Steve Kramer

A great tree is as great as its root system.We will be joined by a very special guest, the masterful teacher and sound healer, Zacciah Blackburn, Ph.D. in discussing the ground on which our Being sits and the platform from which our consciousness expresses. We will explore the human being as the instrument for that expression and Mother Earth as the stage for humanity's evolution.Zacchiah's extensive training and involvement in sound healing, shamanic traditions, sacred sound cultures, and indigenous earth mysteries brings a dynamic and insightful voice to the subject like none other that we can imagine Join us

Luminous Perception is the result of noticing the usually not noticed. As one notices more of the wonders of life, then the sparkle of energy and the radiance that is everywhere, all of the time, can be brought to one's awareness. The luminous nature of reality becomes self-evident. This is an ongoing awakening to life. Our guest this week exemplifies this awakening. In 2009 Tami's life was catapulted into a new way of being. As she was in the midst of her journey with autism along with her son, Michael, her spiritual gifts began to rise to the surface. She realized after taking Reiki classes that she was able to communicate with children diagnosed with autism, who she calls the awesome ones, telepathically. This brought forth her gift of connecting parents more deeply to their children. In May 2015 her book, Vibrational Healing for Autism AKA Awesome Kids was released and is part of her gift to the autism community to help them understand the divine gifts their children bring.

Meditation is an exploration of the inner workings of the mind. The mind can lead us to states of bliss, to inspired discoveries, or it can keep us trapped in cyclical conundrums. Creating space in the mind through meditation allows up to make choices that support well-being on every level... mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Stephanie Condra joins us to talk about Art Therapy and all that it reveals about our complex relationship with this thing called Mind.

This week we will expand the meaning of asana as posturing of the physical body to include the emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Whether proper alignment is in our posture, our relationships, our outlook on life, or our state of consciousness, it leads us to a fuller life experience. Martha Henry-Macdonald, P.T. joins us. She seamlessly blends Energy Medicine with her practice as a Manual, Visceral, Crania-Sacral, and Physical therapist to assist her clients in maintaining alignment on every level. Did we mention that she is a meditation teacher as wellHow do we achieve a high-vibrational state of well-being in every day life Proper asanaAlign with us this week

Interludes are important, they are integrative. An interlude has no agenda other than itself, it is the space between. Within the unfolding of our meditation practice, we now have the tools to create a state of shamata, or peaceful abiding. It is no coincidence that this is the 7th step of the practice.On this episode, we'll have fun with the number 7 and explore the wide variety of ways that this is a magical number of synthesis. Each step of The Practice of Living Awareness has built upon the last to deliberately lead us to this peaceful place of interlude. The creator of the practice, Donna Mitchell-Moniak, joins us to discuss the effects of the combined qualities of the first 7 steps... and to sail the seven seas of synthesis Join us

The understanding that we are all one humanity is at the core of Heart/Mind. Compassion and forgiveness are aspects of the Heart. Perception and clarity are aspects of the Mind. When we combine all of these aspects the result is true response-ability.Sound Healing Facilitator Dorothy Stone will join us in a discussion of the ancient healing practice of Ho'oponopono which harnesses the power of Heart/Mind and effectively transforms situations through deeper understandings of one's personal responsibility to all that life reveals. One's outer world is a reflection of one's inner world thus as we change ourselves, we change the world. Join us.

We had so much fun chatting with Kiara Duran that we asked her back for a second show In Part 1 we talked about softening to our "sometimes messy selves," opening to the path that will reveal the "true you," and releasing your expression and innate creativity to the worldKiara effectively combines chakra-based energy healing techniques with traditional voice coaching to help performers release blockages on every level of their being so that they can let their true voices sing out. We got to hear one of her magical songs, but only touched upon the inspiring work that she does for her children's songwriting amp performance camps through Three Legged Chair, the NYC company that she co-founded and co-owns. We're gonna hear all about it in Part 2.She's going to keep her promise to sing an original song for us and share the secrets to finding the pitch perfect tune of your life's dream and singing it OUT LOUD for all to hear We can't wait to have her back on the air

Step 5 of Spirit Fire's Practice of Living Awareness is "Soften, Open, and Release." This naturally follows last week's "Soften, Open, and Receive" show where we talked with singer-songwriter Larz Young about softening and opening to the human experience as part of the creative process of "receiving" inspiration. We'll stick to the music theme this week and explore "releasing" that creativity with our dynamic guest, Kiara Duran, who combines chakra-based energy healing techniques with traditional voice coaching and helps singers release blockages to let their true voices be heard. She's also a wizard at inspiring children to create soul-full original song and theater pieces with her NYC company Three Legged Chair. She promises to sing an original song for us and share the secrets to finding the pitch perfect tune of your life's dreams and singing them to the world We can't wait

Softening, Opening, and Receiving teaches the process of opening to the present moment where inspiration can be found. Softening makes one receptive to meditative experiences, actually softening is necessary to fully engage any experience. Paying close attention to the process of softening, opening, and receiving air in the lungs readies us to do the same with the mind. As this step permeates our living awareness, we begin to sense whether we are rigid or soft, closed-off or open, defensive or accepting. Softening, opening, and receiving are choices and these choices create powerful shifts toward being fully present in the moment. From the present moment, the possibilities are endless. Musicians exemplify this process. The higher mind, where inspiration dwells, must be contacted in order for creative expression to manifest. Softening and opening to experience allows for full engagement and gets the creative wheels spinning. The realm of the higher mind is where we are headed in this week's show... artists are natural meditators, whether they know it or not, as meditation is little more than absolute presence in the moment. In this episode we join singer-songwriter, Larz Young, in discussing songwriting and the ways softening, opening, and receiving come into play during the creative process.

This episode brings attention to the natural flow of the breath and has us consider the myriad of ways that flow propels us forward. A healthy life is one that is constantly flowing forward with minimal resistance. The nature of consciousness is expansion. Noticing that flow is everywhere helps us get synchronized with this consistent factor of life. On this episode we will learn about Five Element Acupuncture with Colleen Olphie-Lippmann and understand how balance and harmony are restored by focusing on the flow between the seasons and the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Over the centuries, the Chinese have observed nature in order to understand natural law. These laws are then applied to better understanding the human condition. Classical Acupuncture makes use of these laws as the framework to unlock the keys to promoting balance and harmony in the body. In nature, one can easily see the change of the seasons with one season flowing into the next. While most recognize that there are four seasons, the Chinese realized that there are five. Late summer is seen as different from summer because the energy is fuller producing the harvest and abundance of food and flora. With the addition of late summer we now have five seasons that are correlated to the Five Elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Just as each season leads to the next, each element slowly transforms to the one following in a ceaseless progression of evolution through time and space.