Showing results by narrator "Michael Toms" in All Categories

Rupert Sheldrake and Matthew Fox will transform how you think about the most popular of all spiritual beings. Study of the Christian mystics led Fox and Sheldrake to the most startling part of their research, which was the discovery that "Aquinas' discussion on angels practically parallels today's discussion upon physics". They explore the idea that the universe is a living organism, and they raise the possibility that angels play a role in the governing of the universe itself.

In this discussion, Bly talks of four sources of shame, including shame inherited from parents, grandparents, and ancestors, and shame over our bodily and creative instincts. It opens with a Russian fairy story on the Frog Princess and the shame we feel over our interior "Frog Bride." Bly and host Michael Toms discuss the new work in America on shame, most of it done during the last ten years.

This gifted storyteller poignantly shares the memories of those mentors and teachers who profoundly influenced her life. She speaks of her voluntary muteness as a child. Even in this silence, "Mama" (Angelou's grandmother) spoke prophetically to the child's unbelieving ears: "You'll speak about the glorious nature of the human spirit and what we can be striving for."

Acknowledged as one of the greatest religious teachers of this or any other age, the late J. Krishnamurti was a visionary whose ideas are still ahead of his time. New Dimensions host Michael Toms was fortunate to capture this philosopher's penetrating wisdom in 1983, just a few years before his death at the age of 90.

This dialogue reviews Sheldrake's theory of "morphic resonance," which challenges some fundamental assumptions of established science. Sheldrake offers a revolutionary alternative to the mechanistic worldview, and points toward a new understanding of the nature of life, matter and mind. One of the more profound implications of Sheldrake's account here is his suggestion that the brain may be more like a tuning system than a recording device.

The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.

In addition to his own credentials as a writer, poet, teacher and mystic, Andrew Harvey became a dedicated friend and follower of the late Father Bede Griffiths, a scholarly, saintly Benedictine monk who founded and lived for decades in a Hindu-Christian ashram in South India. This unusual dialogue eloquently communicates the blessings of this extraordinary man.

In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29th, Audible reached out to customers in the affected area to offer help. Many customers responded and several agreed to be interviewed about their experience. Stories from the Storm was recorded in mid-November, in the days when many people were still clearing debris and figuring out how to restart their lives. These riveting stories will remind listeners of the heartbreak, confusion, and perseverance of the Katrina survivors.

Topics explored in this dialogue include: how you can address the greatest challenge of our times, the role of the arts in deep ecology, how the shift from linear thinking to systems thinking in the sciences affects us now and in the future, understanding the complexity of living systems and life itself, why creativity is the driving force of evolution, what religion and deep ecology have in common, what's really behind the information age, and the mathematics of complexity.

"As a man is, so he sees." These words of mystical poet and artist William Blake are just as relevant now as they were when they were written in 1802 - perhaps more so. Throughout his life, Blake undertook a voyage beyond rationality and materialism to an interior, visionary realm where "all things appear as they are - infinite." Yet all human beings, he believed, are capable of opening their eyes to a fuller experience of life.

Angeles Arrien has gathered wisdom from a variety of indigenous cultures around the world, distilling it into four paths to effective action - "showing up, paying attention, telling the truth and being unattached to the outcome." These are the archetypal paths of the warrior, healer, visionary and teacher, and the opportunity to embody these archetypes arises in every situation in our lives.

Topics explored in this dialogue include: why the life and work of Rumi is relevant in today's world, what is Rumi's connection to the Divine, comparisons of Rumi and other great religious leaders, why Rumi is skeptical about language, where do you find Rumi's passion in today's world, what Rumi might be doing if he were alive today, and what is the connection between Rumi's revelations and the Sufi tradition.

Vladmir Karamatsov is a man possessed who demands the world from God. "My hour will come, inevitably. You can't stop me, even if you exist. And he can't stop me. John Rourke cannot stop me! He cannot stop me! John Rourke cannot stop me!" In this world growing more crowded and perilous by the day, John Rourke must use every means at his command to stop the despotic dreams of The Hero Marshall and his doomsday weapon; a weapon unleashing the evil, the beast lurking in the heart of every man to serve the lusts of Vladmir Karamatsov.

How does a body of poetry written in a remote part of the world find its way to best seller lists in the U.S. over 700 years later? What is the compelling quality inherent in great literature that resonates throughout the ages? Coleman Barks, poet and translator of Jelalludin Rumi's poetry, explores the genius, mystery and rapture of Rumi's work; why he has become the most-read poet in America, and what his poetry has in common with the immortal writings of Dickinson, Emerson and Thoreau.

A Christian monk who lived in India for over 30 years, the late Father Griffiths shares some remarkable insights about the contemplative life. He builds a bridge linking the Gnostic tradition of early Christianity and the mystical tradition streaming down through the centuries with the ancient philosophies of Vedanta and Buddhism. The results are fascinating and profound.

Join us for an hour of wisdom from one of the most highly respected of modern American writers and poets. Using words like "affection", "satisfaction", "care", and "joy", Berry calls for a re-evaluation of the basic values and practices of our lives. He illustrates his ideas with glimpses of his own life and those of his Kentucky farm neighbors, and describes a future where we can learn to find love, wisdom and meaning in the people, the places and the work of our own daily lives.

Characterized by petty rivalries, self-indulgence and lack of responsibility, our actions fail to fulfill what Robert Bly describes as our true soul longing. With characteristic irreverence and storytelling from various cultures, Bly tells us what we should be doing about green-haired adolescents and idle elders, not to mention televisions and computers. His insightful focus illuminates the truths and possibilities of a culture caught in an adolescent phase of development.

An interview with Father Bede and two musician friends becomes a profoundly moving musical excursion through the deep truths and feelings of the various spiritual traditions represented in their South Indian Christian-Hindu ashram.

In this interview, Richard Moss says that there are two basic mistakes we make in this stage of the evolution of consciousness: we identify with our thoughts, and we flee from our feelings. He describes the four ways your thinking can affect you, how the body is literally the center of the experience of being in the now, and how the negative stories we tell ourselves are a form of physical poison and self abuse.

Do you question whether God really exists? Have you considered walking away from your faith because you’ve been hurt by someone in the Church or because you struggle with some of its teachings? Or maybe you’ve already left? Are you carrying around guilt for something you’ve done and don’t feel you are worthy of God’s love?