Podcast 214: Paths Beyond Ego with Roger Walsh M.D.

Roger Walsh M.D.

I am always impressed by Dr. Roger Walsh and his vast knowledge and wisdom.  This is my second interview with Roger and I know you are going to thoroughly enjoy this podcast about his book entitled, “Paths Beyond Ego-The Transpersonal Vision”

Roger compiled fifty essays from some of the top thinkers in the areas of transpersonal psychology,  spirituality, and cosmology.  Some of the authors that have contributed to “Paths Beyond Ego” are:  Ken Wilber, Daniel Goldman, Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, The Dalai Lama and many others.  Roger and I discuss the tools and practices that can be practiced in assisting us in reaching more of our human potential. Many of the practices are associated with developing our own deep personal spiritual journey.

As is stated in the introduction of “Paths Beyond Ego” we are astoundingly ingenious creatures.  We have gone to the moon, split the atom, unraveled the genetic code, and probed the birth of the universe.  Indeed, modern civilization stands as a monument to boundless creativity of the human intellect.  Yet, while evidence of our intellectual and technological genius is all around us, there is growing concern that in other ways we have seriously underestimated ourselves. In part because of the blinding brilliance of our technological triumphs, we have distracted and dissociated ourselves from our inner world, sought outside for answers that can only be found within, denied the subjective and the sacred, overlooked latent capacities of mind, imperiled our planet and lived in a collective trance–a contracted, distorted state of mind that goes unrecognized because we share it and take it to be “normality”

I highly encourage you to listen to my podcast with Dr. Roger Walsh as we explore how to elevate our own consciousness through the spiritual practices that are available to anyone on a path of spiritual inquiry.

I love the quote from the book by Patanjali, who compiled the classic text of yoga: “The mind does not shine by its own light. It too is an object, illumined by the Self–But the Self is boundless. It is the pure Consciousness that illumines the contents of the mind…Egoism, the limiting sense of “I ” results from the individual intellect’s attributing the power of consciousness to self.”
If you would like more information about Dr. Roger Walsh and his many books, I welcome you to visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 209: Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind with Roger Walsh M.D.

Roger Walsh M.D.It was a pleasure to have interviewed Roger Walsh about his book entitled, “Essential Spirituality“.  This book was originally recommended to me by a very good friend, and I am so glad that I made the effort to reach out to Roger and conduct this interview.

Roger Walsh is one of the foremost scholars on spirituality and psychology, his wisdom became so apparent as we dialogued about his book, “Essential Spirituality“,  that I could have engaged in a much longer dialogue with Roger.  I have invited him to return to do additional interviews-so stay tuned for a series of interviews with this wonderful man.

Rogers book is about the deep practices that each of us should cultivate and maintain in our life to reach a deeper connection to the Divine.  Roger has done extensive research into the various religious and spiritual practices that for centuries have assisted us in cultivating a deep spiritual connection.  He makes a point to differentiate between religion and spirituality, which I believe is important. The word religion has many meanings; in particular it implies a concern with the sacred and supreme values of life.  The term spirituality, on the other hand refers to direct experience of the sacred.  Spiritual practices are those that help us experience the sacred–that which is most central and essential to our lives–for ourselves.

The ultimate aim of spiritual practices as our author states ” Is awakening; that is to know our true Self and our relationship to the sacred. However, spiritual practices also offer numerous other gifts along the way. Gradually, the heart begins to open, fear and anger melt, greed and jealousy dwindle, happiness and joy grow, love flowers, peace replaces agitation, concern for other blossoms, wisdom matures, and both psychological and physical heath improve.  Virtually all aspects of our lives touched and transformed in some way.

If you are seeking to cultivate a life of joy, meaning and fulfillment then the spiritual path would be a great place to begin.  Our author Roger Walsh in his book “Essential Spirituality‘ provides the tools and practices that will assist anyone on the path of awakening.  His book is the best book that I have ever read on spiritual practices and the benefits associated with the cultivation of these practices.  I encourage all of my listeners to add this book as a must read if you are exploring the spiritual path.

 

If you would like to learn more about Roger Walsh, you can visit his website by clicking here or you can watch a short video on YouTube by clicking here.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with a very wise and knowledgeable scholar who speaks the truth to the common man and woman.

Podcast 200: Spiritual Partnership-Journey to the Soul with Gary Zukav

Gary ZukavI recently had the distinct honor of interviewing Gary Zukav about his new book entitled, “Spiritual Partnership-The Journey to Authentic Power“.   I know that many of my listeners remember Gary Zukav for his previous works entitled, “The Dancing Wu Li Masters” and “The Seat of the Soul”.   This new book dives even deeper into helping us all understand what is like to live beyond our five senses and become what Gary refers to as a multi-sensory being.

In our forty-five minute interview we cover a lot of ground, so I encourage you to listen carefully.  “Spiritual Partnerships” will assist in bringing awareness to what it is like to live in a world of equality, commitment, courage, compassion and conscious communications as is outlined in the Spiritual Partnership Guidelines.  Human Consciousness has and is shifting, we can experience more than our five senses.  We will be able to sense ourselves as personalities and souls at the same time, and know things we couldn’t before–meaning, information, reasons for past events and more.

We all have a choice, we can either choose to ignore the evolutionary process taking place and live as we have in the past. Or we can embrace the incredible opportunity to live our lives in alignment with our souls, and discover what Gary states is our Authentic Power.

When we embrace our authentic power we will create spiritual partnerships,  based upon equals for the purpose of spiritual growth.  These new partnerships will be different from all previous forms of relationship and serve a different purpose. Spiritual Partnerships are vehicles that multisensory individuals use to create authentic power and support one another.  In these new types of relationships we commit to aligning our personalities with our souls with the benefit being a life that our heart longs to live,  more fulfilled, grateful, patient, fully present, meaningful, creative and living.

This wonderful new book is certainly going to bring awareness to the shifts in consciousness in our world.  The greater our awareness and willingness to embrace our own shift, and become a more conscious loving, caring, compassionate human being, the closer we will be to transforming our world into a place of cooperation vs competition.

We can live in harmony, peace and abundance with living beings—what a wonderful place this world will be when we awaken to our own authentic power and use this energy to create lasting and meaningful spiritual partnerships.  I encourage all of my listeners to read and fully understand what is happening in the evolution of our species.  It is truly a beautiful thing, and you are part of it!

If you would like more information about Gary’s new book, ” Spiritual Partnerships-The Journey to Authentic Power” please click here to be directed to his website.  There you will find videos, and down loadable information about the Spiritual Partnership Guidelines.   Pleaseclick here to be directed to information on his upcoming workshop at Mt. Hood, Ore.

Podcast 196: The Care Of The Soul In Medicine with Thomas Moore

Thomas MooreI recently had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Thomas Moore at the Hay House “I Can Do It” Conference here in San Diego.  As a result of my meeting with Thomas we scheduled this interview, and it was truly an honor to be able to do this podcast with him.

In Thomas Moore’s new book entitled, “Care of the Soul in Medicine“, he speaks about how our current health-care system is not structured around compassionate medicine where doctor and nurses are addressing the spirit and soul of healing.  Doctors and other medical professionals are trained to treat the body part or organ, and not the whole person.  Despite the scientific advancements of modern medicine, the hospital can be a cold, sterile environment–and for that reason alone, people are not finding overall health and well being in many of our health centers.

In our interview together, Thomas also addresses a very interesting factor associated with the blessing of illness.  Now this might initially seem counter intuitive, but really  its not.  According to Thomas, most people that go through a life threatening illness have the opportunity to have an awakening and reassess how they are living their lives.  They can change their current life course, and alter their lives forever  for the better. So  from this prospective, a life threatening illness can be considered a tremendous blessing.

Moore emphasizes that the future of medicine is not just in technical advancements to improve the healing process.  It is appreciating the state of the soul and spirit in illness and redefining the way in which the patient is cared for.  Much of  Moore’s personal quest  in life has been in helping define the what the soul is and the importance of addressing the soul in the healing process.  Many practices address the body, mind and spirit but seldom do you hear health care practitioners  addressing the issues of the soul.

I encourage you to listen to this wonderful interview with a heartfelt, kind and compassionate man who has truly identified and defined the role that the soul has in our healing process.  Thomas Moore has a wonderful website you can access by clicking here and if you want to watch a recent interview on the Today Show about “The Care of the Soul In Medicine” please click here.  Enjoy this great interview.

Podcast 174: Awakened Wisdom with Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan My recent interview with Patrick Ryan the author of, “Awakened Wisdom,” was very enlightening.  I am certain if you read his book you to will walk away with a new perspective on who you can become in this world.

Patrick’s message is about awakening the wisdom within, and he provides the reader with insights and glimpses on what is to like to live a life fully awakened.  He says to image a life through which you managed to rise above the fears and concerns that always linger faithfully in the background, haunting us with their song of intended safety, always with the purpose of keeping the status quo.  Imagine a life without those messages you tell your Self about what you can’t do, or those messages that diminish the brilliance of who you are in any way.

The author takes you on a journey and shows you how to release the grips of fear and to embrace the freedom to respond to the yearning of your heart that knows that more is possible.   He says that there is a wisdom that can be found through every beat of our heart, through every thought of inspiration and through your body that responds to the world around you as a drum responds to the vibration of the room.

Awakened Wisdom is about letting go and trusting in your own divine magnificence to show up.   The reality is that your magnificence is always present, we all just need to learn how to awaken to is guidance, insight and wisdom.

Please listen to your inner drummer, take that risk and live your life in ways that will amaze you and the loved ones around you.  Patrick Ryan’s new book is a must read for anyone who has a knowing about what is available, but for some reason has not been able to overcome the inner doubt and fear of trusting in that place of knowing.  Believe me it is easier to write about this than it is to live it in every moment. Awakened Wisdom shows you how to be present and live with this trust in every moment.

Enjoy my interview with Patrick and purchase a copy of the book, and read the words of wisdom from someone who really knows.

Patrick has a website loaded with additional insights and wisdom, please visit it by clicking here and enjoy this interview with a special man who is filled with so much insight, wisdom and love.

 

Podcast 153: Leap Before You Look with Arjuna Ardagh

Arjuna ArdaghArjuna Ardagh is the author of this new book entitled, “Leap Before You Look“.  He is probably best known for his personal opus work entitled, “The Translucent Revolution“.

In his new book Arjuna provides the reader with insight and practices that help you get out of your mind and into the moment.

Arjuna writes that when we are willing to exchange our life of preoccupation with  “me” and “my needs” for a life given in the service of love itself, of that presence itself, we are faced with an interesting paradox.

On the one side of the paradox, we recognize that everything is perfect just as it is. When the chatter of the mind recedes just a little bit, when the smells, colors, and textures of the world become more immediately felt, we recognize the grace of running through it all. Even in conflict, or in the midst of what we call suffering, if we are really in touch with the pulse of life itself, we can feel the beauty of it all.

On the other side of the paradox, we realize that everything is continuously evolving.  Our human condition, as it is now, is flawed with unconscious habits, addictions, and compulsions. In seeing the gap between who we are today and who we could be, seeing the trickle of gifting that’s coming through us relative to the latent torrent that we intuit, we bow to humility.

In Arjuna’s new book the author guides the reader through practices that open up your consciousness and create an awareness of how we can really be in the world.

Our interview together is enlightening, and Arjuna actually takes me through a practice that created a breakthrough in my own life.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to slow down, create greater awareness and become awakened to the gifts that life provides us in each and every moment.

If you would like to learn more about Arjuna Ardagh and the Awakening Coaching Training please click here for more information. His website is loaded with resources for the inquisitive mind.

Podcast 145: Meditation with the Himalayan Masters with Paul Scheele

Paul ScheeleWhat a pleasure this interview was with Paul Scheele.  His new audio CD series, “Meditate with the Himalayan Masters“,  is wonderful, and he is bringing to the world the practices of meditation at a time when we are all in need of more peace and tranquility in our lives.

Frequently we are running so fast that we forget to breathe.  That may sound weird, but it is the truth.  Deep slow breathing is how we get in touch with our body and ultimately moves us to an altered state of consciousness.  In his new CD series Meditate with the Himalayan Masters with Swami Veda Bharati as your guide, you get to listen to the melodic voice of a master guide you through some incredible meditations.  The four half-hour meditations and their accompanying short meditations are structured so that you can easily integrate meditation into the flow of your busy day.  As you practice these meditations, your days become richer, more serene, and more joyful.

I love this quote from Swami Veda Bharati, “Enjoy the calmness of the mind. Resolve to calm the mind in this way many times during the day.  Whatever you do repeatedly with your mind will become the mind’s habit, and the mind will rediscover it original nature.”

I hope that you will attempt to rediscover your original nature and enjoy more peace and joy in your life by listening to this wonderful interview with Paul Scheele and make sure that you get a copy of the CD series by visiting Paul’s website by clicking here.

Podcast 140: The Power of Giving with Harvey McKinnon

Harvey McKinnonThis was a wonderful interview with Harvey McKinnon the author of the new book entitled, “The Power of Giving“.

Harvey has a big heart, and loads of passion behind his charitable work. He and the co-author of this book, Azim Jamal,  point out that giving does more than just improve the lives of others; it affects your own life profoundly.  With benefits ranging from the practical–improved health and professional connection–to the intangible–creating feelings of hope and a sense of connection with others–giving is an essential but often overlooked human need.

One of the studies revealed that people who exhibit higher levels of altruism get a “helpers high”, a release of endorphins.  This high can give the immune system a boost, speed recovery from surgery and cut down on those restless nights.   Also thanks to new brain-scan technology, scientists have also discovered evidence that humans are “hard wired” to take care of and help each other.  A British poll of volunteers found that half of those surveyed claimed that their health had improved while they were volunteering.  Twenty percent of them claimed they lost weight, too which is a higher success rate than any diet we know.

If you would like to know more about what you can do to personally to become a giver, then I highly recommend reading “The Power of Giving“.  This book could certainly be transformational in your life if you implement some of the practices that Harvey and Azim outline in their book.

These are simple practices that are proven to awaken you, transform and improve your life in almost every possible way imaginable.   It is not hard to give, and it does not have to be just money.  Your gifts can be of time and your talent, for those are needed just as much as your money.

So relax, and enjoy this wonderful interview.  You can learn more about Harvey and Azim by visiting their website by clicking here.

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