Authentic Living

Henry Kissinger once said that power was the ultimate aphrodisiac. And we don’t have to look very far in the news to see what he was talking about. But he forgot to tell us why. Why is power so sexy? Why is it that both women and men are so attracted to power? In order to answer that question, we are going to have to ask another: What is power? What does it mean to have power? If we knew that, we might know why it is so sexy. Or is it all just illusion? Indeed, is its very sexiness an illusion, and quite elusive at that? And what about powerlessness—does it have its own powerful draw? Today we are going to talk about power in every aspect of its meaning: From powerlessness to power and from power to empowerment. Don’t miss it.

We have been taught to believe that any refuge, any safety can only be found outside of us—through external events, circumstances and people. We strive, therefore, to find the “right” circumstances, the “right” people and the best possible events for our lives. We want to make the “right” amount of money, the “right” jobs, the “right” level of prestige and power, and of course, the “right” relationships. And, of course, we want to be smart about all of these life decisions, but they cannot provide the kind of refuge that can only be found in the Self. So, what do we mean by Self? And how can it create a refuge bigger, broader and more profound than any of life’s circumstances, events or relationships—and, indeed, can even guide us to making aligning life choices? Don’t miss this show.

How did you grow up? Did you grow in a sea of toxicity, where parents were abusive, immature, addicted and/or emotionally or physically unavailable? What did you learn about life and about yourself from that formative period in your life? What did you learn about religion and/or about spirituality? How has that period of time impacted your spiritual experience today? Are there ways that you still struggle with spirituality because of those early experiences? Or perhaps you are unable to have spiritual experiences at all because of those early experiences? This show will be an exploration of the impact of toxic parents on spirituality. Don’t miss it.

David Vito Gregoli has created a masterpiece of music by translating into music the Bhagavad Gita. A while back we interviewed Lissa Coffey who wrote an accompanying book to go with Gregoli’s music entitled, “Song Divine: With Commentary: A New Lyrical Rendition of the Bhagavad Gita.” And today we are interviewing the author of the music “Song Divine: The Bhagavad Gita Rock Opera,” in which he creates music from the meaning of the Bhagavad Gita and for which he has won much acclaim. A guitar virtuoso and a man with diverse talents in music from rock to classical, the author of this sacred music brings the seeker a profound new sense of the meaning behind the powerful and profound sacred writing of the Bhagavad Gita. You are not going to want to miss this show.

Historically, “the church” minimized the frequency and validity of mystical experiences, especially when the experience downloaded different information than that put forth by the church. And since Sigmund Freud associated mystical experiences with narcissism, wishful thinking and delusion, the mental health world has mostly steered clear of any association with these experiences. But more recently there have been rigorous studies done and it has been learned that these experiences are common, frequent and grounding. Research has also found that mystical experiences offer certain very mental health benefits to the persons who have these experiences. Researchers have also developed tools for measuring these experiences and differentiating them from states of psychosis—which used to be the way we looked at all mystical experiences. Can we now finally begin to validate our own experiences to the point of living into them? Be here for this enlightening discussion.

Today we are talking to Dr. Don St. John, author of the book “Healing the Wounds of Childhood,” as this is one of the most important of all of the subjects we could discuss. Very often it is these wounds that keep us trapped, even as we are striving to get past them in some kind of way. How do we grow into our full potential while these wounds remain yet unhealed? How do we increase our ability to receive and absorb love, enjoy more life-giving love connections, deal more effectively with stress and improve our resilience and health all while expanding our sense of who we are? These questions and more will be answered during today’s show. Don’t miss it.

Today we are very fortunate to get an opportunity to talk to bestselling author Andrew Solomon, writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts and winner of the National Book Award for The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. He is an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. His latest NY Times bestselling book, and the subject of our interview today, entitled Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, is also the winner of several awards, including being chosen at among the NY Times Ten Best Books of 2012. It has been called “A bold and unambiguous call to redefine how we view difference… A stunning work of scholarship and compassion (Carmela Ciuraru, USA Today) distinguished similarly by many other notables for its exceptional profundity, compassion and insight. Today we are going to take an intimate look at this entire concept of loving differentness. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain insight into the power of love.

When we think of empowerment, we don't generally think first of peace, but rather of things like confidence, self-assurance, assertiveness and other like traits. We think of the ability to confront others, to draw appropriate boundaries, to address and meet our own needs. And all of those things do bring empowerment, but at the base of all of these things is a sense of authentic inner peace that allows us the grace to perform with confidence, self-assurance and assertiveness. In other words the source of true empowerment is peace. So, how do we go about finding peace and how do we access it regularly enough to authenticate our empowerment? That's what we'll be talking about today on Authentic Living. Don't miss it.

For some in the Western world considering the divine as feminine not only seems impossible, so engrained have we become with the masculine archetypal God, but for some is thought to be blasphemy. But in the history of sacred wisdom the divine is often found in the feminine archetype. Our guest today, Meghan Don, is the author of The New Divine Feminine, in which she describes several methods, several stories, and many meditations for accessing the divine feminine. Why would we need to do that? One answer is that wisdom itself, found in the sacred texts as Sophia, is feminine in nature. Another is that the feminine archetype leads us inward to find our deepest authentic selves. If you are seeking a deeper union with the divine, this show is for you.

Have you ever wondered why there is so much suffering in the world? Why is the Ukraine, for example, going through such awful suffering? Some people actually stop believing in a benevolent Universal Source because of such suffering. Well, today, we are going to interview Simran Singh about her new book, “Living: The Seven Blessings of Human Experience,” in which she informs us that our challenges, our conflicts and other difficult experiences are actually blessings. The seven blessings are: Challenge, Obstacles, Conflict, Chaos, Darkness and Death—which she says are secret passageways to personal empowerment spiritual growth and your highest potential. If you are currently facing or have ever faced any of these experiences, this show is for you. Don’t miss.