Episode 223

#223 - Interview with podcaster Cassian Bellino

I sat down with Cassian Bellino, the voice behind Biblically Speaking podcast. And the founder of the Biblically Heard community. Cassian shared her personal story of wrestling with the Bible for over two decades. Feeling disconnected, and frustrated by the lack of context in Scripture. That journey led her to create a platform where faith and scholarship meet. Helping others find meaning, and clarity in the Bible just like she did.

We talked about how easily Scripture can be misunderstood. Without the right cultural, and historical context. How surface-level readings often leave us spiritually hungry. Finding the power of asking honest questions from a genuine place. Cassian brought thoughtful insight into what it means to build a deeper connection. More personal relationship with faith.

On your own terms, with curiosity leading the way. Only an open heart being your guide.

Be sure to Check cassian's podcast and social's via the links provided below:

https://www.bibspeak.com/

@thisisbiblicallyspeaking

We have a magical link below with all our socials and handle so you can find us on your favorite pod spot 🤟.

Transcript
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Lost in the Groove Podcast

and of mine. He is from rural town in Georgia. And he's just been on a whole like spiritual awakening version, like journey and version, like with his own Christianity.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And he knows I'm Jewish and he just loves asking me questions and stuff, you know, and he's like, what's your take on like, you know, Jesus, you know, from like the Jewish aspect of it, you know, and like the way he does it is be like,

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

yo, why did the Jews put that man on the cross? You know, why did they crucify him?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm dying. I'm dying. It's true.

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Cassian Bellino

Answer for them, Dave. Answer for them right now.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

who

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Cassian Bellino

well Let us know why the Jews did that.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Well, so the Jewish side of it was about 2,500 years ago is around towards the end of the second temple. and from but we have written from our scholars and our teachers, the Jews at the time were extremely corrupt, very money driven. There was a lot of animosity between people within the land at the time.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And they were already run by the Romans. So anything that would piss off the Romans, they were scared shitless. But the hilarious thing was like, not that many years later, the Romans just destroyed the city and took them all to Rome and put them in the, you know, the gladiator games and all that fun stuff.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

So.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah, and like even two, what is it, 200? No, it was 200 years before. That's when Constantine was like, yeah, only Christianity.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

hmm.

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Cassian Bellino

And then the guy two emperors later was like, against the law, if you're anything but.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, it's bananas.

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Cassian Bellino

And so, and then you've got this like diaspora of people that are doing Jesus and bongs, you know, there is no limitation to this.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

There isn't. There isn't.

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Cassian Bellino

But then you have the diaspora of people like speaking Greek and they're like learning this new gospel and they're like referencing the Hebrew Old Testament, but that's not been translated as the Septuagint. And then you've got the OG Hebrew speakers and they're like, what is this New Testament in a language we don't know? and that's where we you get the split.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, there's there's a no there's a lot of there's a lot of similarities between both sides.

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Cassian Bellino

It's not a war. It's like life happened.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

you know um

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

On the Jewish aspect of things, a a lot of what we believe is Jesus or Yeshu in Hebrew, he was the founder of what we know as modern orthodoxy in regards to monotheistic religions.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And modern orthodoxy in the aspect of growing within the times, you know, the idea of showing love, passion and kindness. But. As we progress as people, you know, as like technology has changed, so like now we have like social media, so people are able to use that to connect with others and help communities and things of that.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

um It's interesting because, you know, for a lot of people, you don't have these conversations where, you know, you sit down with a Muslim, you sit down with a Christian, you know, and you just hash things out. i don't even think that's the right term, but.

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Cassian Bellino

We do get out.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Sure.

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Cassian Bellino

I agree. And I think that's why I started my podcast. Gosh, it's so cringy because I was talking about God in such like, casual ways with my sister because like we're both Christian and I would call her and I'm like, this was my day.

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Cassian Bellino

Jesus is popping off. I can't believe he's putting me through this. And I was like, wait, like, this is awesome that we can talk about our creator. like just acknowledging that he's there, acknowledging his movements, acknowledging his presence.

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Cassian Bellino

And I feel like more people would talk about him if like just this conversation was more commonplace. And so the channel was like, A, getting answers from scholars, but B, like, how often can we talk about Jesus in a wellformed well-informed way, you know, like well-guided by scholars and what I've learned and people's stories without it being like at a church service?

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Cassian Bellino

Because I think like we give attention to the things we give attention to. So if we just start giving attention to Jesus, then like it just becomes a topic that people care about talking about and contributing towards more. Yes.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think also the the there's too much focus on the written text.

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Cassian Bellino

Yes.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

People got to remember this was written thousands and thousands of years ago. OK, and these people, as brilliant as they were, were bored as fuck.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I mean, as bored as you can get. And they they had influence. You know, they congregated with one another. They had fertility reach rituals and they had they did all sorts of different things like psychedelics and among others.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And over time, this progression of being able to find ah higher power and find that connection grew. That is what faith and religion stems from. it stems from people finding common grounds to connect with one another, what this vast world is.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And there's a lot of interpretations. But like, again, you're taking something from people thousands of years ago. That's like the first thing you got to keep in your brain when you're jumping into this. Am I wrong?

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah, I think we like truly cannot contextualize in a modern sense, like the way that we're referencing like Jesus thousands of years ago, this guy did this in a robe and he did all these miracles at the time of Jesus.

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Cassian Bellino

These people that were like creating this religion, these people that were very bored, they were referencing Moses who was thousands of years before them. So for them, they're doing the same thing we're doing today.

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Cassian Bellino

and like living out these miracles and like writing the new Testament. And by no means do I think we're like writing another new Testament, but it's like, even them back then we're referencing like, man, it was crazy back during the Exodus.

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Cassian Bellino

Can you believe that with the all and like the fire coming down? And like, that was Jesus talking about that. That's like him quoting old Testament and like quoting all Torah. And now we're talking about Jesus's time and quoting gospel.

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Cassian Bellino

So it really is like, there's no difference here. Like they are experiencing like a very spiritual experience on this earth that they think is happening so far ago, the same way we are like where there's really no difference other than like an advancement in technology, but I feel like when you maybe are closer to like some of the miracles, like maybe Jesus looking back at Moses, like Old Testament lore is wild.

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Cassian Bellino

And I think like we're so distanced from it that we're like, most of it's mythological, that like most of it can't happen. It has to be fake. I don't know. Like me, I used to think that way. Now talking to scholars, I'm like, if you were going to buy into the bit that Jesus died and then rose on the third day, you got to buy into the bit that there was a global flood. You got to buy into the bit that earth was created seven days. Like all of it is crazy.

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Cassian Bellino

I'm not saying it's normal, but got to buy into it.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Well, the so to your point, though, like the idea of seven days, you know, we're not necessarily saying that it's seven Earth days.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, a lot of um a lot of people believe, and a lot of scholars believe, too, that it's talking about seven cycles. So seven days worth of cycles. So the day could be A billion years.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

It could be a million years. It could be a hundred billion years. But the problem is like immediately people have the interpretation of like, oh, that's what it says. Well, this is what we do. So immediately, like, that's what it means.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, not even the story of like the seven days you want to talk about, like, for example, Exodus, where you know we're kind of coming closer to Passover. There was um scientists that kind of was able to prove a lot of like the plagues that happened.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, like how do wild animals get out? Egyptians used to collect exotic wild animals if they got into a fight and there's no tamers taking care of the animals and they got loose when they run around and go on a killing spree.

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Cassian Bellino

Wait, what are you talking about? You've lost me.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

No. So there are like, again, scientific aspects to what these people were talking about thousands of years ago. When they talk about like the seven days, we now know like within science and many other things that there are cycles.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

There's been cycles for how this planet was formed. The same idea like we are. How is it possible? know, like it's a myth. How do you have 12 plagues like that in Egypt?

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Cassian Bellino

Mm.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Well, there's are ways of proving that to be real things. Like I mentioned, like the thing with the wild animals, one of the 12 plagues running rampant.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Oh, I see. I see now.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like it can't happen.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah. It true. But it's inexhaustible.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Like what you're talking about is old earth theory. So you're right. I have gone down that rabbit hole. I've interviewed Dr. Hugh Ross. He's an old earth theorist, whatever. He believes that. And he's like, yeah, every day represents an epoch of time.

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Cassian Bellino

And that's how we can include, ah you know, evolution. And that's how we can include all these things. There's also the younger theorists that say the Hebrew word used for day is a 24 hour period.

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Cassian Bellino

And so when we reference the time, It was seven days that were 24 hours. Looking back at translations when they were saying the ages of people, were they saying 950 years, but it's actually 950 months? Like, who knows?

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Cassian Bellino

At the end of the day, you're right. I think that science does echo a lot of the findings. Similar to the people that I've interviewed on, like the flood. Some people are like, it was a local flood. There's so many other like, lores that reference the flood, it doesn't really matter. But we need to like recognize God in it.

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Cassian Bellino

Whereas like, other people I've talked to was like, absolutely was a global flood, based on the fossil record based on the carbon dating. This is exactly the trauma that you see with the sedimentation and like how quickly it formed. Like, I just had a guy on who's a paleontologist that talked about this. But like, those two schools of thought, I'm not telling you which one's right or wrong.

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Cassian Bellino

I'm just saying like, how cool is it that like, both have very deep rabbit holes? And that like we get to explore both.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, it's um it's again going back to

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

understanding who these people were. You know, because when you have history like we do have, it was saved. You know, there's a lot of artifacts that we don't have that have just washed away.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

But we have artifacts such as like written text, which for a very long part, like even history, The Jews, part of the tribes for a long time, was just verbal.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

There was nothing that was written down. It's just everybody talking.

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Cassian Bellino

total Totally oral.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And that switch of making sure it was written down, they wanted to be written down so it'd be saved for thousands of years.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

i i I'm 100% positive. Like, I understand we can't talk to them, but I'm 100% positive we were able to talk to people 3,000 years ago and ask, why are you writing this down? I guarantee you, theyre they would tell you the reason they're writing this down is we want people to remember this from thousands of years going on.

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Cassian Bellino

Right.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Guaranteed.

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Cassian Bellino

Should we be writing stuff down right now? Do you think like what needs to be?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

We do.

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Cassian Bellino

focusing on today that people:

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

:

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Cassian Bellino

I think it'll blur together. Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like 14 and little more, yeah, big time. 12, like fourteen and fifteen hundreds

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Cassian Bellino

big

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

more like

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Cassian Bellino

Big time.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah big time twelve thirteen hundred ah

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Cassian Bellino

Dave, I am not somebody that you should ask about historical lore, but I'm going tell you something right now.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, no, no, not at all. I'm just having fun.

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Cassian Bellino

i know I'm going to tell you.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm having fun right now.

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Cassian Bellino

when When was the Black Plague?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

i just, I love this.

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Cassian Bellino

I don't know. When was the Renaissance? I don't know. When was the Enlightenment? I feel like not Yeah. Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You see what I'm getting at? Like, there are periods of history that stand out more than any other ones, you know?

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Cassian Bellino

yeah

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

um But there's just points in history that just, I think the reason why 2,500 ago stands out more than ever is because it was a cultural shift in the way that people think.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

People were able to stand up for themselves for the first time. you know like Remember, like back then there were empires, there was kings, there rulers. You stood up against the king.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah. But like, we had that, like all the guillotine stuff too.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Right. So.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

but But you can see, like whenever there's like a rebellion of freedom, whenever there's like a rebellion of we wanna speak out the truth, that has what That has been what has stood the testament of time the longest.

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Cassian Bellino

I totally agree with you. And I feel like someone on like a different podcast brought this up. They're like Gen Z, their whole thing is truth. Like they're the generation of authenticity and like leading with truth and only doing the things that they believe in and being vulnerable and talking about mental illness and all the things.

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Cassian Bellino

And it's like kind of like what you said of like, so if everything is truth for this next generation, what's going to be left? Secrets? We need to bring secrets back. We need to bring discretion back. That's the next generation of like, we know too much. Put it back in.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think also ah i remember i was talking with this with somebody ah before, you know, this idea always pops up, which is where we live in the matrix. You know, we live in a virtual reality.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And even if that may be true, even if the universe is made out of, you know, ones and zeros or single cell organisms and different things coming together,

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

you still need something behind that to have it operating.

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Cassian Bellino

Like intention, you mean?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know? Yeah, because when, for example, like I'm talking to on a computer right now, okay, I have a screen, but behind the screen, there's a motherboard, there's a logic board, there's a CPU, there's a GPU, there's a lot of different components that,

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Okay, Neo. Bye, bye.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

There's a lot of components that make the computer work and besides of what we see. So this idea of like, well, there's nothing.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

i I even want the whole virtual reality idea. I'm just like, i don't 100% agree with you. I'm like, there's gotta be something, maybe some things, you know, maybe something we don't understand, whether that may be God, whatever you want to call it.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

But, I feel like there is definitely something behind the curtain that we're just not aware of. We're just not.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah. I mean, we're not like, we like, we have a soul, we have a spirit. Like if we're just existing within like what we can see and what exists in front of us, even if it is like a one and a zero, like there's a soul behind that, that we are led through our values. Like we are led through our conscience. We are led through our like desires and our purpose.

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Cassian Bellino

That's what's behind the curtain. So what put that there? Cause that wasn't coded in. That was very intentional and unique to each one of us.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, to your point, it's like if you've ever unfortunately dealt with the loss of a family member or somebody that you love and you're by their side on their deathbed or, you know, i know know and some people do like in bombing, you know, and you do awake.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You don't feel anything. You see them.

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Cassian Bellino

you Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You don't feel anything. They don't. They're not there. Like, your mind immediately connects, like, they're gone. Like, there's no soul, there's no connection, there's no nothing. there' It's just a body.

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Cassian Bellino

You're talking from personal experience.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

I've never experience that.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Hopefully you should not experience that for a very long time. But when you when you do, you realize that the world that we live in is a lot bigger than you.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

That it's not just a switch that goes on and off.

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Cassian Bellino

Mm-hmm.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, people like to say like, oh, you're born and then you die.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

How do you know that it's we're born and we die? How do you not know it's a cycle? How do you not know that it's maybe something bigger than that? How do you not know that maybe your soul is watching you go through your entire life while your physical body is experiencing that?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

there's There's, you know, where im do you get where I'm coming from? It's like there's so many different aspects of where this can go that to be like, I'm to be dead at 80.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

wow, buzzkill, like, why are you so gloom?

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Cassian Bellino

I also feel like, well, ah yeah, there's a couple like perspectives here. One can be you focus on yourself of like, what's my purpose? Is there even a purpose? Do I just choose and then I die?

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Cassian Bellino

What if we zoom out and it's like, there's good in this world. Genuinely, we've seen it. And then there's evil. Who's controlling those currents? Like where does evil come from?

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Cassian Bellino

know, where does good come from? Like zoom out to that and like what's navigating that in the sphere? And I think that also points towards something beyond us. There's something invisible going on because I think there's just something bigger than karmic cycles and the retribution principle. Like there is a North, what is it? i want to say like North compass, North pole in like our moral standard that like every religion points to. And like, as a Christian woman, like, I think it's all copycats of like the one living word, but like,

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Cassian Bellino

Regardless of which one you're pointing, whichever book you're reading, the Quran, the Torah, the Bible, there's all a North Star. And so what's the evil force that's opposing that?

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Cassian Bellino

Because there is one. You can't say that like we just exist and we all have morals despite our religious beliefs. Then what's the enemy? Because you cannot have light without darkness.

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Cassian Bellino

Like that's just a logical belief. I'm not like trying to quote Bible here. Like we all know that.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Without darkness, there is no light. well I mean, it literally says that, you know, I want to bring up the Bible again. It literally says in the very first line, verse in Genesis.

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Cassian Bellino

So what is the darkness? If you're gonna go on this like agnostic thought process, like you've gotta have a definition for darkness.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think what darkness is the absence of nothing.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And I think what we think of nothing is completely not true. We cannot fathom anything that does not have a physical being or form or structure of time.

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Cassian Bellino

What?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's like anything.

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Cassian Bellino

Wouldn't the absence of nothing be something?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yes.

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Cassian Bellino

So that would be darkness you're saying?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

That's. yeah

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Cassian Bellino

Why would that be darkness?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Because when you you look at the world where we're talking about, there's a lot of good in the world. But also there's a lot of bad the same time. One thing you realize that there's almost a balance. It's like whenever you have good things that happen, you need that to be balanced out with darkness or bad, whatever you want to call it. Like there's always been this balance throughout time.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And it's like almost as if one needs to survive over the other. Light is something we can physically see. Obviously, I mean, you could freaking go outside right now and it's like point at the sky. It's like, that's light. That's the sun, you know.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

um But darkness is something that we're generally. We're terrified of. We don't we can't really see it through in darkness. Think about it. lot of other creatures can see at night.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

We can't. We have this constant fear. I think it's because there is that balance from the very beginning of good and evil. It's not that they're fighting against each other.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

They balance each other out, literally like a scale, you know, like one goes like, yeah, one goes, yeah,

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Cassian Bellino

Oh, absolutely. They need each other, but their goals are different.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

they are, but they work hand in hand with one another.

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And I, and and that may, that may sound like, what mean?

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Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like, There are times that some evil people do tremendously good things.

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Cassian Bellino

I was just about to say, you are kind of preaching right now because like you're kind of explaining the not the problem of suffering, but like the solution of why we have suffering.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And even. Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Because it goes hand in hand with the good.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Mm hmm.

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Cassian Bellino

And like, I feel like a lot of the Bible that I've been reading recently has been like, humble yourself. Like, sit back down. Like, why is bad things happening? Not really like, ah do you, ah I would love to explain it to you. How much time do you have? Like, I feel like that's what God says. If we're like, why do bad things happen? Like, that's like all of Job. Like, Job is wild. old But he gets to the end where he's like, why are these bad things happening to me? I think it's like chapter 38 or 39. And God's like, oh, God.

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Cassian Bellino

Were you there when I marked off the dimensions of the earth? Like you let me know how does do work. And like job, job just sat back down. But it's like, we don't get to know because we like, we cannot fathom how that evil is going to work hand in hand with good.

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Cassian Bellino

That's why evil exists because it works hand in hand with good. I think you explained it perfectly.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

We don't like to hear the truth. and but we we we always need answers to our questions. that is that is the number one.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And one of the hardest lessons you sometimes have to learn is you go through certain circumstances. And you're like, what the fuck? And then you realize down the road, you're like,

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

oh, that actually and actually worked out in my favor because that happened. Now I'm here.

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Cassian Bellino

Yep. Yep.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, the whole plan, like you may say, like, oh, that was planned out for you. I don't think so. I think it's you have hundreds of options in front of you and you decide to walk through this option.

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Cassian Bellino

Dog, I cannot believe you're saying this right now. Keep going. Keep going.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

So you made the decision out of those hundred of options that were put in front of you. So you have your own free will and free choice, but those perceived notions of where you're going to end up is already planned.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Those are all already planned, but you have to choose. You have to make the choice of which one you're going to choose.

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Cassian Bellino

You know, you are touching on such a big religious debate that I just found out about. So that's so wild that you, I mean, unless you know about the open theistic versus Calvinistic debate.

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Cassian Bellino

No? Yes?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

and um I got this ah theory actually from a – I'm OTD. So I originally grew up in a religious – Jewish religious cult community.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

um So when we leave, we're called off the derech. It stands for OTD.

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Cassian Bellino

Got it.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

And he went on like extremely, he traveled places and did all of this history. And like, he kind of talked to me a lot about this stuff. So this is where I get a lot of this stuff too.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

He like did an in-depth of the Bible, the Quran, somebody I knew in New York.

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Cassian Bellino

Who?

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Cassian Bellino

Okay.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

Okay, so did they discuss open theism and Calvinism with you?

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

i I don't remember, but i I think that's where he was getting all this from. So I'm familiar with the idea.

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Cassian Bellino

Okay, so you're already like, okay, Calvinism is like, there's a plan.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. Yeah.

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Cassian Bellino

And that's how I used to believe because that's what I was taught in church of like, they like God knows what I'm going to eat for breakfast next Tuesday because my life has been planned. And like me going through that hard thing last year has was needed to get me to this good thing this year.

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Cassian Bellino

um That concept of a plan and it's being pre-planned and predestination. That's all like a Calvinist traditional view of like how the world works. But then it kind of comes into play like, well, then where does free will if God already knows our decisions? And what you said of like, there are options.

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Cassian Bellino

They're kind of like that multiverse. There are infinite options that I can choose in the next moment.

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Lost in the Groove Podcast

right.

::

Cassian Bellino

That is my free will. But where the creator comes into play is that he has an infinite mind and an infinite capacity to understand how each one of my unfathomable amount of options, he knows how each one could play out and I get to choose which one I go forward with. And that's this open theistic view So it kind of goes hand in hand with like a creator that is still omnipotent and omniscient versus like a human that still has free will and is not like preordained by a God.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's so insane that you're talking about that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, and it it can also be applied to even with evolution, because all evolution is, is a creature or being that decides that it wants to evolve itself, become better than itself.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, you can see the level of avenues of where if you have a creator, you have a God, you have, you know, a higher power, where has the ability to make these choices,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

allows for every living thing, every organic thing to be able to evolve based on their environment. I mean, think about animals that live here in this country.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Okay. You go from the state of Washington down to the state of Florida. The animals living in Washington had to evolve to that climate. They had to deal with, and those choices of living out there and surviving.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Whereas whatever those creatures are living down in Florida. So all of these things kind of go hand in hand. It's like every living thing is doing pretty much what we're doing on a different scale.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's crazy.

::

Cassian Bellino

I've been evolving so much since I got to Hawaii. I don't know about you i don't know where you live. Where do you live?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Florida.

::

Cassian Bellino

Okay.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I live in paradise.

::

Cassian Bellino

We are warm-blooded creatures, you and I, Dave. I used to live in Ohio, and like that is cold 100% of the time. And then I moved to Hawaii two years ago.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

All the time. Is it true that they have four seasons? not Not the hotels, but but like the four season and all of it.

::

Cassian Bellino

No, they have Marriott's. I wish they had four seasons. Okay.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, but I heard like there's a thing in Ohio where you can drive and it's raining and then drive and it's snowing and then drive and it's sunny outside. Like very short

::

Cassian Bellino

you find a sunny day in Ohio, okay, good luck. Like, no, it's just overcast, humid, sleet, snow, rain. Like the place is so sad.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, well, I thought it was more exciting than that.

::

Cassian Bellino

It's so sad.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And you just like, this is one for like, what? To like, yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

You know where you actually can experience, I'm gonna nerd out on this, 12 of the world's 13 climates is the Big Island. You can drive around the entire island for six hours and you'll see so many different climates.

::

Cassian Bellino

It's crazy. You'll see like ah temperate, you'll see arid, you'll see tropical, like you'll see desert, like it's crazy.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Really crazy.

::

Cassian Bellino

um But yeah, I've evolved. Like I used to survive in Ohio. I remember going to bed in Ohio being like, I might not make it through the night. It's so cold. Like in my house with heat on, like I'm not built for it.

::

Cassian Bellino

Now I'm in oh Hawaii and I go back to visit my family in l LA sometimes. And it's like 60 degrees there, you know, perfect California coast weather. can't, that is way too damn cold for me.

::

Cassian Bellino

Way too cold. I have evolved to now only survive above 75. Anything below it's life-threatening.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I know am planning on moving out to Texas the end of the year. Once I finished school, I had people like Texas is hot.

::

Cassian Bellino

Nice.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm like, yeah, I'm i'm okay with that.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like, but it's like real hot. I'm like, yeah, I'm okay. You know, it's, i I think every single person is built differently depending on their environments. But I feel like the thing that gets lost the most is,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's not that the congregation is on their path in life and finding God, whatever creator, whatever you want to call it. It's you.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think the thing that gets mistranslated so much is that it's not referring to all y'all. It's referring to each and every one of you individually.

::

Cassian Bellino

Uh...

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

The idea is that, like, you make your own religion and your own faith. And, you know, like people like, that's blasphemy. That's not blasphemy.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like, how do you expect two people to read the same book and get the exact same interpretation and follow it exactly the same ways? I'm sorry. I don't know any people that are built that they can follow and do exactly the same thing as the person sitting right next to them.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Maybe one person. I don't know anybody. don't know anybody like that.

::

Cassian Bellino

I totally agree with you. I think what like what makes one christian one religion from another is like the foundational beliefs. But when you buy into and agree with like the Christian foundational beliefs, so even within that, like you've got like different religions that you choose to fall into. But let's say you choose Christianity and you're like, OK, I'm going to buy into like the core principle, which is like Jesus. Like that's like step number one.

::

Cassian Bellino

But even once you do that, you're still going to do it differently. Like I had a really great conversation with a Catholic guy, um, Connor McLaughlin on Instagram we were on live and he's but awesome guy knows his stuff.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Wow, that is such a Irish Catholic. I'm just seeing Irish pop. I'm sorry. Keep going.

::

Cassian Bellino

And like anything about the Catholics, like I'm, I guess I'm Protestant. I was raised Russian Orthodox. Like I'm just learning about Jesus. So like, I guess I,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, you were raised Orthodox.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, girl, we can get to that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, wow.

::

Cassian Bellino

We can get to that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, wow.

::

Cassian Bellino

I heard you mention that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Okay.

::

Cassian Bellino

But even like in that conversation, I'm like, dude, what is the difference between us? like I don't know. I'm so ignorant to the like the Catholic religion. i dated a Catholic and we just went to church a lot. But like and then you had the Eucharist, which like I also have a community. It's like, what's the difference? And so we're talking, we're talking.

::

Cassian Bellino

And we basically said what you just said of like, when you buy into, let's say working out, okay, you might be a yoga guy. And so when you do yoga, there are things you need to do. We are both working out, but you are yoga and you got to know your Shavasana.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Right here right here I love yoga

::

Cassian Bellino

You got to know, you know, the base, you got to keep those risks

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Cat you gotta know cat or dog pose Mm-hmm

::

Cassian Bellino

Wrists under shoulders, baby, else you're going to hyper extent. That is how you do yoga. And that is how you've chosen to do the activity of working out. You're goingnna worship Christ, but you're going do it in the Catholic way. Let's just say that.

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm going to do it weightlifting. Weightlifting takes form. It's going to have a progression. There's a certain way that you succeed when you weightlift. The same way I might be Protestant. And if I want to succeed in my Christian faith in the Protestant way, there are certain ways. like We're going to all be based in this book right here.

::

Cassian Bellino

But like you're going to do it doing Shavasana and like cat cows and I'm going to do it with like powerlifting and cleans. But we're both in this book.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. I. If you want to touch on it, it's really bizarre, because when you look at the on the Jewish aspect of it pertaining to the Old Testament.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

What I have realized is being outside of the community for like about seven years, Jews are not a religion. They're a tribe.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, oh.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

They're an ethnicity. We come from 12 members of Jacob, 12 kids. We descend from those. So the religion is an added aspect to the ethnic group.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's a really good point.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's a part of the ethnic group. It's kind of like... um Ethiopians with their Christianity. They have a very old form, very old sect of Christianity. It's very unique to Ethiopia and their country.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And what has basically happened is is where there's been an adoption indoctrination that has taken place over the past hundred years, where they have taken influences of Christianity, specifically Catholicism, and implemented that into Judaism.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

They have re-eradicated and reconstructed the way that it's being practiced to the point where there are suicides, there are members of the community that are, shouldn't, no, no, no, talking about the Jewish community that I grew up in New York.

::

Cassian Bellino

in the Ethiopian Orthodox beliefs? Oh, okay, got it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I gave you the example, like, because,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, you were talking about also like i i want you to touch on this, too. When you're dealing like with orthodoxy or Coptic orthodoxy or sex, for example, in Ethiopia, like these are different versions of Christianity.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like this is not your stereotypical like Baptist or Protestant or Catholic is.

::

Cassian Bellino

Because you're looking at different books

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

You're basing it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah

::

Cassian Bellino

It's like I'm based in this book, but Ethiopian Orthodox is including a lot of non-canonical books the same way Judaism is more like.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Book of Enoch, for example, So...

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, Jubilee. So they're pulling from way more things that they're incorporating into their religion. And like with Judaism, it's just Torah and maybe the Talmud. I don't actually like I don't know anything about Talmud.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

so

::

Cassian Bellino

I don't go want to talk about it like that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, no that's so ah that that's what I was touching on before. In regards to the Orthodox Jewish community as it stands, you're correct. They have added on other pieces.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like I mentioned, there's been indoctrination within Christian ideas, particularly from Catholicism. Again, this is not discussed openly. They just do this, and it's just a part of—there's the—correct.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah. Because people don't know the history, so they can't even, like, acknowledge it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Correct. Correct.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like, the way that, like, christian Judaism to Christianity, like, history that we look back on, it's like, life happened. And so the way that, like, your books just ended up as your books, the same way my book is just this book, with all of the books that were approved. And, like, when we understand history, it's like, oh, it's like...

::

Cassian Bellino

it's the same way like that just our lives play out. It's not this like dramatic battle of like your books versus mine. It's just like what your people chose and what my people chose. And it's like an element of everything, location, language, who's in charge, what are the priorities of the people in charge?

::

Cassian Bellino

Like was talking to somebody about timelines and they're like, yeah, like Egyptian beliefs. I'm like, yeah, you know, like Egyptians, like the longest like civilization, they lasted forever, right?

::

Cassian Bellino

And he's like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

9,000 years.

::

Cassian Bellino

ines, it's probably more like:

::

Cassian Bellino

And that why do they do that? Because like, why do we believe it Because we read it in books because it's written down. Why would we deny that? But at that time when they were writing it down, there were political agendas at play of let's write out certain pharaohs because they don't agree with our ideologies.

::

Cassian Bellino

Let's extend the Egyptian timelines. So we look like we've been reigning forever when we look more powerful.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Bye.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like life is all about power, control, agendas, identities. And when you're in it, you don't understand that it's all happening. But then you look back and you're like, whoa, you guys follow different books than us. And whoa, look how crazy that's like, there are so many things at play that if you don't understand the history, kind of doesn't make sense.

::

Cassian Bellino

But when you do, you're like, oh yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

it It also shows the the modern twist of how things have progressed.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I mean, and what I was trying to point out earlier is the monotheistic religions that we speak of, they have shaped and molded so differently than they were in the past.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Now they shape and mold according to society. you know If all of a sudden you know people's agendas start changing, well, here we go again. We're to start changing now.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yes.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

and it's just bizarro, like pure bizarro world at its finest. And you, i mean, for me as like a spectator, like sitting outside of this, like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm not religious, but I'm like the type person, like I respect religion. I respect religious people. Like I'm more than happy like have conversations and things. But the thing that I draw the line is when people say, well,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

this is This is the way that it how it's done, you know, and this is the direction of how the people don't talk to me like that. You know, it's like I'm an individual. Don't like speak to me like we the people.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

There's no we the people here. You know, it's just me and you talking.

::

Cassian Bellino

True. True.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So.

::

Cassian Bellino

row ah so refreshing to hear. Like from someone who is associated with the people, I am on my own. Girl, I'm on your side.

::

Cassian Bellino

I interview scholars on my own journey to understand Christ.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I know

::

Cassian Bellino

And I go, you know, we might as well record these conversations because if I got these questions, someone else does. I record my conversations. I get my answers in the way that I need them. I post them. You wouldn't believe how many people comment telling me I'm wrong.

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm like, listen, dog, I was just doing you a favor by like letting you like leaving the door open for you. And this is what now I believe. We can discuss it, but you can't come over here and tell me I'm wrong.

::

Cassian Bellino

The same way I'm not telling you you're wrong. Like you said, we're on our own journey.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We are.

::

Cassian Bellino

And I can support what I believe as you should be able to support what you believe.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

it's It's strange because you could either you can go two directions. You can either be somebody that's very bitter or you can be somebody that opens yourself up because we are being told about our past a lot of the times is just...

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Words of fiction, there's a lot of pieces that are missing. And there's a lot of the times a deeper element to it. You know, we were talking earlier about texts that were written thousands of years ago, you know, for example, like with the Talmud.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It was written in Aramaic. Most people don't speak Aramaic, but guess what? It's still being taught in Aramaic.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So there are elements of pieces still holding on. And it's holding on because that is its true value.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, when you have people that are passionate about, for example, Greek history and mythology, they're reading this stuff in Greek. Okay. You know, they're seeing the history for what it is and not what it is isn't. Like the same way you're talking about with the book. It's like you're reading it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

the way it was supposed to be written. Not the way that you're supposed to interpret it. You're reading it. That's just how it was written. So you can take your own interpretation no matter direction, what have you.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, it's...

::

Cassian Bellino

yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

it's frustrating. It's just, it's, it's frustrating because like I have a religious, I have religious family and like being non-religious and also being gay and like losing most of your family and then taking seven years from like everybody to turn around.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's just bizarre. It's just bizarre. It's like you read where be kind to your neighbors, be good to your fellow man and woman and You don't even practice the same values with your own family.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah. The hypocrisy is wild and it gives us a bad rap. Like, I feel like if people were to approach everything with way more humility, which like, I, feel like God put my podcast in my heart and like, it's too good of an idea. Cause why the hell would I like start a podcast admitting that I'm an idiot, but that's the whole point of it is to be like, I don't get it and i like gave my life to Christ, but I don't get it.

::

Cassian Bellino

So I'm just getting answers. But like, truly all God calls us to do is know God and love others. Where did this judgment come in? Where did this pointing fingers come in?

::

Cassian Bellino

Like, in in the realm of possibilities, choose love. And I hate how corny that is, but like, it really is the best way forward because it it overshadows ignorance.

::

Cassian Bellino

It overshadows this like pain that you can cause.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

it's um It's a type of pain that's yearning. It's a type of pain that like echoes in. I remember when I lost my dad, the one thing that I kept thinking about was like, wow, what am I going to do now?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know? And it's really strange because you you start to realize, like, even why deaths happen in your life. It's where you're almost the person's not supposed to be in your life at that point.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And a whether it may be painful or hard, there are reasons why. You know, there's reasons why, you like, you pop into somebody's life and you're only there for a short period.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

that That is sometimes the most painful thing. You know, you say, like, you know but be's Supposed to be merciful, right?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But those situations happen because those choices that you make, they have consequences.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Going back to, like, we were talking about like, how there's a balance between good and evil. Every time you make a choice, you sacrifice something in return.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

i um I remember...

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

This is kind of going like into the deeper lore, like within the Zohar, when it talks about the angel of death.

::

Cassian Bellino

What? Mm.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

The angel of death makes gives a person a choice.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And in the response to that choice, they have to go, regardless of which decision that they make. Why is this? It's because those both decisions you made led for the angel to meet you.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So it's like it's almost like a double edged sword. But. Again, like that, that is the idea of that free will is where you have control of your own life, you have control of your own choices.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But the deeper level to that is to the choice of your your own choices. There are those sacrifices. And consequences.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah. How do you think that like people are suffering the most right now by not acknowledging those consequences? by like just kind acknowledging the positive side of their free will and what they can do versus what they're saying no to or what they're potentially saying yes to in the future because of what they're saying yes to today like I feel like it's like pop culture for sure i feel like it's like lack of self-responsibility lack of self-growth like I think it's like what you choose to prioritize and like in my words like idolize like what comes first and forefront like

::

Cassian Bellino

For the cost of success and all the time and energy spent on this project or whatever project or whatever work or whatever relationship, like there will be something else that is not getting fed.

::

Cassian Bellino

And like that animal will attack and in in the future.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's a hard thing to face because you you have to be have to be strong. Because, you know, you could say that, like, the sacrifice, you know, people can— Go out and drink, you know, and have a great time and and get fucking shit faced, you know, and like bang their head and end up in the ER. r Like that's definitely a consequences.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But there are other types of consequences. You know, you put yourself in a situation where you have a relationship with a best friend or a partner that is literally destroying your life and you're miserable.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

but you're sticking around because you know you have some great things that are going along. You're choosing that path to be with that person and you know you're getting some benefit, but there's that consequence that comes with those actions that you're taking.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So I think like we know the path and then we can understand the consequences and then we can decide if we want to accept or not.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And sometimes you don't have that option, but they're there regardless.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. I was like listening to some sort of call. Um, don't know, like a coaching call and it was like every decision we make is based on two factors. so How much pleasure does it bring and how much pain does it cause?

::

Cassian Bellino

And that's it. Those are the only two things evaluated when we make decisions.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. I know. For complex creatures, we have very simple problem-solving skills.

::

Cassian Bellino

And I think it was like, uh, Renee Brown. And she's like, there's only two emotions that we feel safe and not safe. And I feel like if you really simplify it,

::

Cassian Bellino

Like, do I want to do this? Well, I should. Don't I could. It's like, do you feel safe or no? Is this bringing up?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

There goes my light. Is this a visual podcast?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, that is. It's okay. It's okay.

::

Cassian Bellino

My good lighting's gone. Open my window.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh.

::

Cassian Bellino

yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah

::

Cassian Bellino

You know, like, how easy does life get when you're like, does this make me feel safe or unsafe? Like, does this relationship that I'm pouring into because there's a couple good things that I like, am I safe or not safe?

::

Cassian Bellino

Is this pleasurable or painful? Which like, does the pleasure outweigh the pain? Like, there's no, we don't need to overthink it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

That's why, i like, having the idea of this overlord that's always hovering above you, watching every little move that you're doing, is kind of scary.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know? It's, like, great way to scare the living shit out of your community. You know?

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, interesting. I don't feel fear by being watched. I feel fear by being subject to something so powerful.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But you get what I'm... Yeah, but like you get what I'm saying, like the eye always watching over you, like, you know, making sure you don't do anything bad, know, make sure you're good and

::

Cassian Bellino

Like,

::

Cassian Bellino

I don't know. i think that's an old school way of thinking about religion, which like I used to think that way.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Right? Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

I think that's people think that because that's how it's taught. I don't think that that's like an ignorant way to think. I think it took me a lot of like conversations to be like, God is watching everything you do to make sure you don't mess up.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's what we're taught. That's Sunday school. But then you kind of like get out of that. like there's no chance that I don't mess up. There's no chance. Like the one guarantee and like one promise I can keep to God is that I will mess up.

::

Cassian Bellino

So like, what game are we playing that? Like he's watching me to like not mess It's like, he already knows, you know, and I already messed up 10 times today and it's 10 AM. Like, I just think it's like, he's banking on us messing up because that is what puts us in a position to require him.

::

Cassian Bellino

It is contingent on us failing. Our failure, ah sorry, let me rephrase it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

knowing, depending, and needing God is contingent on our failure.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Wow. That is and is very deep.

::

Cassian Bellino

The only thing we needed to give Jesus during resurrection our sin make worth was our sin to make it worth it

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah it It's almost the the parallel of two stories where you can, you how do they how do the preachers put it?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You can manipulate the word to fit your bidding. it it's All it is is it's been a power token. I mean, through all sides. you know People want to point fingers at one sect and one group and this one's doing this wrong. and It's like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Listen You could twist the word as many times as you want and try to manipulate and control as best as you can but in the end of the day people have free choice and i just think that like if you really believe in God if you genuinely believe that i Don't think you want to be scared shitless all the time is a good way of being faithful like

::

Cassian Bellino

I also think that like the fear, if you're gonna have fear, which I do think you should, is not that he's watching you and watching you mess up. I think you should be afraid that he actually knows the contents of your heart.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like at the end of the day, if you think you're up on a pedestal telling people that their religion is wrong or what they do is wrong, and maybe that's how you think that it's supposed to go like at the end of the day, like God is looking at your heart, not your actions. And if you just have this power play,

::

Cassian Bellino

in your heart and that's what's motivating you to tell people that they're wrong or that they're sinful. Like that is that depart from me. I never knew you verse. Like it's not that you told someone else that what they're doing is wrong. It's that God saw you was like, you're only doing that. So you feel better about yourself, not to glorify my name.

::

Cassian Bellino

Cause if you were glorifying my name, you would love them. Like that's what we should be afraid of is like, God isn't seeing my actions. He's actually seeing like my, my deep core, motivations and like who I truly am. That's what he's seeing.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, I think that's why when we have pets, you know, like cats or dogs, you know, whatever them.

::

Cassian Bellino

Where's this going?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, I'm being serious. It's it teaches you a very valuable skill, which is unconditional love.

::

Cassian Bellino

you mean?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Unconditional love. We as humans have a very and hard time understanding of love being given with no conditions.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

you have a you know You can have a ah dog that will love you from today until tomorrow, regardless of anything. you know And there are people, how is how can it be that God will still love you if I do these things?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

right That's the age-old story. Well, the cat and dog kind of teaches you that lesson right there. mean, if they can love you...

::

Cassian Bellino

Are you a cat or a dog person?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

am a cat and dog person, but like...

::

Cassian Bellino

No, which one? Cat or dog?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm both. i love cats and dogs.

::

Cassian Bellino

Okay, me too, but I'd rather have a dog because cats, like, they just run away.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

um I have a cat, but she's more like a dog. So I don't...

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, that is the best of both worlds.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It is. She rolls over. She sits.

::

Cassian Bellino

That is cute. Oh, that is good.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Okay, hot take. Dogs in the bed, allowed or not allowed? 100%,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, 100%. I mean, pit bulls...

::

Cassian Bellino

what? Allowed?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Allowed. Except pit bulls and huskies.

::

Cassian Bellino

Illegal. Straight to jail.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I can't deal with pit bulls and huskies. I just can't. I've slept. Well, one of them, I almost like overheated. Cause it, cause huskies are like extremely warm and I did not know was.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And i don't know why people have them.

::

Cassian Bellino

They should be allowed in Florida.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's pets and like, huh?

::

Cassian Bellino

Like, get them out.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I, I just, I don't get it. It's like, they're serious.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, I see them here.

::

Cassian Bellino

a thousand percent. And I feel like they're like, they're self-regulating.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Are people,

::

Cassian Bellino

And I'm like, don't.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, they're not. They're built for cold climate. Did you not see their fur? Just put your hand on a husky for two minutes. I guarantee that thing is going to be on fire.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah, I personally love pit bulls, but I love Rottweilers more.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I like pit bulls, but some owners just don't know how to take care of them, and they just get a little cray-cray, and I'm just like, bro, you're 85 pounds, and yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Of muscle. pure muscle. I agree.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

I feel like there are rules for keeping a pet like, and this might be hot, but a if the dog's in the bed to me, that's like putting shoes on the bed. Like you can't take your paws off. So it's like, you gotta like wash them before they come in bed or immediately wash the sheets like laundry day get up in the bed. We're cuddling.

::

Cassian Bellino

Second law is that if you have a dog, you have to train it. Untrained dogs are such a nuisance.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Cats I'm like one of those that is a very big believer why a lot of people have cats that they just can't control they're not trained

::

Cassian Bellino

I did not know you could train a cat, I'm gonna be honest.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You can it takes longer. That's why nobody has patience. It took me six months with mine, but she is fully trained It She comes over if you call her she usually will sit um She will usually go down from a bed if you tell her to

::

Cassian Bellino

That's wild. I have never met a trained cat.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Whoa.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

So like same training style as dogs though, like Pavlovian with a treat or is it different?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's different because cats, you have to get them in the zone. So, like, I have to, at the beginning, like, I had to, like, get her attention and then get the treats, like, they like the actual physical treat box out.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And then... like pat her down to sit her down and then give her a treat. And then we moved on for her to like starting to understand that if she sits down, I'll give her a treat.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh.

::

Cassian Bellino

Okay.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's slower with dogs because cats don't understand what you're doing. They're trying. if They turn their head. They're like, what are you doing? You know, like, what are you doing?

::

Cassian Bellino

They have so much more free will.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

They do a lot more. lot more.

::

Cassian Bellino

Dogs are like, are you bringing toy or treat? I'll do anything for either one of those.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Anything like I'll give you my belly like right now. I'm on the floor

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm not going to lie. i feel like having a dog right now would solve 90% of my problems. Like I don't mean to be extreme, and but I do. i fostered a dog last year and it changed my life and I miss it every day.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It makes it harder to be depressed

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Cause you have such a task every day and it loves you back so well.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Unconditionally, that's what I'm trying to get at. It's like if you want to see that like love it exists in every living thing

::

Cassian Bellino

No, truly. Truly.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like eat

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. And it's wild like being out here in Hawaii because like you go diving and you interact. Like yesterday i was surfing and I like saw honu. Like I saw a turtle pop its head up. but I'm like, you're right.

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm in your home. What's up? And then you see like monk seals and you see sharks and you see dolphins and you're like, hi, can I come in? Like this is your home that I'm interacting with.

::

Cassian Bellino

And they're so loving and they're so open. I mean, it's not like we're touching them or like petting them, but Like their curiosity mirrors ours.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah We're not recommending people to go out and start petting sharks.

::

Cassian Bellino

Definitely not.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, I know what you're getting at. It's like just engulfing yourself in the environment. Like just seeing everything around you.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

just

::

Cassian Bellino

Please don't touch the wildlife.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

eat Don't touch wildlife.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

There's jellyfish. There's like box jellyfish in Australia that will kill you.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Kill you.

::

Cassian Bellino

Or like, you know what makes me mad is like the tiny ones in Australia, like anything in Australia, end of sentence, but like tiny animals.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We'll kill you. Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's like one torch from this little sea urchin will. That's my Australian accent.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I love it.

::

Cassian Bellino

little touch. One little touch will kill you in a second. And you're like, why does this exist? I can't even see it. I wouldn't even like willingly step. up Like, I didn't know. i didn't know I was stepping on death.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No. That's Australia. Down under.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's Do you see those ah TikToks of people like living in Australia and there's like spiders the size of the paintings behind me? like No. No, that thing needs to pay rent.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Australians are interesting people. Like if you i I've worked with it I worked with one bloke that was Australian and this man.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Just pick he picked up a rat and threw it out.

::

Cassian Bellino

What?

::

Cassian Bellino

No.

::

Cassian Bellino

Belt different.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

ah i i I remember this like yesterday. Like we were in the kitchen. He spotted it. He's like, I got it. He just grabs it and just walks out of the kitchen and just throws it in the trash.

::

Cassian Bellino

The trash?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

The trash.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

and They're built differently. You're right. They're built differently. They are a different being species. Like I don't even think we can call them, you know, like they're just like alpha humans.

::

Cassian Bellino

Well, they are continent of felons. So like if those are your starters, like the, the dream, the genes are strong.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, and drunks. Felons and drunks.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like you ship off all of the hardest people in America to one continent. Yeah. Like I would say that they're going to be pretty intense in a couple hundred years.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Australia.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I've never met, like, Orthodox Australian, like, christian Orthodox, like, Christian Australians. I just wonder, like... What do these people do?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like, do they go like in the middle of the, you know, the wastelands, you know, like just, yeah, just a bush, you know, just put a giant crucifix and that's like their freaking church.

::

Cassian Bellino

The bush?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I don't know. i don't know what they, I don't know what they do.

::

Cassian Bellino

I don't know. i spent a month in Australia and it was all Hillsong-y.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

ah

::

Cassian Bellino

It was like a Hillsong vibe, but I was like in the city of the cities. And when I went into the bush, I was just like messing around with giant spiders and platypus. Like it, like the stimulation never really ends there.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

now No, no. It's just bizarre, you know, because we live in this little bubble called America.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And there is people all over the place. You know, i i have a close friend of mine that lives out in the UK. She also grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And she also left, you know, and even though she lives in the UK, like we're still friends, been friends for years. And it's that part of like we both left that like community, you know, and we got something like we can relate about and it's It's just wonderful, you know, because like we could just talk about anything. You know, she could talk about, like, religious stuff that's going on or non-religious stuff. like It's just a free-for-all.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

um i i like I like that. i i ah wish, like, more people in this country had that experience, too, of just, like, being outside a little, you know?

::

Cassian Bellino

Mm, yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

it it really does open up your mind to different things. It really, really does.

::

Cassian Bellino

A thousand percent. Yeah. That's what i liked about Hawaii. That's the one thing is like, I've lived in Bangkok before. And like Bangkok's insane because it's kind of like this hub where you get like every type of Asian in that country.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You don't know who are men or women. Like, ah that that that is a party for me. I ah yeah like i would go to Bangkok and I would be fine.

::

Cassian Bellino

The most beautiful women are men there.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But for a lot of people, it'd be an interesting situation.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, but like it's a different even like the lady boys acknowledge that they're men and they're just like but this is my identity is like I'm a lady boy.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

a

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm a boy that dresses like a woman and that's my identity. They don't fully switch. They don't re identify different gender, which is a crazy concept for like the transgender communities here. Isn't that crazy? Like they acknowledge like my gender like i have a penis, but like I'm a lady and they like just it's almost like they.

::

Cassian Bellino

there's like a ah line between how they express themselves and then like how they were born, like with like their penis. Whereas like here in America, there's an identity shift and like your identity pushes towards the sexual orientation.

::

Cassian Bellino

How do you feel about that?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm very old school. You know, I'm i'm one of those where... are Back in the day, you know, a lot of people within the trans community were proud of being trans.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, I've met people personally that were also proud of being trans. And it's like that term is no longer acceptable. We can't say trans women.

::

Cassian Bellino

Trans?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We can't say trans men. It's like it has to be now men and has to be women. I just have a hard time of like, why can't we love trans?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

all of us for who we are. you know We can love people for being gay. We can love people for being lesbians. Why can't we be able to acknowledge trans men and trans women? like Again, to the same idea like in Bangkok, it's where they're not saying they're one or the other. They're ladyboys.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. They're lady boys. Like that's how they're choosing to express themselves. I think I'm confused with what you said of like, they can't be called trans.

::

Cassian Bellino

Why?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Because it's being accepted that they are just like men and are just like women.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, so they're saying I'm not a trans woman. I am a woman.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But there's nothing wrong with being a trans woman.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

When you say that you're being a trans woman, you're basically saying that I'm proud to be a woman that has transitioned.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh. Oh.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm not biologically a woman, but I am a trans woman.

::

Cassian Bellino

And I feel like I agree with you because if that trans woman just says, well, I'm a woman, it's like, no, I'm a woman and you're a trans woman. There is a difference here.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Right. Yeah. It doesn't make you less. It's your trans woman. Right. That's it.

::

Cassian Bellino

There is a difference that we need to acknowledge or else we are not speaking truthfully.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

We can't say one thing is something else or else there is no difference between anything.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And it's again, it's not taking away the rights of anyone based on faith or religion or any political bias. It's

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

accepting people for who they are and loving people for who they are regardless. It's like, I don't need to know your life to be able to talk with you and have a good time. It's like, we're, we're just, we're all in this together. Like dead ass.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We're all in this together.

::

Cassian Bellino

dead ass. I agree. Why do you think a hierarchy is so quickly introduced? Because i mean, obviously, because there's hate. I mean, I'm not I'm not trying my hardest not to be ignorant here. But like, right? Why can't we just do what you just said of like, I'm just gonna acknowledge that you live a different life than me.

::

Cassian Bellino

And because it's different, that doesn't mean you deserve any less love. But it's okay to acknowledge is that there's a difference. But why is there like the fight for And because, you know, like it almost is like, is it because there's hate, there has to be that hierarchy of like, we hate it. We even have to acknowledge like, Hey, I love you. And I'm not trying to take away any rights. I'm just trying to distinguish between us. Like, why do we even have to like say that prelude to that sentence?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. And, you know, on the on the topic. There has been for many years, there's stereotype, particularly within the gay community of atheism and nonreligious belief.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But reality is is that you have a large percentage of the gay community, especially here in the United States, that are religious, that do have forms of faith, and are not extremely feminine. They are masculine.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And does that make them any less of who they are? it's like It's ridiculous. you know it Just because somebody like... loves the same sex but still wants to be a christian or wants to be a religious jew or maybe be religious muslim it's like it's a crime because of what they choose choose to be with somebody like ah

::

Cassian Bellino

It is wild to me that,

::

Cassian Bellino

like, again, were you there marking off the dimensions of the earth? Do you get to determine who gets love and who doesn't?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

no

::

Cassian Bellino

It is a wild concept that people who aren't the creator get to determine how creation is treated.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And how they're able to practice their beliefs because of their personal, very personal decisions. It's like, well, you can't be a religious Jew because you're gay and you're having sexual intercourse with your partner.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You can't be um a religious Christian. I'm talking like... I don't even know which groups are ever. I don't even, i don't know. There was a whole thing. Like someone was explaining to like Catholics are now accepting of gays.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I don't even know. It's confusing. It's really confusing. But like,

::

Cassian Bellino

It touches back to like so many things you said before like, A, we're all on our own journey. We're all going to reconnect with our creator in the way that works for us in the founding beliefs that we've grounded ourself in. Like in the Christian beliefs, you are interacting with God in the Christian way, in the way that works for you.

::

Cassian Bellino

I do think that there are like, I don't know I don't want to say like there are rules we have to follow of like, we cannot say like, yeah, he's cool if I do this. It's like you are going to come to God in your own way. And I'm not going to tell you how to do that because that is your journey and not mine.

::

Cassian Bellino

We're also called to know God and love others. When you start playing God and telling people what they can and can't do. Like I've got a whole list of other things you could also do if you're going to play God. you want to play a God, pop off.

::

Cassian Bellino

But that's going to come with everything else that it comes with playing God. You're going to decipher judgment. You're going to mark off the dimensions of the earth. You know, when's the end of the world going to be? We'd love to know the this agenda for that. Like if you're going to play God, play God.

::

Cassian Bellino

But you don't get to pick and choose.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, it's the ideology of even the word abomination. its

::

Cassian Bellino

Hmm.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

the The word abomination, meaning that it's an abomination and disgrace in front of God. It's where if you genuinely believe in that ideology of God, why is there orphans?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Why are there kids that don't have any homes? Maybe, maybe if you know you believe in a higher power, you believe in God. Maybe the reason why of these people are here is to raise and take care of those children that don't have homes.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, there's so many different aspects that we can't see um like the smallest scale. Like, you know, you take bees, for example. They don't pollinate.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We don't have vegetation. Very simple. It's like every single thing has its purpose, its plan, whatever the case may be. It's like, don't mess with the blueprints.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, it's like, you're not the architect. You're not the software designer. Stop touching my keyboard, you know, stop it. Like this is off limits.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, i I just feel like if anybody feels even confused, which like has been like my saving grace of like, I'm in my walk with God. And if you feel like you don't agree with my walk with God, you should go to God and go to him about it.

::

Cassian Bellino

Everything we have is from the Lord. And if you're like, God, this doesn't make sense to me. God, I don't get it. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. Lay your, like, what is it? It's Job. five, eight and nine, it's like, if I were you, I'd lay your issues before the Lord and see what he does because he's going to do something and unfathomable. Like that's not, you know word for word Eliphaz, but ah like, if you're confused, just go to God about it.

::

Cassian Bellino

Cause like he created you, like he has answers for you. Just seek him. Kind of like what i was saying before of like, you are going to sin. That's like the one guarantee, but what do you do after you sin?

::

Cassian Bellino

Do you go back to sin? Do you go back to shame? Do you go back to guilt or do you go to God? And you're like, Hey God, I did the thing you knew I'd do. what do I do next? And that is where like that sanctification, that is where like God works when you give them that chance to.

::

Cassian Bellino

So even all these questions of like, well, who's right and who's wrong and what's an abomination and why are there orphans and why are there suffering? It's like, we could talk all day about it. We're professional yappers. But if we want answers, I would go to the creator about it. And I would just take it up with him because he's going to provide answers in unfathomable ways.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, I mean a hotline right now is a little busy because a lot of people are calling But you could drive back a little later Yeah

::

Cassian Bellino

leave a message for sure. ah They usually get back to like, you know, I've waited five years once so.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's um for it for me a lot of my spiritual journey Like I was in Israel for a few years to like kind of connect to my roots you know i'm gonna lie did a kind of few psychedelics along the way and you just you just you think differently you don't you worry less you're still anxious and get down at times but you start to realize that if you set yourself up

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And know what's right. Like you said, like, you know what's right in your heart. You know where and what you're supposed to be doing. Which, to be honest, I think we all kind of know what our purpose is deep down.

::

Cassian Bellino

Dave,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We just can't, we can't.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We're too,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

we have too much going on to be able to think about it. That's the issue.

::

Cassian Bellino

so Dave, if you know my purpose, I would love to know. Please tell me.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, but you you get what I'm saying is like we have so much that is going on around us on a day to day basis from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. We're. How do we even have time to think about something like that?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

That's I'm trying to get at is we're like we know what our purpose is, but we're so busy doing everything else that we don't have any time or thought to put into that. And i think that what that teaches us is that we over time.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

gravitate towards that without consciously thinking about it. A lot of the decisions and things that we make is coming from that purpose. What we gravitate towards.

::

Cassian Bellino

What do what is your purpose, Dave?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

i don't know yet. Still figuring that out.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh, I thought we kind of knew deep down.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We know deep down, but listen, like you know, i I don't think there's enough.

::

Cassian Bellino

So deep down,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I don't think there's enough weed in here for me to get deep down. Enough. Like,

::

Cassian Bellino

that's why I think the simplicity of like, know God, love others. That's my purpose. And whatever falls within that giant net is my purpose. And that's going to look different for you than it is for me.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

like that bungee cord ride at the amusement park, you know, they throw you, you like drop 50 feet. You're like, Jesus, I'm going to die. But there's a net, you know, and there's a string that's attached to you.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You're

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, you'll, love you'll get launched and we'll see where you land.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Have you actually ever done one of those?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, you'll land.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I've chickened out too many times.

::

Cassian Bellino

Dude, I would sign up today, but unfortunately there's not one in front of me I've always wanted to do that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I have a fear of heights.

::

Cassian Bellino

Always.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

That's my problem.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh yeah. You should work on that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I should, i mean, i I've hiked. I've been able to like do certain things that I i haven't been able to do before.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's good. Is it like a phobia or do you think it's just like exposure therapy? Like if you did rock climbing, you'd eventually get over it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think it has to do with my eyes because the one two reasons I wear glasses is I'm farsighted and my eyes don't focus. So when I'm like too high and I'm looking down, it's like.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Does that it starts like palpitating, so I can't like focus 100% on like what I'm looking at and it kind of like freaks me out.

::

Cassian Bellino

oh Oh, yeah, that would definitely freak me out.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

But what if you did things like like rock climbing helped me because I'm nearsighted?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I've done rock climbing after.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Okay. How'd you feel like coming down from the top?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It was rough.

::

Cassian Bellino

It is rough.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's rough.

::

Cassian Bellino

It's very rough.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

but's It's exhilarating. Like, you you know, as you keep getting up there, like it gets harder and harder because you're tired and you're sweating and you're just. but You just keep pushing.

::

Cassian Bellino

And then you look down, you're like, shouldn't have looked down.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Shouldn't look down.

::

Cassian Bellino

Shouldn't have looked down.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Fuck.

::

Cassian Bellino

But then you get to the top and you have to fully let go and lean back. And that's the only way to get down. I've done a couple of rock climbing, like top roping, and I've been like 150 feet in the air. And I'm like, the only thing standing between me and death is like this harness and like one little metal clip and a rope.

::

Cassian Bellino

And then I'm dead. But what about like skydiving where you don't need to focus on the ground because you're just falling? Like, would you do that?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Is a sedative okay to take before?

::

Cassian Bellino

but then you wouldn't remember it. Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

hi know! ah it's

::

Cassian Bellino

when

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know what, look, like, I... I've made a lot of accomplishment and accomplishments, and I'm sure you have, too. It's just, like, we do have, like, those obstacles that are hard to get over.

::

Cassian Bellino

yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know? Like, I'm sure one day down the line, like, I'll be able to do it. It's just...

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And it's like hilarious. I live in a place where like they do all this shit like it's Florida, bro. You know, like they do skydiving and bungee jumping and alligator rallying and all that mudsliding.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

you

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm in a really crazy part of

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think we're both in like really bizarre like bizarre places in this country. like You're in paradise, like in the middle of the ocean.

::

Cassian Bellino

You're also in paradise.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm middle of nowhere. Ouch. Yeah. Just using my wifi to connect with you. It's awesome though. You, when I moved out here, so many people gave me advice. They're like, you're going to get island fever and it's too expensive and you know, you're going to miss home.

::

Cassian Bellino

And it's just wild. Cause when you live in such a beautiful place, like my vacation is going home to Arizona and visiting family. And my free time is doing the most amazing things. And I never really get island fever because I've never lived in a place where people travel so much. Like I lived in Arizona for like four years before this and people just like never left. Like maybe they'd go to you know Phoenix or l LA, but like here,

::

Cassian Bellino

I can never see my friends cause they're always in Japan or they're on another Island or they're in New Zealand. Like you don't really get Island fever cause it's like too fun. And also like every time I go on vacation and leave, all I want to do is come home.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like I went to Italy last year for two weeks. I'm I just can't wait to go back home. Like I just want to like 30

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

That is a long ass flight.

::

Cassian Bellino

hours

::

Cassian Bellino

girl.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's Italy.

::

Cassian Bellino

I should've on the moon.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You get the lasagna. You get to me the meatballs. You the Italian men. It's wonderful. It's Italiano.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yes.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I love it. I love Italy. oh When I was in Rome, I just did men shopping the whole time I was there.

::

Cassian Bellino

Love it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It was wonderful. But i could like I could imagine that too. like Just the yearning and wanting to be a home. It's just...

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Like I just want my bed. I want my poke bowl. I want to be in my ocean, but I'm in the arguably the most beautiful place I could ever imagine, which is Italy. And I'm like, I just want to be home in Hawaii. Like that's the worst part of living here is like, you never really want to leave.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, I mean, that it's kind of what happens to people here in Florida. It's kind of hilarious because like people down here kind of remind me of people like the community I grew up in with.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You never leave. You just... Grow old. Watch your grandkids grow up. And then die there. You know? e

::

Cassian Bellino

Growing up is so beautiful, like creating a nest and creating a community and creating your own home.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I know.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like that is a beautiful part of life. That is like probably one of those beautiful expressions of free will.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But there's not that many, um... I don't know, like... There's not that many places in this country that you can... You can do those kind of things anymore. But i feel like i feel like more and more now people are starting to realize like there's a lot of benefits of moving out to like – there's a lot of like really great states that have a lot of great places to live like live out, like North Carolina.

::

Cassian Bellino

What do mean?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You got Texas.

::

Cassian Bellino

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

got people that are moving out to like Nebraska.

::

Cassian Bellino

but

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

don't recommend that, but Nebraska could be nice sometimes.

::

Cassian Bellino

Absolutely.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's cold.

::

Cassian Bellino

i

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It's cold, though.

::

Cassian Bellino

i don't think my nest will be in Hawaii, if I'm going to be honest. I think my nest will be close to my family on the mainland, probably like Georgia, probably like Arizona, like a place where you you know, just like a place where you can like buy land.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Georgia's nice.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like this is a fun place to live when you're so young, but like I'm not Hawaiian.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Can't buy land.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, you can't buy land, like maybe the big island, but like unless I leave this island like pregnant and married, like You know, like my, my nest will be somewhere else, but like I have created a beautiful community here, but like I said, like people are coming and going all the time.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

That's why like, I, even though I lived like down here, primarily like taking care of family, but one of the things that like a gravatory, like with Texas was land.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And I like, I grew up in the country and there's just, I need nature. i need to like wake up and all I see trees and birds.

::

Cassian Bellino

I do not want to hear the word KPI for the rest of my life. I just want to like gather water from a creek and like water my garden with it and then like drink wine topless in my backyard.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like that's that's the end goal.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

It is a dream. And have like a little like little pond and you have koi fish in there.

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh yeah. See, I want to guard goose.

::

Cassian Bellino

I want a barn cat to get rid of the rats and I want a guard goose and I want an indoor Rottweiler that just like rides shotgun in my Bronco. Like I have a whole vision.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like... some of cut is like I've had my sheer experience with Rottweilers. Like people are like oh my God, they're so vicious and they're mean.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And one of the Rottweilers I remember, like I bumped into this is like girl and she was just like adorable. And all she didn't want to do was just cuddle. And I was just like, oh my God, can I play with her all day?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like,

::

Cassian Bellino

And they're units.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

and very They're very... Believe it or not, they're more gentle than pit bulls. Like, wild wilders kind of understand that they're a heavy. Kind of don't. But they don't, like like, bang at you. Like, ow!

::

Cassian Bellino

Oh my gosh, pit bulls, they just run with their mouth open.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Ow! Like, they... ah

::

Cassian Bellino

You're like, which part of my body is about to be in your mouth? It's like, ah. Yeah, yeah, Rottweilers are so cute, but they do growl in that really scary way.

::

Cassian Bellino

With their teeth, that's honestly the worst part for me.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think that like dogs are, they're kind of fascinating because like, they're not like any other creature. Like they're so like attuned to their owner, like dead ass. Like there are owners that they'll have some of the sweetest dogs.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And I kind already know that these are some of like the sweetest people. And they generally are. You know, when you come to those homes and like the dog is kind of like growling and kind of vicious, you know, theyre like kind of playing, they're being nice.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm like, I don't know if.

::

Cassian Bellino

You are reflect like I say, I know more about you now that I know your dog.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, that's fair. That's super fair. That's why you train them.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. I've been thinking a lot about dog names. Uh, if I had a dog and I think like no matter what male, female, it's going to homeboy or homegirl. That's it. Depends on the gender, obviously.

::

Cassian Bellino

but

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

i can i I got high, and I was with bunch of my girl pals, and they were, like, driving me crazy to give her her girl name. was high as shit, and I'm, like, eating a Twix bar. I'm naming her Twix, and they're like, no, it's not girly. I'm like, her name's Twix.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Like, no. about Twixie? I'm like, fine, Twixie. Her name's Twix. named I named her after a freaking candy bar that was in my mouth.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

While i was like salivating, you know, like I don't care like that's her name, you know Yeah There you go, i mean

::

Cassian Bellino

At your most stimulated, you wanted a Twix bar. How more emblematic of your unconditional love for your pet?

::

Cassian Bellino

Like when you want, when you could want anything, when everything sounds delicious, you chose Twix.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Even though she's way more expensive than a Twix bar, but yes Of course, you know expensive cats are like do you think they clean up after themselves?

::

Cassian Bellino

Your cat?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

no

::

Cassian Bellino

I have never owned a cat, but I've lived with a cat, so I don't know.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

They're dirty. They're dirty. Cats are not clean. I don't know where this whole myth came.

::

Cassian Bellino

i

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

They're not clean.

::

Cassian Bellino

I agree with

::

Cassian Bellino

also like don't hate me but I am not a fan of cats on the counter that like honestly freaks me out quite a bit.

::

Cassian Bellino

I'm so scared. Do you hate me?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, no, I agree with you. I just sometimes she goes places and I'm just like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

i I don't think even the Lord wants you to be there.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You know, like, I'm trying to enjoy myself in the bathroom and I'm like, girl, what you doing in here? Out, out. do You know, I could be showering and then it's like a little head pops in and I'm like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

hey

::

Cassian Bellino

Girl.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

privacy, please? please

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, it's for me.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

no

::

Cassian Bellino

It's the counters. It's the counters. I don't want cat hair in my ground beef. I'm trying to meet my protein intake and I don't need extra hairs in it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh my god. Kazi, I forgot to ask you because you mentioned this earlier, about your podcast. What is the name of your podcast, biblically speaking?

::

Cassian Bellino

What's up? Biblically speaking.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And you, how do you do your episodes? do you do like series? Do you just publish every week, every two weeks?

::

Cassian Bellino

It's weekly. um i bring on a guest. It's interview style. And so like, for example, I just had a guy on who... I just like find them at universities and I'm like, Hey, you're a professor. Like the one credential to come on my show is you have to have a PhD because I've been going to church my whole life questions. So like, can't do pastors.

::

Cassian Bellino

I've had a couple pastors, but it was like worth it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

You need somebody that has like ah some educational background, ah not only just for the degree. a lot of those people have the brain where they could just spew out, you know, like this person that it I quote that it and they just immediately.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yep. like their job is to teach, not to do an ultra call, which was like the point.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

hmm.

::

Cassian Bellino

So they come on and i' like, we have a call ahead of time. And I send the notes ahead of time. And I'm just like, like this guy just came on and he's like, I can do open theism. Nobody agrees with me. You're going catch flack for it. And so i send the questions. We have the conversation.

::

Cassian Bellino

was one of the hardest conversations I've ever navigated. Cause I was like, so confused, like on live air, like still trying to figure out what he's saying. Just like reacting. Cause like, I don't do research. I don't like come into these conversations prepared because, well I want,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Neither do I. I want to get to know you. Like, that's the whole idea.

::

Cassian Bellino

Well, I also want to react authentically. Like I want to be my listeners of like, wait, I don't know what that means either.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Cause I didn't, most listeners don't read research papers. I'm not going to read a research paper. I'm not to watch background. Like you explained biblical timelines to me. Like I'm dumb and I'll clarify because I'm, that's probably like what my listeners are doing.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

like like we did earlier Like we did earlier, like I kind of went back and forth, kind of breaking down.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Sometimes you just gotta to do that stuff, you know? It's like, we're not all freaking...

::

Cassian Bellino

yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

math whiz and geniuses, you know?

::

Cassian Bellino

gotta break it down gotta break it down and so they come on weekly and uh yeah it's like an hour and we just like chit chat and that's it you know I put it on YouTube I on Spotify and then I put on Instagram and that's like it's just like clips of it um and then I'm trying to do more like and I'm trying to like you know read the analytics see what people like make more videos of that because like

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, gotta break it down.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Okay.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah. ah

::

Cassian Bellino

And hours kind of a long time. So I try to like make it more consumable. i like do a weekly newsletter that like recaps it. I do week like weekly Bible studies on that topic. So I'm like trying to serve Cass five years ago who needed this.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like, what does she need? Let's give her that.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah, I think very much what podcasting is, is what you make of it, you know, and i think.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think you've summed it up and done it pretty beautifully. You know, you you've put your own spin on it. ah

::

Cassian Bellino

Thanks.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

PhDs aside, you know, it's getting a real perspective. It's like, you know, you're sitting there as like the viewer, because obviously, like we're talking. And nobody can talk back to us and tell us like what we're, but in many ways we get to be that viewer that's asking those questions, you know, and like getting into the mind to try to like break things down.

::

Cassian Bellino

yeah

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Because again, I had the same problem too when I left, like I was surrounded by people telling me what the truth is and what isn't. And then I'm like, I want to talk to some experts about this.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So I think that's great.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I think, you know, and especially doing that weekly and you got a bunch of cool people coming on.

::

Cassian Bellino

Thank you.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

there um

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. yeah Literally just had a guy on that was talking about open theism. That'll probably come out two weeks. And the next week is his friend who disagrees with him.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, yes.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Oh, wow.

::

Cassian Bellino

And then i have enough. So it's like both perspectives. And like, I just, I just booked another guy who's like, also doesn't agree with open theism.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

yeah I like that.

::

Cassian Bellino

it's like, as Christians, we're expected to like know the God that we gave our life to. And yet we can't answer these questions. And even every scholar that I brought on, like Hugh Ross, astrophysicist, he's an older theorist.

::

Cassian Bellino

He thinks the seven days were epochs of time. Then I have other people, they believe it's a young earth. And like, it's okay that they disagree. Like our God is unfathomable. Imagine if one person on earth fathomed God, that would make him God.

::

Cassian Bellino

And it wouldn't make our God God if he was fathomable. So like, it's really wonderful to have all these like beautiful intellectual, like open, well-informed conversations. Um, that most people were like, oh yeah, i didn't even know what a sanctification gap was. And I'm like, me neither, you know? And now like, I know my God better because like, I don't know. I really try to dumb it down because I'm dumb. So I, if I can understand it, someone else can.

::

Cassian Bellino

And like, I mean that with love. I'm not like self-deprecating here.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

No, for sure.

::

Cassian Bellino

Like we're, I'm just being real with like my intellect level compared to theirs. Like it's, it's lower. It's okay.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

i would What's your social media handle?

::

Cassian Bellino

So Instagram, I'm on Instagram. a religiously like toxic amount of time. So if you want to talk to me, it's, biblically speaking it's, this is biblically speaking on Instagram and then biblically speaking on Spotify, YouTube, Apple podcasts.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Biblically speaking.

::

Cassian Bellino

And then if you just want to like, if you don't remember anything from today, go to my website. Cause that's where everything is. It's called bib speak.com. And I've got like merch that I don't promote.

::

Cassian Bellino

So if you want merch that no one has in the world, you can buy it there. I have like free guides. So it's like, Hey, here's a verse that we were all like,

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Ooh.

::

Cassian Bellino

here's a verse that like everyone thinks they know, like Jeremiah 29, 11 for, I know the plans I have for you to care as the Lord. What does that verse mean? We think it means so I'm Christian, I'm locked and loaded with a cool plan and I'll be prosperous.

::

Cassian Bellino

That's not what it means. And so it's like seven verses like that, where it's like the verse, what we think it means. And then a scholar clarifies what it really means. So yeah, that's it. And then I've got guides like based on, cause I've talked to scholars about like homosexuality and transgenderism and religious trauma. So it's like,

::

Cassian Bellino

Based on the scholars, how do we as Christians navigate what it says about those in the most loving, well-informed ways?

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

I like make summary guides so you don't have to listen to the episode. So yeah, bibspeak.com is like home base for everything.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

I'm going to leave a link in the description box below. So make it easier.

::

Cassian Bellino

Cool.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And as well as your social media handle, Cassie, and I have to say like this conversation went a lot of different places, but you definitely have that influence where with what you've been doing with your podcast and the people that you've been speaking with, it again has that open-minded perspective where you're

::

Cassian Bellino

Thanks.

::

Cassian Bellino

Love it.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

We can cover all kinds of avenues and be able discuss all sorts of things regarding religion and faith. It's like we're all here on this planet together.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

And if you want to close your door to one avenue, that's fine.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah. That

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

But I like to believe that we should open our minds and ears to all sorts of things.

::

Cassian Bellino

was person.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

So, yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Yeah, Dave, this was really fun.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Yeah.

::

Cassian Bellino

Thank you so much for having me on.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

My pleasure. Listen, Cassie, and thank you so much. And to all of you that are listening, if you want to check out more of the podcast, you can find us everywhere and anywhere at Lost in the Groove Pod. So with that, catch you on the next one.

::

Lost in the Groove Podcast

Peace out.

::

Cassian Bellino

Who's out?

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About the Podcast

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Lost in the Groove
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About your host

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Dave lennon

Lost in the Groove is my space to explore the real, raw, and unexpected. I started this podcast because I was tired of feeling like nothing ever changes. My therapist once suggested, I write letters to the government to express my frustrations. Then I thought, "Why not create a podcast instead?" Here, I can talk about what I want, with whoever I want, no matter their beliefs. For me, it's about having honest conversations,. Breaking down walls, and getting people to think beyond the surface.

I grew up in a blue-collar family in the suburbs outside New York City, raised as an Orthodox Jew. Leaving the religious community in 2017 was a pivotal moment for me. It allowed me to embrace my identity as an artist, and chart my own path. Who I am today, and what this podcast represents, is deeply tied to my journey. Leaving a community that was a cult; still is. Discovering authenticity, creativity, and independence in myself.

I’m a car enthusiast, an artist, and someone who thrives on creative expression. From old-school rap, and psychedelic rock. To vintage muscle cars and European classics. I’m all about the things that inspire passion.
My co-host, Karissa Andrews, joins me for American Groove. Our segment on stoner culture, and life’s weirder twists. She’s an incredibly talented makeup artist, aesthetician, and candle maker. She brings a spice, pizazz, and realness to every conversation.

This podcast isn’t about chasing fame or conforming to trends, it’s about the experience. I want listener, whether they’re driving home, cooking, or just unwinding. To feel like they’re part of something real. Lost in the Groove is my way of staying true to myself, while connecting with others. learning, and having fun along the way.