El Filósofo

Notes from a Zenned-Out Catholic

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Notes from a Zenned-Out Catholic

Contemplative writing at the intersection of philosophy, therapy, and spirituality.

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The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, by Rafael, which sits opposite from The School of Athens (below).

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Latest Posts

  • a tale of dual belonging

    Finding religion in adulthood, when you weren’t raised with anything in particular, is a strange experience. I haven’t met many people like that. It seems most stories are about people leaving religion, not finding it. Moreover, most of the people who have a religion were raised with it, and there wasn’t the experience of wrestling…

  • ifs and the art of gaming

    Celeste has quickly become one of my favourite platform games of all time. In case you don’t know, “platformers” are games, like Super Mario, where you’re on a 2D plane, generally doing lots of jumping and falling. Celeste has a lot of that, actually, since the premise is that you, Madeline, are determined to climb…

  • get real

    Rick and Morty is one of my favourite shows—definitely in the top-three—and this is why. It’s like Doctor Who on crack—I love it! Amidst the ridiculousness and the sci-fi level grossness of it all (not to mention the adult humour), it also succeeds in grappling with some interesting ideas. Case in point is this soliloquy…

  • no-scoping narratives 🎯

    I’m a big fan of video essays. They’re my podcasts, if I’m honest—a soundtrack to my day. And I saw a few in my recommended the other day that were about Halo. You know, the game? It was one of my favourites growing up. I had to play a bootlegged copy on my PC—no Xbox…

  • samsara and the shining

    This has been a long time coming…. The Shining is my favourite horror movie of all-time. Having said that, when I first saw the film, I was pretty confused, especially with the ending. And I did what anyone of my generation would do: I googled responses, reading other people’s interpretations, and trying to think of…

  • <3 padme <3 democracy

    May the fourth be with you! I thought I’d do a special Star Wars post for you all, not least because May 4 fell on a Sunday this year but because of how timely and relevant I believe my thoughts are on the series. And I’ll begin by voicing a deeply unpopular opinion: I love…

  • an ode to used bookshops

    I like a good used bookshop like I like a good pub: affordable, accessible, and diverse. Strangely enough, like pubs, there’s a sense in which a used bookshop is a microcosm of the whole community. Reading attracts all types of people, after all, and you can tell a lot about someone by their taste in…

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About Me

I’m Paul: a Zen Catholic, Master of Divinity student currently living in Toronto, Canada.

I write philosophical fragments and spiritual reflections.

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Favourite Posts

  • silent music
    Meditation halls are very, very quiet places. The one I find myself in every week is no exception. Sitting there, I can hear all of the minutest and subtlest sounds a human being will ordinarily make: the rhythmic sound of one’s breathing, the ruffling of clothes as someone adjusts their posture, and the grumbling of… Read more: silent music
  • a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth
    Recently I found myself in a bit of a hurry. I was headed to my mum’s, and had forgotten the clothes I’d packed so, instead of the subway, I called an Uber since I was running late. Being driven to Union station felt like a treat I seldom experienced. Relatively speaking, I rarely even need… Read more: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth
  • The Pizza was Immaterial
    I want to wrestle with my conscience a wee bit. You see, the other day I was on my way home from picking up a pizza for dinner when I was stopped in the street by someone who asked for a slice. Naturally, I thought this to be a very strange thing to ask of… Read more: The Pizza was Immaterial

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The School of Athens, by Rafael, which sits opposite from The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (above).

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