Showing results by narrator "Michael Toms" in All Categories

The parallels between science and mysticism are explored as the author speaks of how he as a physicist has been influenced by exposure to eastern philosophical systems, especially Buddhism. He talks about his association with the philosopher-mystic Paul Brunton and one of Brunton's principal adherents, Anthony Damiani. In the process, Mansfield provides numerous insights about the connection between the world of science and the realm of spirit.

This is an inspiring, engrossing tale of one man's odyssey from physics professor and college president to citizen diplomat, a search for "a better game than war". Fresh, candid, and compassionate, he challenges us all in new ways to find our passion and respond to it, to think about our values and the nature of change and risk.

Do you want to change your life but don't know how? Wayne Dyer has discovered that it is possible to manifest exactly what you want in your life, and his positive enthusiasm is both intellectually sound and spiritually authentic. "We can do a somersault into the unimaginable," he says, by using the limitless power of our consciousness. "As you think, so shall you be, is not just a pithy little homily out of the Bible, it's the way the universe works."

What makes power tick and how does it become entrenched and abused? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so the saying goes. What lies beneath power? In this dialogue, Robert Fuller points to a hidden form of discrimination that everyone knows but no one sees: discrimination based on rank.

Rank has legitimate rights. When rank has been earned and signifies excellence, then it's generally accepted, and rightfully so. But the power of rank is often abused. The abuse of rank, or of power, is rankism. Treating others as invisible, as "nobodies", - insulting someone's dignity - that's rankism. Most of us have felt its sting; most have dished it out in some form.

Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, O. Henry Award and Edgar Awards, the 19 writers in this 2005 edition are not just considered some of the best Southern writers, but among the best American writers period. With works by such writers as Dennis Lehane, Moira Crone, Robert Olen Butler, Cary Holladay, Tom Franklin, and Rebecca Soppe, this collection provides an electrifying current of deep, dark subjects set in the brutal, but charming south.

If you're looking for ways to live more fully and abundantly, you'll want to listen closely to psychologist Ross, as she describes her own path to prosperity. Numerous insights and practical steps are revealed in the course of the conversation.

As the founder of the Mo Tzu Project, Bob Fuller travels the planet as a citizen diplomat, searching out the roots of conflict in the hope of learning what can be done to make peace a reality, not just a dream. He has the rare ability to cut through the usual rhetoric we hear, and reveal, clearly and concisely, perspectives that often are so basic and simple we cannot imagine why they aren't more widely accepted.

From Descartes and Newton to Einstein and Bohr, Capra takes us on a journey through the past four centuries of the scientific revolution and leads us to the birth of a new worldview in response to the escalating world crises. He reveals the difficulty in translating abstract ideas to the screen, and how the use of visual metaphor became a powerful tool and symbolized the importance of the ecological dimension.

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.

All of us have access to mystical and spiritual knowledge, according to Leah Garfield, who was trained by Pomo Indian shamaness Essie Parrish. In this conversation she speaks of how we can tap into our own deep wisdom source and enhance our self-knowledge. She also tells how each person has spirit guides available and how they can be contacted.

Feeling weighed down by all your responsibilities and the constant pressures of your personal and professional life? Well, there's no time like the present to lighten your load. Let Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro show you how to let go of excess baggage and create your own vision of happiness and success. You'll learn how to balance work, love, and purpose by "unpacking" your physical, emotional, and intellectual luggage and "repacking" it to make the most of your life's journey.

We all want to "be somebody". But often, those who become somebody become statues, trapped in an identity that doesn't allow them to change or grow. Robert Fuller talks about his own struggle with being a nobody between periods of high recognition and status.

Michael Gelb explains what neuroplasticity means, and provides some low cost ways (including optimism!) to improve our brain power and resilience, and possibly prevent Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. He describes the benefits of challenging the brain to do something new, and other brain-enhancing activities, including meditation, wine in moderation, and naps!

There are no limits to your ability to think, according to psychologist Dyer, who suggests that you can imagine yourself doing anything. The power of the mind is limitless. He encourages us to put our consciousness on what we are for rather than what we are against.

The Afghan-Soviet War could be called an "invisible war", since it is largely unnoticed in the West. Yet more than five million Afghans are refugees, and estimates of the dead range from one to two million. Here two principals of the Mo Tzu Project, a citizens diplomacy endeavor, who have recently visited the Afghan refugee camps on the Afghan-Pakistani border, report the facts as they have observed them.

Gerald Rosen has seen America from most every vantage point. He grew up in a house without books, obtained an ivy league PhD in literature, and went on to run a liquor store on the edge of Harlem. He’s crossed paths, in one way or another, with Miles Davis, Jack Kerouac, Janis Joplin, even Babe Ruth. So his observations about American culture carry his own particular brand of authenticity. And what he sees has him a little concerned.

Have you ever harbored dreams of being a writer? You're far from alone. Have you wrestled time and again with a seeming inability to write? You've got even more company there. Now help is on the way, in the person of Gabriele Rico, professor of English and creative arts at San Jose State University.

In the midst of the Superpowers and the Third World, a new vision is emerging of a Fourth World, encompassing small communities as an alternative to the notion that "bigger is better." Returning power to a personal level is one of the goals, according to Papworth, who offers an expansive overview of the plight of the individual vs. "giant ism." "Human scale and morality" need to be reintroduced to the political decision-making process, Papworth says, and he provides some useful ways to meet the challenge he so eloquently describes.

Here Wayne Dyer tells his personal story as never before in a moving and poignant manner, and shares insights gleaned from his vigorous pursuit of aliveness and joy.