Saints: I was raised a mild Catholic, and there's still some of the feeling of the saints in my life. The way I was brought up, the idea is that the saints are hanging out in heaven with god and able to intercede for us down here. They're guardian angels, and Buddhas. I most often think of Christopher watching over me when driving or traveling, and I carry a St Christopher's medal in my wallet (for a while I wore it around my neck, but the chain broke). Christopher's a personal saint, too, since that's my middle name. Sometimes I'll kind of pray to St Anthony too, if I'm trying to find something I've lost. For me, though...more than the saints I tend to think of the people in my family that I've lost, or friends. My family has always believed they're up there too, watching over us, able to help us when we need them. And even though I'm a Buddhist these days and believe in reincarnation...I still somehow believe this is true. That where they are is beyond time, and lifetimes.

Matrix rave: Hehehe, cool to know I'm not the only one who rather liked that scene and found it philosophical. *g* The second movie is still my favorite of the trilogy (though I even loved the third)...

Art as spirituality: Absolutely with you there. And I share a lot of the same experiences...I've rarely felt more connected with other people and the universe and god than in marching band, or my high school plays, or at Scapercon (especially the plays there too). Sometimes when I'm writing, and often when I'm listening to music and singing along in my car. Also made me think of...

1) The '1602' comic mini by Neil Gaiman has some awesome meditation on fictionalized life, especially when Mr Fantastick is telling Ben Grimm why he'll probably always be a monster.

2) This Lost vid, to Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move": http://www.lostvideo.net/viewvid.php?vidid=291 "Maybe redemption is stories to tell..."