On the Front Porch with Ami Chen: Spiritual Dialogues for the 21st Century

with Dr. Laurie Moore ... Now for something completely different! ... What can animals teach us about the nature of life? Like watching children, can our simple observations and listening deeply to animals reveal a profound truth about being-ness? Unconditional peace; the capacity to generate love in any situation; bliss within any circumstance; and the experience of oneness--all are within the realm of animal experience (humans included!). Listen in with one of the foremost "animal communicators" of our day.

Is suffering chosen? Is it delusional? Is it the absence of spiritual awakening? Is it solely the result of the mind's attempts to shape reality into what reality isn't? Or is suffering the heart ache that can open us up into whole love? Is the lack of suffering delusional? Is suffering what motivates us to be responsible for the realities we generate? Join Ami as she begins her "local yokel" occasional series with Bay Area-based leaders and lights.

Gabriela Maldonado-Montano. If we have been involved in self-help or spirituality, including the 3 Principles, we may feel as though our love, and other relationships should be just about "perfect" by now. Intimate and close, family relationships, however, are often where the "rubber meets the road" in terms of our egos, and our understanding. Ami & Gabby share their personal experiences with REAL-ationship, and the insights and changes sparked by the coming together of separate realities.

A spiritual & totally practical dialogue with Nate Moore, veteran, Resident Services Manager at Independence Place, transitional housing for veterans, disabled and homeless. Nate says his own realization and deeper understanding of life has never been of his own doing. "I have always made all the wrong choices, consistently," he claims. A former addict, inmate, and a veteran, Nate discovered the Principles through CSC's community work. A heartfelt and wonderfully powerful speaker.

Discussions about sex and spirituality often focus on enhancing sexuality via spirituality, or abstaining from sex altogether. Is there a middle ground? What is the role of sex in spirituality? Can "desire" be understood through the Principles of Thought, Consciousness and Mind? When does "desire" become destructive? Ami touches on this, and the view of drug and alcohol addiction through a 3P perspective, as well as power--the desire for it, and what that can do to mental well-being. Call in's welcome!

What lies at the heart of helping people? Dr. Sandel Pettit, Ed.D., Dean of Graduate Studies & Director of Graduate Counselor Education at Siena Heights University, has years of experience, both sharing the Principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought with private clients, and then with graduate level counseling students. We explore what "sharing the Principles" looks like in a therapeutic setting, and take a broad view, seeing how the Principles relate (or don't relate) to other psychological movements and approaches.

Roots of Suffering, Part II ... Continuing the dialogue on how formless spirituality and the Principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought relate to the very "real" problems we see on the planet today--including violence, war, poverty, greed, hunger and environmental degradation.

Desire, greed, violence, injustice ... How do spirituality and the Principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought relate to the very "real" problems we see on the planet today--including war, poverty, hunger, abuse of all sorts, and environmental degradation? Although human beings have been putting their intellects toward solving such problems for centuries, and even eons, why do they continue? Where do we truly begin when we want to "save the world?"

Gabriela Maldonado-Montano ... When Gabriela was a child, her father was murdered. Decades later, she uncovered the well-kept secrets of her father's death and life. Through this discovery, Gabriela learned more deeply about the true nature of forgiveness. Maureen Latta joins Gabriela and Ami Chen to discuss forgiveness, and a new creative project to share this message with the world.

Live with Gangaji! ... What is enlightenment, anyway? Do our ideas about it get in the way of discovering our Selves, our core peace and happiness, NOW? What is the relationship between moods, or states of mind and pure consciousness, or awareness? Can one be enlightened and grumpy, sad, angry? What's the deal? ... Join Ami Chen as she dialogues with one of the most beloved spiritual teachers and "enlightened" individuals of our time.