New Dimensions

How are the successes and failures of the fledgling South African democracy relevant to all democratic nations? Why a nation cannot truly thrive without full socio-economic equity. Why true freedom must also include freedom from an imprisoned mind. What is the importance of teaching a full, robust history of a nation? Mamphela Ramphele, M.D., Ph.D. is an activist, medical doctor, academic, businesswoman, and global servant. Besides her medical degree, she holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. She was the managing director of the World Bank, and is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, as well as chairwoman of the Bishop Desmond Tutu Trust. She also serves as co-president of the Club of Rome, which was founded in 1968 as a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is to identify holistic solutions to complex global issues, and to promote policy initiatives and actions to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies. She is the author of A Passion for Freedom (I.B. Tauris 2014), Conversations with My Sons and Daughters (Penguin 2013) and Dreams, Betrayal and Hope (Penguin Books 2017)

Interview Date: 5/20/2022    Tags: Mamphela Ramphele, South Africa, apartheid, colonial conquest, Steve Biko, oppression, South African political settlement, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, competition, interconnectedness, collaboration, conversation, ubuntu, apartheid cities, Alexei Navalny, History, Social Change/Politics, Education, Philosophy

How are the successes and failures of the fledgling South African democracy relevant to all democratic nations? Why a nation cannot truly thrive without full socio-economic equity. Why true freedom must also include freedom from an imprisoned mind. What is the importance of teaching a full, robust history of a nation? Mamphela Ramphele, M.D., Ph.D. is an activist, medical doctor, academic, businesswoman, and global servant. Besides her medical degree, she holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. She was the managing director of the World Bank, and is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, as well as chairwoman of the Bishop Desmond Tutu Trust. She also serves as co-president of the Club of Rome, which was founded in 1968 as a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is to identify holistic solutions to complex global issues, and to promote policy initiatives and actions to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies. 

She is the author of A Passion for Freedom (I.B. Tauris 2014), Conversations with My Sons and Daughters (Penguin 2013) and Dreams, Betrayal and Hope (Penguin Books 2017)

Interview Date: 5/20/2022   Tags: Mamphela Ramphele, South Africa, apartheid, colonial conquest, Steve Biko, oppression, South African political settlement, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, competition, interconnectedness, collaboration, conversation, ubuntu, apartheid cities, Alexei Navalny, History, Social Change/Politics, Education, Philosophy

Debra Silverman suggests that each of us has basic personality traits that can be seen in the context of the four elements of earth, air, water, and fire. Each element has strengths and shadows. Understanding which element is most prevalent in your personality and which ones are weak will help you see what is missing in order to be a more balanced human being. Debra Silverman holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and has specialized in helping thousands of individuals achieve emotional health and wisdom based on their unique personality and the four elements of water, air, earth, and fire. She combines this work with her expertise in Soul-Centered Astrology. She is a host of an on-line radio program “Tell me a Story.” She works on an individual basis as well as with groups, and is the author of The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition (Findhorn Press 2016).She is the author of The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition (Findhorn Press 2016)

Interview Date: 3/3/2016      Tags: Debra Silverman, personality, shadow, tears, empathic, sadness, spiritual bypassing, water people, air people, fire people, earth people, four elements, fire element, air element, water element, earth element, missing element, astrology, soul-centered astrology, zodiac, compassion, shaming, planetary evolution, birthing, cosmic birth, web, Hopi prophecy, Aquarian Age, Psychology, Self Help, Spirituality, Relationship/Partnership/Sexuality

Andrew Harvey shares his experience of why it takes rigorous discipline to be an artist, why solitude matters, how to cultivate our personal passions, how “networks of grace” can save humanity, and more. He speaks eloquently on how to cultivate sacred friendships and speaks of his “soul brother,” 88-year-old pianist and teacher, Seymour Bernstein, a true wisdom elder. Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, translator, mystical scholar, and spiritual teacher. He is the Founder/Director of the Institute of Sacred Activism. He is the author of many books including The Direct Path: Creating a Personal Journey to the Divine Using the World's Spiritual Traditions (Harmony 2001), The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism (Hay House 2009), Teachings of Rumi (Shambhala 1999) and Play Life More Beautifully: Conversations with Seymour (Hay House 2016)

Interview Date: 2/29/2016    Tags: Andrew Harvey, Seymour Bernstein, composer, solitude, soul friends, spiritual reservoir, Ethan Hawk, stage fright, charming, spellbound, prayer, elective affinities, soul friends, sacred friendships, forgiveness, soul listening, New Age music, Velazquez, artistic passion, rigorous discipline, Rumi, Bede Griffiths, the Christ path, transfiguration, Jesus, imaginal cells, sacred activists, Networks of Grace, heartbreak, radical action, Art & Creativity, Writing, Music, Philosophy, Spirituality, Social change/politics

Lupa is a strong advocate for connecting with animal or plant totems as allies to enhance our spiritual life and help us reconnect with nature. They can provide a “bridge” between us and the rest of the natural world. She cautions us to understand that totems, whether they be animal, plants, or fungi, are not simple one-dimensional helpers limited to stereotyped meanings from dictionaries. They are vibrant, intelligent, dynamic beings sharing the world with us as much as anyone else, and while we may have forgotten what it is to be in nature’s community, they have not. Lupa is a neo-shaman, artist and sustainability geek. She has been working with animal magic for more than 20 years and has developed a self-created and spirit-directed neoshamanic path. She possesses a master’s degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis on eco-psychology. Her books include New Paths to Animal Totems: Three Alternative Approaches to Creating Your Own Totemism (Llewellyn 2012), Plant and Fungus Totems: Connect with Spirits of Field, Forest, and Garden (Llewellyn 2014) and Nature Spirituality from the Ground Up: Connect with Totems in Your Ecosystem (Llewellyn 2016) 

Interview Date: 2/16/2016    Tags: Lupa, ecosystems, watershed, bioregion, totem, totems, hard fascination, soft fascination, totemism, water, rivers, grey wolf, Yellowstone Park, Never Cry Wolf, fungi, plant blindness, The Private Life of Plants, David Attenborough, Bill Mollison, trees, practice of place, practice of action, practice of celebration. Grounding, power spots, sleep, mammals, hugging, gravity, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Spirituality, Philosophy, Science, Spirit Guides/Angels/Spirit, Personal Transformation

Most people believe the loss of the body is the loss of life, but when Matthew McKay’s 23-year-old son Jordan was suddenly shot and killed, for Matthew, it was not the end of Jordan’s life. It was the beginning of a quest to penetrate the veil of death through some extraordinary communications. These virtual conversations led Matthew to co-author a book, with his son. Matthew McKay, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and professor at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. The Wright Institute offers Masters and Ph.D. programs to psychologists and provides support and evaluation for the research needs of its students. McKay is also the founder and publisher at New Harbinger Publications. He is the author and co-author of many books, including: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation ^ Tolerance (coauthor Jeffrey Brantley) (New Harbinger Publications 2007) and Seeking Jordan: How I Learned the Truth about Death and the Invisible Universe (New World Library 2016).

Interview Date: 4/28/2016  Tags: Matthew McKay, hypnosis, Michael Newton, Allan Botkin, Ralph Metzner, channeled writing, past life regression, Akashic records, reincarnation, afterlife, consciousness, God, time, broken vase Wabi Sabi, post traumatic growth, Death & Dying, Parapsychology/Paranormal, Intuition/Psychic, Personal Transformation

Most people believe the loss of the body is the loss of life, but when Matthew McKay’s 23-year-old son Jordan was suddenly shot and killed, for Matthew, it was not the end of Jordan’s life. It was the beginning of a quest to penetrate the veil of death through some extraordinary communications. These virtual conversations led Matthew to co-author a book, with his son. Matthew McKay, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and professor at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. The Wright Institute offers Masters and Ph.D. programs to psychologists and provides support and evaluation for the research needs of its students. McKay is also the founder and publisher at New Harbinger Publications. He is the author and co-author of many books, including: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation ^ Tolerance (coauthor Jeffrey Brantley) (New Harbinger Publications 2007) and Seeking Jordan: How I Learned the Truth about Death and the Invisible Universe (New World Library 2016).

Interview Date: 4/28/2016  Tags: Matthew McKay, hypnosis, Michael Newton, Allan Botkin, Ralph Metzner, channeled writing, past life regression, Akashic records, reincarnation, afterlife, consciousness, God, time, broken vase Wabi Sabi, post traumatic growth, Death & Dying, Parapsychology/Paranormal, Intuition/Psychic, Personal Transformation

Here we take a closer look at many assumptions, unquestioned conclusions, and beliefs that are pervasive in our culture, such as our universe exploding from nothing in a big bang, or “we create our own reality”, or “humans are the most special of all the species on the planet”. In this provocative dialogue we explore the nature of consciousness, energy and matter. Christian de Quincey, Ph.D. is Professor of Philosophy and Consciousness Studies at John F. Kennedy University and Dean of Consciousness Studies at the University of Philosophical Research. He is the founder of the Wisdom Academy. His books include Radical Nature: The Soul of Matter (revised edition) (Park Street Press 2010), Radical Knowing: Understanding Consciousness through Relationship (Park Street Press 2005), Consciousness from Zombies to Angels (Park Street Press 2008), Deep Spirit: The Noetic Code (The Wisdom Academy Press 2008) and Blindspots: 21 Good Reasons to Think before You Talk (Park Street Press 2015) 

Interview Date: 1/5/2016    Tags: Christian de Quincey, Big Bang theory, parallel universes, consciousness, energy, matter, dualism, Descartes, idealism, panpsychism, evolution, Einstein, materialism, octopus, intention, beliefs, sentient, sentience, choice, Philosophy, Science

Phillips, a gay, former novice of the Catholic Church, reveals her religious crucible and the wisdom she’s gained along the way. She says, “I’m no longer a seeker, I’m a finder. Every morning, I find my source. As I say in one of my poems, ‘I eat God for breakfast, and all day long. I metabolize love. ‘” Jan Phillips is an award-winning photographer, writer, multimedia artist, and workshop leader. She's a co-founder of the Livingkindness Foundation, a global network for grassroots philanthropists. Early in her life she entered a convent as a novice to become a nun at the Catholic community of nuns at St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham, New York. After three years she was abruptly and surprisingly dismissed which led her on a life-quest to seek her personal spiritual truth. Jan Phillips is the author of many CDs and books including The Art of Original Thinking: The Making of a Thought Leader (9th Element Press 2006), Marry Your Muse: Making a Lasting Commitment to Your Creativity (Quest Books 1997), God Is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art (Quest Books 2000), Born Gay: Images & Reflections of an Ordinary Lesbian (Jan Phillips 2003), No Ordinary Time: The Rise of Spiritual Intelligence and Evolutionary Creativity (Livingkindness Foundation 2011) and Still On Fire: Field Notes of a Queer Mystic (Unity Books 2021)

Interview Date: 4/25/2022   Tags: Jan Phillips, Sister Robert Charles, Margaret Lalor, nun, Father Grabys, homosexuality, Teilhard de Chardin, Catholic confession, photography, Nagasaki, Tokyo, Father Oshida, Meister Eckhart, Memoir, Social Change/Politics, Spirituality, Religion, Buddhism, meditation

This conversation encompasses a wide range of what it means to be human and life’s universal questions from very different perspectives. Valente responds to Trappist monk Brother Quenon’s question, “Does this bring you closer to God?” by saying “I think that's the question we have to ask ourselves all the time in our work. Is this bringing me closer to the Divine Presence? Judith Valente is a former staff writer for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal and is a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Valente contributes to the US Catholic magazine and National Catholic Reporter. Besides her life as a journalist, she’s a poet, retreat leader, TV & Radio Producer, and Benedictine lay Associate. Judith Valente and Brother Paul Quenon, OCSO are co-authors of : How to Be: A Monk and a Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship (Hampton Roads 2021) 

Interview Date: 4/8/2022   Tags: Judith Valente, Paul Quenon, Thomas Merton, Haiku, Rule of St. Benedict, deep listening, meditation, discontent, surrender, prayer, friendship, Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, Poetry, Letter Writing, Spirituality, Meditation