Radiant Whispers

Gabriel Porras
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
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All we have to comfort, guide us and sustain us in this straggling path called life are the radiant whispers that we grasp as a distant “sunrise of wonder” in our spiritual practice, in great works of literature, music, art, and in nature and blue skies. These are the Radiant Whispers. That's what this podcast is about. We will talk about culture and society, about ancient and modern history, literature and art with dramatized readings of poetry, fables, theatre, novels and stories. Subscribe -let's find radiant whispers everywhere.

  1. How Democracies Perish, by Jean-François Revel

    AUG 30

    How Democracies Perish, by Jean-François Revel

    Jean-François Revel (1924-2006) was a French Jean-François Revel, a French philosopher, novelist and satirist (1924–2006), published a fascinating book in 1983 entitled How Democracies Die. This book feels like a report from the future, smuggled out of tomorrow's newspapers. Revel had a clear vision of our modern paradox: the freest and richest societies can become their own enemies when their virtues are used as weapons against them. Although he was agnostic, Revel understood the void left by the abandonment of Christian civilisation and morality. He conducted a profound analysis of ‘self-dissolution’ long before social media and human resources sensitivity training made this diagnosis commonplace. This episode delves into his great warning: that the best virtues of Western civilisation are also its greatest weakness. As in a judo match, our enemies know how to use democracy's own weight to bring it down. Every pillar of Western freedom is used against it: the most advanced and secure societies open their borders wide in the name of compassion; they make a suicidal pact with “tolerance” and are so careful not to offend anyone that they neutralise language until citizens can no longer name sabotage in parliament, classrooms and popular culture. Revel saw how each virtue is exploited as a vulnerability in a relentless attack that cracks the foundations of every Western democracy. Subscribe and leave me a comment!

    16 min
  2. I love my wife. My wife is dead. - Richard Feynman’s Love Letter to His Dead Wife

    JUL 30

    I love my wife. My wife is dead. - Richard Feynman’s Love Letter to His Dead Wife

    What a physics genius wrote... sixteen months after losing the love of his life... Richard Feynman was many things: a Nobel Prize–winning physicist, an enthusiastic teacher, a devoted father, and—believe it or not—a talented bongo drummer. But beyond the lab coat and lecture halls, he was also a man of profound love and deep emotional insight. Feynman’s heart shone as brightly as his mind. He married his childhood sweetheart, Arline Greenbaum, even as she battled terminal tuberculosis. Arline’s health declined so rapidly that she spent their entire marriage in hospitals and sanatoriums, yet their bond never weakened. Throughout this time, Richard wrote to Arline letters full of wit, warmth, and undying devotion almost every day. Many of these can be found in his remarkable collection Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track. But the most touching of them all is one he wrote to her sixteen months after she passed away, and which I read for you today. Their story—a brilliant mind, an unbreakable love—continues to move readers and admirers to this day. In fact, the auction house Sotheby’s recently published a beautiful article on their extraordinary relationship. You can find it here: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/no-other-love-heart-wrenching-letters-from-richard-feynman-to-his-late-wife-arline Credits: Programme recorded and produced by Gabriel Porras for radiantwhispers.com and gabrielvoice.com Music: Ambient Melancholic Background by universefield at pixabay.com Used under license. Cover created by Ricardo Gil, scravricardo@gmail.com Image by Freepik.es. Used with license.

    5 min
  3. Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

    JUN 29

    Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

    About Desiderata and Max Ehrmann The name Desiderata comes from Latin and means ‘things desired’ or ‘essential’, an appropriate title for a poetic manifesto on how to live wisely and well. Max Ehrmann (1872-1945) was an American poet and lawyer who studied philosophy and law at Harvard and worked in publishing and law before turning to writing full-time at the age of 40. Ehrmann wrote Desiderata in 1927, during the interwar period, a time when the world was reeling from World War I and unknowingly heading towards the Great Depression of 1929. His timeless advice for inner peace, authenticity and resilience is all the more remarkable in this context of uncertainty. Interestingly, Desiderata was not well known during Ehrmann's lifetime. It became famous after his death, when it was erroneously claimed that it had been found in a 17th century church. This myth spread rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, during the hippie movement, when many found in its words a balm for modern life. Max Ehrmann described this poem as: “a word for the weary, to help inspire them with faith, hope and courage.” May it be so for you! Credits: Recorded and produced by Gabriel Porras, voice artist and producer for gabrielvoice.com and radiantwhispers.com. Cover by Ricardo Gil (scravricardo@gmail.com). Image created with AI on Freepik.com. Music: ‘Echo of Sadness’, by TURNIQUE. Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: DWVR885RV4DTZOFC

    3 min
  4. Rumi: Dance of the Atoms

    MAY 27

    Rumi: Dance of the Atoms

    Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) was a Persian mystic, poet and scholar whose voice still resonates with astonishing force more than eight centuries later. He was born in what is now Afghanistan and was raised in the rich tradition of Sufism. Each of his verses is a dance between the human soul and the divine, an attempt to put into words the experience of spiritual love, the soul's deep longing for its origin. The ‘Dance of the Atoms’ celebrates the unity of all creation, expressing that every atom in the universe is dancing in the light and presence of God, in constant movement towards the divine. Everything is alive, interconnected, in a mystical way that sounds very close to how we understand quantum physics today and the energy that binds all matter together. Subscribe and leave me a comment! This version of Rumi's poem was created and read by Gabriel Porras for gabrielvoice.com and radiantwhispers.com. Cover by Ricardo Gil (scravricardo@gmail.com). Image created by AI at Freepik.com. Music: And my heavy heart found its wings once again, by The Laws of Gravity at artlist.io. Used with license.

    1 min
  5. Control your anger before it controls you - 10 strategies that change lives

    MAY 2

    Control your anger before it controls you - 10 strategies that change lives

    🔥 How to Control Anger Before It Controls You - 10 Life-Changing Strategies If anger has made you say or do things you later regret, this episode is for you. Here you'll discover 10 strategies proven by modern psychology to calm you down before you explode. They're practical, easy and have helped thousands of people improve their daily lives. Learn how to manage your anger at work, at home, with your loved ones or even with yourself. 🌟 You are not alone. Your calm is just a step away. 💬 Let me know in the comments which of these techniques you're going to try today. 📩 Share this video with anyone who needs it. 👉 Subscribe for more emotional tools!

    12 min
  6. 10 Tips for Overcoming Fear

    MAR 29

    10 Tips for Overcoming Fear

    Fear doesn't have to control you or your actions. In this episode, I reveal 10 effective strategies for dealing with any fear, from the fear of being ridiculed to the fear of death. If you've ever felt paralysed by fear, this episode will give you practical and easy-to-use tools - don't let fear take over your life! 🔥💪 Credits: Programme written, presented and produced by Gabriel Porras for murmullosradiantes.com and gabrielvoice.com Music: Ephemeral, by David Charrier on artlist.com, is used under license. Cover created by Ricardo Gil, ricardo@scrav.com Image from Freepik.es. Used with license. The book by Susan Jeffers that I refer to in the programme is titled ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’. An interesting clip on the benefits of 4-7-8 breathing and a demonstration by Dr Andrew Weil: https://youtu.be/Egr8iGBg8Oc?si=yM95MvhL1CDbfQpq Share this material with anyone who might benefit from it. Leave me a comment and subscribe to the channel to help me reach more people with good taste like you.

    11 min
  7. Forgiveness, by María Popova

    FEB 27

    Forgiveness, by María Popova

    This is a poem by the extraordinary Maria Popova, a luminous intellectual with an encyclopaedic mind and spirit who publishes a weekly review entitled ‘The Marginalian’, to which you should subscribe without further ado because it's always a treasure chest full of treasures. Subscribe right now here; it's free but worth tons of gold: https://www.themarginalian.org/newsletter/?mc_cid=fdf6301d93 Maria has the divine intelligence to find links and associations between a thousand different texts of the highest quality, making each of her deliveries a gift for the brain and the spirit. You're going to thank me for recommending her to you. Credits: Programme written, presented and produced by Gabriel Porras for radiantwhispers.com and gabrielvoice.com. Music: Morning Mist, by Deeper Still on artlist.com used under license. Cover created by Ricardo Gil, ricardo@scrav.com Image from Freepik.es. Used with license. Please share this material with anyone who might benefit from it. Also, please leave me a comment and subscribe to the channel to help me reach more people with great taste like you.

    2 min
  8. Why Christ is the best that could ever happen to your mind and your world

    JAN 29

    Why Christ is the best that could ever happen to your mind and your world

    It is essential to seek help for both the body and the mind. When we face mental or emotional problems, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. We do not hesitate to go to the doctor when we have a virus, so why should we not approach our inner struggles, such as sadness or depression, in the same way? The programme was recorded, produced, and presented by Gabriel Porras @artofvoicing for gabrielvoice.com and radiantwhispers.com. Text by Gabriel Porras, greatly inspired by a reflection by Emma Scrivener here: https://www.emmascrivener.net/2017/11/the-gospel-good-for-mental-health/ Cover by Ricardo Gil at ricardo@scrav.com Cover Image: “New Year Background Inspiration”, by Shad0wfall at pixabay.com. Used with license. Music and sound effects: ‘Circle of life’, by Circle of Life on artlist.io, is used with a license. ‘Bell chimes’ by josephmusic on pixabay.com, used with license. If you want to learn more about the Christian faith in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, the Alpha Course is a great introduction where you can ask all your questions and meet new friends locally. Find your local Alpha Course anywhere in the world here: https://alpha.org.uk/try

    13 min
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About

All we have to comfort, guide us and sustain us in this straggling path called life are the radiant whispers that we grasp as a distant “sunrise of wonder” in our spiritual practice, in great works of literature, music, art, and in nature and blue skies. These are the Radiant Whispers. That's what this podcast is about. We will talk about culture and society, about ancient and modern history, literature and art with dramatized readings of poetry, fables, theatre, novels and stories. Subscribe -let's find radiant whispers everywhere.

Information

  • Creator
    Gabriel Porras
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Radiant Whispers