I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. As I have not read much of / about St Paisios directly, I'd be hesitant to claim too much direct inspiration. However, the thoughts of Paul Kingsnorth and his "wild saints" who step back into an Edenic world definitely informed the story, and since he's frequently quoting or mentioning St Paisios, I believe you are likely onto something. Which quotes do you have in mind? Any recommend reading for me?
The one I was thinking of was "The animals enjoy being with man and look at him as their king. In Paradise, Adam called the animals one by one and gave them each a name according to its kind. Animals recognized man’s superiority and were happy in his presence."
Amazing thank you for sharing. Yes this story definitely attempts to play with these ideas. I also had in mind GK Chesterton's biography of Francis (which is a lovely book). What does it look like "from outside" when little reunifications occur between heaven and earth?
Great piece! Any inspiration from St. Paisios? The quotes from him about Man's relationship with animals are so great.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. As I have not read much of / about St Paisios directly, I'd be hesitant to claim too much direct inspiration. However, the thoughts of Paul Kingsnorth and his "wild saints" who step back into an Edenic world definitely informed the story, and since he's frequently quoting or mentioning St Paisios, I believe you are likely onto something. Which quotes do you have in mind? Any recommend reading for me?
I'm not exceedingly familiar, but some of his more striking quotes can be found here:
https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2019/05/elder-paisios-on-loving-the-world-around-us#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20animals%20enjoy%20being%20with,at%20him%20as%20their%20king.
The one I was thinking of was "The animals enjoy being with man and look at him as their king. In Paradise, Adam called the animals one by one and gave them each a name according to its kind. Animals recognized man’s superiority and were happy in his presence."
Amazing thank you for sharing. Yes this story definitely attempts to play with these ideas. I also had in mind GK Chesterton's biography of Francis (which is a lovely book). What does it look like "from outside" when little reunifications occur between heaven and earth?