Authentic Living

According to Daniel Clark, we are sometimes gifted with an invitation "to see beyond the limits of our own religious ideologies and beliefs—to see God, the world and people like we've never seen them before." And that is what we are going to be doing this week as we peer over the edge of the cliff of the end of 2010 into 2011. Dan's very popular book "Life After Religion" is subtitled "Freedom from Beliefs that Cripple the Mind and Kill the Spirit." He tells us that we have an inner guidance system, something he calls a "God given GPS navigating system," which we need to learn how to turn on. Dan grew up in an abusive environment but one that was also steeped in religion. Eventually, through his own existential crisis, he found his greater meaning beyond religion. This is a tough topic, but we are going to dare it today. We are going to be asking some of life's most profound questions, to enhance the outset of your New Year with some answers all your own. Don't miss it.

Sometimes what's going on just has the capacity to deflate us, doesn't it? We lose our inspiration to just keep on keeping on. Well, today we are going to be talking to Dr. Jonathan Ellerby, coming back to the show for a second time today to teach us how to be inspired or re-inspired. This is not your crack-of-dawn rise and shine speech; nor is it your rah-rah motivational sales pitch. No, this is real inspiration. Inspiration that comes from the inside out. As he describes it, it is a "no-pill prescription to end high stress, low energy and bad habits." Jonathan Ellerby has traveled the world to study with the masters of more than 40 different spiritual traditions, and has worked as a healer, teacher and consultant to both groups and individuals. He is the author of the book, and the subject of our discussion to today, "Inspiration Deficit Disorder," and several others. So, if you are feeling less than inspired—don't you dare miss this show.

Sara Wiseman returns to the Authentic Living Show this week to talk to us about raising the psychic child. In this day and age where intuition is becoming more and more of the norm, the intuition of our children can be warmly and supportively received, rather than, as it was in the past, shunned and dismissed. Sara's latest book, "Your Psychic Child" teaches parents and others how to do just that. We can learn how to mirror and support the intuitive life of all children and to assist and receive the special reflections of the child who seems to know more about that under-world than we. If you know or have a child—don't miss this show.

Consciousness. The "Law of Attraction." Clearing blocks. Shadow work. These are the terms we hear. But what do they really mean? Is consciousness the same as "getting rid of ego?" Does the law of attraction mean that we should always master our thoughts and our words? Does clearing blocks mean that we are to purify ourselves? Does shadow work mean that we clean out the shadow of all of its "negative energy?" What, after all, is "negative energy?" This show is going to challenge everything you thought you knew about raising your consciousness. It is going to ask that you look at things that you've believed for perhaps all of your life. And with a bit of consideration, it may just bring you to peace. Don't you dare miss this one.

Staying present is one of the hardest things we must learn to do if we are to integrate body, mind and soul. As David Ord, our guest for today puts it, "A lot of us have moments when we are present, but we can't sustain it throughout our workday and time with our family. We either drift into thought or we become emotionally reactive to something that upsets us." Sustaining that presence is what Michael Brown's book The Presence Process is all about. And David is coming today to talk to us about that process, since Michael cannot be here. David is Michael's editor as the Editorial Director of Namaste Publishing Company and an author in his own right. Both from his own work and from the work of editing Michael's work, he can speak very clearly to the process of integration that occurs as a result of this presence process. If you have difficulty staying present—tune in—you'll be glad you did.

Dr. Christiane Northrup is recognized both nationally and internationally as the veritable guru of women's health. A visionary pioneer who recognizes the connection between mind, body and spirit, she has brought that connection to the world of medicine in a way that no one else has yet been able to do. She is an OB/GYN physician and author of two New York Times bestselling books, "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" and "The Wisdom of Menopause." Her third book, "Mother-Daughter Wisdom," was a 2005 Quill Award nominee and voted Amazon's #1 book of the year in both parenting and mind-body health in 2005. She has hosted seven highly successful television specials and her own radio show, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, The View, and several other prominent shows. We are honored to get the opportunity to talk with her today about her newly revised edition of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing."

The word "power" is fraught with all kind of connotation, including "control," "manipulation," "abuse," "bullying" and yes, even the word "help." But these are all externalized views of that word. From an internal perspective power can be seen as the attainment of an authentic stand with and for your Self. Fear, on the other hand, is the foundation from which most of us live our daily lives—whether we admit it or not. Not so long ago many of us were touting the word "fearless," and claiming our rights to climb the tallest mountain and kayak the fiercest river. But fearlessness is not the same as power, when power is attained internally. In fact, from the internal perspective fear is a springboard for power. This week we are going to be talking all about power, and not just personal power, but something that could more accurately be described as transpersonal power. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about your own power.

We've heard it again and again recently, teen suicides based on bullying, particularly the bullying of someone who is or is perceived to be gay. And then we heard Joel Burns, openly gay City Councilman from Ft. Worth, Texas, in his passionate and tearful plea to gay and lesbian teens to hold on to life—don't let bullies drive you to suicide—because it's going to get better. Why are these children bullied? Because we don't know yet how to receive and accept differentness. This week, we are going to be talking with someone who has struggled with and overcome issues of differentness through his own coming out process—the first openly gay member of the American Psychological Association, and the author of the book "Loving Someone Gay," now in its 5th Edition. Don Clark has much to say to us about this acceptance process—one that is going to be essential to our culture if we are to survive. So, don't miss this one.

Though much of what we hear and see in media tells us differently, the only way to live a meaningful life is to live in poignant touch with the soul. Thomas Moore, our guest for today, is an expert on the soul. With 3 videos, 10 audio recordings and 18 books, including his original bestseller, "Care of the Soul," and others such as "Dark Night of the Soul," and "The Original Self," Thomas Moore has enchanted us all. While he does not paint a pretty picture of happy-ever-after proportions, he urges us to consider the depth of existence, to be faithful to our original and unvarnished Selves, to love deeply and with care for the soul. In his latest book, "Care of the Soul in Medicine" he teaches both healthcare workers and patients to participate in matters of the soul as a part of the co-creative endeavor of healing and helping. If you are or know someone in the field of medicine or receiving medical care, this show is for you. Come listen to Thomas and glimpse again your own soul.

How did we come to this place in our collective psychology in which we value image more than authenticity? What do we fear our bodies can do to us—in terms of our social value? Are other people's images of us so very important that we will kill ourselves to maintain a higher image in their eyes? How did they get to be more important than we are? Our guest today has lived through and overcome her own body image issues and now lives a happy and fulfilling life. In her book, "Love Your Body, Love Your Life, Sarah Maria outlines a five-step process designed to help people break free from Negative Body Obsession and discover the beauty that they already have inside of them. From there, they can learn to create the life and the body they want. Don't miss this important opportunity to learn how to put an end to body image issues.