What are the roles of beauty, art, & the craft of writing in reviving Catholic culture? More fundamentally: what is beauty? What is art? What is writing, & can everyone become a writer? Max Kelbly, Michael Merimee, & Mark Kostelac attempt to tackle these tough questions from many angles: from high theology to daily practice, from philosophy & the heights of the Beauty of the Sacred Liturgy to simple folk, “hobbit art.”

This lecture & discussion comes from the First Quarterly Small Conference put on by the Catholic Writers Guild of Akron. Special thanks to our speakers for volunteering their time & talent, & for St. Sebastian Parish for granting us the space to host the event. Below you can find the mission for the Catholic Writers Guild, as well as links for more information about the speakers & their work.

Mission of the Guild: “The mission of this group is to cultivate both a peaceful time & space where Catholics can come together in prayer, fellowship, discipline, & accountability to hone the craft of writing, regardless of experience or skill level in order to draw closer to the Triune God, to excel in the virtue of magninimity, & use this craft of writing for the betterment of ourselves & others in charity & for the flourishing of the Church in our time & ages to come.”

Michael Merimee’s Bonfire Media & publishing house: https://www.bonfiremedia.art/

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Find Max on Instagram: @TacoVsSushi

What does it mean to ‘live liturgically?’ Max attempts to answer this question among many others in this public talk given in September 2022. When observed closely, all people–religious & irreligious alike–act out liturgy, & often it is those who claim to have no religion at all that currently act out liturgically better than believers: zombie walks, incessant political protests, sports as the center focus of American life, parades, designating entire months to certain causes, & the ever-growing size & impact of music concerts as just a few examples. But the question is begged: how can Christians live liturgically in a post-Christianity society?

To understand this topic, Max challenges the listener to ‘reimagine time’ in the strange, but intuitive way the ancients & medievals saw the world. Importantly, it is uncovered that time is a force of change, & that our liturgical calendar is inseparable from the natural flow & cycles of the seasons, the heavens, the stars, the planets, & the sun. Finally, Max dialogues & brainstorms with the audience on what practical, concrete steps can be taken to live closer to nature & the Transcendent.

Other subjects covered include the sinister symbolism of the suburbs, the cosmic significance of the placement of feast days, man as microcosm, the 24-hour day as Christ’s Life, the disappearance of distance, re-enchanting the days of the week, Advent wreaths, sanctifying time with music, planting gardens, among many more.

Checkout Max’s new guidebook on language learning & travel made simple:

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

How to contact us:

Questions can be directed to: etymosmax@gmail.com

Find Max on Instagram: @TacoVsSushi

Etymos Podcast EP07

In this three-part series, Max discusses the universal human need to “enter into the desert” both proverbially, literally, & symbolically. To enter into the desert or go on “poustinia” is to go on retreat from the routines of everyday life either abroad or in the confines of one’s room to reflect, pray, meditate, do penance, return to the simplistic of life, & commune with the Spiritual. The desert is a place of exile, of complete material deprivation, of thirst, of starvation, & wandering yet it has also been the place of great encounter & revelation for monks, pilgrims, & lay folk regardless of their faith or lack thereof.

In this episode, the focus is on the importance of patience & silence in your daily life, while also reflecting on his 2020 trip to Albania in order to “find himself.” Traveling can be massively spiritually beneficial, but far too often it is a form of escapism & can lead to confusion, despair, & disaster. Why do we travel? On top of discussing retreat, Max identifies the two types of travelers & how different they are in their temperaments yet how similar they are in their search for meaning & re-creation. These episodes are short yet jam-packed & timely, as the desert of Lent is on our doorstep. Enjoy.

Check out Max’s new guidebook on language learning & travel made simple:

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

Exodus90

Discerning your future? Should I go to college? Max responds (video).

Sayings of Saint Abba John the Dwarf

Aristotle’s Politics, 340BC- “... must be either a beast or a god”

Basics of Symbolism & Language - EtymPod Episode 01

How to do digital detox? Cal Newport responds (video).

The Urgent Quest for Slower, Better News - Cal Newport

How to contact us:

Business inquiries can be directed to: etymosmax@gmail.com

Find Max on Instagram: @TacoVsSushi

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Etymos Podcast EP06

Movies go far beyond simple entertainment. Movies are a window to their writer, director, but most importantly the culture & time from which they emerged. The movie “Unhinged” starring Russel Crowe & Caren Pistorius depicting road rage gone off-the-rails captures a unique moment as it was released during the height of the Pandemic in 2020. “Unhinged” was an unexpected film yet it captured the attention of millions at home. It explicitly & implicitly showed the many contradictions/errors of & frustrations with modern American culture.

In this episode, Max shows how the movie “Unhinged” acts as a “microcosm,” that is to say: a condensed form of & retelling of reality, in this instance, American culture. Topics discussed include the Banality of Evil, the American dissonance of rugged individualism & totalitarianism, materialism, Gnosticism, traditional Christian beliefs, Buddhism, & the symbolism of the night, monsters, & seeds.

Max also explains the absence of “the Good” & absence of genuine protagonists in modern storytelling, its origins in the World Wars, why this matters, & how it explains our continual societal failures to curb outbursts of destructive nihilism.

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

Unhinged Movie Trailer

The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt on the Normalization of Human Wickedness and Our Only Effective Antidote to It

Eichmann in Jerusalem - Book Overview

The Theology of Evil

Theft is often Disguised as Charity - Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Gods, Angels, and Demons - Fr. Andrew Damick, Fr. Stephen De Young, Jonathan Pageau

Business inquiries can be directed to: etymosmax@gmail.com

Find Max on Instagram: @TacoVsSushi

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Etymos podcast EP05

The Winter Solstice marks the end of Fall & the Beginning of Winter. Across hundreds of generations & innumerable cultures, it has been a day of celebration in recognition that it is the darkest night of the year, & thus lighter, more hopeful days are to follow. However, the depth of this cosmic & spiritual event does not end there.

In this special Advent & Christmas episode, Max discusses the symbolic significance of the Winter Solstice while also sharing a poetic essay of his. Plus, as a bonus, the episode is capped with readings of several ancient Anglo-Saxon Advent Lyrics, known as the O antiphons that act as portals to enter the mysteries of Christmas. Join us for this special reflection & celebration.

Checkout Max’s new guide book to acquiring a second language in a fun & effective way:

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

The Inversion of Christmas by John Joyce

Christmas as The Anchor of Reality

Cædmon's Hymn

Bede’s Death Song

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

In this shorter episode, Max reflects on the meaning of martyrdom & how love in its purest form is inseparable from sacrifice. Saints Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, & José Sánchez del Río provide clear examples of self-sacrifice for others & the Greatest Good, while triumphing over the evils that put them to death.

Max also discusses how self-sacrifice & martyrdom is not only a human & religious phenomena, but it forms the very basis of identity & all of reality from the mitochondria in human cells, to what a tree is, to forsaking self-love, to the sacrifice at the foundation of the world. There is no existence without sacrifice.

Checkout Max’s new guide book to acquiring a second language in a fun & effective way:

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Joan of Arc

The Symbolic World | A Lecture by Jonathan Pageau

For Greater Glory - Movie Trailer

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Etymos Podcast EP03

In this third episode, Max continues his two-part survey of the languages & symbolism of the renowned science fiction book Dune by Frank Herbert. Dune was originally published in 1965, became an instant classic, has sold 20 million copies, influenced hundreds of other works, & remains a shining example for creators today who seek to immerse readers in a believable, vast fictional world that explores the great mysteries of life.

Max discusses the first two books & the new movie directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothee Chalamet & Oscar Isaac. Themes & topics discussed include the spice melange as a mirror of Tolkien’s Ring of Power, the monstrous potential of leadership, religion as a tool of manipulation, the consequences of removing the “Jesus story” from humanity’s innate search for a king, God, & Messiah, artificial languages, spice melange as the waters of baptism, among others.

From Friday, November 24th through Monday, November 27th I will be having an exclusive Black Friday sale for my new book To Speak Is to See. If you are interested in this offer, please contact me via email at etymosmax@gmail.com or via DM on Instagram @TacoVsSushi. Unsigned paperback is on sale for $12 (a $15 value), signed copy is $15 (a $20 value), & a signed copy with personal note is $20 (a $39 value). Shipping within the US is included & I will personally discount the price of larger orders of multiple books. The Kindle eBook is also on sale for $0.99.

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

Dune Author: Frank Herbert Interview

Frank Herbert on Environmentalism - Interview Short

The Pumpkin Spice - MuaDiBucks

The Metaphysics of Pepe with Jonathan Pageau

The 4 Horsemen of Meaning | Bishop Barron, John Vervaeke, and Jonathan Pageau

Baptism

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Etymos Podcast EP02: Let the Pumpkin Spice Flow

In this second episode, Max takes a look at the languages & symbolism of the renowned science fiction book Dune by Frank Herbert. Dune was originally published in 1965, became an instant classic, has sold 20 million copies, influenced hundreds of other works, & remains a shining example for creators today who seek to immerse readers in a believable, vast fictional world of cultures, languages, environments, political intrigue, religions, & narrative that explores the great mysteries of life.

Max geeks out about the languages of the Duniverse & how they relate but also differ from the languages of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Max also tells the story of how a meme sparked his interest in uncovering the oddball origin of the book Dune.

Consider purchasing the eBook or paperback of my new guide to acquiring languages.

“To Speak Is to See” on Amazon

Support Etymos on Patreon for as little as $1 a month

Other Cool Links:

Dune Author: Frank Herbert Interview

Frank Herbert on Environmentalism - Interview Short

The Pumpkin Spice - MuaDiBucks

Music:

Living Voyage by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3985-living-voyage

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license