New Dimensions

Even though it may seem like the end of things, Meade reminds us there are always beginnings embedded in the endings. He takes us on a mythological journey that tips the world towards renewal and says, “Why not find our own thread even in the midst of uncertainty and pain and learn how to weave and create?” Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, scholar of mythology, and student of ritual in traditional cultures. He has scoured the world to bring to us meaningful folk tales that tap into ancestral sources of wisdom and acts as a guide to connect them to the stories we are living today. Meade is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation. He distributes regular podcasts and his many books include: The Genius Myth (GreenfirePress 2016), Why the World Doesn’t End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss (GreenfirePress 2012), Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul (GreenFire Press 2012) and Awakening the Soul: A Deep Response to a Troubled World (GreenFire Press 2018)
Interview Date: 8/13/2012     Tags: Michael Meade, renewal, recreation, destruction, apocalypse, cosmic cycle, myth, old woman in the cave, creation,  lived time, evolution, devolution, wisdom, thread of eternity, elders, Book of Revelation, revelation of tragedy, innovation, nature, recreation stories, initiation, genius, confidence, courage, games, on-line games, virtual worlds, Jane McGonigal, elder bloom, Mythology, Global Culture, Philosophy, Social Change/Politics, Death & Dying

Our brains are set with a negative bias. Hanson gives us a simple practice that resets our brains to more joy, fulfilling relationships, and more peace of mind and heart. He is a neuropsychologist who writes and teaches extensively on personal growth and contemplative practice. He is a co-founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and editor of the Wise Brain Bulletin. His books include Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (New Harbinger 2009), Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time (New Harbinger 2011), Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence (Harmony Books 2013) and Meditations to Change Your Brain - CD Set(Sounds True 2009)
 Interview Date: 12/2/2013     Tags: Rick Hanson, Ph.D., brain, brain science, neuroscience, brain’s negative bias, negative bias of the brain, positive thinking, structure of the brain, limbic system, subcortex, brainstem, avoiding harm, psychotherapy, grasping, resisting, clinging, craving, satisfaction, safety, connection, anger, helplessness, avoiding harm, approaching rewards, attaching to others , Personal Transformation, Science, Health & Healing, Self Help 

Fear can create chronic anxiety, depression, and disconnection. However, Manly shares a hidden aspect of this same fear that affords us the opportunity to live a life with fear as an ally rather than a foe. In her research and work as a psychotherapist she has discovered a way out of destructive fear and how we can turn it into transformational healing. She  is the author of: Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend. (Familius 2019).
Interview Date: 7/30/2019         Tags: MP3, Carla Manly, fear, mirror neurons, jealousy, addiction, pornography, psychotherapy, empathy, Psychology, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation

Don Oscar tells us that ritual begets relationship, nature begets purpose, and Love begets life. This gentle shaman has captured the essence of how we can sustain our sacred earth walk by practicing the ritual of the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. This powerful practice can serve to help us build a life-long relationship with the sacred dimensions of life and all our relations.He’s been a popular faculty member at numerous U.S. colleges and universities.  He originated the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of cross-cultural shamanism, and is the founder of the Heart of the Healer Foundation.  His works and programs have been featured on CNN, Univision, A&E and the Discovery Channel. He is the author of Lessons in Courage, Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Everyday Life (co-author Bonnie Glass-Coffin) (Rainbow Ridge Publishing 2013) and Healing Light: An Apprenticeship in Peruvian Shamanism, A 6-CD Audio Set (Sounds True 2015)
Interview Date: 8/26/2013    Tags: MP3, Oscar Miro-Quesada, sacred reciprocity, shamanism, Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, ritual, dark matter, Wednesday night link, Sixto Paz Wells, dogma, Heart of the Healer Foundation, Indigenous Wisdom,Spirituality, Personal Transformation

Mindfulness is not about holding the busy world at bay, it’s to cultivate a more alive, responsive, effective and warm-hearted way of being within the world as it already exists and within a life you already live. This deep dialogue explores how to find composure right in the midst of the storm and ways to integrate mindfulness into our daily life.Marc Lesser’s books include Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less (New World Library 2009), Know Yourself, Forget Yourself (New World Library 2013) and Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons From Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen (New World Library 2019).

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Interview Date: 6/7/2019        Tags: MP3, Marc Lesser, mindfulness, Norman Fischer, Tassajara Zen Center, Macmindfulness, loving kindness, sympathetic joy, listening, Michael Pollan, self-sufficient, collaboration, acceptance, simplicity, radical responsibility for yourself, Shunryu Suzuki Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, blame, showing up, compassion, Robert Gass, ground truth, Meditation, Philosophy, Personal Transformation, Buddhism, Work/Livelihood

Having had two spinal surgeries and dealing with his own chronic pain issues, Dr. Hanscom describes three causes of pain: structural, soft tissue, and fired up neurological brain pathways. He’s developed a program that lessens the need for spinal surgery. It offers a way to cope with pain and the anxiety, depression and anger that accompany it. Hanscom is the author of Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain (Vertus Press 2017)
Interview Date: 4/13/2013       Tags: MP3, David Hanscom, chronic pain, back pain, surgery, DOCC, Defined Organized Comprehensive Care. Mind/Body Syndrome, sleep, stress, anxiety, anger, neurological pathways, Hoffman Institute, attitude, isolation, socially isolated, book Feeling Good by David Burns, anxiety disorder, writing, spine fusions, spine surgery, degenerative disc disease, meditation, habits, Health & Healing, Writing, Self Help, Meditation, Science

Murray inspires us to take our mindfulness practice into our garden, whether it be in pots on our patio or plots in our backyards. You’ll want to learn the language of the land, understand the wisdom of the weeds, and home in on the blessings of compost with this sweet conversation. Hear her tale of her blindfolded walkabout in the New Zealand bush. She is the author of: Mindfulness in the Garden: Zen Tools for Digging In the Dirt (Parallax Press 2012)
 Interview Date: 1/12/2013       Tags: Zachiah Murray, mindfulness, garden, gardening, walkabout, New Zealand Bush, walking meditation, landscape gardening, nature, gardening, Thich Nhat Hanh, weeding, gathas, anger, forgiveness, watering, pests in the garden, hand watering the garden, when seeds don’t grow, challenges, conflict, frustration, native plants, pruning, trees, compost, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Self Help, Spirituality, Meditation, Ecology/Nature/Environment

Here Houston takes us on a whirlwind tour of the authentic American myth of the Wizard of Oz. She answers the question of what it means to have a brain, a heart, and to act with courage. Using the characters of the scarecrow, tin man, lion, and Dorothy, Houston inspires us to follow our deep yearning in order to develop and contribute to a better world with our full human capacities. She’s the author of nearly thirty books, including A Mythic Life (HarperSanFrancisco 1996), A Passion for the Possible (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) and The Wizard of Us: Transformational Lessons From Oz (Beyond Words 2012)
Interview Date: 12/10/2012     Tags: allies, archetype, brain, creativity, extended families, field of poppies, Glenda the good witch of the north, gross happiness index, human potential movement, it takes a village, Jean Houston Ph.D., Frank Baum, myth, neuroplasticity, rainbow, Renaissance, social artistry, social artists, the arts, the scarecrow, thinking heart, Wizard of Oz, yellow brick road, Mythology, Personal Growth, Philosophy/Psychology, Self-Help, Spirituality

Evolution builds on what came before using it as a platform to transcend to a new level of complexity. McIntosh points out that we need not be repulsed by the values of either traditionalism or modernism. He encourages us to reclaim the best of earlier values and to include them in a higher level. He is the author of Integral Consciousness: The Future of Evolution (Paragon House 2011), Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins (Select Books 2012) and The Presence of the Infinite: The Spiritual Experience of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness (Quest 2015)
Interview Date: 9/18/2012    Tags: agency, cosmological evolution, dialectic spiral, emergence, evolution, human consciousness, modern worldview, Paul Ray, physics, polarized culture, Post-modern worldview, purpose, social structures, Steve McIntosh, the Big Bang, The third Big Bang, traditional worldview, History, Philosophy / Psychology, Science, Social Change / Politics, Spirituality