Ever since I started running into the many and highly varied sides of my psyche, which would be since very early childhood, the persona who philosophizes and wants to figure out what living is about has had certain questions that until I listened to this podcast had remained unanswered.
I have gone under the reign of various erupting psychic "cysts" at times of my life, but I somehow never did learn to fear this passage, and from the start I've observed how after the waters calm, I would be more my true self, or at least feel that way.
The most amazing personal psychological progression to me was the transformation of the God and the Satan personae over many years, to where they were almost in reverse roles from the traditional view of God in Heaven and Satan plaguing Earth.
I observed things like the Satan figure ascending God's Throne, and my rational self wondered what to make of the images related to this. What it came up with was that Satan personified for me the heartless but nonetheless undeniable power of reason, that, if enthoned on the foremost seat of the universe, would certainly rule differently but not in an evil manner. What I had to assume was that coming into power matured "Satan" into a figure more of justice and fairness than of nihilistic destruction and corruption.
As for "God," He gave up His throne because of His love for humans, and followed the example of Jesus and came to Earth to simply be good to them in the Here and Now. His goodness was demonstrated by His willingness to let Satan win Armageddon. My "God" had nothing to prove. Yes I got a few poems out of this stuff, which, I mention as evidence of my rationality, were not submitted to any Christian Poetry Anthologies.
As Joyce seems to intimate with his character Here Comes Everybody (Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker) we are all of us multi-composite. It has been looked upon as problematic for so long, that this normal state has become alienated to us. I certainly had years of difficulty accepting that such figures as my Satan had positive roles to play given the right circumstances, and that a figure like God could become completely sweet and humble, at least in my interior universe.
It doesn't seem that Stef can do an interview or a podcast these days that doesn't ring all the bells. I applaud!