I Might Believe in Faeries

Aaron Irber
  • 4.8 (21)
  • FICTION

This is a podcast about stories, myths and Catholicism. Stories are how we orient ourselves in the world. In Catholicism, we believe in the Greatest Story: Christ crucified and resurrected. We participate in His story through ritual worship; the liturgy. Even in the Catholic Church, these truths are often forgotten or ignored. My mission for this podcast is to explore storytelling, myths, and how these fit into Catholicism. I will cover Catholic fantasy and science fiction authors, mythology, folklore and the Catholic faith. aaronirber.substack.com

  1. The Church, Morello, & Hermes (ft. Gregorio Montejo)

    FEB 15

    The Church, Morello, & Hermes (ft. Gregorio Montejo)

    Today, I am joined by my friend Gregorio Montejo to discuss a subject that has caused a minor controversy in the world of re-enchantment and Traditionalist Catholicism. I am talking about a book titled Mysticism, Magic & Monasteries: Recovering the Sacred Mystery at the Root of Reality (Os Justi Press, 2024) by Dr. Sebastian Morello. In this book, Dr. Morello argues for the integration (possibly re-integration) of neoplatonic and hermetic thought into the Church. What does this mean? What does this look like? We discuss all this, critiques of the book, and much more. Gregorio Montejo can be found on Twitter.com @KtistecP Gregorio’s substack, Past Master, can be found here. Books by Sebastian Morello: Mysticism, Magic & Monasteries can be found here. The World as God’s Icon can be found here. Morello’s Critics and Responses: Hermetic Tradition or Catholic Tradition? A Critique of Sebastian Morello by Matthew Minerd, Thomas Mirus, Matthew Scarince Dialogos on Magic with Drs Morello and Minerd from The Meaning of Catholic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 30m
  2. 2025 Year in Review (ft. Susannah Black Roberts)

    JAN 15

    2025 Year in Review (ft. Susannah Black Roberts)

    In this episode, Susannah Black Roberts returns to the show to discuss the best books we read in 2025. We talked a lot about C. S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Patrick O’Brian, Tim Powers, and others. We discussed how some authors are able to depict “holiness” in their books and what that can do to the reader. Check it out! Susannah is the editor of both Plough and Mere Orthodoxy and she can be found on Twitter.com @suzania ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby This podcast and its content may not be used for training and developing A.I. systems without permission. ************************************************************************************************************* This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 8m
  3. Lud-in-the-Mist (ft. Carla Arnell)

    JAN 1

    Lud-in-the-Mist (ft. Carla Arnell)

    “Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, the actual head of the family, was a typical Dorimarite in appearance; rotund, rubicund, red-haired, with hazel eyes in which the jokes, before he uttered them, twinkled like a trout in a burn.” I am joined by Carla Arnell, Professor of English at Lake Forest College, to discuss the almost unknown fantasy novel, Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees. We discuss the plot of the book, the characters and the Catholic sacramental themes that permeate the novel. Neither of us are kidding when we say this is one of our top favorite fantasy novels of all time. Professor Arnell wrote a paper on Lud titled, Lud-in-the-Mist as Memento Mori: Existential Anxiety and the Consolations of an Aesthetic Theology in Hope Mirrlees’s Fantasy Novel. Professor Arnell’s faculty page: https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/faculty/arnell Divine Representations: The Rise of the Mystical Novel in Twentieth-Century England https://sunypress.edu/Books/D/Divine-Representations ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby This podcast and its content may not be used for training and developing A.I. systems without permission. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 4m

  4. 12/15/2025

    Liturgical Tolkien (ft. Ben Reinhard)

    A lot of ink has been spilled over the Catholic and religious underpinnings of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Pretty much everyone knows this by now, but very few have probed the depths of how the liturgy and the Catholic Mass influenced the very foundation of Middle Earth. In this episode, Professor Ben Reinhard joins the show to explore Tolkien’s deep liturgical roots in his book, The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination. We also discuss how to initiate a hobbit into true religion! You just need Elves and the oldest song-slinging being in Middle Earth (Tom). The High Hallow: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/the-high-hallow-tolkiens-liturgical-imagination ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby This podcast and its content may not be used for training and developing A.I. systems without permission. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min

  5. 11/24/2025

    The Death of Rabelais (ft. Jane Scharl)

    *This episode contains content that may not be suitable for children. Essayist, poet, and playwright, Jane Scharl returns to the show to discuss her new play, The Death of Rabelais. This is the second in a loose trilogy featuring France’s infamous humanist and humorist, François Rabelais. In this play, Rabelais finds himself lost in a snow storm on the Eve of Epiphany only to find that Death awaits him. We discuss the play and the different approaches artists and critics take when discerning the different levels of meaning in a work of literature. Jane Scharl’s website: https://jcscharl.com/ Substack: J.C. Scharl Wiseblood Books Link: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p169/The_Death_of_Rabelais%3A_A_Play%2C_Jane_Clark_Scharl.html ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby ************************************************************************************************************* This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 1m

  6. 10/15/2025

    Something Wicked This Way Comes (ft. Brad Birzer & Thomas Salerno)

    It is spooky season when the veil between the material and spiritual worlds becomes thin. Halloween is right around the corner and monsters prowl about the edge of society often taking the forms of something either enticing or frightening. Church music plays backwards and carnivals arrive at 3:00 AM. In this episode of IMBIF, I discuss Ray Bradbury’s classic horror story, Something Wicked This Way Comes, with Brad Birzer and Thomas Salerno. A dark carnival arrives at a small midwestern town and two teenage boys are faced with it’s terrors and temptations. We talk about Bradbury’s beliefs, the nature of the carnival, of fatherhood, and of friendship. Is this a Christian book? What is Mr. Dark? Is he human or something else? What is it about Bradbury’s fiction that is so compelling even if we don’t share his worldview? All this and more in this exiting episode. Brad Birzer can be found on Twitter.com at @bradleybirzer and his website is: https://spiritofcecilia.com/ Thomas Salerno can be found on Twitter.com at @Salerno_Thomas and his books can be found here: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/riddle-of-the-tongue-stones************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby ************************************************************************************************************* This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 25m

  7. 09/30/2025

    A Tim Powers Deep Dive (ft. iSamwise)

    Last month, I was a guest on iSamwise’s YouTube channel and we discussed, you guessed it, Tim Powers! Check it out! iSamwise kindly shared his audio file with me so I could share it with all of you. Link to iSamwise’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@iSamwise ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack - for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 17m

  8. 09/15/2025

    The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis (ft. Jason Baxter)

    In this episode, I am joined by medieval scholar and author, Jason Baxter. Dr. Baxter is the Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College and the author of many books, including a new translation of Dante and The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis. Dr. Baxter and I discussed The Medieval Mind, C. S. Lewis as medievalist, and why he had a medieval mind. We also talk about how Lewis’ thoughts could be applied to modern science. Everyone needs to go out and read Lewis and then read Dr. Baxter’s The Medieval Mind. For a list of his books, check out Jason Baxter’s website: https://www.jasonmbaxter.com/ ************************************************************************************************************* Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber Subscribe to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@imightbelieveinfaeries7563 Subscribe to my Substack for updates on the show, essays, and more! Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries Like my Facebook page - I Might Believe in Faeries Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Logo Art by Linnea Kisby ************************************************************************************************************* This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aaronirber.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 1m
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4.8
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

This is a podcast about stories, myths and Catholicism. Stories are how we orient ourselves in the world. In Catholicism, we believe in the Greatest Story: Christ crucified and resurrected. We participate in His story through ritual worship; the liturgy. Even in the Catholic Church, these truths are often forgotten or ignored. My mission for this podcast is to explore storytelling, myths, and how these fit into Catholicism. I will cover Catholic fantasy and science fiction authors, mythology, folklore and the Catholic faith. aaronirber.substack.com

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