Viewed through the lens of modern science, the stories found in the Old Testament, such as Noah’s Ark, are commonly placed alongside those of Zeus and Mount Olympus, and other stories of ancient mythology (http://www.amazon.com/Bulfinchs-Mythology-ebook/dp/B002RKT4NA). But history and myth admit of certain peculiar features indicating the two may not be so easily separated. Flood stories -- from regions around the world -- fill the world’s literature; recorded history shows many remarkable leaps -- such as weaponry, plant and animal domistication, and the appearance of special grains -- offering hints that an outside force may be at work. Philip Mereton’s guest this week is Dr. Rita Louise (http://www.soulhealer.com/ ), author of the new book, Man Made: A Chronicle of Our Extraterrestrial Gods (http://www.amazon.com/Man-Made-Chronicles-Extraterrestrial-Gods-ebook/dp/B00A7FJMDO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360121086&sr=1-1&keywords=man+made+the+chronicles+of+our+extraterrestrial+gods), which suggests that the gap between myth and history may be smaller than we think.

Science, we are told, deals with the objective world; spirituality, with the inner world. The disconnect between science and spirituality is shown by the incredible difficulty of imagining how something like spirit -- this ephemeral, ghost-like substance -- can arise from something as lifeless and as spiritless as matter. Philip Mereton's guest this week, Thomas Ray, (http://life.ou.edu/ ) Professor of Biology at the University of Oklahoma, after spending decades researching the effects of psychedelic drugs on humans and laboratory animals, has developed the hypothesis that organs of the mind (http://life.ou.edu/pubs/OriginsOfMind.pdf)contribute to richness of our inner experiences of emotion, consciousness, and the sense of self. Further, he believes that what we call mystical experiences are part of the natural architecture of the mind which, over time, we forget about until activitated by such things as mind-drugs and deep meditation. The experience of spirituality, it may turn out, is actually real and wired into our brains.

The most famous equation of all time is Einstein's E=MC2: matter is energy but in a different form. If this is true, then our bodies, which seem to be made of matter, are also energy fields. Modern medicine, however, does not treat the body as anything resembling an energy field; rather, to most medical doctors a diseased body is a machine in need of repair. Philip Mereton's guest this week is Stephen Lewis (http://www.pathtoconsciousness.com/ ), the developer of the AIM Program of Energetic Balancing, co-founder of EMC2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass%E2%80%93energy_equivalence)(The Energetic Matrix Church of Consciousness) and co-author of Sanctuary: The Path to Consciousness (http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Path-Consciousness-Stephen-Lewis/dp/1561708453). Stephen's approach to healing focuses on removing the blockages to our innate life energy, and enabling each of us, in essence, to heal ourselves. Listen in for what may be a preview of the healing arts in the 21st century.

Since life began we have been trying to understand death. What happens at death? Is there a life afterwards? Is death programmed into what we are? In her upcoming book and accompanying documentary, Death Makes Life Possible (http://noetic.org/education/telecourse/dmlp-course/), this week’s guest, Marilyn Schlitz (http://www.marilynschlitz.com/), of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (http://noetic.org/), uses her decades of research on the mysteries of consciousness to explore the many cosmologies of death, dying and the afterlife. In this show, host Philip Mereton and Marilyn talk about not only whether understanding death makes for a fuller life, but also whether death is really inevitable.

Socrates observed that philosophy begins in wonder. But it is not only philosophy that begins in wonder. According to this week’s guest, Timothy Freke, (http://www.themysteryexperience.com/) author of the new book, The Mystery Experience (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystery-Experience-Revolutionary-Spiritual/dp/1780281498 ), life itself should begin in wonder, the wonder of existence itself. Modern science theorizes that the universe began with a Big Bang; Genesis says that God created the universe from the void. But in either instance, a miracle occurred, and one we often overlook. Listen in as host, Philip Mereton, talks with Tim Freke about how becoming aware of the mystery experience is a key to having greater compassion and sensory aliveness. Also on this show, Philip interviews Whitney McNeill and Christina Wooten of Sacred Light Journeys (http://www.sacredlightjourneys.com/ ), a spiritual retreat organization that facilitates journeys to spiritually energetic sites throughout the world.

We are conditioned to look at the world as if we are physical beings; spiritual experiences become outliers filled with mystery: how did life arise from the dust; consciousness from the brain; or spirit from the heavens? Are we separate creatures forever disconnected from each other? In his book, The Phenomenon of Man (http://www.amazon.com/Phenomenon-Man-Pierre-Teilhard-Chardin/dp/0061632651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341543629&sr=1-1&keywords=phenomenon+of+man), French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said that we have it backwards: we are really spiritual beings having a physical experience. On this show, we proceed as if Chardin was right. Joining Philip Mereton from South Africa is Anthon St. Maarten (http://www.anthonstmaarten.com/ ), author of the new book, Divine Living: The Essential Guide to Your True Destiny (http://www.divinelivingbook.com/ ), which explores the consequences if we are actually spiritual beings on a physical journey.

Among Albert Einstein’s many insightful observations is that, “Science without religion is lame, but religion without science is blind.” Religion, by definition, forces believers to accept opinions without question; beliefs found in sacred scriptures, such as the virgin birth or the parting of the Red Sea, are accepted without question. Science, on the other hand, is the “show-me” system of knowledge. Opinions must withstand the scientific method to be considered true. On this show, host Philip Mereton talks with Rahasya Poe (http://www.rahasyapoe.com/ ), the publisher of Lotus Guide (http://www.lotusguide.com/ ), and author of To Believe or Not Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems (http://www.amazon.com/To-Believe-Not-Neurological-Consequences/dp/1441587276), about how holding unsubstantiated religious beliefs is not only blind, but also damages the mind’s ability to achieve true spiritual transformation.

Modern science, following the materialistic paradigm, looks outward for truth, far out among the galaxies or deep within the atom. But there has long been another way to the truth; this is the inward journey of the mystic; the voyage through the realm known as consciousness. The mystical vision should not seem too strange, since many of the world's great religions began with the mystical vision of a spiritual pioneer, such as the Buddha, Moses, Jesus Christ, and Mohammad. Modern physics searches for the theory of everything; the mystics search for truth. Are these the same destinations with different names? On this show, host Philip Mereton talks with a true mystic, Carol Romine, author of the new book, Avatars of Consciousness (http://www.carolromine.com/avatars-of-consciousness). Carol's visions have led her to see the truth and she is devoting her life to expressing it. And she is on to something. Also on this show, Philip Mereton talks with Lynne Paul, an active member of Life Spectrums (http://www.lifespectrums.com/ ), one of the country's oldest organizations dedicated to "eeking greater awareness through the inner quest for enlightenment."

The universe began with the Big Bang, right? But how did this chaotic, random event lead to an ordered, balanced universe? Recognizing this problem, in the 1980's, cosmologists developed a new theory called the inflationary Big Bang. This new model called for the early universe to inflate at super-warp speed in the blink of an eye; if this occurred, cosmologists said, it would be possible for the Big Bang to have produced the universe we live in without needing finely-tuned initial conditions. So the inflationary Big Bang made its way into college textbooks, television documentaries, and popular science books. Professor Paul Steinhardt, of Princeton University, is one of the leading theorists who developed the inflationary model into the form it appears today. In a recent Scientific American article, however, Professor Steinhardt raises serious doubts over the inflationary model, showing that it actually requires more fine-tuning than the original Big Bang theory. So where does cosmology go from here? On this show, Professor Steinhardt, along with host Philip Mereton, traces the development of the Big Bang theory and discusses what lies ahead for cosmology.
Scientific American article -- Link to: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-inflation-summer (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-inflation-summer)

Doomsayers have been predicting the end of the world since the beginning of time. Fortunately, all of them have been wrong. On December 21, 2012, the world, according to some accounts, is scheduled to end again as that day concludes the calendar for the ancient Mayan civilization (http://www.adishakti.org/mayan_end_times_prophecy_12-21-2012.htm). If that isn't enough doom, millions of people remain fascinated by a variety of other end-of-the-world scenarios ranging from the Rapture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture)to global warming. Join host Philip Mereton, as he tries to make sense of it all with guest Justin Deering, author of the new book, The End-of-the-World Delusion: How Doomsayers Endanger Society (http://www.amazon.com/End-World-Delusion-Doomsayers-Endanger/dp/1475913540).