Fencing Bear at Prayer

  Admit it. You never want to take it off. Sure, sure, you have thought about it logically. You’ve read all the studies about how ineffective masks are  at preventing the spread of COVID (and anything else). You have even read some studies about how masks are positively harmful  (yes, it’s the same link—go, look; I’ll wait). You have had headaches for over a year; you notice that you can’t remember things as well as you (think you) used to—it’s hard to tell, memory being what it is. You’ve noticed yourself falling asleep from lack of oxygen, and you have a cough that you just can’t shake. Your friends call it “long COVID,” but you never got COVID, as far as you know. You have, however, had a bacterial infection that left festering sores around your mouth, but that wasn’t COVID; just think how bad things might have been if you had gotten COVID, too! You notice that you have a hard time interacting with people in public—everyone seems so distant and confused—but, again, it’...

  “We sing a tale of bears who sought a gem, a pirates’ treasure lost for centuries. Three brown and one translucent bear left home to sail to where the ice wall meets the sea. An albatross bore messages of hope. A panda bear needs rescue from the seals! The penguins guard the treasure in the ice, a gemstone of the heavens, without price.” Poetry lovers and bears of all ages, don’t miss the boat!  Join Ulfie and his gang  on their quest for the Light ! Check out Storytime for a glimpse behind the scenes of HandDrawnBear’s sketches! Visit our Shop for  links to booksellers.

What do four bears in a boat have to do with the four senses of Scripture? You won’t want to miss this conversation with Marc Tuttle about medieval aesthetics and the magic of polar bears! Listen on Catholic Radio Indy Podcasts. And now that you’re intrigued, join me for a reading of “Act I: The Net”! Watch on my YouTube channel or on our Dragon Common Room website . Ready to set sail and seek the polar lights down South? Buy Aurora Bearialis now at these fine booksellers ! For the continuing adventures of the Dragons of my Telegram chat , join us weekdays at 6pmCST for TeaTime. Backstory at the Dragon Common Room . Reading recommendations in Dragons’ Keep .

The Dragon Common Room is pleased to announce the publication of Aurora Bearialis , with illustrations by HandDrawnBear. Join the bears this Christmas as they journey south in quest of the Light. SNEAK PEAK ON OUR WEBSITE, WITH LINKS IN THE SHOP WHERE TO BUY: https://www.dragoncommonroom.com Available in both hardcover and ebook. As promised in The Great Bear Tale .

A meditation on the timing of the dogmatic declaration of the Immaculate Conception (1854), with glosses on the media by Marshall McLuhan “Effects are perceived, whereas causes are conceived.”  At length, on the distant horizon, rises, with a soft and radiant light, the aurora of the Sun which has been so long desired. The happy Mother of the Messias was to be born before the Messias himself; and this is the day of the Conception of Mary. The earth already possesses a first pledge of the divine mercy; the Son of Man is near at hand. Two true Israelites, Joachim and Anne, noble branches of the family of David, find their union, after a long barrenness, made fruitful by the divine omnipotence. Glory be to God, who has been mindful of his promises, and who deigns to announce, from the high heavens, the end of the deluge of iniquity, by sending upon the earth the sweet white Dove that bears the tidings of peace! — Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year , vol. 1: Advent, Decemb...