In the midst of our present polarization and alienation from one another, Patten exhorts us to understand that “we are in this lifeboat together and the fiercest thing we can do is to say, I’m living in a new republic of the heart. I’m a revolutionary. You are not going to separate yourself from me. I refuse to be in separation from you.”

Tags: Terry Patten, York Center Community Co-op, Church of the Brethren, Adi Da Samraj, Integral Institute, despair, climate change, overshoot, activism, neurocardiology, Candace Pert, human intelligence systems, evolutionary emergence, empathy, fear, anger, tipping point, new tribalism, interdependence, David Bohm, Bohmian dialogue, shared inquiry, imaginal cells, epistemic humility, Psychology, Peace/Nonviolence,Social Change/Politics

DeSilver describes how writing from the body rather than the head is a visceral experience that connects us with our intuition. He says, “Everybody is a creative person. It’s a matter of where you have been putting your attention.” This conversation is filled with encouragement that will help you on your road to being a better writer.

Tags: Albert Flynn DeSilver, silent retreat, Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones, Beryl Markham, Carl Sandberg, poetry, imagination, intuition, Robert Bly, Walt Whitman, devotion, discipline, Ann Waldman, Vow to Poetry, free writing, photography, talent, courage, dictionary, Writing, Self Help, Art & Creativity, Meditation, community, personal transformation

Buddhist teacher Namgyel points out that “everything leans.”She frames this statement with the reminder, “[W]e live in a world where ‘it all depends’ and everything is influencing everything else. We might think we know something at one moment but everything is always interrupting and influencing and so it’s always changing. Life, as we know it, is very dynamic.” Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel is a Buddhist teacher and teaches throughout the U.S. and Europe. She’s the wife of Tibetan Buddhist master Dzigar Kongtrul and has studied and practiced in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition since 1985. After many years of solitary retreat, Dzigar Rinpoche appointed Elizabeth as Retreat Master at Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, retreat center in southern Colorado. Her books include It's Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection on the Buddhist Path (editor) (Shambhala 2006), Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence (editor) (Shambhala 2009), The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom (Shambhala 2010) and The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond Belief and Doubt (Shambhala 2018)

Tags: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, faith, faithing, logic, grace, suffering, spiritual comparisons, the church, dogma, Sam Harris, Thomas Merton, spiritual doubts, joy, wakefulness, Joanna Macy, Chernobyl, Mother Teresa, disciples, awe, everything leans, the Buddha, awakening, Dave Chappelle, atom, reify, karma, evolution, Buddhism, Spirituality, Philosophy, Personal Transformation

Ora Nadrich shares a series of fundamental and effective questions we can ask ourselves when we pay attention to our negative thoughts. Her “Says Who!” Method can transform fear-based and worried thoughts into thoughts that serve our well-being and support positive action.

Tags: Ora Nadrich, Jungian analysis, fear-based thoughts, worry, negative thoughts, neural pathways, busyness, monkey mind, isolation, beliefs, mindfulness, thoughts as a cheering squad, road rage, Pollyanna, baby steps, Spirituality,Personal Transformation, Self Help, Psychology, Relationship

Koniver suggests that standing barefoot outside on the ground is the most enjoyable healing modality she knows of. There is a great healing waiting for you through the practice of touching the earth directly. Koniver calls it an Earth Prescription, a formula for living as vital as food and water for our body and soul. Dr. Laura Koniver is an artist, author, holistic physician, and an internationally recognized grounding advocate. She is the author of From the Ground Up (Do Life Right, Incorporated 2012) and The Earth Prescription: Discover The Healing Power Of Nature With Grounding Practices For Every Season

Interview Date: 7/10/2020 Tags: Laura Koniver, grounding, hospitals, Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula, Schumann frequency, electro hypersensitivity, EMFs, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

Navigating life’s most turbulent times, The Odyssey offers enduring wisdom through vivid, imaginative language. More than myth or history, it traces a nonlinear journey of loss and return. At its heart is a wounded warrior reclaiming his soul, guided by love, faith, and the longing for home—a timeless map of the human spirit.

Phil Cousineau is a freelance writer, filmmaker, photographer, art and literary tour leader, teacher of creativity, mythographer, storyteller, and an all-around Renaissance man. He's published over 40 books and has over 25 documentary film writing credits. He is also host and co-writer of "Global Spirit," a nationally broadcast television series.

Interview Date: 6/12/26 Tags: Phil Cousineau, storytelling, wisdom, hospitality, xenophobia, Odysseus, Ulysses, James Hillman, hero, scars, man of trouble, trauma, wounded warrior, Greek mythology, Argus, devotion, PTSD, seduction, beauty, feminine rising, grief, understory, The Greek Sirens, The Greek Suitors, glamour, Greek Penelope, Female powers that guide Odysseus home, Art & Creativity, Mythology, Personal Transformation, Philosophy

Fungi live their lives largely hidden from view and over 90% of their species remain undocumented. Sheldrake says that the fungal kingdom is more closely related to the animal kingdom. Here he takes us into his research on the ecological significance of fungi and its importance to all life on planet earth. Merlin Sheldrake, Ph.D. is a biologist and writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history of philosophy of science. He received his Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a pre-doctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He's also a musician and a keen fermenter. He is the author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Futures (Random House 2020)

Interview Date: 5/19/2020 Tags: Merlin Sheldrake, fungi, photosynthesis, mushrooms, largest terrestrial organism on the planet, Armillaria solidipes, honey fungus, mycelium, mycorrhizal fungi, endophytes, microbiome, algae, polyphonic music, LSD experiments, Albert Hofmann, wood wide web, viruses, Rovin Wall Kimmerer, Natasha Myers, Karla Hustak, Lynn Margulis, intimacy of strangers, involution vs. evolution, IKEA labyrinth, cosmic networks, Anna Tsing, Chernobyl, Ecovative Design, David Abrams, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Science, Indigenous wisdom

Here Sullivan talks about the power of trees in guiding us in understanding ourselves as well as our ancestral roots. She also shares the power of communal chanting that is a bridge of past and present that moves us deeply on a soul level as it connects us to Spirit. Shannon Sullivan is an interfaith spiritual teacher and teacher of meditation. She has broad experience with many spiritual traditions from around the world as well as her communion with nature. Trees in particular have a deep significance for her and she's developed a series of teachings and meditations using the metaphor of trees. One of her teachings involves healing our ancestral roots.

Interview Date: 5/12/2020 Tags: MP3, Shannon Sullivan, Reiki therapy, energy work, chakras, family trees, forgiveness, ofrenda, chanting, Kintsugi, Health & Healing