is resonating the most with audiences. It is a love story, but maybe not the one they thought!
81 The King’s Body Language
Two weeks ago the ladies of the Mosaic Ark discussed the interview of the century between Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin. This week, we looked at the body language of both men and asked what, if anything, could be inferred from it. Was Tucker in control of that interview, or did Putin take the reins? Was Putin nervous when he took off his watch, or was there something else to it? Is Putin an Alpha male and is that even important in the age of women’s electoral power? We hope our discussion answers some of these questions and sparks even more!
80 Putins Have Layers
In February 2024, Tucker Carlson stood in front of the onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and announced his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some call Putin a brutal dictator with plans for military expansion after he invaded Ukraine. Some call Carlson a traitor for meeting with him. The two-hour long interview that aired on X included many questions and many layers of answers from ancient history to 21st century diplomacy. The format of the interview itself held many more unspoken layers. Is Putin an ogre? Or an onion? Both have layers! Take a deep dive with the ladies of the Ark as we attempt to peel them away to reveal the backstory within.
79 Making the List
It's Valentine's Day, and the Queen is making a list. Will you be on it? Why do women make lists? Is this the key to their power over other women? The ladies of the Mosaic Ark are determined to describe the FSSH (if it exists), and tonight we talked about Queens and the making of lists. What is a "Queen?” Or more properly, what makes a Queen and why do the women in her social circle follow her? Why is fashion so important to women? Is it always the prettiest girl in the circle who is the Queen? And why should men always wear nice shoes? OK, that last part is not really related to the FSSH. Or is it? Come listen to our conversation, and you be the judge.
78 The Female of the Species
The Ark returns to lift the lid on the Female Socio-Sexual Hierarchy (FSSH). It’s been an eventful online battle this week between the sexes, as men and women have swarmed in the chats to vehemently deny or confirm the existence of the FSSH. Many say they can’t see it. But how does it look from the perspective of women? Dragon Common Room’s K J Crilly sits down with the Professor to talk about elves, witches, queens and weaving the women’s world.
77 Mojo Dojo Casa Hostess
The Ark welcomes you to a house party. But whose house? RFB and Kilts reflect on Ken’s revolutionary takeover of Barbie’s Dreamhouse, and why the creation of the Mojo Dojo Casa House has polarised the sexes. Was Ken justified? Or was Barbie a victim of the patriarchy? We take a look at the dynamics of the Kendom, and of Lobstercide—what happens when the girls take over the boys’ game? The hostess invites you to play the game of the sexes on the Mosaic Ark.
76 Queen of the SSH
This is the one you’ve all been waiting for: the Ark takes on the Female Socio-Sexual Hierarchy! You’ve probably all heard of Sigma and Alpha males. But do women have the same categories? Starting from examples of female pop icons and female relationships, we look to Heathers, the dreaded Mean Girls, and of course beloved Barbie, to discover what the Female SSH actually is and how to navigate it. Join the Professor and Kilts for the official breakdown of The Female SSH.
75 Lost Books of the Bible
AntiCatholic streamers are livid. Apparently Rome has been hiding books from humanity in its library, and even created its own dogma for Catholics to blindly follow in service to the Roman Pope. In this episode of the Mosaic Ark, RFB reads from three top secret books that were buried in the Vatican Secret Archives. How did she get access? Join us in discovering the hidden truth of the Vatican Secret Archives, manuscripts like The Nag Hammadi Library and The Other Bible. What influence do the lost books have on Christians? Have secret texts been purposefully hidden from Christendom, or has Christendom forgotten how to read its own texts?
74 Conspiracy Theories
The Ark unrolls the tinfoil and is ready uncover the conspiracies! Have you ever wondered why history seems so complicated? How do we know what really happened, and why is it so taboo to question the official story? Join us as we play Conspiracy Theory bingo and figure out once and for all why public crises generate enormous energy in populations; how going to the Moon helped the American Empire feel good about itself; why 9/11 was probably an inside job; why the QAnon was supporting Trump and of course, who are the aliens; and finally, what is going on with those New York synagogue tunnels? Why do these stories have the power that they do to misdirect and confound?
73 The Meme Deal
The Ark launches into 2024 with a meme deal, and we shuffle the electronic deck to reflect on the forces moving in the world in this Year of the Dragon. What kind of things can we expect this year, given the patterns of history? Does civilization work like a machine, or do the relationships between people make or break events? Do family feuds feel like world wars because the world wars were giant family feuds? Join us as the Professor and the Pigeon deal the memes and find the themes for the next year in the stream!
72 End of Empire
The Ark wraps up the year of Our Lord 2023 with our Christmas stream, and we're full of fudge and predictions! What is in store for the malls and markets of the world in the current global conflict over control and access to the Red Sea shipping lane? How long will the mythology of the American Empire hold up when its Pax Americana no longer has a navy to control the seas? Are we going to see the global financial system collapse, or just the mechanism of bureaucracy that controls the debts in certain regions? Join us as we unbox the future by revisiting the past, and watch history in the making!
71 Luke 1:26-38
The Ark is celebrating Advent season with a meditation on the reason for the season. So, is Christmas really paganism turned into a Christian holiday? The Professor reads from the third Advent homily of the Venerable Bede, the great English scholar and creator of Anglo-Saxon history. What did Bede understand about the significance of trees in the Christian world? And why did our Saviour come through a Burning Bush in Palestine, and not as a Godzilla-sized Messiah to stomp out the evil from the world? Light up your tree and join us for the Advent of the Light of the World.
70 Lord Verulam’s Idols
The Ark welcomes the Aetherczar on board again! Hans G. Schantz (scientist and author of The Wise of Heart, The Hidden Truth, and The Art & Science of Ultrawideband Antennas) joins us to discuss the Enlightened world of Sir Francis Bacon, Science and the cult of Scientism. How do our idols influence our ability to find or see truth? Is the pursuit of scientific knowledge the means and end of human life itself, and what kind of future do we face if Scientists become the managers of mankind’s existence?
The Aetherczar’s Substack: https://substack.com/@aetherczar
69 The Book of the Name
Professor Fulton Brown reads Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, in the hope of recovering the pleasure she had at being in on the mystery in graduate school, but what she learns is that things are not necessarily what they seem when someone insists the rose has no name.
68 Mind-hacking, Magic, and Meaning
The Ark welcomes our guest Patrick Coffin aboard once more to talk about the art of direction! The DCR poets sit back to enjoy some of Patrick's mentalist card effects and the synchronicities between stories and magic. How does the structure of the story of Joseph show God's miraculous direction of history and the misdirection of Pharaoh's magicians? Can we find the theme of redemption through tragedy in Joseph’s tale of ascension in Egypt? Is the Trinity a magic trick, or is the Incarnation of God in Christ the key to unlocking the story of Creation? Join us as the Ark meditates on the magical and the miraculous.
67 The New Atlantis
The Ark brings the definitive guide to predicting everything that will ever happen. How did we find this secret knowledge? RFB and Kilts dust off an old fable that describes the modern world, reading from Sir Francis Bacon's recipe book for Enlightenment. What kind of world have the Merchants of Light created? Does it seem familiar? Join us to discover the Science behind Draco Alchemicus.
66 The Lost Ark
The Ark finally explains the Ark! Climb aboard with Professor Fulton Brown to raid the Bible for the mystery of the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Is it really lost and waiting to be dug up by an Indiana Jones, or have we found her already? Join us to dig for treasure and find the golden throne of the LORD.
65 The Devil’s Contract
The Ark brings streams for Halloween and All Saints with a spooky story for all. The Professor reads from her book Mary and the Art of Prayer the tale of Theophilus, a 6th-century Christian who gets fired and then sells his soul to the Devil to get his old job back. What happens when Theophilus realises he made a big mistake? Join the Ark for a journey of penance to God, pleading with the Mother of Christ and shredding up those bad contracts.
64 The Golden Fleece
The Ark lands Down Under, as Kilts attempts to bring everybody into Dreamtime and deliver a coherent history of Australia with the help of RFB who keeps us all anchored in a straight timeline. Starting in the bush where the White Man lost his ability to speak English, Kilts takes us on a tour of the Australian convicts arriving in chains, colonial struggles to claim the continent, fighting wars for Empire, striking gold, becoming White, slave trades and sugar plantations, Jewish war heroes and a formal policy of White supremacy ended by the importation of non-white Europeans. Did you think it would be straightforward? Welcome to Australia. —Streamed October 25, 2023
63 The Mosaic Ark
The Ark reflects on grammar and meaning as DCR finally rewrites the website to clarify our identity as poets and what we do. It was hard. So imagine how hard it is to describe the Incarnation of Christ. In this episode the Professor and the Pigeon invite you to enter the Mosaic Ark and experience a Medieval and mystical experience of the Scriptures: the Holy Bible as a kaleidoscope. How does the Virgin Mary completely change the way Christians see the story of Creation and the Incarnation? What does it feel like for the Bible to be experienced like the spherical entertainment dome in Las Vegas? Enter into the poetic with us, and experience a moment in the Mosaic Ark.
62 King of the Jews
The Ark returns for part two of our meditation on Jesus Christ Superstar, in the wake of the war that has broken out between Israel and Palestine. After watching confusing scenes of revellers partying at a festival on the Gaza border which was reported to have turned into massacre, we ask why is the Holy Land so important for imperial powers that this place seems eternally conflicted?
Will the dance floor of the empires ever find peace?
Join us as we ask what Christ was doing when He decided to go into Jerusalem for the Passion Week and let His own people crown Him with thorns and hail Him 'King of the Jews'.
61 Superstar
The professor and the pigeon meditate on the 1973 film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, and like the artists who made the movie, attempt to explain Christ to the Modern world. Was it blasphemous to show the gospel through the perspective of Judas, or was it a revelation of man's response to the Gospels in the modern world? Join us as we ask exactly who is Jesus Christ and why it's so hard to say why we love Him.
60 Over the Mountain
The professor scaled the moly mountain on an adventure in Colorado’s Dividing Range, and in this episode she regales the Ark with a tale of taking the high road to see our fellow drake Mel in her mountain home. But what happens when you get to the top and can’t come down again? Join us for storytime, as RFB and Kilts discover why drivers on the Monarch Pass need guardrails, and why women need men in times of crisis.
59 Mirror Mirror
The Ark hosts a vigil for Kilts’s dead roosters, who died valiantly protecting their hens from the now infamous fox. So what happens in a world without roosters guarding the flock? In this episode the Professor and her grieving Goth challenge the audience to look at the mirror image of their own understanding, starting with the Barbies who have not been 'liberated' but have in fact simply been surviving the collapse of patriarchy. We take a turn towards the early church, and how the patriarchy of Alexandria challenged the imperial dogma of Arian Christianity to see Christ as both Human and God. And finally, we read from Peter Novick's book _The Holocaust In American Life_ to see the aspect of this story that has defined Jewish identity in United States. Confused? Join us to look at image reversals and the formation of identity.
58 Conch Wars
The Ark continues its meditations from Atomic Myths to reflect on the Conch Wars of Cancel Culture. Pausing to reflect on their meeting in Milo's Telegram chat room in a Lord of the Flies frenzy over who holds the conch, RFB expands on the power of speech over group behaviour. How does rhetoric influence people to go to war for Empire, as happened in Rome? Do the stories people tell about the imperial border wars really hold up against the reality of empire? Join us to see why stories set the course for empires, and why contesting imperial myths will get you cancelled. Beware the conch!
BasedCon 3: Lies, Damned Lies, and History
Those who do not study history may be doomed to repeat it, but those who do are doomed to repeat the things they read in history books. The more history you read, the more you learn how little historians know, until you really get in trouble by arguing about things that everyone is convinced MUST have happened (like the evils of the Spanish Inquisition or the glorious reign of King Arthur) but for which there is conflicting or no evidence. What do you do when your alt-history threatens to get you deplatformed…for knowing too much history? Professor Rachel Fulton Brown is here to help. With Hans Schantz as Student.
57 Atomic Myths
The Professor muses on her origin story in New Mexico’s enchanted land—the isthmus between the Anglo and Hispanic and native American cultures, and the border between the Holy Virgin and Oppenheimer’s bomb. What did the atomic explosion do to the imagination of the West? Does the theory of relativity have Westerners captivated in relativism and incapable of claiming that there is only one Truth? Could the Incarnation of God in Christ be the cure to the fear that was conjured at the Trinity Site in 1945?
56 “What Was I Made For?”
The Ark pauses to reflect on the Professor’s post-Barbie realization that the Millennials are enduring a special kind of trauma. In the Roe v Wade Western world, every baby born was approved by somebody's choice. But what does this decision mean for Millennials who grew up wondering what they were made for? How has that generation developed in the knowledge that they were created “on demand”? Join us to reflect on the Millennial Mind, and what must happen to make life again.
55 He’s Kenough!
The Ark wants to party like Barbie again, this time with Ken! Our second part of this movie analysis takes the Professor and the Pigeon into the layers of the sexual roles depicted in the film. We talk sexual tension and competition in the Kendom, the hidden Theosophy of Barbieland, the failed relationship between Ken and Barbie, and how Lego proved the difference between how boys and girls play with their toys. Could it be that Ken wasn't Kenough and the film totally failed the Kens? Let's play!
54 Here Be Barbies
The Ark turns pink for Girls Nite as the Professor and Pigeon review the billion dollar doll that has everybody talking about her. Is this film another piece of Hollywood feminist propaganda, or have Greta Gerwig and her crew achieved a masterful subversion in storytelling made for women who have grown up in the post-Boomer Barbie World? Join us to find out what Barbie is really all about. Are you ready, Ken? Let's party!
53 A Story for Little Bears
Season Two of the Mosaic Ark begins, and the Professor and the Pigeon are thinking about gemstones. We begin the stream by reflecting on the role of mining in the nations of the Anglosphere, and how identity was formed in the search for precious stones. We think about the identification of lifeforms by Charles Darwin on his journey across the seas to find the mystery of our origins. What kind of origin story are we all referring to in the modern West? And can storytelling help us see more clearly than other forms of perception? We celebrate the launch of our second season with a reading from the Dragon Common Room’s adventure story AURORA BEARIALIS. Watch for the Albatross!