In this episode, Nicole tackles the role of the imagination in the spiritual life, and how we need healthy imaginations in order to have a proper desire for God and the spiritual life. She also offers a few ideas regarding how to start healing the imagination, especially as someone who has struggled with a wounded imagination herself.

In this episode, Nicole offers a basic background on the philosophy of the human person as laid out by Aristotle and Aquinas, but with a specific focus on the emotions, where they come from, and what their role would have been in our state of "original integrity," which Fr. Brian Mullady uses to describe how Adam and Eve functioned (and therefore, how we are designed to function).

Since we live post-Adam and Eve, what are we supposed to do with our emotions? Nicole offers one way to start approaching our emotions in this fallen world, using the work of Dr. Diana Fosha on core emotions.

Original Integrity Diagram (as mentioned in the podcast)

In this episode, Nicole & Trinity share their intellectual and personal reasons for belief in God, ranging from the idea of God as the first cause of all things to God as the underlying order and reason that makes this world understandable. This is what we might say if an atheist at the bar asked us "Why do you believe in God, anyway?"

Is this episode supposed to definitively prove God's existence? In no way. Is it still worth a listen? We sure hope so.

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Have any comments or questions? Email nicolehocott@gmail.com.

In today's episode, Nicole & Trinity take on scrupulosity, which is a kind of spiritual perfectionism and a subset of OCD. We don't take on the topic from a clinical perspective, but rather some underlying beliefs and God images that might dispose us toward a struggle with scrupulosity. We discuss God's goodness, mercy, and examples of His character found in literature.

Link to Sr. Miriam James clip (EDIT: It's actually a different Bible story and it's called, "What Do You Still Lack?" That's my bad, but it's still the same point. - Nicole):

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpQJyaAz4gU

Links on Scrupulosity as OCD:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWRrNCKc0l8&feature=youtu.be
• https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/87-scrupulosity-when-ocd-gets-religion/id1503898046?i=1000544076273 (this episode is also found on Spotify and other podcasting platforms)

Book Recommendation: I Believe in Love by Fr Jean C. J. D'Elbee

Nicole Hocott explains how one might even begin to answer, "What is Reality?" We figured that since this is a podcast that's making claims about reality and that has "reality" in the title, it would probably be a good idea to define what that is. In order to do this, we have to engage in metaphysics. This episode will also attempt to pitch you the idea that your metaphysics (i.e., your underlying principles and assumptions about the world, being, and reality) are absolutely crucial to your wellbeing. Nicole discusses how reality is either bigger than what's in your thought and philosophies, smaller than what's in your thought, or the exact same as what's in your thought. With the help of Peter Kreeft (via his book, unfortunately, not as a guest), Nicole also examines what difference it makes to your life which one of these you believe.

Will this episode answer all of life's mysteries? Absolutely not. Is it still worth listening to? We sure hope so, or else we wouldn't be publishing it.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, email nicolehocott@gmail.com

Please consider suscribing to help our new channel, and thanks for listening!

In this episode, Trinity and Nicole take on the void, or the sense of longing for more that's part of every human life.

Questions Explored:

• What am I supposed to do with my longings and unmet desires?
• Where do I take my disappointments, and how am I supposed to interpret them in light of God's goodness?
• If I'm a Christian, am I supposed to feel satisfied already?
• What will ultimately satisfy the human heart?
• What do we do when we find ourselves in the waiting place?

Book Recommendations:

• The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis
• Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb
• Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
• Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

Have any suggestions, comments, or questions? Email nicolehocott@gmail.com.